Original Publish Date: 26th-November-2015

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Blizzardfang, because this story puts a grin on his face. Well buddy, your review put a huge grin on mine. Enjoy!

Chapter 10 – Return To Innocence

Don't be afraid to be weak

Don't be too proud to be strong

Just look into your heart my friend

That will be the return to yourself

The return to innocence

- Return to Innocence, Enigma

4 years 8 months ago: Nanashi's Past

The hallway of the hidden base was silent; too silent. All the veteran shinobi scattered throughout knew that this kind of silence was the calm before the storm.

And they all knew that the storm was coming.

They just didn't know that it would come in this form.

A VERY loud wail woke up everyone in the base and brought them running to the main hallway, where they saw a sight that would stay burned in their memories until the day they died.

They saw a four-year old girl, with shocking pink hair shaped into a bowl-cut, stuck to her head like a helmet and actually shining, reflecting the little light that was present in the base. She wore a spandex suit of the same shocking shade of pink as her hair. What completed the ensemble were the black gloves she wore, her forearms were taped up, and an orange belt around her waist. Quite a few shinobi did a double take upon seeing her; most of the ex-Konoha shinobi actually had looks of horror on as they tried the genjutsu dispelling technique. Their terrified expressions when they failed were beyond hilarious.

"SHANNAYOSH! I AM ROCKURA! MY HEALING FLAMES OF YOUTH WILL BURN YOUR WORRIES AWAY AND HEAL YOU UNTIL YOUR OWN FLAMES BURN WITH THE PASSION OF YOUTH!"

"But I don't want to!" The 4 year old black haired girl, who was named Mirai, whined.

"Please Mirai-chan! If you do this, I'll…I'll…" a young man with feral features, who smelled slightly like a dog, said, as he tried to convince the child.

"I'll teach you a really cool jutsu!" A blond man wearing orange fingerless gloves offered enthusiastically, shamelessly bribing the child in front of him.

"Re…really? You'll teach me a jutsu? But kaa-chan (mom) said…"

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her. You have to promise to keep it a secret, all right Mirai-chan!?"

"O…ok!" The little girl said enthusiastically, easily swayed as all young children are.

"Hehehe" the two young men cackled together, rubbing their hands in glee. The expressions on each of their faces was eerily similar; if one of their friends had seen them conspiring together, they would have gone far, far away until the prank (for it could only be a prank when these two troublemakers were involved) was over.

Quite a few shinobi looked on in confused shock, not sure how to react. But most of them, including the former Konoha nin, cracked up. Two in particular were howling with laughter, beating their fists upon the floor and gasping for air.

Just then, a shinobi clad in a green spandex suit and a bowl-cut black hair, with his arms taped up, entered the hallway in a dash, having heard the words of a kindred soul; he was obviously one half of who the girl had been modeled upon. He froze upon seeing the young girl.

The girl noticed him and, pointing to him, exclaimed, "SHANNAYOSH! SOMEONE ELSE WHO WORSHIPS THE FLAMES OF YOUTH! TOGETHER OUR FLAMES WILL BURN EVEN BRIGHTER!"

At this, the black-haired worshipper of the 'Flames of Youth' raised a fist trembling with emotion, anime tears streaming from his eyes. His entire body was trembling with…youth…as he made his way to the pink haired worshipper. "YOSH! GAI-SENSEI! YOU MAY BE GONE, BUT YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH WILL NEVER BE QUENCHED! ROCKURA, FROM THIS DAY FORTH, I WILL TRAIN YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH!"

"HAI! TOU-SENSEI! (Dad-teacher)"

The green clad worshipper's eyes started streaming the anime tears at twice the volume at the name the girl had given him. "ROCKURA!"

"TOU-SENSEI!"

"ROCKURA!"

"TOU-SENSEI!"

The two met in an explosion of youth, as out of nowhere a sandy beach appeared with a setting sun, with waves crashing around them, and the air itself turned sparkly around the two worshippers. Some of the non-former-Konoha shinobi wondered if this was a genjutsu, and were shocked to find out that it wasn't.

"KYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" the 'hug of youth' was interrupted by a piercingly loud scream; it was the worst sound in the world, one which was filled with hopeless despair and terror; it was the scream of lost sanity.

Everyone turned to see a pink-haired woman; obviously the female counterpart the little girl had been modeled upon; her green eyes and mouth wide open, her hands (wearing the same black gloves the little girl was wearing) literally tearing at her hair.

Everyone in the hallway started snickering at her expression; most were laughing openly at her. Two particular individuals were rolling on the floor with laughter, tears streaming from their eyes. They were quickly joined by a… pleasantly plump young man wearing red armor, who promptly redefined the term rolling on the floor.

