Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters are the properties of Masashi Kishimoto. No profit is made off of this fan-fiction story. Any additional original characters located in this story are designated at such and belong to the author, Jae (Dirtyangel).

—.&.&.—

II.

Pleasantries

Walking through the streets of Konoha after so many years was an odd experience for Naruto. Each building and face was different from what he last remembered. Some were older and others newer but all were nearly unrecognizable to him. It was with a mixture of both relief and awkwardness that Naruto was aware that he had become a stranger to his former village. Recalling what had happen at the Ichiraku after Sasuke's departure, he admitted that the anonymity he'd gained was something to get used to.

The phrase "old habits die hard" had come to mind on seeing Teuchi's look of surprise when Naruto had asked about the man's daughter, Ayami. The blond had forgotten how long it had been. After embarrassedly stating his name and reassuring that he was who he said he was Naruto had avoided an uncomfortable interrogation with a wooden spoon and a heated spatula from Teuchi and his granddaughter. It had been understandable why they were being cautious. They had witnessed his scuffle with a Konoha ninja only moments before.

With introductions aside, the old stand owner had been taken aback by how different he looked. He was taller with broader shoulders and longer, sun-bleached hair. His body appeared toned and solid under his simple vest and slacks as if he were accustomed to days of hard labor. The baby fat he'd retained throughout his teenage years had gone from his face and had left behind a stronger, leaner profile. Naruto had never really thought about his looks since he'd left Konoha, but had found it interesting to see that reaction. When the shopkeeper commented that he had a striking resemblance to the portraits of the Fourth Hokage Naruto had thought it strange but had accepted the compliment nonetheless.

The retired shinobi shifted slightly, preventing his bag of take-out ramen from being jostled by a woman strolling past him. They had said their goodbyes to the Ichiraku and were en route to the next gate. Naruto didn't doubt that Sasuke would backtrack to search for them, so they had to move quickly. He glanced over to his right to make sure Kanaye was still keeping pace. The boy hadn't lost step but was gaping excitedly at the tall buildings and wirework that made up Konoha's vistas. His father grinned. The older man had almost forgotten how impressive new places were at the age of seven.

It was a shame that they had to leave so abruptly, but he knew—if they were to ever complete their journey or see their home again—it was a necessity. Naruto's mind was already working through all possible plans of escape. It had been easier to leave his first time around; though, he hadn't been labeled as a missing-nin then. A report of his presence must have been made. Naruto knew it was standard protocol and Sasuke was a ninja of efficiency. Whatever he came up with had to be as discreet as possible. Not only would he need the stealth but Kanaye had to remain ignorant of their development. He didn't want the boy to worry.

Naruto's eyes roved over the crowd drifting around him, looking for signs of an unusually cut head of dark hair or the fair-skinned but perpetually scowling face unique to Uchiha Sasuke. To Naruto's relief, there were none. If he were confronted by Sasuke again (or any other ninja), he would have no choice but to fight. Naruto wasn't happy with that prospect. He was a civilian not a ninja. He didn't want to retaliate as one.

His clear blue eyes lowered to the well-trodden road with a grim expression.

"How practical is that?" he mumbled, voicing his thoughts at last.

"It isn't," came a gruff but amused reply.

Naruto grimaced and shoved the unbidden voice to the back of his conscious mind. It seemed his tenant had woken up from its nap.

"What have you gotten yourself into this time, brat?" the voice said, effortlessly making its way back to the forefront of his thoughts.

None of your damn business, fox, Naruto quipped.

Only when the Kyuubi deemed its presence worth announcing did he ever revert to aggressive language. The fox often worked at his nerves, especially when it was no longer scheming (as much) of ways to have Naruto release the seal. They had reached an agreement years ago that had established a common ground between them and allowed various compromises. One trade-off had involved giving the demon further access into his psyche. It hadn't delighted Naruto and he often questioned the benefits or intelligence of the concession. He knew the fox's constant plaguing was its own vindictive way of paying him back for all those years he had mocked it.

