Psychic King: Well, here we are at the long awaited last chapter. I ain't gonna talk a lot here, just want everyone to know that Naruto's not mine and the only characters that I claim as my own are the ones I made up myself. If you don't know who those are should you really be reading Naruto fanfiction? Oh well, anyway, for those of you that DON'T read my end notes there'll be a brief epilogue chapter following this and there WILL BE a BOOK TWO. Those of you who wish to may now rejoice. Those of you who wish I'd quite writing this crap and die may NOT read book two (not that I can really stop you, but ::sticks out tongue::). Anyway, so I can't call myself a liar, I now present to you the LONGEST and FINAL chapter of embrace of solitude to date. Enjoy!

Embrace of Solitude

Chapter 25

Sasuke sat for a stunned moment as Tenmar walked out of his room. If he was to believe Naruto, while he was asleep he hadn't been left for even a moment by himself; either Tenmar or Naruto was almost constantly with him. How was it that now that he was actually awake and still wondering what was going on no one was willing to talk to him? Sasuke shook his head, in his mind that implied only one thing; there was something that happened while he was asleep that was worth hiding.

Pulling the covers from his body, Sasuke placed a tentative foot on the ground. He was probably going to have trouble walking properly right away, but he was currently wrapped in a war between his curiosity and his patience and he was not known for the latter. To his surprise, as soon as Sasuke's feet touched the ground he was able to walk as if he hadn't been laid up for going on two weeks. He had been expecting at least some vertigo.

For the first time since his initial awakening Sasuke looked down at the feather still clutched in his hand. It looked exactly like the one he'd picked up in his dream, the one shed by the bird man. But then, how could he carry something back to his room that he picked up in a dream? Then again... he glanced at the unblemished area of his chest that should still be recovering from the bite he'd received from Naruto. A sardonic smile formed on his lips; if his body could magically heal over night because of a dream than perhaps anything was possible.

With a determined grunt Sasuke returned his attention to Naruto and whatever it was that the blonde idiot was apparently trying to hide from him. He heard Sakura's voice, forcibly deep, most likely in a bad attempt of an impersonation of someone or another, "'...for a few YEARS, maybe I'll see you around?'"

Sasuke reached the doorway as Naruto replied, "I'll tell him in my own way."

He leaned against the frame, noticing the way that both Sakura and Tenmar had their eyes focused warily on Naruto, while his own were staring determinately towards the bed. Sasuke could tell from the look on his face that he was simply trying to avoid looking at the two. The words 'a few years' echoed through Sasuke's head as he looked at the three and so, with a scowl on his face he asked, "Tell me what, dobe?"

He could tell from the way that Sakura and Tenmar jumped in unison, spinning to stare at him with wide eyes and, and particularly from the way that Naruto's shoulders hunched suddenly and an almost guilty face turned to greet him that he'd heard something that wasn't intended for him. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he glared into Naruto's face. He was vaguely aware of Sakura walking up to him, heard her speaking to him, but he didn't even spare her a glance.

"Sasuke?" Sakura repeated, realizing finally that the boy was not paying attention. With a sigh she turned her focus back to Naruto, whose eyes were locked on Sasuke. "Alright, if anyone cares, I'm gonna go get your dinner started." Neither Naruto nor Sasuke spared her a glance. With a second long-suffering sigh Sakura grabbed Tenmar by the collar, muttering to him as she stormed towards the kitchen, "Come on, let's leave them alone."

Tenmar allowed Sakura to drag him out of the room, wondering if his father was going to be OK if left alone with the dark haired boy. Who knew what Sasuke was bound to do once he realized that Naruto was planning on leaving him? "Do you think that Father will be alright?"

"Yes. Probably. I don't know." Sakura paused, giving Tenmar a compassionate smile. "Look, despite everything and as much as it bugs me to say it, Sasuke really cares about that blonde idio-er, I mean, your father and vice versa. That doesn't mean that one or both of them won't resort to beating the other up, but they won't kill each other, and, unless Naruto really sticks his foot in his mouth when he tries to explain the situation to Sasuke, Sasuke is bound to understand."

Tenmar's brow furrowed. "Have you ever known my father NOT to stick his foot in his mouth?"

That comment was followed by a loud crashing noise and Sakura turned a worried face towards the closed door that hid Sasuke and Naruto's conversation. She decided to stick to her original statement. "They'll be fine. Come on, now. I want to cook something that you guys can take with you on the road tomorrow."

Head lowered, Tenmar followed the girl. She'd become a lot more forceful and scary since she got her body back from his mother. He wasn't sure if that was due to his mother's memories still floating around in her conscious or if it had more to do with the fact that she'd completely given up on Sasuke and saw no reason to put up the cute front any longer. Whichever it was Tenmar felt a stab of pain at having to leave her, despite everything he felt like he'd grown pretty close to that girl. Of course the pain at the thought of leaving her was nothing in comparison to the heart wrenching feeling he got whenever he thought about leaving Iruka. He truly hoped that the brunette would visit before they left.

