Once again it is with a heavy heart that I must inform you that I do not own Naruto in any way shape or form. Kishimoto-sama will forever be Hokage to this adventure and we are all just shinobi in his village.

I am really glad you guys are glued to your sweets with this story, lots of favorites and followers. Means an absolute mountain of gold to me that you're all invested this early on. I won't say review or pm with any criticisms or complaints, but if you do have them then that would be the best way to address them. See an error? Let me know. Dislike the way I wrote something? Let me know. Dislike me for whatever reason? Keep that to yourself. I don't need to know that.

Naruto and Sasuke became friends, Naruto noticed Hinata, the entire class sat in awe at Naruto and Sasuke's spar. Cat was wounded pretty badly but it was nothing compared to the fatal wounds that Dragon suffered. Naruto has vanished into the darkness of the forest and the only person who knows who did it, is now gone. Frog, being the only member of Naruto's guard left standing, arrived late to the scene to find his commander dying and his fiancée unconscious. He was too late…

Chapter 4: I want to like you but…

The hidden leaf village awoke to another crisp October morning. The sun shining down on the awakening villagers couldn't have been more of a lie. Slowly drawing towards the village were storm clouds so dark it threatened to turn day into night. The third Hokage sat staring out his office window as his anbu subordinate recounted what he knew from the last four or so days of him combing the woods for any sign of a certain blond. Upon hearing that Frog still found nothing despite having already searched top to bottom and left to right, the Hokage was beginning to think that Naruto might never be found. He sighed;

"Tell me again what happened"

"Lord Hokage?" Frog asked, unsure what the third would hope to hear differently on the tenth time hearing the story.

"Tell me" Hiruzen demanded.

"Of course, Lord Hokage" Frog removed his mask, before standing. The bags under his eyes did nothing to add to his features except to make him look far older than he actually was. His hair hadn't been brushed in days and he couldn't remember the last time his eyes stung this much.

"The day the boy went missing, I was on my way to report to you everything that happened that day—" "Tell me those details too" Hiruzen interrupted, casting Kendo a hard look. He nodded before continuing.

"Uh, at the academy Naruto sparred with the Uchiha survivor. I thought we would have to intervene because the boy started to emit that malicious feeling that he alone seems to have. The Uchiha however managed to pin him to the ground before he seemingly gave up. They spoke no words between each other until they arrived back in the classroom and the Uchiha boy told Naruto he wished for them to be friends. Naruto also spoke to the Hyuga girl but from the angle of our watch I could not discern the subject they discussed" Kendo paused to take a breath. Hiruzen waited in silence, his face unreadable to the anbu member. "After that, they resumed their lessons before being excused for the day. The boy walked home without an issue until he was maybe a hundred steps away from his home. He suddenly just froze and didn't make a sound. He didn't look around or try to fight or anything…he just…froze."

"Haruhi confronted the boy and upon her return she informed me that he looked terrified but hadn't told her why or what happened. He went into his home and went straight to sleep. Rias returned to join us for the night watch and instructed me to report to you what happened throughout Naruto's day. She thought that perhaps you, Lord Hokage, would be able to figure out why it was that Naruto froze during his spar with the Uchiha as well as on his way home. I don't know what happened between my being with you here, and me finding the team in the woods. When I arrived, Haruhi was pinned to a tree by a broken branch, Naruto was nowhere in sight, and Rias…" Frog felt a lump form in his throat. He couldn't bring himself to say her name without feeling pathetic and weak. Had his medical ninjutsu been stronger he could have saved Rias as well. Instead, all he could do was cry at his own weakness as he heard her take her last breath. Haruhi was still in the hospital recovering and she took Rias' death harder than he did. She was refusing to speak to anyone, she barely ate, and no matter what he told her, he couldn't get her to stop blaming herself for what happened.

"And you said that Dragon Rias didn't say anything to you upon your arrival?" Hiruzen questioned.

