AN: Sorry for the late update, guys. I was supposed to updatethis weeks ago but school projects started pouring and school ate my free time... but now I have a less-hectic week. Thanks for all the reviews; I would gladly reply to them (without spoiling story) but my account will be placed in danger if I do so.

But still, thank you for your support.

Without further adieu...here's the next chap...

Deemed to be forgotten

News

Naruto couldn't take it anymore…they had killed an innocent boy before and now another! He clenched his fist and punched the ground. Hinata, who had started healing Hidetada's wound, was startled by Naruto's action. Naruto was able to make a small crater in the ground with his fist.

Shift…

Naruto heard in the clump of trees behind him. He enhanced his hearing and heard someone's heartbeat.

Bulls eye…

Someone was hiding there.

"Hinata…stay here…" He whispered at him. In a blink of an eye, he disappeared.

The ninja who was hiding in the trees was alarmed. The blonde man suddenly disappeared. His boss told him to stay away from the blonde man because that man was very strong. He stepped backward…

Crack

"Damn…I stepped at a!" He was startled. Someone had grabbed him by the neck tightly.

"Who the hell are…you?" He asked. He struggled to get free from the person's grapple.

"Your greatest nightmare…" The one who grappled him down said with a cold voice.

"Greatest nightmare my ass… You should be dead, Uzumaki Naruto!" He retorted.

Naruto squeezed his neck.

"Why were you after the kid?" Naruto asked.

He squeezed the man's neck more.

"Argh…! You're not going to get any answers from me!" He exclaimed while he tried to break free from Naruto again.

Naruto recalled the he had no time to waste. He grabbed a needle with a sleeping fluid and he decided to let the intruded have a taste of it. "Fine, if that suits you…I'll let Ibiki take care of you then…" He said with sarcasm in his voice.

Hinata sighed with relief. He was able to close Hidetada's wound but it seems he had lost a lot of blood in just a short time because of the severe wound he accumulated from the unknown attacker.

"Hinata…" The cold voice made Hinata jump. Her heartbeat skipped a beat when she saw how cold Naruto looked; it was the way he looked when she saw him in the graveyard. "How is he?" He asked. Though there was coldness in his expression, the concern was evident in his voice.

"I-I've closed his wounds…" Hinata whispered the answer. She felt weak since she used too much chakra to heal Hidetada. "…but…he-he still needs treatment, Naruto-kun…" She said. She noticed that Naruto was carrying a man that was smaller than him. The man was masked and he wore dark robes. "Is he that one who attacked Hide-kun?" She asked.

Naruto merely nodded.

Hinata tried to stand but she knees felt weak because of the small stamina left in her. Naruto assisted her.

"Are you okay?" He asked. This time, the cold look was wiped away from his face.

Hinata nodded and said, "Don't worry; I just used too much chakra." She said.

"Here…" Naruto took out a pill from his pouch and he gave it to Hinata. "…take it. It will recover some chakra." Hinata nodded and swallowed the pill. Naruto on the other hand, picked up Hidetada and he slung the boy's body gently at his shoulders.

Hinata looked up at Naruto and it seemed he had no difficulty in carrying two people but still, "I could carry Hidetada if you're having a hard time." She offered him since she felt that she had recovered some chakra.

Naruto shook his head. "No; I can manage." He stated. "Where does Tsunade usually hang out?" He asked Hinata.

"She's usually at the hospital before evening." Hinata then shifted her attention to the picnic basket and the blanket; someone still has to carry it back to her house.

"I'll go to the hospital and you should take that back home." He said.

"But…But…I want to come with you…" Hinata said.

"Iruka-sensei will come by your house to see if Hide is doing his work...I'm pretty sure he'll drop by. You should take that home and wait for him or go find him and tell him what happened. I'll take care of him; don't worry." Naruto said.

"I…I…" Hinata dropped her head. "…o-ok…" She said. "But…the others might see you…is that ok?" She asked.