:::::BREAK:::::

"You're WHAT?" Sasuke demanded, advancing angrily towards the blonde in front of him. He was forced to step over a small table that had been turned over in his initial anger.

Naruto back pedaled as Sasuke loomed over him. Actually, the boy wasn't looming over anything as the shortest person in the room, but his size and his aura were currently in direct opposition; it FELT like Sasuke was looming over him. "We're leaving?" Naruto repeated, wondering if telling the boy had been a mistake after all.

Sasuke paused. He took a deep breath. He closed his eyes. When he reopened them, some of the intensity was gone, some of the anger calmed. "Would you care to tell me WHY you're leaving?" Sasuke asked, eyes narrowing as he spoke. It wasn't working, his attempts to calm down were only good as long as he avoided thinking about the bombshell the blonde just dropped on him.

"I'd prefer not, but I don't think you're gonna give me much of a choice." Naruto grimaced as Sasuke's eyes flashed. That's what he got for being honest, wasn't it? With a defeated sigh Naruto opened his mouth and started telling Sasuke what parts of the truth he felt were necessary for the boy to know. He was beginning to think that his original plan (a letter left on the boy's bedside table with the words 'see ya in five' written in it) would have been safer, certainly less heart-wrenching. "There are various reasons why we have to leave. First off, we were asked to."

"Asked by whom exactly?" Sasuke demanded, crossing his arms and leaning back a bit. Apparently this was going to be a long explanation.

"Well, some of the elders- NOT Hokage-sama, but some of the higher-ups- feel that my family has caused enough trouble for the time being. The feeling seems to have permeated through Konoha, so..." Naruto shrugged.

Eyes narrowing further, Sasuke replied, "You never cared that no one wanted you around before."

Naruto grimaced in response. "Hey! A few idiots didn't want me around, so what? The important people like Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, Hokage-sama, the ramen noodle shop owner, Sakura-chan and apparently YOU wanted me around." He replied, then shut his mouth, thinking that his task of explaining to Sasuke why he had to go would have been easier if he hadn't just reminded Sasuke of how many people wanted him to stay. Scratching his cheek he continued, "Anyway, that's not the only reason. There's also my fam-" His words were cut short by a sudden low gurgling sound coming from the bed behind them.

Sasuke looked beyond Naruto to the bed behind him, noticing an immediate change in the atmosphere of the room; Naruto looked suddenly drawn, concerned and... old. On top of the bed, as if in a deep sleep, lay Mina. The small parts of her skin that were visible were covered in scars; a large bandage was fastened tightly over her right eye. The gurgling noises became a whimpering which quickly transferred to screams. The screams began to intensify and Sasuke watched as Mina's body went into an almost seizure like fit. Her hand rose from her side and, as if possessed by an evil spirit, began clawing away at her skin.

Naruto acted quickly, grabbing each of the girl's hands with his own and holding them down. Her body shook as the screams grew louder, Sasuke could see her struggling against Naruto's grip. The only visible bandage on her body, the one covering her eye, began to slip and Sasuke felt a brief moment of repulsion as it fell away to reveal an empty eye socket. The moment passed quickly, however, as the girl's screams reached even higher peaks and her legs began kicking and flailing. One knee came into sharp contact with Naruto's back and he grunted as he held the girl's arms down.

Without thinking Sasuke moved to grab onto Mina's legs, throwing his body over them and using his entire torso and the whole of his weight to keep them in place. As suddenly as the screaming began it subsided. Uncertain what to do, Sasuke waited until Naruto let go of the girl's arms to release her himself. He stared at the blonde man next to him in concern as Naruto sunk down to a sitting position next to the bed. He suddenly looked more like a father than anything else; old, tired, worried. "Does she... do that often?"

"A few times a day." Naruto replied, covering his eyes with his large hand. "I don't know what to do to help her."

The door to the room burst open, Tenmar came dashing in. "I heard Mina- is everything OK?"

Naruto looked up, smiling slightly at his son; a sad, humorless smile. "As OK as it can be. She just had a small fit; she should be quiet for a while now." After a moment he added, "Has Sakura-chan left yet?"

Tenmar shook his head. "No, she's almost done cooking, though. I think she wanted to talk to you before she left."

"Right." Naruto replied, standing and heading out of the room, looking back he added, "Tenmar, do you mind sitting with Mina for a while? I have a few things to do before tomorrow."

"Of course, Father!" Tenmar called, eyes shining earnestly as his father's figure disappeared down the hallway.

Sasuke stared at Tenmar for a long moment, wondering if he'd always been so eager and laid-back. He almost looked like a puppy watching happily as his master left him in charge of guarding the house. Of course, Tenmar was at least ¼ fox, from Naruto, right? At least half human, from Illia... What was the other ¼?