"That is correct. She told me where to find Haruhi, that Naruto was gone, and that…and that Haruhi had a better chance of surviving" Kendo finished, ashamed that he even had to repeat those words again.

The third remained silent for a while, lost in thought. His anbu agent seemed to be doing the same, but while Hiruzen looked to be questioning all the answers he received, Kendo seemed to be searching for an answer to a question he didn't know he had. The Sarutobi sighed in defeat, no matter how he looked at it, he just couldn't piece together where his old teammate could be hiding the boy. He was absolutely certain that Danzo had done this, but he had no way to prove it. No way to get the truth, and grew increasingly frustrated that Danzo would get away with this.

"Lord Hokage" Kendo's grip on his mask threatened to break it in half before he placed it down on the third's desk. "I request a leave of absence from the Anbu so that I may properly care for Haruhi" he said, refusing to raise his head. "I know that it is selfish and the timing could not be worse… but I beg you Lord Hokage—" "Very well" Hiruzen replied, cutting Kendo off. The latter looked up in surprise, sweat on his brow threatening to drown him.

"It is I who has been selfish Kendo. I must apologize to you for not giving you time to properly recoup. The loss of Dragon Rias will no doubt leave a lasting impact on quite a few people. Go, be with your wife. I am sure that she needs you now more than ever" Hiruzen told the young man. He smiled at the Anbu member, who bowed repeatedly in thanks.

"Hold on Kendo" The third called out. When the man stopped at the door to turn around, he quickly had to catch the Frog mask heading towards him.

"When you are ready to return, you will be welcomed openly"

"Thank you, Lord Hokage" with that, Kendo left Hiruzen to his silent office as the old man returned to staring out his window.

"Where could you have gone…Naruto?"

"To think I had to go to such lengths to recover my property. To think I even considered delaying doing so to see how you would progress as a shinobi" a voice from the shadows spoke. Naruto, who'd been standing in the same spot for hours now, was covered in blood, sweat, and bruises. So, far they denied him food and water for the trouble he caused by running away, sleep for them having to eliminate someone in their way, and rest for thinking he could leave without their permission.

"Number nine, what is your purpo—" "To eliminate those who oppose my master" Naruto answered, earning another blow to the gut for interrupting them.

"It would seem you have forgotten your place. Interrupting your master as if you are an equal. You are what, number nine?"

"I am an extension of my master's hand. I am a weapon to be used by that hand until I dull, at which time I will be replaced"

"Exactly. You don't need friends. Or love. Or anything else that these weak shinobi need. What do you need number nine?"

"I need nothing for I am nothing without my master" Naruto's voice grew smaller and smaller with each word. Iruka's laughing face at Ichiraku ramen, Sasuke's sneer, Hinata's shy gaze, and the old man's encouraging smile swam in his mind's eye. Would they agree that he was nothing; disposable and useless without a master?

"From now on you will be monitored under full surveillance. You are not to leave your quarters without someone to watch you. You will eat when we allow you to, if you so much as sigh in the slightest fashion that you are revolting and the punishment will be far more severe than this. Do I make myself clear?" the voice demanded, growing more and more frustrated as Naruto took longer to answer. "Number nine you will answer me when I ask you something"

Naruto, frustrated and wanting nothing more than to attack, sighed; "Yes…master" he surrendered, knowing full well that nothing he did now would matter.

"Good" the voice sounded pleased and satisfied to be in control once again. "One final thing for you to know number nine. You will be joined from today forward by number ten" the voice added.

"You'll regret this you bastards. You can't treat me like this, do you know what you're doing?" a new voice shouted as he was dragged in. Naruto didn't raise his head, he didn't so much as acknowledge the newcomer, a boy with a Konoha headband wrapped around his thigh. He had to be older than Naruto by at least six years, but his small stature made them almost the same height. His sandpaper brown hair and amber eyes locked onto Naruto, who could feel him staring.

