First off: Yay me! I passed my senior project, which means I'm graduating!

Disclaimer: Naruto is not owned in any way by me, the one writing this story.

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Sanzo Lover: P Don't worry 'bout it, I'm gonna update today.

Anyway, on with the show!

Chapter 3,

Bad News

They sensed it, coming like a storm. All of the most powerful shinobi of Kohona lined the wall facing the direction that the great surge of energy had come from, Tsunade, Jirya, Kakashi, and Gai at the center of the line.

"It couldn't be… could it?" Tsunade asked, turning to Jirya.

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of." Jirya said grimly. "Kakashi, do you still have that seal I gave you?" He asked.

"No, I had to use it when Naruto started to enter Kyuubi with two tails, like you said." Kakashi replied, lifting his headband to reveal his 3-wheel sharingan. The instant he did, he could see the huge amount of red and gold chakra heading their way. "It's him alright…" he said, lowering the band back over his eye.

"What could have caused this though?" Tsunade asked, looking out across the forest.

"It could have been anything, but we've gotta prepare for the worst." Gai said grimly.

"Excuse me." Said a deep voice from beside them. The entire group turned to see Shino's father, the head of the Aburame clan walking towards them, a bug perched on his index finger.

"Yes, what is it?" Tsunade asked, perhaps more shortly than she should have.

"I've just received word from my son, Shino. He says that he is with them, and that Naruto is ok to be let in the village, but… They also have bad news, and request that you, Hyuuga Hinata's father, and that Hanuro Sakura's parents meet them at the entrance to the Hokage office." He replied.

"What? Why would the hyuuga girl and your son be there?" Gai asked, bewildered.

"I… I don't know. Where's Kuranai, why isn't she with them?" Tsunade asked.

"She's still recovering from her last mission." Kakashi replied.

"Then what are they doing out there!" Tsunade asked, even more worried.

Kakashi sighed. "I don't know… but I suspect… that it has something to do with the fact that the Hyuuga girl is in love with Naruto. She was probably worried about him, and decided to follow him to make sure he's safe." He finally said.

Tsunade stood mute for a moment, then nodded. "Kakashi, you and Gai go fetch their parents. Jirya, you and Aburame come with me. The rest of you, open the gates and clear the streets." Tsunade ordered. Then she, Jirya, and Shino's father leapt from the wall and started towards the Hokage office.

"You know what this means, don't you?" Jirya asked as they walked.

"I don't want to think that that's the reason why…" tsunade replied quietly as they reached the office, just as the others did.

"What's happened?" Sakura's mother asked, panicing.

Jirya placed a hand on the woman's back. "We won't know until they get here." He said.

A few hours later

"We've arrived." Yamato said solemnly as he and the others walked through the gates of Kohona, followed closely by Naruto no kitsune and his terrible cargo.

They walked silently through the streets of Kohona, reaching their destination in about ten minutes, to find eight worried people waiting for them. The moment the group saw Naruto's burden, Sakura's mother fainted, falling into her husband's arms as he himself wept bitterly. Hiashi wasn't in much better shape, he stood, stiff as a board as silent tears coursed down his cheeks.

"Naruto… what happened?" Tsunade asked quietly.

Naruto, who had been standing so quietly, so resolutely, between the bodies of his two dead friends that he held aloft with his chakra, fell to his knees and bowed deeply. "I'm sorry... I failed you all…" he said, his voice cracking with sobs as the ground beneath his face dampened with tears.

Before anyone could react, Sakura's father ran forward and kicked Naruto in the chin as hard as he could, knocking the young shinobi on his back. "THE HELL YOU SAY! IF YOU TRULY CARED, THEN YOU WOULDN'T HAVE LET HER DIE IN THE FIRST PLACE! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A DEMON BASTARD THAT DESERVES DEATH!" He raged, kicking Naruto with each word, only to be dragged off by a giant frog that appeared out of no where.

"You're out of line." Jirya said dangerously.

"No… He's right…." Naruto said, getting back up. "I'll leave them in your care." He said quietly, the chakra tails retracting, resting the two girls on separate benches. Then, without warning, he took off, moving faster than anyone could believe as he lost them.

A few days later

Today was the day. All of Kohona was in mourning, windows were draped with black curtains, and everyone was at the funeral. It had been two days since Naruto had brought the two girls and then disappeared to a place where no one could find him. Everyone stood quietly as the hokage went on to talk about the two girls, and how they would be buried with the highest honors that Kohona could give. Everyone, save for three people, sat in grim silence. Sakura's mother sobbed into her husband's shoulder. Hanabi, Hinata's little sister and new heir to the Hyuuga clan, cried into her father's arm, as the two coffins were slowly lowered into the ground and dirt was shoveled over them.

Hours later, after almost everyone cleared away, Tsunade still stood over the two graves, thinking about everything that Yamato had reported to her, then her thoughts turned to Naruto, whom Jirya was currently looking for. "He was so distraught…" She thought, scanning the trees. "He didn't deserve what Sakura's father said to him, it just wasn't fair, it wasn't his fault." She thought, absently looking around. A small movement caught her eye. Squinting, she saw Naruto, in all black, sitting in one the trees on the outskirts of the graveyard. Quickly she ran at him, jumping up into the tree before the surprised boy could react. With a quick flick of her finger, she tapped him on the fore-head, knocking him out.

"Naruto…" He was swimming in a sea of blackness.

"Naruto…" His head was pounding, it felt like it had been split in half.

"Wake up…" Who's voice was this, why wasn't it letting him sleep?

"Naruto… wake up… Naruto, wake up!" He opened his eyes wearily as he stared up into Tsunade's face. "Where am I? How did I get here?" He asked, looking down to find himself tucked in a bed.

"You've been asleep most of the day, you were exhausted." Tsunade said, smiling softly as she brushed some of his hair out of his face. "How do you feel?" She asked.

"Like I've been hit by a truck." He said, groaning, as he held his head in his hands.

"Sorry, but I couldn't have you getting away." Tsunade said, placing a healing palm against his head as he let out a soft moan.

"No… Sakura's father was right…" He said quietly, turning to face the wall.

Tsunade rested a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "No it wasn't." She said. "Yamato told me everything; there was nothing you could have done." She said firmly.

"You're wrong… I should've attacked him the instant I saw him…" Naruto said, tears welling up in his eyes. "I could've killed him… kept them from dying…"

"No, you couldn't have." Tsunade replied, her voice hardening. "What happened, happened Naruto, and there's no way it could've been changed. Now come on and get washed up, we've got a meeting in a little while." She said, planting a gentle kiss on his fore-head.

End Chapter 3.

Well guys, I hope ya like it! I know I enjoyed writing it. Anyway, on to chapter 4, Feelings!