Tenmar turned a nervous smile towards his father's love, wondering why the boy was glaring hate daggers at him. Did Sasuke blame him for their leaving? He watched the boy's gaze darken as he glanced down the hall that Naruto had just disappeared down. Sasuke thrust his hands deep into his pockets, sparing a quick nod to Tenmar as he stormed quickly down the hallway towards the kitchen. Tenmar's return nod was witnessed only by the boy's back. With a slightly relieved sigh Tenmar reached down and picked up Mina's bedside table that apparently was knocked over somehow. After a moment he grabbed Mina's hair brush from the floor and began gently stroking it through her long hair, wondering what the next five years would bring to his family.

:::::BREAK:::::

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto sang in an almost overly jovial tone as he bounded into the kitchen.

The pink haired girl looked up from her cooking effort with some mixture of happiness and annoyance on her face. "Hai, Naruto-kun. I'm almost done with the cooking, but I wanted to make a little extra so you have something decent for your first night on the road."

Naruto grimaced, glancing at the size of the pot she was stewing over. Judging from it's size and relative soupy look, she'd probably made enough that they could eat it EVERY night they were on the road. How were they supposed to carry a giant pot of soupy substance through the wild? Noticing that Sakura was staring expectantly at him, pride glowing from her face he quickly hid his reluctance. "Awesome, Sakura-chan! It smells so good!"

Sakura awarded Naruto's words with a huge smile and a slight blush. She forced her eyes to focus down at her cooking as the blonde's face broke into one of his gigantic smiles. As an adult he was just too damn attractive for his own good. "You won't leave tomorrow without... saying goodbye, will you?" She asked, suddenly, turning large pleading eyes towards him.

Naruto took an awkward step backwards as her green eyes began filling slightly with tears. As a matter of fact, he hadn't been planning on sticking around to say goodbye to anybody. He'd been planning on waiting for Sasuke to go to sleep and grab Tenmar and Mina a run. He held up his hands in a defensive manner as Sakura's lips curved down to a pout. "Heh... Of course I'll say goodbye to you before I leave!" He was aware that his tone was less than convincing, but he attempted to put a reassuring grin on his face; inwardly he was sighing. Now that he said he would say goodbye he really wouldn't be able to leave until he did. But how could he say no to that pleading face; a face that looked so much like that of his daughter?

Sakura's face immediately broken into a large smile; she figured he would be weak to her tears, considering her resemblance to both Illia and Mina. "Great! Dinner's about ready, if you want to get a plate out for yourself, Tenmar and Sasuke!" She said in a completely cheerful tone.

Naruto's arms dropped to his side as realization hit him. She'd set him up. She knew he was weak to her tears and she purposely used them to get what she wanted. Was she always been so manipulating, so cruel, so EVIL? With a sigh he reached into the cupboard, pulling out one bowl and placing it before the girl. "This is for Tenmar." He said in a slightly defeated tone. "I have some things to do before tomorrow, I'll eat later. Do me a favor and take the bowl up to him before you go?"

Surprise stopped Sakura from being initially angry. She watched a defeated looking Naruto open the servant's entrance to the kitchen and step out. "H-hai. What about Sasu-" Sakura's words cut short as the dark haired boy stormed through the kitchen to follow Naruto out of the house. He caught up to Naruto on the path, half way to the road and fell into pace next to the blonde. A small smile crept across Sakura's face as she watched the two walk quietly next to each other. They made quite a picture standing side by side like that; a tall well-built blonde glancing nervously at his young bishonen companion who walked down the road glaring strait ahead.

Sakura smiled after them for a moment, wondering what Sasuke would be like without Naruto to keep him in line. She had realized during the course of the last fifteen days that, as much as Sasuke had pulled Naruto along, the one who would really be lost when they were separated would be Sasuke.

:::::BREAK:::::

Sasuke and Naruto walked silently, each lost in their own thoughts. They entered the business area of Konoha without a word exchanged between the two of them. Naruto turned towards a supply store and Sasuke found himself unconsciously following him. He sighed inwardly, wondering why he was allowing himself to be dragged around by the blonde so readily. Had it always been this way? He remembered feeling some semblance of control in their relationship. Perhaps that had always been an illusion. When he really thought about it he'd always been pulled into Naruto's pace, slowing down and speeding up as necessary; even in training. Of course now he had a long way to go to catch up.

Naruto had left him behind in more ways than one. He was tall, handsome and, despite his goofy grin and humor-filled eyes, there was a maturity in the way he held himself. Sasuke looked down at his suddenly small-seeming hands. The next five years could be taken to grow in body and power. He had no doubt that if he pushed himself hard enough he could be strong enough to stand at Naruto's side as a partner. So why did the thought of being separated from the blonde make him so uneasy?

