A/N: Whooo! No more writers block, and no more classes! That means less time to touch the pc… Waaah! Nooooo! But I'll try to sneak past the defenses every now and then.
'This' is Naruto talking to Kyuubi
'This' is Kyuubi talking to Naruto
'This' is Kyuubi talking.
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In the forest, Naruto was slowly waking up after the long fight with the Nibi. He slowly sat himself up before opening his eyes. He stretched his arms and felt something weird, so he looked at them and saw that they were bandaged. His other wounded body parts were also bandaged.
'Foxy, do you know who did this?'
'Honestly… no.'
'What? You mean you can't sense anything in there?'
'No. I can sense everything from in here, but your loud snoring made me feel very sleepy.'
'So you slept…?'
They continued to argue until they reached the point where they were oblivious to the outside world. Naruto somehow won their little argument, and by the time he was sensitive to the outside world, he realized that someone was watching him.
"Eh…? I just finished fighting and somebody already came attack me?"
He formed his favorite crossed handseals.
"Kage Bunshin no…"
But before he could finish, something stopped him. He then realized that he was back inside his head.
'Kyuubi… What did you do?'
'Nothing. I may be a biju, but I tell the truth.'
'Uh-oh. There's only one other thing that can cause this to a person.'
'What is it?'
'I'll explain later! Just let me in!' Naruto said while squeezing himself through the pillars that hold back the Kyuubi.
'Are you sure you can fit in between the pillars?' the Kyuubi raised an eyebrow, if he had one.
'Of course I can!' Naruto grunted as soon as he popped through the pillars.
'Alright… so, what's with the panic?'
'Someone used the Shintenshin on me… I want you to scare away that person.'
'If I don't?'
'I make giant Akamaru reappear.'
'I doubt you can do that… but just for the fun of it, I think I'll see what I'll do.'
Then, from out of the darkness, a completely confused Ino walked towards the dimly lit room where the Kyuubi was.
"What is this place? I entered people's minds before but there was none like this…" Ino talked to herself as she wandered around.
'Kid! It's your girlfriend!'
'GIRLFRIEND? Where did you get that stupid idea?'
'You just kissed each other at the lake.'
'But that was because Kakashi-sensei pushed her head down!'
'I don't care. Listen here. I'll scare her out your head and you talk to her afterwards. What do you say?'
'Alright, Foxy. But don't scare her too much.'
Meanwhile, Ino was still clueless to where she was exactly so she decided to shout.
"Naruto! This is your head, so I know you're in here! Show yourself!" she said before turning her head to see if there were any signs of him. Almost instantly, a pair of red glowing eyes appeared from behind the pillars.
"You called?" the Kyuubi asked while slowly putting his head closer to the pillars.
"W-Who are you?" Ino asked as she stepped backwards, eventually falling.
"I am your worst nightmare!" the Kyuubi growled before throwing a claw out of the cage to grab Ino, but Ino managed to dispel the Shintenshin, getting her back to her own body.
'I think that was too much.'
'Be thankful that I purposely missed.'
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Outside his head, he saw Ino lying down on the floor while holding her head.
"Umm… Ino-chan… are you alright?" Naruto asked while he knelt down beside her to get at the same level.
"Quite… aside from the fact that my head feels like splitting, I think I'm fine." Ino smiled before wincing in pain.
"Take it easy, Ino-chan. You'll hurt yourself." Naruto said while assisting Ino to a nearby tree. He gently placed her next to the tree before leaning to the tree and sitting beside Ino.
"Ouch…" Ino winced again, "What was that in your head? I think it was the reason for all this."
"Oh, that? You see… that's my inner self, like Sakura's Inner Sakura." Naruto put on a grinning mask to hide the truth. Luckily for him, it was working.
"Your inner self is that big?" Ino's jaws dropped.
"Well… it's a long story…" Naruto nervously chuckled before shifting the conversation to a new topic. "So, what are you doing out here?"
"Actually…" Ino looked downwards and stared at the ground as if she forgot her skull-breaking headache, "…The Hokage and all the others went to the mountains. They asked if everybody was alright. Since Shikamaru was left in charge, he was the one that reported to the Hokage. Before that, I asked him if he saw you, and he said no. I looked for you, but I couldn't find you. Then, I noticed all the villagers attention was on the battle that was raging. The first thing I saw was a lot of your bunshins attacking at once."
"So… you were watching?" Naruto's face showed signs of fear.
"Yes. If only you weren't hurt, I'd be jumping around with you for defeating the cat. Too bad, right?" Ino smiled at Naruto. Naruto just raised an eyebrow at Ino.
"I guess… all that aside, do you know who put bandages on me?" Naruto asked while looking at his arms.
"I did… why? Do you want to insult me or something?" Ino pouted while looking at the opposite direction.