There was a moment of silence, but in his mind's eye, he could envision the enormous form of the Nine-Tails lounging on its belly with a feral grin. Each of its nine bushy tails swayed and coiled in a repetitive and languid pattern. Glowing vermillion eyes leered back at him.

"I see. So you've finally ended up back there, hmm?" the demon chuckled sardonically.

Naruto's lips pursed into a thin, humorless line. He said nothing, refusing to rise to the bait. Ahead of them, the crowd began to lessen. They were nearing the southern districts which would then ease into the South Gate. His fingers twitched anxiously and his brows sunk deeper. Their destination was steadily approaching and Naruto had a decision to make.

An exasperated sigh resounded through his mind and the demon flopped its tails down in a bored manner.

"Spare me your angst-filled mental tirade, mortal," it said. "You and I know that the solution to your problem is the simple matter of a transformation jutsu."

No, Naruto thought stubbornly, which part of "no longer a ninja" did you not understand?

"That was the stupidest resolution you have ever made. You're being foolish."

And you're being a pain in my ass as usual, Naruto growled back.

"'Tousan, why are you frowning so hard?" Kanaye spoke up.

Naruto glanced down and saw the juvenile looking at him questioningly. Kanaye had ended his gawking and had somehow slipped his small hand into his father's free one without the man noticing. The older blond relaxed and smiled weakly, gently squeezing his son's hand.

"Nothing to worry about, sport," Naruto assured him.

"Does your jaw still hurt?" Kanaye continued, taking a few steps ahead to peek at the blemish that should have been on the left side of his father's face.

The bruise Naruto had earned from Sasuke's punch had begun to heal over and only the faintest trace of darkened skin remained in its wake. Naruto reached up with his bag-filled hand and rubbed his cheek. He'd almost forgotten about his injury. It had been painful when he'd received it but the pain had subsided minutes afterwards. Naruto lowered his hand again. His and Kyuubi's natural healing mechanisms had permanently synced since he was seventeen. Naruto couldn't remember the last time he'd had a wound that lasted more than a day.

"You mean that wasn't terminal," Kyuubi appended.

Sweet Buddha, shut up and go back to sleep! This time Naruto bolstered a mental wall that finally cut the demon off from his thoughts. He felt more than saw the affronted look the fox had.

"Hey, it's gone!" Kanaye beamed.

Naruto grinned and ruffled the boy's messy hair. "Of course!" he said; "This old man is a lot more resilient than you think."

His son smiled broadly and then reached for the straw hat that had hung, forgotten, around his neck. Kanaye placed it on his head while Naruto adjusted the traveling pack strapped to his back. It had been a lucky occurrence that the man had placed it on the ground by the ramen bar entrance when he had first approached the stand. None of their belongings had been damaged during Sasuke's "greeting."

"So what are we gonna do now, 'tousan?" Kanaye asked, peeking up from under the wide brim of the hat.

"Well, Na-chan, unfortunately, we're leaving."

"What? Why?" the boy pouted.

"Because, Kanaye, if we don't we might miss our train a few towns over," Naruto answered distractedly. He was back to searching for Sasuke.

"But I thought you said we had a few days until the next one left."

"Yes, but something's come up, Na-chan."

A crestfallen look settled in Kanaye's eyes, and again, Naruto felt guilty for having them leave. He sighed and kept his gaze forward. They were halfway to the southern gate point and he still hadn't come up with any plan that didn't involve some form of ninja technique.

When Naruto thought of their situation realistically, the rational side of him reasoned that they were in a shinobi village and the only way to get by a shinobi was to be a shinobi. But the bullheaded side of him remained in denial. He'd gone through too much to have to fall back on those ways. Naruto's jaw clenched as he continued his internal debate. He didn't want to be that way again, but he would have to if he ever wanted to get himself and his son out of there.

"Oi, oi, 'tousan, 'tousan!" a new burst of enthusiasm had taken Kanaye and the boy tugged at his father's hand tenaciously. "Look, look! Can we at least stop there before we leave? Please? Please, otousan?"