The little girl looked at her older counterpart (atleast in terms of hair), and yelled out, "KAA-SENSEI! (Mom teacher)!"

The few remaining people, who were restraining themselves from laughing too much, trying to keep a little dignity, gave up a losing battle. Everyone in the hallway started howling with laughter, some holding their sides, others gasping for air.

The poor pink-haired woman let out a pitiful sound that was between a whimper and a squeak, wishing that it was nothing but a dream, or a horrifying genjutsu. She clamped down on her tongue, and when the scene in front of her didn't disappear, she wished with every fibre of her being that a hole would open up on the ground right beneath her and swallow her whole.

The little pink clad girl unmercifully continued, unaware of the mental trauma she was causing the older pinkette. "KAA-SENSEI! TEACH ME HOW TO FLAME PEOPLE WITH MY HEALS OF YOUTH! I mean…TEACH ME HOW TO YOUTH PEOPLE!"

The pink-haired woman started repeating to herself, "Kill me now…kill me now…" She actually considered using a medical technique to stop her heart.

And that was when the whole thing fell apart.

First, an older, beautiful woman with ruby-red eyes and thick, wavy black hair entered, having heard most of the commotion while making her way to the hallway. She stopped in shock as she took in the sight of the little pinkette, with the older green-spandex clad man standing protectively in front of her "Is that…my daughter!?"

The older pinkette had started whimpering, rocking back and forth, with a crazed look in her wide green eyes.

And then came the killing blow.

"Naruto-nii-chan! Kiba-nii-chan! I forgot what I was supposed to say to Sakura-nee-chan!" the pink clad girl called to two of the three young men that were rolling on the floor, still laughing their asses off.

Two of the men on the floor froze, as they felt a huge amount of killing intent directed towards them. They stood up quickly, and turned to find two pairs of eyes focused on them, one ruby-red, and one emerald-green. The only difference between the two was: the owner of the red eyes had hers narrowed, and the owner of the green eyes had a wide, deranged look in them.

The owner of the ruby-red eyes said in a very sweet voice that only served to underline her potent killing intent, "Naruto-kun, Kiba-kun, please tell me that you did NOT dress up my daughter in pink spandex. AND dyed her hair pink. AND taught her the term 'Flames of Youth'." She growled out the last sentence, all pretense at playing nice gone.

"K-Ku-Kurenai-sensei…umm…w-we-well i-its…I mean I-I…y-you see the…It was Kiba's idea!"

The woman focused her red eyes on the man who was her former student. Said boy immediately let out a fearful whimper that sounded like it was being made by a kicked puppy. "Gya…Wu…" the poor man managed to squeak out, his vocal chords having frozen up in fear.

All hopes that the two pranksters would somehow manage to talk their way out of the situation were irrevocably dashed when the younger pinkette asked, probably far more loudly than was necessary, "Will you teach me that jutsu now, Naruto-nii-chan?"

Both boys' eyes widened in pure terror. "RUN!"

The Next Day: 4465617468

"How would you like to be taught?"

And with that single sentence, my estimation of Kurenai as a teacher shot up tremendously. Hinata, Shino and Kiba were extremely fortunate to have had her as a sensei. Would have. Ugh. Not this crap again.

In any case, she wasn't treating me like an ignorant child, and she wasn't being an arrogant know-it-all either. She was treating me with respect, and I admired the fact.

"Well… you can start by explaining the fundamentals about Yin chakra as you understand them."

Her red eyes considered me curiously, "How will that help?"

I scratched the back of my head, searching for the words to best describe my point of view. "Well, when I was studying Fūinjutsu, it was all rote memorization initially. But over a period of time, I slowly started seeing patterns in different seals that allowed me to instinctively understand what they were about. The more time I spent around seals, the more my knowledge grew. And one day, when I woke up, something just… clicked. It was like the universe had shifted and I could understand everything in terms of seals. I understood what a seal truly was; it is chakra given form to affect the environment. Why a seal was written became less important; all that matters to me is the how. And I'm very good at being able to decipher the how. Similarly, for you, after studying genjutsu for years I'm sure you would have instinctively understood a fundamental truth about it. So teach me that truth; show me Genjutsu and Yin chakra through your eyes."

Her eyes had widened as I completed my monologue. She murmured softly, "I had no idea you were such a passionate man."

I blinked in surprise. "Huh?"

She then gave me this enigmatic smile that every woman I had ever known had given me. I'm still not entirely sure what it meant. Women were strange creatures. 'Yes, but they also make life worth living' Ero-Sennin's imaginary wise voice said in my head. Although perhaps this wasn't the best time to think about Ero-Sennin's antics.