"What the hell is this place?" the boy demanded, but when Naruto remained quiet, he started to grow annoyed. "Oy, answer me damnit." He shouted, and as soon as he did, he was retching on the ground having been struck in the gut.

"W-what…the hell?" he managed to choke out.

"From this day forward, you will be number ten. You will join number nine in training and together you two will become my ultimate weapons" the shadowed man spoke out. Ten laughed.

"As if I would join you, a Genin like me would never—" another blow to the gut.

"You will only speak when I allow you to. You will eat when I allow you to. You will sleep when I allow you to. You will live…because I allow you to" the voice hissed, making sure that Ten understood this wasn't a debate. This was a dictatorship and the voice was the ruler.

"Like hell" Ten yelled again, he started to perform hand seals, but before he could even finish, he was coughing on the ground again.

"You will learn obedience. That is the way here"

Ten remained silent this time, and despite trying not to look scared or hurt, his legs shook.

"Good. Take them back"

"Take…us…back? Ten asked tentatively. Did these lunatics kidnap him just to beat him up and send him home? Before he could ponder this any longer though, a black sack was slipped over his head and he was lifted off his feet. He struggled at first but after a rap on the head he quit kicking. Resigning himself to his now inescapable fate. After five or so minutes he was dropped roughly on what felt like a bed and heard a similar thud to his right. Followed by the sound of a heavy door being shut and bolted. He ripped the sack off to see the blond boy from before sitting across from him looking solemn and annoyed.

"You're trapped here" Naruto said, much to Ten's surprise. "There was only one way to escape and I already used it. Now you're stuck here. Just like me" he added before throwing himself back onto his pillow. He stared at the ceiling without so much as a concern for having been locked in this room again.

"What is this place?" Ten asked, standing to examine the stone walls and iron door. He noted the lack of windows.

"The dark room" was the only thing Naruto said, sitting back up to look at Ten. "It's…where I grew up"

"You live here?" the disbelief in Ten's voice didn't escape the blond, who only nodded in return.

"Why?"

"It's not like I chose to. Master brought me here. Master kept me here. I am…Master's weapon"

"Master? That guy in the shadows?"

"Yeah, he's the one" Naruto sighed; "Sooner or later he'll be your master too."

"Tch…like hell he will" Ten retorted in disgust. "I'd rather die than be someone's puppet."

"You will. If you don't do as he commands then he'll starve you. He'll beat you. Eventually…he'll break you. There use to be nine of us. Now there's just me. And I guess now you…Ten" Naruto turned away in what the boy could only describe as shame.

"What happened to the others?" he was almost afraid to hear the answer.

"The Dark room isn't a place for weakness. Those that are weak are discarded. Master made me sure of it. Doesn't matter if you're a Genin or not either, weakness is stomped out in this place"

"But…what does that mean?" Ten stood and crossed the room in anger. His frustration getting the better of him as he bared down on his cellmate. "Just tell me what the hell happened to the others already" he demanded. Naruto refused to meet the boy's gaze; which angered him more. After a moment though he turned to look at the boy and ten could see nothing in those eyes. Nothing but cold ice that was vastly deeper than any frozen lake or tundra.

"He made me kill them."

Iruka was having a rather stressful day as classes bore on. Naruto failed to show up to class and what was more, so did Sasuke. He wanted to believe that perhaps the two boys just decided to play hooky, or maybe weren't feeling well but he had a feeling that both options would be far better than the feeling of dread he was currently nursing in his stomach. He hadn't even realized that they weren't there until Sakura pointed out to the rest of the girls that Sasuke was absent and Hinata had come straight to Iruka to tell him the same thing but about Naruto. He gave them the morning to see if they would perhaps show up late—but they didn't. He would go straight to see the third Hokage once classes were done but at the moment he was just trying to get through practical training with the rest of the class. Something that was proving more time consuming that he'd hoped.