"I don't care if they see me or not; Hide is more important now." Naruto said. "I…don't want to see another kid die…" He added in a whisper that Hinata didn't catch. Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"…Naruto-kun…" Hinata said and after a short moment, she placed the other things inside the picnic basket and she took it home.

Iruka stared at the garden in an irritated manner. He had his arms crossed and he was pouting. "Where is Hide?" He asked. "I can't believe he still had the guts to escape from his punishment…" He added. He was there for a long time now and it seemed Hinata wasn't there too. Hiashi didn't know Hide's whereabouts and he also found out about the fact that Hinata couldn't take care of Hidetada anymore. Neji was not home because he had attended a meeting. The other Hyuuga clan members can't tell a thing about where Hidetada went. "Hidetada will regret what he did! When I see that kid…I'll…!"

"Iruka-sensei…!" Hinata called out. She has just gotten home and a Hyuuga clan member has told her that someone was looking for her and that someone was waiting for her at the garden. It turned out that that someone was Iruka, the person she was expecting to see by the time she went home.

"Hinata-sama…!" Iruka said. "Where is Hide-kun?" He asked in a hurry.

Hinata turned pale. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.

"Is there something wrong?" Iruka asked her and she nodded.

"Iruka-sensei…Hide-kun…is…"

"Henge no Jutsu…!" Naruto whispered and turned into Iruka. It seems that he wasn't ready to make himself known yet. He picked up Hidetada and the other man from the seat and went to the emergency room.

He stopped when he saw his ex-teammate, Haruno Sakura.

She was pretty busy; there was a sudden rush inside the hospital again.

Sakura gave out a few orders to the medic-nins and she turned her head.

Her eyes widened when she saw Iruka.

"Iruka-sensei…what happened to Hide-kun?" She asked after she approached him. "Why is his clothes soaked in blood? Did he go thru a very strenuous training session? If so, why didn't you supervise him?" She bombarded him with questions while she checked Hide's health.

"He was attacked by this man." He laid the man at an empty stretcher. "He won't tell me anything so I think Ibiki needs to squeeze out certain information from this usurper." He said. "As for Hide-kun, he needs to medication as soon as possible; he lost quite an amount of blood." He added while he laid down Hidetada on another empty stretcher. "And he wasn't training…"

Sakura called some medic-nins and the usurper was taken out of the hospital and was sent to Ibiki's office.

"…ATTACKED!" Iruka exclaimed. "Where is he?" He asked.

Hinata had just told him the whole story.

"Naruto-kun took him already to the hospital." Hinata said.

"Naruto…? Wouldn't that be endangering his long-kept secret?" He asked.

"He said he didn't care…"

Iruka stared at the ground for a moment like he was sorting out things inside his mind.

"Iruka-sensei…?"

"S-sorry…" He whispered. "What are we waiting for? Let's go to the hospital right now!"

"Ibiki-san! Ibiki-san!" Some Nin knocked at Ibiki's door.

Ibiki looked away from the psychology book he was reading and said, "Come in."

A Chuunin ranked ninja who was one of Ibiki's helpers entered his office with an alarmed expression.

Ibiki was already looking at his book when he asked, "What's the matter?"

"Sir, a nin who is in our bingo book has been sent here. They said Iruka-san was the one who caught him. They also told us that Iruka wants you to get some information from him because he wasn't able to make him talk." The Chuunin said after catching his breath.

Ibiki closed the book and looked at the Chuunin. "Tell me all the information you have on that ninja." Ibiki ordered while he stood up. He placed the book back on the shelf in his office.

The Chuunin cleared his throat.

"Well sir, his name is Funakoshi Shin though he is called Zetsumei. He is a B-rank missing-nin in the Bingo book. He has been unseen for the past ten years. Rumor has it that he has joined the sound during that ten-year period. He is an assassin, Ibiki-san. According to the Bingo book, he has assassinated quite a few influential people." The Chuunin said.

"I assume he was here to assassinate someone. Am I right?" Ibiki asked.

"In fact sir, he did try to kill a boy…"

"A boy…? Who is this boy?" Ibiki approached the door of his office.