Confused, Naruto's eyes promptly followed the direction Kanaye had so ardently pointed out. Once he caught sight of the vendor he stopped. He stood momentarily wondering just when a shop such as that had opened in south district and why it hadn't been around when he was younger. Suddenly, Naruto had a plan.

—.&.&.—

"A message was received from Com Center about the missing-nin, Sasuke-san. All shinobi at this gate point have been told to be on the look out," said an older chuunin.

"I'd like to scout this gate before I head farther into the village," Sasuke replied.

"Be my guest. The more the merrier, I always say," the other ninja gave a short laugh and then walked away.

Sasuke raised a brow at the strange woman but then turned to gaze out at the gate area below. It had been a few minutes since he had arrived at the southern gate and he was pleased to learn that the operator he had spoken to hadn't been completely incompetent. Iruka had received his message. That would save Sasuke some time. Upon making his way to the south checkpoint he had spotted neither Naruto nor his son, but he knew they couldn't be too far off.

The jounin leaned forward and grasped the metal railing of the gate tower's lookout. On the ground, there was a small procession of civilians and merchants trickling in and out of the gate entrance. South Gate was one of the more heavily trafficked gates of Konoha. Most civilians—Konoha citizens and visiting ones—frequented South Gate because of the various towns and villages that lay beyond it, also located in that direction was the path of a cross-country train.

So far no one below fit the profile of the two Sasuke was seeking. Although a few father and child couples passed by, they weren't the ones he wanted. While his keen eyes continued to roam over the crowd, part of Sasuke's brain began to go over what had happened within the last hour.

In the most unlikely progression of events he had crossed paths with the one person he hadn't been sure he would ever see again. He remembered the day, eleven years ago, when he had learned of Naruto's disappearance and the morbid humor he'd found in that poetic irony. Sasuke hadn't known what to feel at that time. Now that Naruto was back, Sasuke still didn't know how he wanted to feel. The problem was that he was feeling too much and he hated the indecisiveness. But there was only one way he knew how to deal with things that seemed out of his control—he snuffed them out of existence or ignored them. For his current dilemma Sasuke felt comfortable with either one of those solutions.

Ten minutes had passed and he hadn't come across his target yet. He stood straighter and took one last look around. Sasuke had been sure Naruto would come to that gate point. It was the easiest parameter to attempt camouflage, considering the child the other man had to factor into his plans. If they weren't there he would have to continue his patrol elsewhere.

Perhaps he's in disguise, Sasuke thought as he braced the railing and swung himself over. It was a possibility and Naruto was more than capable of coming up with a decent henge. The jounin landed in a crouch beneath the tower and stood. He would comb through the crowd before he moved on.

"Hey, that's a cool mask! Where'd you get it?"

"From this really cool mask shop not too far from here."

Curious as to who had spoken, Sasuke looked to his left to see two children, a boy and a girl, speaking animatedly to one another. Both looked to be around the age of six or seven and had the same shockingly bright mass of blond hair on their heads. He watched them more closely. The young girl stood with her hands akimbo and was dressed in a pale blue sundress patterned with pink spirals. Her companion sported an orange shirt and blue shorts resembling the ones Naruto's son had worn. On the boy's face was the jovially smiling likeness of a frog. The two youths were approximately six meters away from his position and unattended by any adult.

Sasuke's stare went flat when he ended his scrutiny. If that's supposed to be a disguise then he's losing his touch, he thought blandly. The ninja strode toward them. When he was within reach of the boy he grabbed the child's shoulder and spun him around.

"Hey!"

Sasuke ignored his shouted protest and removed the mask. To his surprise, a pair of angry brown eyes looked up at him.

"What's the big idea, jerk!" the boy exclaimed.

He squirmed out of Sasuke's grip and then made a face, blowing the man a raspberry before running off. Sasuke stared after him, sighing irritably. It appeared that wasn't Naruto's brat afterall.