"No… thanks." Naruto for once didn't grin, but smiled instead.
"Welcome." Ino said while letting out a little giggle. Naruto just smiled, even though he had no clue why she giggled.
A rather comfortable silence followed soon. Naruto was half asleep leaning on the tree while Ino was relaxing with her head rested on Naruto's shoulder. Her headache has finally faded away and Naruto seemed to be content. Ino looked up at Naruto's drowsy face and giggled.
'We're just like a couple…' Ino thought absent-mindedly and blushed immediately after realizing what she was thinking.
'What am I thinking? This isn't right! Is it? I mean he's so childish, and annoying, and frustrating…' her tone suddenly softened, '…and strong…and funny…and…cute.'
She involuntarily snuggled herself to Naruto, which was enough to pull him from his half-asleep state. He looked down at Ino and tried to download the new information his eyes were getting.
'Is it just me or is Ino snuggling up to me?' Naruto thought before deciding to talk, "Ino-chan, what are you doing?"
"Umm…" Ino thought of a valid reason while blushing heavily, "…Nothing."
Naruto was about to say something when he stopped himself and took a good look at Ino. She was currently all over his right arm. He looked at her and noticed nothing different. He started to look lower. Her waist was exposed and at her lower garment, the right leg was fully visible while folded above the left leg. He looked a little harder and realized that Ino's underwear were visible through the sides, which meant only one thing: all the bandages were gone.
"Ino-chan, what happened to your bandages?" Naruto asked while keeping his eyes fixated on Ino.
"T-They're on your arms. You were greatly wounded when I found you. Since your wounds had a chance to be infected, I decided to put bandages on them. When I realized that I had no bandages with me, I decided to put those instead." Ino's face was filled with mixed feelings… hesitation, fear of rejection, you name it.
"Thanks, Ino-chan."
Another moment of silence followed. They took a peek at each other and each time their gazes met, they would immediately look at the other direction.
"Umm… Naruto, about that incident at the lake, I… uhhh…" Ino blushed.
"Oh, about that… I… uhh…" Naruto followed soon enough, "You first…"
"Alright…" Ino blushed a little more, "…I… I…"
Ino's Flashback…
She was at the lake where the 'incident' happened. She was throwing pebbles at the lake, not bothering if they skipped across the water or simply sank, she just threw them. When she was about to throw out another one with all her strength, a gentle and warm hand held hers.
"You know, Ino, that's not the proper way to skip pebbles."
Upon hearing the beginning of a lecture, she quickly turned around and screamed at the top of her lungs.
"WHO ARE YOU TO TEACH ME HOW TO THROW?" she screamed, only to realize too late that she was screaming at the last person she should be screaming at.
"Ino… that's not the right way to talk to your father, is it?" Inoichi smiled at her.
"F-Father?" Ino sweatdropped at her own stupidity. She just yelled at her father.
"Don't worry, Ino. I can forgive you." Inoichi said before sitting down, "but you have to swear to tell the truth in all that I ask you."
"Alright… I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth." Ino raised her right arm and gestured to an oath.
"Good. We can start with question number 1. Is there a problem?"
"Are you asking me if I have a problem with the oath or was that question number 1?"
"That was question number 1." Inoichi's eyes narrowed.
"Alright… there is a problem. You see… I just had my first kiss." Ino blushed and cursed at the same time.
"My little girl is growing up!" Inoichi shouted, acting a lot like the teary-dramatic Gai, "So, how did it happen?"
"Actually, it was Kakashi-sensei's fault. I was crying and he pushed my head downwards, so I kissed…" Ino blushed a bit more.
"Who?" Inoichi raised an eyebrow.
"… Naruto."
"So, do you regret what happened?"
"At first I did… but somehow, I started to like it… then I've got this strange feeling. Everytime I see orange and yellow together, I think of Naruto. Everytime I see ramen, I think of him… I mean, I like Sasuke, but I don't think of him everytime I see a fan… I don't even think of him each time I hear the word Uchiha…"
"Now that's strange…" Inoichi cupped his chin, "…I think you should see Naruto and sort things out. That way, things would be a lot clearer and that strange feeling you have will reveal itself."
"Right… Thanks, dad." Ino smiled at her father.
"Well, I better go home now. Just follow soon enough, alright? I'm starting to lose things to cover up for you." Inoichi stood up, dusted his clothes and walked slowly home.
"Alright, I will."
End of Flashback…
"What is it, Ino-chan?" Naruto asked her while looking at his right arm, which was currently wrapped by two Yamanaka arms.
"I… think I liked it…" Ino blushed.
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Meanwhile, at the Hokage's office, a swarm made up of the village council formed in front of the Hokage's desk.
"Master Hokage, as you know, we were attacked by another biju, and you sent the Kyuubi to fight it." Some random old-hag said.
"Yes…" Tsunade distributed glares to nearly everyone but Sarutobi's teammates.