The class was just to practice the basic clone technique, but aside from a few students, none of them seemed to be capable of doing so. Shikamaru Nara performed a perfect clone of himself that stunned Iruka since the boy never did anything but sleep. Sakura was another one that managed to perform the clone technique, though it took her three tries to get it down right. The others struggled throughout the afternoon and when it was time for classes to end, only half of them managed to actually complete the technique.

"Alright everyone" Iruka called out, getting the classes attention and silencing them in the process. "I will see you all tomorrow and I hope that you are safe. Be sure to practice because until everyone is able to perform the clone technique, we cannot move on to the next course" he announced. There were some groans and arguments from those who completed the assignment but Iruka simply told them that they were a team and teams pass together or fail together. The kids shuffled out of the class annoyed at the half that hadn't managed to complete the assignment, but Iruka wasn't worried too much about them causing a problem. No. Now that he was free to actually face the growing feeling of dread in his gut, he hurried off to see the third.

When he finally arrived at the office, the first thing he noticed was that there was an eerie tension looming around the place. He couldn't put his finger on it but he knew something was up. He knocked and was met with silence.

"Come in" Iruka heard when he knocked the second time. The third was sitting behind his desk with his pipe in his hands—a cloud of smoke over his head.

"What can I do for you today Iruka?" he asked, not bothering to open his eyes.

"Uh…well, Lord Hokage, I wanted to inform you that Naruto hadn't shown up for class today. And, I'm not sure if something happened to him or if he's just sick but I can't shake this feeling that it's something bad?" Iruka explained, though he hadn't intended for it to come out as a question, he felt puzzled by the whole thing regardless.

"Yes, I'm aware that Naruto didn't attend classes today. He might not be attending for some time unfortunately" the third admitted, finally opening his weary eyes to meet Iruka's.

"Lord Hokage?" Iruka took a step forward. Now he knew something was up. The third wouldn't just know that a student hadn't shown up unless there was a reason.

Hiruzen heaved a long sigh; "Naruto is missing. He disappeared in the forest last night and my anbu have yet to locate him" he informed the instructor, who's eyes were wide in shock.

"M-missing? Do you think this has something to do with the villagers and the nine-tailed fox?" Iruka inquired, but was quickly shot down by a no from the Hokage.

"I'm uncertain as to what might have happened, but I am certain that it isn't good news. We'll find him Iruka, I have no doubts that we will" Hiruzen reassured, but it didn't sound like he truly believed those words.

"Lord Hokage, I uh…I don't think this is relevant but it also can't be a coincidence but Sasuke Uchiha was also absent from class today. Do you think that perhaps they may have just been skipping classes together? They're sort of new friends as it would seem" Iruka said, catching the Hokage's interest.

"Toad" Hiruzen called out, and from the nothingness of shadows a man in a toad mask appeared.

"Your bidding, Lord Hokage" he answered, kneeling as all anbu did when summoned.

"Go to the Uchiha estate and see if you can't locate Sasuke Uchiha for me" Hiruzen ordered, and without another word toad was gone.

"There's something bad going on, isn't there Lord Hokage?" Iruka pressed. When the third could see that Iruka wouldn't be satisfied with falsities, he nodded.

"Yes, perhaps there is something going on that is considerably bad. To what degree I can't say for certain. If Sasuke Uchiha is involved as well, then it will be worse than I thought" the third explained. "Please, Iruka, when you have the chance, ask your students if they might have seen something suspicious going on surrounding either Naruto or Sasuke" he asked. Immediately Iruka nodded that he would oblige and bowed before exiting. He wanted to see with his own eyes that Naruto wasn't home, and by extension not in danger.

"Danzo you sly fox. Did you manage to get your hands on Sasuke as well? I think you'll find it a lot harder to tame an angry dog over a newborn puppy" Hiruzen chuckled though it died out quickly and left the third feeling hopeless. If Danzo managed to take both the last Uchiha and the container for the nine tails and turn them both into weapons that obeyed his every word, then the village would be powerless to stop him and his quest for power. "I truly wish to believe that you have no hand in this old friend, but it all seems to point to you."