Beside him a series of giggling erupted. He looked down to find the other child grinning, brazenly, up at him. He scowled at her when she smiled wider. The girl appeared undiscouraged by his displeasure. Inwardly, Sasuke began to question her competency; but it was then that she did something he had thought no snot-nosed delinquent would ever dare do. She kicked him in the shin.

Appalled and genuinely shocked, Sasuke couldn't stop the wince that overtook his body. However, his pride recovered long enough to refuse him the string of obscenities that were on the tip of his tongue. Somewhere in the Uchiha's mind a small voice attested that that had been one of the most undignified things that had ever happened to him. Another snarled that the little bitch had hit him right under the knee. Sasuke gritted his teeth against the sharp pain traveling up and down his leg and waited for it to ebb. His dark eyes slowly lowered to the laughing girl.

She squealed as she tried to escape the ninja's enraged grapple for her. He caught her wrist in a vice-like grip, only to feel the child burst into a puff of white smoke. Sasuke eyes widened by the slightest fraction, but then narrowed into a poisonous glare. How stupid could he have been? Of course the dead last would use clones.

He spun on his heels and headed back toward the gate tower. Sasuke had gone two meters when something latched onto his leg, hindering his movement. He looked down to see the boy from before clutching his ankle and smiling at him cheekily. The jounin growled and sent a small voltage of electricity streaming through his body. With a pop the clone dispersed and he stalked forward.

"You!" Sasuke barked at a male chuunin standing in the lookout, "Have all gate activity stopped. The target is within the vicinity."

"Yes, sir!" the young man responded, immediately reaching for his earpiece. "Gate Tower 1 to Gate Tower 2 target is within the vicinity. I repeat, the target is within the vicinity."

Sasuke turned to the crowd, Sharingan ready, and prepared to search through the throng of people.

"Be aware that missing-nin Uzumaki Naruto is disguised as Uchiha Sasuke. Approach with caution. Target is disguised as Uchiha Sasuke."

The dark-haired ninja froze. His eyes snapped back up to the man above him, only to see the individual he had spoken to was no longer there. In his stead was a red-eyed of himself. The figure smirked at him with a familiar air of superiority and mocking. Sasuke stared up at the clone with a dark expression. That son-of-a-bitch.

"So that's what you were up to, Uzumaki," he hissed.

The two clones from before had been decoys so that another could get into place. Who knew how many more were around. Calloused hands tightened into white-knuckled fists, but Sasuke's countenance cleared of all emotion and his eyes were as hard as steel. When he found Naruto he was going to give him more than just a punch in the face.

The Sharingan slid from the doppelganger toward the chaos taking place among the restless mass of bodies. Within the bedlam were other clones depicting his lean form, pale skin and dark hair, red eyes, and muted attire. They manifested from civilians and ninja alike. Gate guards struggled to apprehend each and discern clone from civilian or possibly the real thing. The giant doors of South Gate began to close. People who had been cleared to leave hurried out while the rest were forced to stay back.

Before the doors could fully shut, a faint wisp of purple chakra caught Sasuke's attention. Among the light blue glow of the low-level chakra signatures that emanated from all non-shinobi persons, one suppressed but highly active aura moved out the gates.

Sasuke felt a wry smile trail along his lips. He hadn't expected Naruto to orchestrate such an effective strategy. In the past, the blond's brash and straight-forward techniques had often won or lost a battle for him. There hadn't been many times when he had properly planned his form of attack. This older Naruto seemed to have gotten smarter.

The fingers of Sasuke's right hand executed a series of hand seals and then his body frayed into a mist of smoke.

—.&.&.—

Naruto watched as Konoha's South Gate creaked closed behind him. He breathed a sigh of relief. His plan had worked. When he had made it to the checkpoint booth he'd anxiously waited for the clones he'd dispatched to set his plan in motion. It seemed they had completed their tasks flawlessly.

Around him the discord continued while confused men and women tried to comprehend what was happening. Carriages and people pushed past one another and gate ninja stationed outside Konoha's walls tried to regain order. Naruto reached down and swept Kanaye up into his arms as a man ran by.