Kurenai, meanwhile, was ready to continue. "Yin chakra is the spiritual energy of the body.'

I nodded slowly, I already knew this. Every kid in the Academy knew it.

"It is hypothesized that the spiritual energy comes from the soul of a person."

And just like that my theory that I was a living zombie was shot to shreds. But I could deal with the life-changing epiphany later; right now I was in class with a master of her craft. All right, so spiritual energy likely came from the soul. I wasn't exactly sure what this meant, so I tilted my head questioningly.

She smiled again, "Therefore, to understand Yin chakra, you must first understand yourself."

.

.

Fuck.

.

.

My mind was officially blown!

.

.

Holy shit! It was so simple, so fundamental; and I had completely overlooked it! Of course spiritual energy would grow stronger by being in touch with your innermost feelings! I had been going about training it all wrong! I was trying to use Yang chakra training for Yin chakra! Yang chakra was the physical component, it grew stronger by training my body and practicing something over and over again until it became muscle memory. Yin chakra was the opposite. I couldn't use the training techniques I had created for Yang chakra! I instinctively knew that the training for Yin chakra was going to involve a lot more meditation and a few new chakra control exercises. This would completely change the way I trained, for a start. Not to mention that I would probably have to face some of my inner demons again.

And just like that, I was not looking forward to training at all.

I suddenly realized I had completely zoned out in the middle of my lesson. I snapped my gaze back to Kurenai, who had an amused smile on her face this time. "Perhaps you understood a fundamental truth a little too well?"

I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly, "Hehe, sorry. I got a little carried away with my epiphany." I dropped my hand and spoke admiringly, "But I have to say, with three simple sentences you managed to do what two weeks of training didn't achieve for me. I would probably have struggled for months if I hadn't come to you. You're going to be a fantastic sensei; three kids are going to be extremely lucky to have you as their mentor."

She looked pleased and surprised at the praise; and she couldn't entirely suppress the blush that appeared on her face. "You flatter me" she spoke shyly, her voice an octave lower than before.

I grinned, "I'm only calling it as I see it Kurenai-san." She smiled deeply at that, a dimple appearing underneath her rosy blush as her eyes shone. The sunlight was glinting off her untamed lustrous dark hair, and I had the sudden urge to run my fingers through it. After last night with Anko I guess my more carnal impulses had come back to the forefront of my mind. Wait a minute…were we flirting!?

Kurenai had taken the opportunity to look away and take a deep breath while I internally freaked out. She was Hinata's sensei! Not to mention she had been Mirai-chan's mom! I had spoiled that cute little girl rotten! I was her honorary uncle! Not to mention that Anko was her best friend and I had spent last night with her. I didn't even know what Anko and I were, since she was dead to the world this morning. I could make a claim that it was due to my sexual prowess, but I knew that the Ritual of Purifying Evil takes a deep toll on the body, and it was most likely due to that.

"Shall we continue?" Kurenai interrupted my internal debate with her gentle voice. I looked into her beautiful red eyes and nodded, feeling like a complete letch.

The rest of the morning was spent with her describing the various meditative exercises she used, and a few practical exercises to actually shape and mold my chakra. It was completely different to anything I had ever done. I was used to brute-forcing my chakra into taking a specific shape; what Kurenai was teaching me was to imagine a specific shape and coax my Yin chakra into taking that shape. I had a million and one questions, and I kept asking them one after another before trying a single exercise every half hour or so. I had to say that Kurenai was very patient, and that she was very intelligent in the way that after an hour or so she began to anticipate my questions and began phrasing things in a manner that I could easily understand.

The morning absolutely flew by; I don't think I had lost myself in training like this with someone else in a long time. My time with Sarutobi consisted of him beating me up physically and then tearing me down verbally. Training like this, learning from someone was something I hadn't done since Hinata had been killed by Sasuke.

Finally Kurenai looked up at the sun. "I have to go to the Academy to pick up my charge."

I blinked, and then looked up to reconfirm the time. "Oh crap, I didn't realize it was this late!" I looked sheepishly at Kurenai, "We were supposed to spend the second half of the morning discussing Fūinjutsu… Wait! We'll do it tomorrow instead! All of tomorrow morning, because I hogged all the learning time; I didn't mean to, I'm so sorry about that."

Her painted red lips curved into another gorgeous smile; I didn't recall her smiling half as much at us when we were younger. "I didn't realize how late it was either, so you have nothing to apologize for. Spending tomorrow morning focusing on Fūinjutsu sounds perfectly acceptable to me." Seeing her smile unconsciously made me smile too.