Sasuke glanced up to see Naruto grab an instant ramen cup from the shelf and place it in his basket. A grin crept across Sasuke's face when he noticed the basket was brimming over with instant ramen. Across the bottom Naruto had thrown a few containers that could be used to hold water or the like, if there was anything else in the cart it was completely covered by the ramen at this point. The grin widened as Naruto walked further down the isle glancing at yet another flavor. How much ramen did he expect to carry, anyway?

A woman walked down the isle, when she noticed Naruto she blushed brightly, glancing away from him then back again. She was young, probably around twenty, and very pretty. Sasuke glared at her, wondering what the hell she wanted with Naruto. She didn't even spare Sasuke a glance, her eyes remained focused on the blonde, who was still struggling over which ramen to buy. Did she NOT know who Naruto was? Or did she just not care? Glancing around Sasuke noticed that Naruto was the focus of many other stares in the store. Mostly women, each with slight blushes across their face and starry, wistful looks in their eyes; the men who gauzes fell upon him held the more typical looks of contempt and even hatred, but some looked envious and a few even looked interested, much like the women.

Sasuke looked at Naruto, amazed that the man didn't notice the people's stares. Naruto was grinning quizzically up at him, holding two ramen cups, one in each hand. "Ne, Sasuke, I have enough money for one more, should I get chicken or shrimp?"

Sasuke stared at the blonde in a moment of disbelief. "Idiot." He replied, stuffing his hands deep into his pockets and walking past the blonde.

"Bastard." Naruto shot back tossing one of the cups into his cart and laying the other carefully back on the shelf. He walked slowly after Sasuke wondering if the boy would remain angry at him until he left, or, more likely, until he returned in five years. Beautiful, intelligent, cunning; Sasuke was all of these, but he also was one bitter, grudge-holding bastard. The fact that he was being deserted by the second family he'd adopted must have been affecting him in terrible ways. Actually, the thought of leaving Sasuke made Naruto angry, sad and depressed, too, but what else was he supposed to do?

The main problem was really Mina. There was not a doctor in Konoha that hadn't looked her over and none of them could do anything. They'd even had Sai take a look; there was no one that knew what was wrong, let alone how to help. Naruto's only choice was to search for the only person he knew that might be able to do something; his older brother, Tagen. That was why he didn't argue or complain when they told him to leave for a few years.

He blonde bought his supplies and looked at his near empty frog wallet with a heavy heart. He'd saved like a fiend for that much money, not that he had anything in specific that he'd been saving for. He supposed at one point it had been for a wedding, not that he had anyone to marry. He glanced at Sasuke as he turned towards the ramen shop he often frequented. The boy was still aimlessly following him. Naruto grinned as he looked at Sasuke's scowling face; he had just enough money to treat the dark haired boy and himself to their last meal together. Last meal for a few years at least.

"Oi! Isn't that Sasuke?" A deep voice called from behind the two.

Sasuke and Naruto turned to see Chouji and Shikamaru walking up behind them. "Naruto, too." Shikamaru replied in a tone that managed to hold both boredom and annoyance.

Naruto wasn't surprised that Chouji didn't recognize him; they hadn't seen each other since Naruto's change, but he was amazed at Shikamaru's ability to recognize him. "Hey, what's up?"

Chouji was looking at him in a quizzical manner, as if to ascertain that Naruto really was who Shikamaru claimed him to be. He'd, of course, heard about Naruto's 'transformation' but wasn't sure if he believed it until this point.

Shikamaru was eyeing his many, many bags of ramen with a skeptical aura around him. "Are you planning on living off travel ramen for the rest of your life?"

"Hey! Instant ramen is great! It even has dried vegetables and meat stock!" Naruto shot back defensively pulling his ramen closer to his being.

"Where're you guys headed?" Chouji asked hopeful tone to his voice. His stomach had been gurgling since he ran out of snacks some fifteen minutes ago.

"Dinner!" A smile over took Naruto's features at the thought of eating at the ramen shop with Sasuke.

"Dinner?" Chouji replied, even more hopeful tone in his voice. "Bar-b-q?"

"Ramen!" Naruto insisted, glaring at the chubby boy as he resumed his walk towards the ramen shop. "It has to be ramen!"

"But I want bar-b-q!" Chouji moaned as both himself and Shikamaru fell into place next to Naruto and Sasuke.

"You don't have to come, then!" Naruto replied, sticking out his tongue.

"But I'm hungry!" Chouji moaned to the blonde. Naruto sighed; this was not what he'd been planning for his last night in Konoha.

:::::BREAK:::::

Sasuke sighed, it was now getting late. They had sat at the ramen shop for upwards of two hours, and once they finally left Naruto took another half hour to chat with Shikamaru and Chouji. Sasuke had been silent most of the night, opting to glare at whoever tried to draw him into the conversation. As a result, Chouji learned quickly not to talk to the dark haired boy; neither Naruto nor Shikamaru had even attempted to from the start. But it was over now and they were finally alone again and headed towards Sasuke's house. Not that any talking was taking place and the silence was almost worse than being surrounded by those other people.