"'Tousan, what's going?" the boy asked, looking around through his Otafuku mask.

"Something must be happening back inside," Naruto said, pushing on. He quickly weaved through the crowd, keeping his eyes forward and brunet head down.

The costume shop Kanaye had pointed out back in Konoha had inspired this upset. Naruto had been reminded of the many pranks he once pulled as a child. The store had been filled with such an array of exotic and traditional masks he'd never seen sold in Konoha and it had made him nostalgic. There were numerous occasions during his childhood where he'd disguised himself as different people and objects to escape reprimand. It was the perfect strategy to use. The last minute decision to have each clone transform into Sasuke had simply been for old time's sake.

Grudgingly, in order for things to run smoothly, Naruto had to admit that the demon was right. His only option was to take the shinobi approach and use a henge. While Kanaye thought he had bought a wig and costume make-up, the man had changed his shaggy blond hair to a shorter, more subdued dark-brown and had alter the visibility of his six birthmarks. The look had proved useful as none of the gate ninja had suspected anything.

In a matter of minutes, Naruto made it through the muddle of travelers and onto a clearer part of the road. Satisfied with the distance between them and the gate, he slowed his pace. Naruto placed Kanaye back on his feet and took his hand.

"So, little Okame, how are you feeling?" the man asked.

Behind his mask, Kanaye snickered; "You look really funny, 'tousan."

Naruto scrunched his brows and made a silly face. He then slipped the straw hat from around Kanaye's neck. Using it to hide his face from view, he dropped his henge. Brown wasn't his color, anyway. A moment later he put the hat on his head.

"Hey! What happened to your wig?"

"It looks like your old friend, Kyuubi, took it," Naruto smiled down at the boy, referencing the stories Kanaye's mother used to tell him. In his mind, the fox snorted in annoyance. It had never appreciated being "derogated" (as it often sneered) to being the character of child's fairytale.

"Kyuubi? I thought he only came out at night!" Kanaye countered.

"He's crafty little fox. Yo—" Naruto paused in mid-sentence.

He had caught the faint whistle of something sailing through the air. Damn it! He ducked, grabbing Kanaye and then rolling out of the shuriken's range. Three of the metal spikes thudded into the ground where he had stood. Naruto rose to one knee and narrowed his eyes. It appeared that he wasn't quite home free.

Sensing something from behind him, the blond scarcely had time to push Kanaye back to the ground and intercept the leg aimed at his side. This left him unable to block the other leg that came at his head. The blow didn't make contact as Naruto's and Kanaye's bodies were replaced by the three shuriken.

"It seems like you've gotten a little better," said his attacker.

A few meters away, Naruto stood with his son in his arms and a cool, leveled stare directed at Sasuke. The ninja's dark eyes met his unblinkingly. There had been some small hope that Sasuke wouldn't have followed them, but Naruto knew it was in vain. He would have to work twice as hard if he wanted to remain a free man.

"Well, you know how things change, Sasuke," he said, forming a few hand seals.

Naruto was gone in a waft of smoke.

—.o.—

"'Tousan, please slow down! You're moving too fast!" Kanaye shouted past the wind rushing over his masked face.

"Sorry, kiddo, but I can't. Not until I lose this guy or we hit the next town," Naruto said, gripping the child tighter. The forest around them blurred by in a steady stream of green and brown as he sped from one branch to another. His sandaled feet briefly touched their surface before being propelled forward by dense chakra.

In one day, Naruto had used more ninjustsu than he had in the past nine years and it irked him. Most of his movements had been habitual behavior, but there were too many conditioned reactions his body still remembered and knew. When Sasuke had attacked he had known how to defend, what seals to perform, and what techniques to use. Naruto had spent half his life attaining this knowledge. There was no way he could have just forgotten them. Naruto frowned, disappointed. The promise he had made to himself was crumbling away and going with the proverbial wind.