"As most of us saw, even though the Nibi was defeated, the village still suffered damage." Some random old-geezer said.
"What's your point?" Tsunade continued her distribution of doomsday glares.
"The Kyuubi has failed. This failure endangered the lives of many in Konoha. The Akatsuki has also 'visited' Konoha because of that kid. Therefore, the council has decided that he shall be exiled from this village. Sunagakure has agreed to take him in."
"What? You can't just decide what to do with a person!" Tsunade shouted while slamming her table.
"The council's decision is final." Another old man said as the council left one by one. Tsunade stood alone in her office, dumbstruck.
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A few minutes later, Ino and Naruto were walking towards the gate, with the both of them unusually closer to each other. When they reached the gates of Konoha, 5 Chuunins blocked their path.
"Hi guys!" Naruto greeted and walked straight, but two of the Chuunins grabbed him and threw him away from the gates.
"Naruto!" Ino panicked as she knelt down near Naruto.
"Tch… what are these guys thinking? I just saved them from getting a huge cat-sized butt kicking and this is how they repay me?" Naruto glared at the Chuunin, with his eyes shifting from red to blue and vice-versa in split seconds.
"Naruto… calm down. I'm sure they have a reason for it." Ino said as she assisted Naruto to his feet.
"Right." Naruto growled, "Tell me, what are you doing?"
"By orders of the council of Konohagakure, you are exiled from this village as of this moment. All your belongings are currently being packed from your current home. You are not to come within one kilometer of the village while this order is in effect." One of the Chuunin answered.
"WHAT? I just saved this pathetic little town and you exile me?" Naruto was about to let a flurry of Rasengans meet the faces of the Chuunins when some blue-eyed Jounin grabbed his arm and squeezed it tight enough to disrupt the forming Rasengan.
"Come on, Naruto. To be honest, I could have killed them a few moments ago." Hizachi said before releasing Naruto's right wrist.
"Hizachi? What are you talking about?" Naruto asked with a softer tone.
"The council wants you gone. Even the Hokage was powerless against them." Hizachi said as he looked at the gates.
"He's exiled? Why is that? Can you explain it a bit?" Ino asked, obviously with no idea about the situation.
"Sure." Hizachi smiled and nodded before returning to his serious self, "The council has decided to exile Naruto for failure to defend Konoha in an attack. They also see him as a threat to Konoha since he is wanted by Akatsuki."
"It's a pretty shallow reason if you ask me." Ino crossed her arms.
"I agree. But since you can't enter the village, why don't we go somewhere else. It's pretty close. It's only two kilometers away from the village." Hizachi smiled at them both.
"Sure." Naruto faked a smile and followed Hizachi, with Ino next to him.
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By night, at the different families of Konoha.
Yamanaka
"Ino's not home yet. I'll look for her." Inoichi went to the door and left. Ino's mother just continued her cooking trusting that Inoichi will find their daughter. He went outside and was greeted by Hizachi.
"Who are you?" Inoichi asked.
"I'm Hizachi, Sasuke's replacement when I was a Chuunin. I believe you want to see your daughter." Hizachi smiled again to show he meant no harm.
"Is she safe?" Inoichi got a worried look on his face.
"Don't worry, Inoichi-sama. Yondaime is currently watching over them, though the two of them probably think they're alone due to Yondaime's genjutsu.
"Yondaime, huh? That guy. He only told a few of us that he's still alive." Inoichi chuckled a bit, "Wait a minute… two of them?"
"Yes. Ino and Naruto."
"Take me to them." Inoichi said seriously.
"As you wish." Hizachi said before turning around.
Hyuuga
"Neji, Hinata. I need the both of you to stay here. I'm going outside the village, can you do that?" Hiashi asked the two while putting on his sandals.
"Y-Yes, father." Hinata stuttered. Neji just nodded.
"Alright. Don't wait for me." Hiashi said before leaving the door.
"Neji-san… what do you think is so important that he has to go?" Hinata asked her cousin.
"I don't know… but I want to find out." Neji said.
"But… he said stay here."
"You stay here. Make a bunshin of yourself and Henge yourself into me."
"Don't you think he'll find out?"
"Only a Sharingan can find out. The Byakugan can be fooled." Neji said before running off.
Nara
"Do we really have to go?" Shikamaru whined at his father.
"Yes, we do. Now for the twentieth time, stop whining!" Shikaku shouted at Shikamaru.
"Yes… FATHER." Shikamaru sighed, 'this is so trouble some…'
"Now stop complaining!" Shikaku yelled again.
"If it wasn't for Naruto, I wouln't even bother leaving."
Akimichi
"Have you heard the news, Chouji?" Choza asked his son.
"No… what kind of news?" Chouji asked his father while gobbling up a few bags of potato chips.