"Sounds like a plan." I tilted my head, "You said you had to pick up someone at the academy?" Upon seeing her nod, I continued "Well, I guess I can accompany you then. I have a runt of my own to pick up." A slight creasing of her forehead told me that she wasn't happy about my method of address for the kid, but I didn't really care.

As we made our way back into the village proper I noticed that she seemed to be struggling to ask me a question. I left her to her internal debating; I had no idea what she wanted to ask me. 'It would be really awkward if she asked me out right now'. I held my breath, suddenly tense, when she finally plucked the courage to speak up.

"I know you can't really tell me any details, but…is Anko all right?"

I blinked in surprise, before the tension drained away from me like water being sucked into a drainpipe. "Yeah, she's fine. She's recovering now; she should be up and about today or tomorrow at the latest." I was such an idiot; of course she was worried about her friend. There was no way she was interested in me like that. Earlier she was likely just flustered at the sudden praise. 'There was no way that was flirting' I rationalized.

She breathed out a sigh of relief. "Thank the Log" she murmured. "I've never seen her look so…hopeless. She was so frightened; it was completely unlike her." She turned to me, but I met her gaze with a steely expression; there was no way I was telling her what had happened. The Sandaime had declared it to be an S-rank secret to the other three people who were in the room at the time of the ritual. Kurenai understood my nonverbal warning, and let it be. We walked the rest of the way to the Academy in companionable silence.

We were about 100 yards away from the Academy when the final bell rang, dismissing the students for the day. Seconds later, the door burst open and a horde of students burst out; glad to be free of their prison for the day. I remembered this scene very well. It was extremely hard to get a daily reminder that you were different from everyone else around you; watching everyone get picked up by their parents, all the while knowing that nobody was going to come for you was a very painful feeling. I remembered a phase when I tried to run out early, but watching all the parents look at you and then look away dismissively was far more painful than watching scenes of familial bonding. It was far easier to slink around unnoticed when everyone was happily meeting their parents after a gap of a few scant hours. Being an orphan child was far harder on the psyche than most people ever realized.

It was a complete shock to see Hinata emerge from the building. I mean, I knew she was alive again, but I had studiously avoided everyone from my past as much as possible. To see even a chibi version of her exit demurely from the building moved the foundation of my world, and made my breath catch in my throat. It was even worse when she looked around and started walking towards me. No…not me, towards Kurenai. I recalled her telling me that Kurenai sensei had started sponsoring her long before she became a genin. A whirlwind of emotions rose up in my chest as she drew closer.

Thankfully though, that was the moment that Naruto slunk out of the building, keeping his eyes averted. I then performed this trick that I had picked up over the years: I looked straight at him and gave a sort of mental push in his direction. It wasn't a ninja technique, I'm sure even civilians could perform it. Just keep your target in your unblinking sight and mentally order them to turn to you.

It worked.

Naruto looked up; his face scrunched as he looked around for the source of his disturbance, and finally spied me. A look of disbelief crossed his face. I smiled and waved at him, urging him to come over. "Nanashi-nii-chan!" he screamed in delight, drawing the attention of everyone in his vicinity. He then tore through the crowd, mindlessly pushing his way through in his haste to get to me. He almost barged into Hinata, who had turned and was looking at him with a blush on her face (by the Log how had I ever missed the fact that she was in love with me!?) before he skid to a stop right in front of me. There were a few disparaging looks thrown his way, and subsequently mine when they realized that I was the cause of his ruckus. "Did you come to pick me up!?"

I smiled and ruffled his hair, "Of course I did." His smile grew impossibly wide at that, but even that was nothing compared to his expression when I asked my next question, "Want to join me for some ramen?" I was sure his face would tear in half as he nodded rapidly, his hair waving wildly with his assent. I looked over to Kurenai, "Would you two like to join us, Kurenai-san, Hyūga-san?"

Kurenai took a look at the ridiculously happy expression on Naruto's face, and her own face softened. Motherly instincts, I guess. "Perhaps some other time", she declined politely, recognizing that this time was important for Naruto to spend with me.

I smiled at her in gratitude and bowed my head in farewell, "I shall see you tomorrow morning then." She bowed her own head in return, and I took a look at Hinata out of the corner of my eye. The poor thing was clearly trying to work up the courage to say 'bye' to Naruto, and failing horribly. I decided to throw her a bone, "Come on little brother, say good-bye to Kurenai-san and Hyūga-san, ramen awaits us!"

"Bye Kurenai-san, bye Hinata!" he chirped happily, barely paying attention to the two. I saw Hinata swallow, trying to find the voice to return the greeting; but by then Naruto had already started walking in the direction of Ichiraku. "Ne, ne, nii-chan, can I have two bowls? I want to have salt and tonkotsu ramen today!"