"The boy's name is Yasuhiro Hidetada. He is an orphan but Hyuuga Hinata takes care of him. He is an ordinary boy studying at the academy."

Ibiki opened the door. "I see; show me where the assassin is." He ordered.

"Hai…"

Naruto, who was still under a high-class henge, sat fidgeted at his seat showing his impatience. His face was marked with worry for the poor boy. He then stared blankly at the wall; he wondered why Hidetada was attacked.

He gritted his teeth in annoyance when he was unable to answer his own question. He then thought back to the other boy who he met years ago; he was now thinking of the boy that he saw lying in a pool of blood.

He wiped away the sweat in his face. While he did, his hands trembled because of the memory he was recalling.

Five years ago…

Seventeen year old Uzumaki Naruto sat at a boulder. He laid his bag gently and he massaged his shoulder. He has been traveling for quite a long time now. He opened his bag and snatched an apple from it. He wiped it with a clean cloth and took a bite from it.

He then looked at the road before him. He was getting nearer and nearer to the snow. The wind was very cold; he shivered when it passed him. He then looked at his clothes and he made a mental note that he should buy more suitable clothes for the snow's climate. While he chewed a piece of the apple he looked around and saw a small cottage. Smoke rose up from the cottage's chimney. Naruto assumed that someone was home. He stood from his seat and made his way to the cottage.

He wanted to ask whether there were other villages near. Night was coming and he had nowhere to stay.

After a few minutes, he reached the cottage. While he was outside, he heard a woman speaking and a small boy laughing. He then knocked at the door.

"Anou…" He said.

A man at his thirties opened the door. The man smiled at Naruto.

"What do you need young man?" He asked.

Naruto smiled. "Can I ask something?"

The man continued to smile. "You're already asking…"

Naruto chuckled. "Is there a nearby village here before I reach the snow?" He asked.

The man scratched his head. "The next village is still far and it's already situated near the snow. There is currently a snow storm there so I suggest you postpone your journey for a while." The man said.

"I see…" Naruto whispered and he looked at the orange clouds. The sun was setting; if he chose to come back to the village he recently visited, he would probably reach it late at night. He sighed.

"Do you have any problems, young man?" The man who seemed to be the patriarch of the small home asked.

Naruto shook his head. "My problem will only bother your home…" He said.

The man laughed. "I am guessing you need to stay somewhere for the night…"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Yes; you are correct. I do need to stay somewhere. It's too cold outside and the wind is strong at night so the fire I will make would probably die immediately."

The woman in the small cottage approached the both of them. She was being followed by a small boy. "The climate here can get pretty harsh sometimes. You will only get a cold or something if you stay outside." She nudged the man with her elbow. "We have some room to spare for the night; you can stay here."

Since then he had been acquainted with the small family living in that hut…

He never knew that the boy would have some impact on his life…

After his trip to the snow, Naruto dropped by on the small cottage again. With a smile on his face, he knocked at the door. The man opened the door and greeted Naruto with a jolly expression.

"Ah it is you again!" The man smiled.

Just then, Naruto overheard the announcement at the radio.

"…Attention all residents of the snow and its neighboring villagers; a harsh snow storm is expected a week from now…!"

"Oh my..!" Naruto heard the woman say.

The man shook his head.

"What's wrong mama?" Naruto heard the boy ask.

The patriarch of the hut scratched his head and forced out a laugh. "You see Naruto-san; we have a small problem…" He forced another laugh.

Naruto smiled in a reassuring manner. "I see Arinori-san; what is it?" He asked.

"Well…"

The man refused his help but he helped even though they refused. He fixed their roof, walls and some other stuff using some of his ninja skills. One day…

Chak!

Naruto flipped the kunai in his hands. He sent it flying in the air and in e few seconds it hit the tree. He was about to continue kunai practice but he heard a few movements. He turned around with a kunai in hand hoping to frighten the stranger that is walking towards him.

His eyes widened when he saw the …

"Yoshi-kun…" It was no stranger at all.