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, noticing the way the blonde was holding his instant ramen as if it were precious cargo. Naruto glanced at him quizzically, and Sasuke looked down, blushing. Why did the blonde have this affect on him?

"Do you remember... this place?" Naruto asked quietly as the road they were walking on entered a more wooded area.

Sasuke's blush deepened and he was glad that it was dark; not that it really mattered, he supposed Naruto could see him quite clearly either way. This was where they'd had their first kiss... only about a month ago. Of course a lot had happened since then; it felt like a different lifetime ago. Sasuke was sure that feeling was even stronger in Naruto.

The blonde stopped walking and Sasuke also stopped, turning to stare at him. "Sasuke, I've been thinking... About leaving and about you... The last few days have been really hard on me. In some ways I was really glad to see you wake up before I left, I wasn't sure I could leave before you woke up, but saying goodbye is hard, too." Naruto sighed, moving to the side of the road and laying down his supplies. "I guess, what I'm trying to say is... I wouldn't leave you if I didn't think it was necessary, but I can't just sit back and watch Mina waste to nothing, I can't let my children live in the same hostile environment I grew up in, I can't let another of my enemies swoop down and attack this place, I can't let innocent people die because of my past; can't let you be in danger because of my past ever again..."

Sasuke stared at Naruto's sad face and walked slowly towards him. When he reached the blonde he balled his fist tightly, pulling it as far back as he could manage. He felt at least some amount of satisfaction when Naruto flew backwards, landing with an 'oof' on his backside. "Idiot." Sasuke rebuked calmly, "This town isn't so weak that it needs you to protect it. Whether you leave or stay won't make a life ending impact on anyone or anything. People die, its part of life, and if it wasn't for your cause than it would have been for something else. I'll tell you this; people don't put their lives on the line for something or someone they don't believe in. If you're leaving to help Mina I'm all for it –I didn't risk my life to protect her for no reason, either. If you're leaving to protect your family, again, that's fine. Great. But if you tell me one more time that you feel responsible for the deaths that happened, or for hurting me, I'll kill you."

Naruto tilted his head back, gazing up at the stars from his position on the ground. If Sasuke knew how much he meant to Naruto he'd probably kill him anyway. Was it wrong to desire to protect the boy? To want to protect Konoha? He laughed, forcing his eyes back towards Sasuke. "Fine, I get it. I understand. But I'm still leaving tomorrow, so there. And, Sasuke? Next time you wanna punch some sense into me don't go full strength." Mock tears formed in the blue eyes, "That hurt!"

"Heh." Sasuke grunted, crossing his arms and staring down his nose at the blonde. "If I'd gone full strength you wouldn't be awake right now, dobe." He walked towards the blonde, reaching a hand down to pull him up.

Naruto accepted the hand, but rather than rising he yanked the boy down on top of him, wrapping his arms around a startled Sasuke. A small smile formed on the blonde's lips as Sasuke relaxed into the embrace.

"I-idiot. What are you doing?" Sasuke asked, resting his head lightly against Naruto's chest.

"Surprise attack," came the muttered reply as Naruto buried his face in Sasuke's hair, carefully breathing in his scent. After a long moment he pushed the boy away slightly so he could see his eyes. "Look, Sasuke... I care a lot about you and that's NOT gonna change. Five years'll feel like nothing to me. I swear, as long as you're here I'll come back for you. If you don't want me around at that point I'll leave. You got five years to decide."

Sasuke snorted, pushing Naruto away from himself and standing. "I don't even want you here now, dobe."

"So cruel!" Naruto cried, face contorting to a pout.

Sasuke smirked, reaching a hand down yet again to pull Naruto up. This time the blonde allowed it. He wasn't quite sure why he enjoyed tormenting Naruto, but seeing his pout made Sasuke feel much happier. He watched as Naruto trudged towards his momentarily discarded purchases, picking them up and resuming his walk towards Sasuke's home. Sasuke's smirk faded as he recalled the dream he'd had and the message in it. "There's something I have to tell you."

Naruto turned a still putting face towards Sasuke, and sniffed. "What? You've crushed my heart so now you wanna kill my first born or something? Well, I'll have you know, Tenmar wouldn't go down without a struggle. Even if he acts silly sometimes, he IS my son."

Sasuke bit back the automatic retort that formed on his lips wondering how Naruto got off calling Tenmar silly. Wasn't that the pot calling the kettle black? He shook his head. "You wanted to know how my wounds healed, right?"

The pout cleared from Naruto's face and almost at once he looked serious. "Hell yeah I wanna know."

"Well, when I went to sleep the second time I had this dream." Sasuke began, walking along side Naruto on the road to his home. Sasuke told Naruto about his dream, about the people he met in it, about how Tagen healed him and about the message that he was told to pass on to Naruto. Once they reached Sasuke's house they immediately went into the kitchen and Naruto started some tea. That had been two hours ago. "I think that if anyone could help Mina it would be that Tagen guy." Sasuke finished, watching Naruto spin the feather he'd picked up from the bird man.