I looked away from Hinata and shared an amused smile with Kurenai, before walking away with Naruto. "Sure, no more than two though. Did you have the vegetable stew I left for you last night?"

"Bleh!" he made a disgusted face. "Why do vegetables taste so bad anyway? I mean…!" he looked up at me with fright evident in his face, "Your stew was very tasty! I loved it, dattebayo!"

I frowned slightly, lightly bopping him on the head. "You don't have to lie. I know you don't like vegetables." Clearly he had some abandonment issues to work out; but that's what I was here to help him with. I leaned closer to him and whispered conspiratorially, "I don't' like them either. They taste like crap." He grinned at me, and I continued, "But you have to eat them if you want to grow big and strong like your nii-chan. You don't want to be that short forever do you? That's what will happen if you stop eating them."

Naruto looked horrified at that. "No way! I want to be tall like you! That way Sakura-chan will-" he cut himself off with a bright blush on his face. Of course, there was no way I was going to let this one get away.

"Oooooh?" I drawled out embarrassingly, causing Naruto to cringe. "Who's this Sakura-chan? Is she your girlfriend?" I emphasized the word wickedly, causing him to mumble and shuffle his feet against the ground, face bright red.

"Naruto-kun? You have a girlfriend? When were you going to tell me?" Ayame's voice popped up, also in a teasing tone. His head snapped up in surprise, not realizing we had reached the ramen stand. Upon seeing her playful smile he groaned, taking a seat and dropping his head on to the counter with a loud 'thunk'. After a few moments of mumbling to himself he raised his head, but didn't make eye contact with anyone.

"She's not my girlfriend! She's the prettiest girl in the Academy, but she won't go on a date with me, no matter how many times I ask! She says I'm annoying" he finished with a grumble, staring desolately at the countertop as if it was to blame.

"Oho! Girl troubles already? Kids these days just start younger and younger, don't they?" Teuchi said jovially as he took our orders before heading back to the kitchen. Naruto just grumbled further, causing Ayame to giggle and ruffle his hair.

"He's had a crush on that girl since he was old enough to understand the concept of a girlfriend." Ayame explained to me, still playing with Naruto's hair.

I let an understanding expression cross my face. "Ah, puppy love." I turned back to Naruto. "So, tell me about the girl who stole my little brother's heart."

A dreamy expression crossed his face, "Her name is Sakura-chan, and she's the prettiest girl I've ever seen! She's the smartest person in our class; she never gets a question wrong. She has green eyes and long pink hair that…" he trailed of mumbling, his face the same shade as the aforementioned hair.

"Sounds like quite the catch. So what's the problem?"

Once more Naruto's face fell. "She thinks I'm annoying!" he whined. "And like every other girl in the class she's obsessed with Sasuke-teme!" his voice dropped in tone as he growled out the name. I completely understood his sentiments; Sasuke was a dick of the highest order. Not to mention the fact that I had been Naruto.

"That sounds like quite the conundrum," I said sympathetically. He looked quickly at Ayame, eyes pleading, and she whispered to him "It means a difficult problem". He nodded gratefully before looking quickly back at me as if he never looked away; I pretended I had not noticed the exchange. "Do you want my advice?" He nodded quickly, his hair waving wildly in the air. "Let her go."

"WHAAT!?" he exploded in outrage. "NO WAY! She's the love of my life! I'm not going to give up on her!"

"I didn't tell you to give up on her."

He blinked in surprise. "But you said-"

"You didn't let me finish. Be patient, little brother." He scrunched up his face, but nodded anyway. "I didn't tell you to give up on her. A man does not give up on his dreams; he works hard until they come true, or he dies trying." He folded his hands and nodded imperiously; in his head, it was how the world worked. "But there are always different ways to solve a problem."

Naruto scrunched up his face in thought. "That's what Iruka-sensei keeps saying as well," he grumbled. "But I think he was talking about math."

"It can apply to other situations as well. Here, you like a girl who has a crush on another boy."

"Teme" Naruto growled unconsciously. I fully agreed.

"Have you done something to make her like you instead?" I knew full well what I had done, and I was not going to repeat it for anyone to hear.

Naruto was of the same opinion; he pinked again as he mumbled, "Yeah."

"Did it work?"

He slumped again, "No." It had been a humiliating failure.

I nodded, "Well then, the next step is to try and make her jealous." Naruto looked up at me, surprise written on his face. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Ayame's smile had become fixed; it was best to proceed with caution. I abandoned what I had initially been about to say, and tried a different tactic. "Are you jealous of the boy because this Sakura girl has a crush on him?"

"No!" the response was immediate, emphatic, and far too quick to be anything but a denial. I raised an eyebrow at him. He folded, "Yes" he grumbled. I nodded.