"Naruto-niichan…" It had been a year since he met the Hishikawa family and he hasn't left that place for a year too."…What are you doing?" The six-year old boy asked and tugged at his jacket.

"I'm practicing." Naruto said plainly but he grinned at Yoshi.

Yoshi pointed his finger at Naruto's kunai "What's that?"

Naruto carefully lowered to kunai so Yoshi will see it more quickly. "This is a kunai…" He answered.

Yoshi's eyes were filled with interest. He tried to take the kunai but Naruto didn't allow him to take it.

Yoshi pouted. "I want to hold it!" He said.

Naruto shook his head. "No; you cannot touch this." He placed the kunai inside his pouch.

"Why so?" The small boy tugged at his jacket.

"You can't touch it because it's a deadly weapon!" He removed the small boy's hands from his jacket. "You're father would kill me if he sees with it!"

Yoshi grinned. "Don't worry Naruto-niichan! I'm pretty sure dad couldn't even touch you with a finger!"

"Hmmm?" Naruto raised his eyebrow.

"Anou…Anou…you see…" The boy's eyes were filled with excitement. "I think…I think you're a very strong person! Father even called you…ugh…shi…what was that?"

"Do you mean a shinobi?" Naruto asked.

"Yes! That's it!" The boy smiled widely.

Naruto ruffled the boy's black hair. "I was a shinobi…"

"Hah! You can't fool me!" The boy exclaimed.

"It's the truth! I'm not a shinobi anymore!" Naruto insisted.

"Then why are you doing shinobi stuff?" Yoshi pointed at Naruto accusingly.

Naruto crossed his arms. "I'm just making sure I still know how to use a kunai; it's a way of self-defense."

"Then why…!"

"Topic closed." Naruto cut the boy off.

"Yoshi-kun…!" Yoshi's mother called.

"Go inside now; you're mother is calling you." Naruto grinned.

Yoshi pouted and looked irritated.

After that day, Yoshi pestered Naruto into teaching him some ninja skills. Day after day, Naruto refused.

"Please…" Yoshi pleaded.

"No." Naruto said flatly.

"Aw, come on! Please teach me!" Hidetada said.

"No." Naruto repeated.

"Please? I promise I will tell mom to cook ten bowls of ramen tonight!" Yoshi said.

"Hmm…Ramen…" Naruto looked like he was thinking. He sat down under the trees shade. "No." He repeated again.

"Why do you always say 'no'?" Yoshi asked.

"I have said 'no' once. I'm not going to take it back…that's…that's my nindo…" He said the last part almost in a whisper.

Yoshi grinned. He tried to pull Naruto up.

Naruto stayed seated. "I'm not in a mood to play, Yoshi-kun…" Naruto said in a tired tone.

Yoshi let go off him. "Fine…" He gave up. "But promise me…"

"Promise you what?" Naruto asked.

"Promise me you'll watch!"

Naruto stared at Yoshi with a confused face. "Watch what?" He asked.

"This…" Yoshi faced a tree and he took out a cloth that seems to have something inside it from his pocket. When he removed the cloth, Naruto saw a kunai that seemed to be new. Yoshi was now facing the tree that Naruto uses as his target. He threw the kunai and missed the center by a few inches.

"What the…?" Naruto's jaw dropped. "Where did you get that kunai?" He asked.

Yoshi faced Naruto and grinned again. "I found it inside the house's storage room."

Naruto stood up in an abrupt manner and he stomped his way towards Yoshi. "You shouldn't be playing around with a thing like this!" Naruto scolded him.

Yoshi lowered his head in guilt while Naruto scolded him. When Naruto saw what Yoshi looked liked, he piped down and sighed.

"Listen Yoshi-kun; as I have said before, a kunai is a deadly weapon. What if you get hurt in the process?" Naruto asked.

Yoshi looked up at him. "I…"

Naruto sighed. "It's ok…as long as you tell your father and mother what you did."

And Yoshi did tell his parents. That night…

Hanako, Yoshi's mother stared at her sleeping son. She placed a light kiss on Yoshi's forehead. She carefully removed Yoshi's hand that was holding on to her kimono. Yoshi's father silently stared at them. He was holding a coin that seemed to be very peculiar. He flipped it after and managed to catch it.