He stood from his desk and took a familiar spot at his window, gazing out towards the village that seemed quiet and peaceful despite all the trouble that seemed to be hiding in the shadows.

Two years had passed since Iruka walked out of the Hokage's office. Two years and he hadn't seen a single strand of hair from a certain blond. It was later revealed that Sasuke was home sick with a fever that he caught for not eating right. Much to Iruka's annoyance he had spent a lot of time trying to get the girls in his class to leave Sasuke alone when he returned. He hoped every day that Naruto would walk through the doors as well, but days turned to weeks, weeks to months, and now he wasn't certain that anyone would ever see him again. The third kept him up to date on anything Naruto related. Iruka came to find out about the anbu that was assigned to watch Naruto. How one of them was killed, one of them left, and the other followed suit to be with his fiancé. They had a standing invitation to return to work for the anbu, but neither of them seemed too eager to don their masks again—not after losing someone they were close to, apparently.

Iruka spent a lot of his time walking around the village, searching for clues, hoping that he'd catch word or a glimpse of the blond. After two years, he was starting to lose hope. He stood at the front of the class and sighed, 'Another long day finally over with' he thought before lifting his hand to silence the room.

"Alright class, another day closer to the day you become shinobi. Don't you worry, we'll get there sooner than you think" he said. He didn't even have to tell the class that they were dismissed, they were already use to Iruka saying something half-heartedly encouraging before telling them to go home. Sasuke, who somehow became more reclusive and quieter was the first one out of his seat. He ignored the calls of his classmates as he left sliding the door shut behind him with more force than was required. Iruka knew that Sasuke would never admit it, but without Naruto in the class, he was back to being all alone. His only friend seemed to have completely vanished without so much as a goodbye. The boy was taking it hard and Iruka could do nothing to comfort that loneliness—not when he too was searching for answers.

Hinata Hyuga was the last to leave the classroom, another student that Iruka noticed having a harder time than usual once Naruto stopped showing up, but why he couldn't say. He had no idea that the two of them were close, let alone friends and he wondered if perhaps it had more to do with what could have been as opposed to what was.

Hinata despised walking home with Ko, he treated her like a porcelain doll that would break if the wind hit her too strongly. Despite him being kind and always there to talk to her or comfort her when she was sad, Ko didn't seem to understand that Hinata wasn't just unhappy. She was lonely. None of the other kids in her class seemed to pay much attention to her, and because of how nervous she always felt around other people, she could never speak her mind much around them anyway. She thought that her and Naruto would at least be able to grow closer, something that she was looking forward to especially after he complimented her Taijutsu, a compliment that no one ever gave her. Yet, after that day the object of her admiration vanished without a trace. She spent many nights wondering what became of her new whiskered friend, and spent many more nights hoping that he would show up, but he never did. It was as if she imagined him and now, she was facing reality.

This was the second time that she managed to slip away from Ko. Though, if she was honest, it was becoming easier to do so the older she got. She sat swinging her legs of a tree branch as she looked out at the Hokage monument. 'I'm going to be Hokage' she could hear Naruto's voice in her head as if he had just spoke the words to her this very moment and felt the weight in her heart grow heavier. Had she missed her chance to tell the blond that she admired his courage when he defended her or that she longed to be as confident as him when he declared that he would become Hokage? She hadn't seen him or heard his voice in two years, but she couldn't help but still think that maybe if he came back, they could still be friends. 'I want to like you but…how can I when you're not even here.' Hinata argued internally with herself, absentmindedly thinking of the blond that was making her eyes shine. 'You like him' a little voice in her head teased, making her blush a bright pink.

"I've grown so lonely that I'm teasing myself" she mumbled, swinging her legs back and forth still.