"So you know what jealousy is like. The only way you can get her to change her feelings towards you is to make her feel the same jealousy you do. And in order to do that, you should date another girl instead." Ayame's smile was strained to the limit now; my gentler way of putting it had not helped in the least. Naruto had a very thoughtful expression on his face. I had a sudden sense of foreboding when his face suddenly cleared up; my gut warned me that something was about to go Very Wrong.

"Oh! I get it! It's like you trying to make the Scary Snake Lady jealous by going out with that pretty Kurenai lady!"

Wait, what?

Ayame's smile had dropped completely off her face and I was sure she was glaring at me; I could even make out Teuchi's head poking out from the kitchen, no doubt with a disapproving expression on his face. I was mentally scrambling, so I did what I always do in situations like this; I opened my mouth and let it do the talking. "She already has a boyfriend."

Everyone blinked in surprise, and I heaved a small sigh of relief. I had bought myself a few seconds, which was enough to quickly organize my thoughts. "She's trying to keep it secret, so don't spread it around." The moment I said it, I realized that it was the worst thing I possibly could have said. The only way a secret remains a secret is if nobody knows about it. I scrambled to mitigate the damage, "I'm not going to tell you who it is though. She asked me to keep quiet about it."

Kurenai was a very reserved person by nature; Hinata had told me that she tried to keep her and Asuma's relationship under wraps even when it became very clear that they were going out. If she got to know I was spreading rumors… I suppressed a shudder.

Naruto wasn't done however, "Why were you two together then?"

"She was training me in genjutsu this morning. Old Man Hokage told me to ask her for training since she's the best genjutsu user in the village." That wasn't strictly true, Sarutobi had told me to get stronger in Yin chakra; but I had approached her of my own volition since she was the best person to help me out. It was a white lie, but it would help me get past the ridiculous turn our conversation had taken. "In return, I'm teaching her about Fūinjutsu."

Ayame's expression relaxed and Teuchi's head disappeared again, but Naruto's knowing gaze was still on me, causing alarm bells to ring in my head. "But you still like the Scary Snake Lady don't you?"

Nobody would claim that Naruto was the smartest kid by they had ever met; but he was very sharp. He was a perceptive little bugger; you had to be when you were alone throughout your life and had to watch out for yourself. But this was not a conversation I wanted to have right now, especially not since I had slept with Anko last night. "Didn't you want to know how to woo Sakura?"

The distraction proved successful as Naruto's eyes widened. "Ahh! Yes! Tell me! Tell me! Please!"

I mentally rolled my eyes at how easy it was to distract him, resolving to teach him better in the future. "Well, like I was saying earlier, you should try to date another girl. If it works, and Sakura gets jealous, you can gently let the other girl down, telling her that it wasn't what you were looking for. If she doesn't get jealous, go out with the girl anyway. At the very least, you will better understand how to treat a girl you're dating. Who knows, maybe you will like her more anyway!"

Naruto scoffed at the last statement. "That can't happen! My heart belongs to Sakura-chan!" he declared emphatically. He was lost in thought for the next few minutes, as our orders came and we ate them. The hovering presence of Ayame ensured that there would be no repeat of the ramen eating contest like last time. Once we had finished up Naruto was still deep in thought, but by now he had scrunched up his face quite comically, causing Ayame to giggle and tug on his cheeks. He pouted at her, causing her to smile and ruffle his hair.

"Ayame-nee-chan, do you also think I should go on a date with someone else?"

"I don't approve of you trying to make a girl jealous!" she snapped out immediately, causing both of us to wince. "You should not play with a girl's heart that way." I looked at her, wordlessly beseeching her to understand that no, that wasn't the lesson I was trying to impart; it was just a way to… "But I think your nii-chan is right. You should date someone else. You're a wonderful boy; you will make a girl very happy."

I leaned back with a sigh of relief. Ayame looked at me questioningly, still not understanding what my game was. But Naruto wasn't giving in so easily, "But none of the other girls are as pretty as Sakura-chan!"

That was when I played my hand, "What about that Hyūga girl that we met outside the Academy? She looked pretty cute." Understanding finally dawned in Ayame's face as she looked at me with a smile. I took a quick peek to see if Teuchi was looking, and then winked at her. Like before, she broke out into a full blush; it really was too easy with a smitten 16 year old girl.

"Who, Hinata?" Naruto's face contorted comically again as he thought about it.

"Is she that little slip of a Hyūga girl who I see around every time you eat here? She is very pretty." Ayame added her two cents, fighting through her embarrassment admirably.