Hanako stood up from Yoshi's bed. "I didn't know he would discover that kunai…" She whispered.

Arinori shifted his gaze towards his wife. "Nothing is certain in this world, Hanako-chan; we didn't even know that he would come in a life…a special child like him…" He placed the coin in his pocket.

"Yes." Hanako agreed. "Arinori-kun, I believe we should tell the truth to Naruto-kun…" She suggested.

Arinori raised an eyebrows and he scratched his head. "Do you think so?" He asked. He looked at Yoshi with his dark brown eyes and he combed his medium-length hair back.

"Naruto is a person we could trust. He did tell us he is from the Leaf." She said.

"What does the leaf have to do with this?" Arinori asked.

"The leaf wasn't informed of the ordeal that happened." Hanako reminded her husband.

"It would be better if we would tell him then…" Arinori said.

"Tell me what?" Naruto appeared outside the door of Yoshi's room. Arinori left it open.

"Iruka-sensei…?"

Arinori and Hanako turned serious. "Let's talk about it outside."

"Iruka-sensei…!"

Naruto's eyes shot open.

"Hmmm…?" Sakura was standing before him.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked in a worried tone.

Naruto looked up and nodded. "I was just thinking; how's hide?" He asked.

Sakura smiled. "He's okay now."

Naruto smiled and stood up. "I leave him here then…I have to go somewhere…" He said.

"I see; don't overwork, Iruka-sensei." Sakura said.

Naruto smiled. "Don't worry; I won't…" He walked away.

It was a very dark room. A single bulb was illuminating a certain part of the room. It was illuminating the part where a bloody man sat. He was chained.

"…"

"Are you ready to speak?" Ibiki asked.

The man weakly raised his head. He glared at Ibiki. "…No."

Ibiki sighed. "As you wish… I will continue to torture you…" He smirked to intimidate the foe.

The man spat out blood. "Bring…it on…" He said weakly.

Ibiki summoned a medic-nin. "You go and heal him…" He said at the nin. "He cannot die…yet." Ibiki added.

"Are you insane?" The enemy smirked while the medic-nin healed him. "Why do you heal me?"

"So you won't die…" Ibiki said flatly. "So I can torture you more…"

Naruto hurried to leave the hospital; he wanted to check Ibiki's progress and inform the real Iruka about what happened. He was still in a henge.

When he reached the corner he was supposed to take, he bumped into a man.

The man who turned out to be Iruka blinked a few times and stared at him with wide eyes. Behind him, Hinata followed closely.

"Who the hell are you?" Iruka asked.

"…" Naruto stood up.

"Why are you impersonating me?" Iruka asked

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata said.

"What?" Iruka asked. "…Na-Naruto? Is that you, Naruto?" He asked.

Naruto removed his henge. As the smoke cleared out he said, "Yes; it is me."

"H-How is Hide-kun?" Iruka asked.

Naruto smiled. "He is already fine."

Both Iruka and Hinata sighed.

"Why aren't you with him?" Hinata asked.

"I was on my way to tell Iruka-sensei. It would be weird if Iruka-sensei was there but didn't know ho Hide is."

"True…" Iruka shook off some dust from his past.

"What room is he in?" Hinata asked.

"He is in room 214. I think Sakura is still there." He said.

"Hinata, let's go…" Iruka said.

"You go ahead, Iruka-sensei. I need to talk to Naruto-kun first." Hinata said. Iruka walked away.

"Naruto-kun…"

"What's the matter?" Naruto asked.

"Why were you in a henge?" She asked.

Naruto removed his hood and then scratched his cheek. "Cold feet…"

Hinata smiled. "You're not ready yet, are you?" She asked.

"Well…I…" Naruto looked away.

"I see it in your eyes." Hinata teased him.

"Ugh…I…"

"I see it in your every gesture." Hinata continued.

Naruto smiled and chuckled. "I wonder how long you train with Neji…"

"Why?" Hinata cocked her head sideways.