"So, my brothers are alive..." Naruto responded after a long moment. He'd sat quietly through Sasuke's story, but his mind was moving a mile a minute. He jumped to his feet, suddenly feeling very awake and ready for action. "I gotta get Tenmar, we gotta go!"

Sasuke stood, a wave of exhaustion flowing over him. "If you have to go then go, but you'd sure as hell better wait to say goodbye to Sakura and Iruka-sensei before you do. I don't want to deal with their tears if you don't."

"Heh... right." Naruto grinned sheepishly, but Sasuke could feel an excitement radiating off him.

"I... I'm going to bed. Don't make too much noise leaving tomorrow." Sasuke said. The unspoken meaning behind his words hung heavy in the air. He stared at Naruto until he was certain the blonde understood what he meant, 'don't wake me up; I'll let you leave, but don't expect me to see you off.'

Naruto's smile dimmed, but he nodded. "Take care, Sasuke."

"You, too." Sasuke replied, shoving his hands into his pockets and walking quickly to his room. He crawled into his bed, wide eyes glaring at the ceiling. Suddenly he didn't feel even the slightest bit tired.

:::::BREAK:::::

Morning came far sooner than Naruto had been anticipating. He was barely done squeezing all his instant ramen into packs along with the meal Sakura prepared when the door to the kitchen burst open and through it walked Iruka, Kakashi directly behind him carrying a large bag.

"Sorry, we let ourselves in." Iruka said, moving to stand in front of Naruto. "I was afraid someone would be sleeping, and I know you all need your rest..."

"Tenmar was still sleeping when I last checked in on him, but that was a while ago." Naruto's mouth curved upwards, but his blue eyes were filled with sadness. Iruka was probably the second hardest person for him to say goodbye to. The fact that he'd managed to keep his cool with Sasuke meant nothing before the man that had practically raised him for the last twelve years. Sasuke, at least, had the same 'I'm not going to cry' mindset that Naruto had. Iruka, on the other hand, was unashamedly crying as he walked towards the blonde. Naruto had a hard time holding back the tears when Iruka wrapped his arms around him in a brotherly embrace.

"Are you packed?" Iruka asked as he released Naruto, wiping at his eyes.

Naruto nodded, sniffing and gesturing towards the overflowing packs surrounding him. "We're pretty much ready to go. It's gonna be hard for Tenmar and I to get this stuff TO the others while dragging Mina along, but once we get there everything should be fine."

"We can come with you as far as to Ganten and Uzu's camp." Kakashi responded. "I'm sure Sasuke and Sakura will want to say goodbye to the others, anyway."

"Ah... Ehe..." Naruto scratched the back of his neck, looking down. "Sasuke doesn't want to see us off. He said not to wake him."

"I see." Kakashi and Iruka glanced at each other then back at Naruto. "Well, can't be helped." Kakashi added.

"Anyone awake?" Sakura's tentative voice called from the front door, her head poked into the kitchen. "There you are. Ah, Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei, you're already here?"

Naruto took a step backwards as two five eyes landed on him, each displaying varying degrees of sorrow. "Eto... Why don't we go wake Tenmar up and get Mina ready to travel?"

"You do that." Sakura said stepping fully into the kitchen hefting a bag behind her. "I'll get your breakfast set out."

"Breakfast?" Naruto replied, a bit of hesitation in his voice. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate Sakura's gesture, but more that stopping to eat a full breakfast would definitely slow them down.

"Yes, breakfast!" Sakura replied, finality in her tone.

Naruto sighed as he lead Iruka and Kakashi down the hall towards the room Tenmar and Mina were in. He had the sinking feeling that he was going to be severely slowed down by the good intentions of his friends. Oh well, at least Uzu and Ganten would probably be ready to leave as soon as they got there this way.

When they opened the door to Mina's room Tenmar was already awake. He turned as the door opened. "Iruka-san!" Tenmar shot to his feet. He apparently hadn't been awake for long, judging from the unruly state of his clothing. His now chin length hair hung in tendrils around his face. "What are you doing here this early?" It was obvious from his smile that he was actually quite pleased.

"I just thought that maybe you two could use our help." Iruka's smile was enough to make Tenmar swoon; if it hadn't been for Kakashi's appearance right behind the brunette Tenmar might have glomped onto the school teacher.

"Hi!" Kakashi waved, wrapping a long arm around Iruka's shoulders. Tenmar glared at the man.

"Tenmar, are you almost ready to go?" Naruto called, breaking into Tenmar's glare at Kakashi time. "I have everything packed so as soon as you and Mina are ready we can head out."

"You've finished packing?" Tenmar's hand reached up to grip Naruto's arm. "Father, did you get ANY sleep last night?"