"I guess she is pretty… but she's so weird. She's quiet, and she always turns red when she sees you looking at her!" Even though she was currently fighting a 'redness' of her own, Ayame rolled her eyes at him, not that he saw it. The reference that she was always 'stalking' him completely went over his head.

I jumped back in, "Does she also fawn over that boy all the other girls like?" Again, Naruto looked uncertainly at Ayame who quickly whispered "has a crush on" and made a shooing motion. Ugh, I needed to get him and Hinata together ASAP. At the very least it would improve his vocabulary. My mind wandered as I vividly remembered my Hinata's clothes slowly disappear one by one every time I got a word right, or a mannerism correct. Best. Learning. Tool. Ever!

While I had my mini-flashback, Naruto had finished his own, "I don't think so… But she's so quiet! Maybe she likes him and just doesn't say anything!"

"Do you know that for sure?" I asked him. After another few seconds, he finally shook his head in negative.

"But what if I ask her on a date and she says no as well?"

"Hm…" I faux-pondered; as if I hadn't already planned for it all. "Here's an idea. Instead of asking her on a date right away, why don't you try being friends with her first?"

He squinted up at me. "Are you sure that will work?"

"Of course it will!" Ayame quipped. "Girls like it when a boy tries to get to know them before asking them out on a date."

He looked between us, one after another, before sighing in resignation. "Fine."

Ayame let out a small cheer before she leant over the counter to give Naruto a hug. I, too grinned at him, and he finally smiled back.

"That's all well and good, but you had better treat the girl with respect, understood?" Teuchi's gruff tone interrupted the tender moment.

"Of course I will! I'm an orphan, not a hooligan!" Naruto exclaimed indignantly.

"I never said you were. Always remember, a man is always supposed to treat a woman with respect, never take advantage of her, and never make her cry. Understood?"

Naruto looked Teuchi in the eye and nodded seriously. Teuchi held his gaze for a moment longer before breaking it with a nod of his own, confident that his message had been received.

As I took care of the payment I let my mind wander to Sakura-chan. Unlike the rest of the Academy girls, she had truly been in love with Sasuke, right up until he showed his true colours as a megalomaniacal misanthrope. She had been heartbroken when he had mercilessly started mowing down members of the Shinobi Alliance, Konoha shinobi in particular. Any lingering feelings for the motherfucker died a flaming death when he killed off her best friend Ino. It had been years before she let herself open up again. I, too, had been mourning the loss of Hinata around the time we had gotten together; we were each other's rebounds, but for some reason we managed to stick together. In hindsight, it wasn't a surprise because the world was falling apart around us and we were each other's pillars of strength. She and I managed to outlast every other Konoha shinobi, until Orochimaru had found us and managed to poison her in a skirmish. So enraged had I been that I tore that body of Orochimaru apart before he could get a tissue sample from Sakura-chan and escape. It had been getting harder and harder to kill him, but that occasion I managed it quite easily.

We had started walking back while I was lost in my dark thoughts; I was taken out of them when I noticed Naruto repeatedly peek up at me before staring at something at my side. He pinked again and quickly looked away in embarrassment, causing me to crease my eyebrows in confusion. What was he looking at?

It came to me in a sudden flash of insight, and I smiled softly.

I reached down and took his hand in my own.

Naruto looked shocked and surprised as he stared at where his tiny hand was nestled in mine, before looking up to see me smile. His own face broke out into a massive beaming grin; it was like looking into a miniature sun. There were various villagers around who either stared at us in disgust or ignored us entirely; I shrugged them off with practiced indifference.

Naruto didn't even notice, he may as well have been walking on air.

I promised myself that he would have all the happiness that had been stolen from me. For all the nightmares that were heading for him I would become the monster that devoured them. For all the love that had been stolen from me I would make sure he was adored. He deserved to grow up in a village that appreciated him, not called him names behind his back and ignored him. I swore that for him, I would change everything.

Later That Evening, Top of the Hokage Tower: 4465617468

Tonight was one of those nights where Sarutobi was in a reflective mood. I knew this because he always came up to stare at the statues of the previous (and following) Hokage whenever he was in this sort of mood. I walked up from behind to stand next to him also looking at the faces that had (and were) protected the village. I wondered if he looked at his own face most of all, remembering the Hokage that he used to be, the ninja called 'Kami no Shinobi'. He was still 'The Professor', but he wasn't the force of nature that he had been; something that I had pointed out to him quite harshly. To get rid of that unpleasant memory, I spoke up.

"I think I would like to cancel this week's spar. I've only just started getting a handle on my Yin chakra training, and I would like to be more prepared before facing you."

"Finally thinking with your head, are you?"