"You didn't even say anything" someone called out. Her heart started to race as she recognized the voice but quickly felt her excitement deflate when she saw that it was just Sasuke Uchiha.

"I-I was talking t-to myself" she admitted, embarrassed that she'd been found out.

"Hm" Sasuke grunted out before walking past her. She watched him go and wondered where he was coming from. He'd left first but the fact that he was still in this area made it seem like he was hanging out waiting for something.

"Lady Hinata"

She sighed, recognizing that voice as the one she was trying to hide from.

"Ko-san" she answered before jumping down from her branch. It wasn't nearly high enough to warrant concern, but Ko caught her regardless.

"Lady Hinata, you can't continue to run off like that. If Lord Hiashi were to discover that you were being reckless he will be very upset. Do you understand?" he reprimanded. He took her by the hand and started leading her home. "If you continue to be this rebellious Lord Hiashi will punish you. Is that what you want?" Ko asked, turning to look at the seven-year-old.

"N-no Ko-san" she answered, averting her gaze from her caretaker. He groaned in defeat, he hated to see her so down.

"Lady Hinata, I know that you are having a difficult time, but please, do not shut me out. It is my duty to watch over you when you are not in the academy, but that does not mean that I do no enjoy doing so. You may speak with me about anything you wish to and I will do my best to help you through it" he smiled at the Heiress, but she knew better than to bite. It was a trick to get her talking about what was on her mind and the moment she would say anything about Naruto, he would tell her that she shouldn't concern herself with someone like him. She just didn't understand why everyone seemed to despise the blond when he wasn't even around at the moment. They acted as if him being gone was a gift from the heavens, and that should he return, it would be a curse upon them. It made her retreat further into herself. What was so wrong with the boy she admired that all the adults seemed to dislike him so vehemently? Did it have something to do with the nine-tailed fox that Ko mentioned? Though she wasn't sure what it could be since Ko had told her to not worry about such a thing. She just wanted to see those blue eyes again. They were cold and empty, but hidden beneath the pain and loneliness she could see the bravery and caring that was buried. She just wanted to see them again.

"Again"

"Yes, master"

"Again"

"…Y-yes…M-master"

Sigh; "That's enough. You're disappointing today number nine"

"I should be punished master" Naruto suggested, knowing full well he would be anyway.

"Hm, no. I think what you need is a reminder. I can sense that you're still holding back. Ever since your incursion into the wild you've been defiant. Resisting me as if I am the villain. I am your master and you will remember that"

"Yes, of course" Naruto answered. He braced himself. Reminders meant physical pain. No sooner did he close his eyes in anticipation did he feel the sting of the whip slice through his flesh. He didn't dare make a sound, nor show an inkling of discomfort.

"Two more and send him back" the voice ordered. "And number nine…remember what happened to number ten the next time you wish to resist me" the voice threatened. Naruto shut his eyes as the whip struck him again. He remembered the Genin boy who was brought in with him when he was forced back. He was resilient, strong, and absolutely stupid in Naruto's opinion. He tried to warn him that he would die if he didn't do what he was told and when the day came for Naruto to kill him, the blond felt another weight added to the already heavy burden of disgust he carried around for himself. Another crack of the whip and Naruto exhaled silently. He almost cried out in pain, but he wouldn't give in. He just had to be patient and he would have another chance to escape. When he did, he'd be sure never to return to this place until he was strong enough to burn this place to the ground with his own two hands.

Someone placed a familiar sack over his head and led him away from the training area. It wasn't long before Naruto felt a hand push him forward into his room and the door started to creak shut.

"Your presence is demanded" someone said, and by the sound of it, it was someone further from the door than the person who pushed Naruto in.

"I'm on my way" the jailer spoke, shutting the door before walking off. Naruto ripped his eye covering off and rushed to the door. In the jailer's haste to not displease the master, he forgot to bolt the door shut. Now if Naruto was truly lucky, there wouldn't be anyone outside the door either.