"…Because you sound like Neji." He smiled.

Hinata giggled. "I was only playing around, Naruto-kun…"

"Is that so?"

Hinata then smiled sweetly.

"Heh, well…you're right…I am not ready yet…" He looked up at the ceiling.

"You're not ready to tell Sakura-san, yet?" She asked.

"Why do you ask?" Naruto wondered.

"Ugh…" Hinata blushed. "I…just want to know…"

Naruto smiled at Hinata. "Don't worry; I won't get angry…"

"Ugh…" Hinata sighed. "I'm just curious, Naruto-kun. She's the only one you had cold feet with."

Naruto laughed softly. "Your cases were different." He assured Hinata with another heart-warming smile. "You found me by accident…two times. Neji's case is somewhat similar to yours. Iruka-sensei and Tsunade needed to know before anyone else so I told them already." He explained.

"I see…"

"And besides, I haven't even fulfilled my promise to her. I have no face to show." His eyes darkened.

Hinata patted his shoulder. Naruto looked at her curiously. "Don't worry, Naruto-kun; you can show your face now."

"Huh?"

"Sakura-san doesn't care if you broke your promise. 'The past is the past,' she said to me once. She told me that what happened cannot be changed anymore so she has to live with it. And don't forget that she's not only your teammate but she's also your friend." She said.

Naruto shoved his hands in his pocket. He smiled.

Silence filled the hallway as Ibiki went out of the torture room.

"Ibiki-sama…" A Chuunin said. "Did he tell something?"

Ibiki nodded. "Do you know where Godaime-sama is?"

"Yes; she's at her office, sir."

"Good." Ibiki whispered. 'I have some good and bad news.' Ibiki thought as he made his way out the building.

"…That's the end of the mission report. Here is the written version." Kakashi placed a scroll on Tsunade's desk.

The small cup of sake left Tsunade's lips. "Good work, Kakashi."

Kakashi bowed his head. "If you permit, Tsunade-sama, I have to leave now. I have a business to attend to." He said in a plain voice.

"No; you cannot leave yet." Tsunade placed the cup of sake in her desk. "I have something to tell you…something that is very serious…" She said.

Kakashi wondered what that matter was.

"Kakashi…I…"

Someone was knocking at the door.

"Tsunade-sama…!" It was Ibiki. "I have urgent news!" He opened the door.

Once he was near Tsunade he bowed as sign of respect.

Tsunade looked at Kakashi. "I'll tell you after Ibiki tells me the urgent news." She turned her head towards Ibiki. "What is it?"

"After lunch today, a nin listed in our bingo book has been sent to our HQ. That nin was sent under our investigation and he has fortunately given up. I have obtained valuable information from him…good and bad…" Ibiki said.

"Tell me the news." Tsunade drank another shot of Sake.

Iruka was facing a Chuunin at Ibiki's office. "Where's Ibiki-san?" He asked.

"He's not here…" The Chuunin who was busy writing something at a scroll said.

"Where is he then?" Iruka crossed his arms.

"He went to Godaime-sama's office." The Chuunin answered.

"Thank you for telling me." Iruka left.

Hinata grabbed Iruka into the alley. "So, what happened?" She asked.

Iruka was suddenly engulfed in smoke. "He is…" The smoke slowly cleared out. "…at Tsunade's office." Iruka's voice changed. The smoke finally cleared out. Naruto was revealed. "It seems Ibiki-san succeeded…" He added.

"Let's go." Hinata said.

"You should go back. You still have something to do later." Naruto suggested.

"But…I want to find out those things too."

"I will tell you later." He quickly answered.

There was silence.

They both stared at one another.

"Ok." Hinata broke the silence.

"The good news; the nin has confirmed that the sound is plotting against us again. According to him, Orochimaru isn't the one that's leading them…" Ibiki turned pale.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

Ibiki felt his throat tighten; he cleared his throat. "He said…"

"..Uchiha Sasuke is the one…"

Both Tsunade and Kakashi had their eyes wide open.