I winced. Ever since I had verbally assaulted him there had been an undercurrent of tension between us; it manifested in the glacial tone he used with me while discussing my own faults. I wished that I could wish that I could go back in time and undo it; but having gone back in time once was painful enough. I would have to live with the mistakes I made this time around. We were playing for keeps after all.

But all that didn't mask the fact that he was right.

"Yeah…I've not made the best decisions during my battles recently."

His voice was iron as he asked, "What mistakes have you made?"

"I've let my opponent dictate the flow of battle. I've let them play to their strengths and tried to beat them at their own game. The last opponent I truly prepared for was Kakashi. Since then I have not imposed myself on a battle. I need to change that."

He nodded slowly. "Atleast you are capable of learning from your errors." Thankfully his voice was softer now. "Very well, as long as you keep up your training I have no issues postponing this week's spar."

Neither of us had looked at each other thus far, still looking at the faces of the previous Hokage. After a few minutes of silence, he spoke up again, his tone the same gentle grandfatherly one I had always heard from him (phew!), "Have you thought about what Enma said?"

I deflated, and my voice dropped an octave, "Yeah." I took a pause before considering my reply. "I don't think it was a coincidence that you called me Nameless (Nanashi)."

His face crinkled into a frown. "You think it has something to do with your…situation?"

I nodded sharply. "Yes. I tried again to go into Sage Mode, but instead of imbibing the chakra this time, I observed how it behaved around me." I let out a sigh. "Enma was right. Senchakra behaves the same way around me as if I was a corpse."

I saw a weary expression cross Sarutobi's face. "And do you agree with this conclusion?"

I shook my head emphatically. "No."

Sarutobi looked briefly surprised. "Why?"

I smirked, "If you would have asked me that question before this morning, I would have said yes. But after a single training session with Kurenai, I have to say no; simply because of the fact that I have Yin chakra. It is the spiritual energy of the individual; therefore I do have a soul of some kind. Sure, it might be different to everyone else's, but I'm used to being different. I can work with that." I looked over to him, the first time in the conversation that either of us had looked away from the Hokage faces. "Looks like putting my trust in you paid off!"

He finally let out a smile of his own, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. "I'm glad you finally found your answers. It is good to see you at peace with yourself." When he finally looked at me, he had his trollface back on, causing my stomach to drop in dread. "Now that you've finally stopped being such a whiny little bitch, I can stop holding back on you in our spars."

"Wait…what!?"

"Oho! You didn't think that I was fighting at my best did you? If you're going to take things up a notch, so will I!"

"What the fuck old man!? Have you completely lost your mind!? I have to be ready for the Kiri mission! If you take our spars any further I will end up in the hospital for the next year!"

He snorted, "That's the problem with you youngsters; always complaining when things don't go your way. That's why you need to listen to your elders; one good spanking will set you straight."

I scowled at him, "You just like beating someone up and calling it training. Mean old man!"

"I will have you know that my methods had fantastic results!"

And so the bickering continued late into the evening. Things weren't perfect between us, but they would be, given time. And without knowing it, I had put my faith in him. I was surprised to realize that for now, it was enough.

Author's Note: That's two chapters ending on a positive note! I will have to do something horrific to Nanashi soon to make up for it.

I find it really annoying when people leave pointless lengthy flashbacks; this is me thumbing my nose at you!

For all the people who left a review, I just want to say THANK YOU! Since the last chapter, I've received 91 so far! Considering I had 123 to start with, I have to say my mind was blown. I think I spent as much time replying to the reviews as I did actually writing! It's been a pleasure to wake up and have my email inform me that a bunch of people had the courage to add their own two cents. So, to everyone who reviewed, THANKS for giving me a few fantastic mornings :)

Of course, now that you've turned me into a spoiled brat, I expect the same treatment for every chatper (On the plus side, you get chapters faster. See? Happiness all around) :)

For everyone who liked the Ritual of Purifying Evil, I want to say thanks. In my view, many authors skimp out by having the Kyūbi chakra destroy the cursed seal. I mean, really? The cursed seal represents DECADES of Orochimaru's experimentation, it's not going to be that simple to destroy. It's a bastardized version of Sage Mode, without Orochimaru's presence in the seal Senchakra will run rampant and turn the user to stone. In any case, that's my opinion. Also, how creepy is it that they are almost identical to Horcruxes (Harry himself in particular)?

Also, a quick word of thanks to whoever added my story to their communities, especially COOL not Deadlast. That made me very happy :)

So, what did you think of the prank? Of Sakura and Lee's potential lovechild? Of the training from Kurenai? Of the fact that Hiruzen gets his rocks off by beating Nanashi up? Feed the monster! His gaping maw is underneath! Throw your words into it and watch them morph into a new chapter! Review!