Behind him, Naruto could still feel a persistent presence in the distance. It was closing the gap between them fast. Unfortunately, he had no weapons or exploding tags to use in his defense. He tried to come up with another alternative. The use of his hands for any seals was limited while he held Kanaye and he could not stop to set up any other distractions or fight.

"Naruto-kun, I must ask you to stop!"

A female form flickered into view on a tree branch ahead of him. Reaching up, Naruto grabbed a stray limb and used the momentum of his speed to swing him and Kanaye up higher into the canopy of leaves. The branches would not be as strong in that area but he needed a clear path. His son's arms wrapped around his neck and the boy buried his face into his shoulder. Naruto pivoted to the side so that his feet caught the sturdy trunk of the tree. The full weight of his travel pack bore down on him from that side long position and Kanaye clung to him even more.

"'Tousan, I don't like this," Kanaye whimpered.

"I know, I know, but bear with me, Na-chan," Naruto said, rubbing his back soothingly.

Just then a light sensation ran along the back of his left leg; and Naruto felt the chakra flowing through it flutter before his leg completely dislodged from the tree. The man's balance was thrown off, sending him toppling downward. His grip slipped and Kanaye fell loose from his arms. Naruto's heart surged to a dead halt when his desperate snatch for the boy missed. Oh God, no! he thought fearfully.

Something white streaked with black raced past him toward his son. A panicked daze and parental need to protect consumed Naruto. His nails sharpened and the color of his eye flashed to crimson. Chakra from the pit of his stomach boiled to the surface, ready to irrupt. He gave an animalist howl as he shot forward.

Before Naruto could grab a hold of his target, he was tackled from the side and both he and his assailant went crashing down to the forest floor. Branches snapped and cracked as their bodies plummeted through the trees until the ground collided into Naruto's back with a heavy thud. The air was forceful knocked from his lungs, leaving him temporarily paralyzed. A hand shoved at the blond's chest and pinned him down. Naruto struggled to catch is breath and weakly gripped the other person's wrist. Disoriented, he squinted up at the figure above, eyes widening once they were trapped in a spinning red gaze. Naruto felt a great weight blanket his addled mind before things faded into darkness.

—.&.&.—

Tsunade's pen glided interminably across the small sheet of paper in front of her. Her painted lips were set in a concentrated frown as she finished the last of her coded message. She set the pen down and reviewed what she had written. Deciding that the note was satisfactory, Tsunade carefully rolled it closed and placed a seal along its front end. A knock drew her attention away from her task.

"Who is it?" Tsunade asked.

"We've retrieved Uzumaki Naruto, Hokage-sama."

"Enter," Tsunade stood and stepped from behind her desk.

Both doors opened, admitting the three jounin sent to apprehend Naruto. Sasuke entered first, the body of an unconscious man slung over his shoulder, after him came Hinata, and then Neji. Noticing the child cradled in the female Hyuuga's arms, Tsunade looked at her in askance.

"Why is that boy here?" she said, taking in the youth's sleeping face and disheveled dark blond hair.

Hinata's opal-colored eyes glanced over at Sasuke, but then turned back to the Godaime Hokage.

"It seems that he's Naruto son, Hokage-sama," she replied softly.

Tsunade's slendor brows rose in surprise at her statement. The older woman looked at the boy again. As she observed him more closely she could see the similarities in his features compared to what she remembered of a prepubescent Naruto. Tsunade sighed and brought a hand up to massage her forehead. The way she would have to handle Naruto's situation had become more complex. Tsunade turned to Sasuke and gestured toward his burden.

"Sasuke, place him on the chaise by the bookshelf," she said, tiredly. "Hinata, take the little one to Sakura to have his scratches looked at. Neji, go with her."

All three nin did as told while Tsunade returned to her desk. She reopened the note she had put aside earlier and began to write again.

—.&.o.o.&.—

1. Otafuku/Okame – A Japanese mask that usually depicts the painted face of a smiling woman. This character is believed to bring good luck. Another name used for this mask is okame which means "tortoise."

2. Simply a reference to earlier on in the series when Naruto had transformed in to Sasuke to woo Sakura.