"Your friend Naruto has been exiled. I'm going to see him. Are you coming?"
"Yes." Chouji threw his precious food and followed his father.
All other of Naruto's friends also followed. At the gates of Konoha, all of their paths intersected.
"YOU'RE ALL GOING?" all of them practically shouted at each other.
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In the forest, Ino and Naruto were sitting together near the fire when some long-haired blondy landed in front of them.
"Like I said, things would be a lot clearer." Inoichi smiled at his daughter.
"F-Father?" Ino was shocked… to the extent that sparks came out of her fingers.
"F-Father-in-law?" Naruto asked before he got himself one loud smack and a smoking hot lump on his head courtesy of Hizachi.
"Idiot. You're not married yet." Hizachi smiled, "…oh, and sorry about that."
"THAT HURTS!" Naruto shouted but before he could close his mouth, somebody shoved potato chips into his mouth.
"Eat up, Naruto. Our parents have a plan." Chouji shoved some more chips into his mouth.
"Stop shoving chips at him Chouji, he'll choke to death!" Shikamaru said as he arrived with his father. Choza and Shikaku stared at each other before laughing.
"What's so funny?" Naruto asked as an imaginary question mark appeared next to his head.
"We just remember what happened when Choza shoved a barrel of rice down…" Shikaku laughed but suddenly turned sad. Everybody else that was there that was laughing also did the same.
"Why did you stop? Who are you talking about?" Naruto asked everyone around him.
"…Yondaime." Choza continued, "I shoved a barrel of rice down Yondaime's throat. Miraculously, he survived."
"Let's forget about that for now. What we should do is get Naruto back into Konoha this instant. Gaara is currently keeping the council busy, so this is the perfect time to get in." Inoichi said.
"You already planned that?" Ino asked before getting a jaw-drop.
"Actually, it was Hizachi. Initially, I planned to look for you. Then I saw Hizachi standing outside the door and he told me about everything." Inoichi said as he put his arms on his daughter's shoulder, "Now we're getting Naruto back to where he belongs, which is Konoha."
"Don't worry Naruto, we're getting you back there one way or another!" Shikaku said while gently landing a knuckle on Shikamaru's head.
"Ouch!" Shikamaru yelped.
"Thanks… everyone…" Naruto said as a few tears dropped from his eyes.
Inside Naruto's head…
He stood in the middle of the darkness. The only thing visible was him he stood there as images of his friends flashed before him. Shikamaru and his father, Choji and Choza, Inoichi and Ino, then Neji, Hinata and Hiashi. All of them had their families. They were all happy and never felt being lonely. He remained in his position and clenched his fists. Among all of them there, he was the only one without a family, at least that's what he thinks since Hizachi never mentioned anything about his family. As for him, the closest people he had as a father were Jiraiya and Iruka, but they were not his real father. He somehow felt jealous of his friends who were currently with their parents. Then, just before he emotionally shattered, a gentle hand landed on his head.
Back in the real world…
Naruto looked up and saw the Kyuubi ANBU messing up his hair.
"Foxy ANBU?" Naruto wiped his tears with his sleeve.
"No." the ANBU finally removed his mask in front of a lot of people. A lot of gasps soon followed but Naruto was too stunned to even move.
"Blondaime… I mean… Yondaime?" Naruto was completely puzzled why the Yondaime's touch was different from the old geezer.
(Disclaimer: Clarlie owns 'Blondaime'. It is Clarlie's idea, not AzureStrike's. So to Clarlie, THANK YOU!)
"No, Naruto. I'm not just Yondaime. I am also your… father." Yondaime said while kneeling down next to Naruto and gave him a gentle smile. This time, it was impossible to stop himself. Even with the happy mask that he wore for the past decade of his life, his emotions were too much to bear. Instinctively, he threw himself at Yondaime, and started crying.
"All my life… I never had a family… I never knew what a family was… I… I was alone…" Naruto said as he continued to remove the emotional weights that he gathered from his early life.
"It's alright, Naruto. You have a family now. You can stop crying." Yondaime rubbed the back of his head.
After nearly ten minutes, Naruto finally stopped. Yondaime smiled since he stopped, but he kept getting the feeling of something spinning between them. After realizing too late, he saw a Rasengan that was quickly moving towards him.
"BLONDAIME! THIS IS FOR LEAVING ME ALONE FOR THE PAST YEARS!" Naruto shouted and gave Yondaime a taste of his own medicine. Inoichi and Shikaku quickly grabbed Naruto to stop him, but Yondaime instructed them to let go.
"Release him… I think I deserve that." Yondaime grinned while clutching his stomach where the Rasengan hit.
To be continued…
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A/N: That's Chapter 15! Thanks for reviewing and once again, thanks a lot to Clarlie for letting me use 'Blondaime'! Until the next time I sneak past the defenses, See ya!