Success. He pushed the door slowly, trying to avoid the creaking and his caution paid off. After peering down both halls and finding them empty, he made his way towards the smell of fresh earth. That's how he escaped the first time, by following the scent of the freshest dirt, and that's how he would escape again. Hopefully. He hurried down one hall after another, careful not to alert anyone to his presence, and when he finally arrived at where his nose led him, he sighed in relief. It was a literal hole in the wall that led outside.

He squeezed through it and was half way through when he felt a hand grab his calf and start to pull him back in.

"Not this time kid" the voice spoke but Naruto wasn't going to just surrender and go back to his cage. He kicked with all his might and felt the ball of his foot connect with what felt like teeth. The warm sensation told him that he connected with the guy's mouth and drew blood—a lot of blood.

"You little bastard" he grunted out before trying to grab Naruto's leg again. Not seeing any other way out of his current predicament, Naruto performed a few hand seals and reached back, until he could close his hand around the hand of the man.

"Sealing: Glyph of paralyzation"

The man's hand remained in a clawed position as Naruto pulled his leg free.

"Yes, this time—" Naruto cheekily replied; "And stop coming after me or I will kill you—All of you" the added threat was just to make himself feel better, but he no doubt they would heed his warning. With that, he continued to crawl.

He pushed dirt out of his eyes, huffed and wheezed, and despite sweat caking dirt onto his skin, he didn't falter. After what seemed to last forever, his hand broke through the surface of a softish surface that felt like soil and he could practically taste the fresh air. He could feel the sun on his skin again, see the sky, see the birds fly. He just had to push through a little more.

"N-N-Naruto-kun?"

Naruto turned to see Hinata Hyuga and someone with the same eyes as her standing in the road looking absolutely flabbergasted that a boy who disappeared two years ago just dug his way out of the ground.

"Hinata…I hope you've been well" Naruto called out, to which the Hyuga princess promptly passed out. "Is she alright?" he asked the man, and grew tense at the way this man looked at him—with disdain.

"That is not your concern" he coldly replied. He lifted Hinata into his arms and hurried away, leaving Naruto standing in the middle of the road covered in mud and grime.

"Yeah, why would it be? Might as well find the old man" Naruto spoke aloud to no one— breaking into a full-on sprint towards the office he remembered the third Hokage always being at.

He ran until his lungs burned and even then, he kept running. He ran past people who looked surprised to see him, others who jeered at him and some who flat out didn't even notice he went by. By the time he stood outside the office door, he was sure that his legs would melt off from how sore they were feeling. He didn't even bother to knock before pushing the door open. He walked in to find not only the third Hokage, but Iruka as well. They both turned to look at him as if they'd seen a ghost. The third's pipe fell out of his mouth with a loud clatter on his desk.

Naruto walked in, shutting the door behind him.

"Hey, old man…"

AN: There you have ladies and gents. I told you I would do little baby time skips and I felt two years is alright, nothing major, nothing minor, but a lot of pushing the plot forward in this chapter. I know you're all probably getting restless and wanting the good stuff, it's coming. Naruto right now is eight years old and I think now that he's free again I can do a little more NaruHina friendship building before I make another jump. The next jump will definitely be to the moment the story starts in the manga. Naruto will be twelve, he'll be a little more familiar but still haunted. We're off to a good start, but like I said before, you guys gotta tell me what you like or dislike so I know whether to cut the cord at a particular part and rework it or continue as is. Silence to me means continue as is, so if you got beef, you gotta say so.

Number ten was originally supposed to be Sasuke, he was going to join Naruto in the dark room for those two years but I thought nah, better to let them each suffer loneliness separately. Remember, Naruto and Sasuke both said in the original story that had they just reached out to one another their lives would have been different. This is my way of keeping that same element, had things just been a little different, they're lives would be completely different.

As always, thank you for your support and I will see you in the next one.