Naruto waved his son off, shaking his head. "I'm fine, I'm fine. I'll sleep better on the road, anyway. Are you ready to go?"

Tenmar shook his head. "Just give me a few minutes to wash up and get Mina prepared for travel." He shot a sad look towards Iruka, thinking that he would have liked to have had a chance to say farewell.

Naruto grinned at his son's transparency. "Don't worry, Iruka and Kakashi have agreed to come with us to camp, you can say goodbye properly on the way."

"Hai!" Tenmar replied, immediately perking up.

:::::BREAK:::::

Naruto issued a long suffering sigh as he lead what felt like a small army towards the campsite he was to meet his two youngest sons at. THIS was why he wanted to sneak out in the wee hours. After the brief conversation with Tenmar, Naruto and the others had returned to the kitchen to find that Shikamaru had decided to see them off as well... Half way through breakfast one of Hokage-sama's assistants arrived to see if there was anything that could be done to aid them; the man had apologized profusely for the Hogake's absence, but apparently with the town still in a state of disarray the man had a lot to do. After that a small troop of higher level ninja that Naruto was not overly familiar with appeared to make sure that Naruto and his family didn't 'get lost' on their way out of town. Naruto had been expecting these people, most likely lap dogs for some of the lords that had insisted on his short exile.

"Naruto-kun?" Kakashi called, breaking the blonde from his thoughts.

Naruto shook himself, turning his face towards Kakashi. He'd managed to convince the silver haired man that he should help Naruto drag Mina on her stretcher. It might have been slightly underhanded, but he it was also a way to give Tenmar some alone time with Iruka. Although Naruto was certain that the love was one-sided, he still felt a desire to give his son at least that much before they left. "Hai, Kakashi-san?"

Naruto could see the outline of Kakashi's smile through his facial cloth. "Is your mind on the road ahead or back at Konoha?"

"Maybe a little of both." The blonde offered a half smile to his former teacher.

"It's too bad Sasuke-kun decided not to come." The masked man watched carefully as Naruto took in his words.

"Yeah." Naruto sighed, glancing behind the group. There was someone following them in the trees, but there were so many smells around that he was having a hard time telling if it was Sasuke or just some other ninja 'checking up' on them. His eyes caught on Tenmar as he swung them back towards the road. His son was blushing to the roots of his hair and appeared to be stammering something as Iruka smiled patiently at him and responded calmly. Naruto sighed. He honestly hoped that Tenmar found someone else to fixate on before the next five years finished; he had a growing fear that Kakashi may decide to take Tenmar out if he became too persistent. "We're here."

Kakashi looked around eyeing the site they were currently standing. The area was empty, there wasn't even a vague scent of either Uzu or Ganten nor signs of a fire, which he was certain their camp would have, so how was Naruto so certain? "I don't sense anyth-"

"Daddy!" Uzu pounced out of the forest, wrapping his arms around his father. "I've missed you so much!"

Ganten's white head appeared from another part of the forest; in one arm he held Moab, his other hand was wrapped around the torso of a boy Naruto had never seen before. Ganten had a slight smile on his face, the man he was half holding/half dragging did not look quite as happy.

"That must be Rin." Naruto murmured to Uzu, keeping his voice low. Ganten had sent a fox to him as soon as the found the boy, including in his message details on Rin's mind reading abilities and his role in Kentaar's gang. Naruto wasn't quite certain that he was willing to trust someone that worked for his brother, but also wasn't quite certain that he was willing to toss the boy aside into the wild. The world was a harsh place for people with strange powers. Anyway, Ganten didn't seem to think he was any danger and Naruto was prepared to trust his youngest son in this matter. For the time being, at least.

"Yeah, that's Ganten's boy-toy." Uzu grinned. He wasn't quite sure WHY Rin took so well to his brother. The world was a strange place. "He's not too bad looking, but a little low on the personality side, if you catch my drift. I guess that makes them a perfect couple. Cold, aloof and they both got this angry teen thing going, look they're glaring at me. Donno HOW they know I'm talking about them. That kid must be a mind reader." Uzu nodded, waving at the brown haired boy whose face had turned slightly pink.

Naruto sighed. When he sent the fox back to Ganten he had given the boy permission to take in the mind reader, but had asked Ganten not to tell anyone, not even Uzu, about Rin's powers. He was beginning to wonder if it had been a good idea. Because the information was made into a secret it meant that there was a higher chance that Uzu at least would look at Rin with a higher air of suspicion once his secret was made known. That could cause problems in the family structure if anything could. They were going to have to have a long family talk once they were further away from civilization.

Naruto turned his attention back to Uzu, but the red head had disappeared from his side. "Uzu?"

The light laughter of Sakura greeted his ears. "He's over there, bothering Shikamaru. I think he has a crush."

"Just what the world needs, another lovesick Uzumaki..." Naruto smiled as he watched Uzu talk excitedly to the spiky haired boy. At least on Uzu's end Shikamaru didn't seem to be against talking to him and was not already attached. Of course, five years would likely take care of that, but... Naruto watched as Shikamaru offered Uzu a half smile. He had a growing suspicion that Shikamaru had actually shown up to say farewell to Uzu; the two had been hanging around each other a bit. He shook his head, either way Naruto and family were leaving, Shikamaru was staying behind; Uzu was going to be hurt.

"Well, at least he's probably not as bad off as Tenmar." Sakura responded.

They both turned in unison to watch a sad looking Tenmar talk to both Iruka and Kakashi. They seemed to be getting along well in that Tenmar was not glaring at Kakashi nor was he attempting to glomp onto Iruka. It broke Naruto's heart to see the resigned look on Tenmar's usually happy, helpful face, though.

"The happiest child I have right now is Ganten..." Naruto's eyes swung towards the white haired boy who was currently glaring at the Ninja that were still waiting around for Naruto to gather his children and leave. "I'm a failure as a parent, aren't I?"

Sakura patted his head as Naruto slumped to the ground, forlorn look on his face. "Hey, you can't blame yourself. I mean, you weren't even there for most of their childhood!" Naruto's face took on a darker look, and she quickly continued talking, wondering how she could so often get her large foot into her tiny mouth. "I didn't mean it like that, I mean, you're a wonderful father! They wouldn't have risked their lives to find you for all this time if they didn't love you. I mean... ehe..."

"Gottcha." Naruto laughed, looking up at the pink haired girl. "I know I haven't been a very good father, but I have the rest of their lives to make it up to them. They really are great kids..." He shook his head, glancing up, towards the trees. The feeling that he was being watched once again taking over. His eyes caught on a flash of pale skin and for an instant he stared into a pair of beautifully dark eyes and then the figure disappeared. With a slight smile he stepped forward. "I guess it's time to say goodbye." Raising his voice he called to his children, "Come on guys, it's now or never! The sooner we leave the sooner we can get Mina back up!"

There was a chorus of agreement between his children, varying levels of excitement in their voices. There were many tears and many hugs, a few promises were made, but when it was over the Iruka, Kakashi, Sakura, Shikamaru, the Hokage's servant and the random group of Ninja that were following them stood and watched as the Uzumaki family disappeared slowly into the forest, Uzu and Ganten bickering slightly over who should have to (or more appropriately, should NOT have to) hold baby Moab.

The end

:::::BREAK:::::

Sasuke: ... That's it?

Psychic King: Ano... I couldn't think of anything else to say...

Sasuke: ::Advancing on Psychic King:: YOU JUST LET HIM LEAVE??? WHY DIDN'T I BEAT HIM UP AND STOP HIM????

Psychic King: ::Backing away:: Come on, now... Just wait for the epilogue... It'll be good, I promise...

Naruto: ::shaking head:: I want more information, too... You can't just end it there...

Psychic King: WHY don't you read my author's note at the top??? I said, (and I quote myself here) "...there'll be a brief epilogue chapter following this and there WILL BE a BOOK TWO." If anyone's still got questions after reading the epilogue that you think needs addressed than why don't you submit them by e-mail to me and I'll answer on an as needed basis in order from which they were received, OK?

Tenmar: ::Shaking head:: She's in office worker mode again... Who's been letting her read the boy's love office worker mangas again???

Uzu: ::Looking at the ground:: It's not so much that I've been letting her read them, but the boy's love office worker stories are so entertaining, and so I asked to borrow a few and we started reading and...

Ganten: ::smacking Uzu on the head:: Idiot! We told you any time she spent reading manga was time she spent away from finishing up this farce she calls fanfiction.

Psychic King: Well, it's been a long road (almost a year) but Embrace of Solitude has wound itself to the end. There will be a brief epilogue coming very shortly (but it's gonna be REAL brief). And then I'll start book two. Before I do so, I was wondering if there is ANYONE out there that likes editing, having ideas bounced off them etc...?? I'm looking for a Beta reader/pre-reader/peer reviewer... Whatever you wanna call it. Someone to help me catch my numerous word errors, tell me when I'm not making sense, help me through writer's block, etc. What that would involve is me writing a chapter, e-mailing it out to you and then waiting for you to send back an edited copy back with recommendations that I may or may not take (sometimes I have plans for future chapters so things are written a certain way for that purpose). Because I will probably wait to post a chapter until it's been reviewed I need someone that is willing to do it in a semi-timely manner. Of course if I have someone to bounce ideas off of that will make my chapter come out probably at least a little fast... Anyway, enough of my babbling. E-mail me at Psychic underscore King at hotmail dot com (just put the symbols in place of the underlined words... I can't get to show my e-mail address, I think it has it out for me) if you think you're interested and we'll talk, OK? ::Waves:: See ya all in the epilogue!