A/N - Okay, as I promised in the author's notes of the new chapter of Love of a Saiyan, here's a new chapter for this story! Yaaay! lol

Anyways, Naruto FINALLY wakes up in this chapter! Sadly, this chapter is mostly a bunch of dialogue with some backstory on a few things, as you'll see as you read on. Some interesting things do happen, though! Hopefully you enjoy the chapter for what it is. lol

Not much else to say. So read on and enjoy! Hopefully.


Chapter 3 – Awakening

Tsunade found herself frowning deeply as she looked at the damage done to the poor boy currently lying on the operating table. The Kyuubi's chakra had continued to lash out in an attempt to remove the blasted nail board from Naruto's cranium. Just the way it was behaving had her befuddled. It's like it's trying to remove the damn thing on its own. Can the Kyuubi's chakra really repair the damage that has been done? This is a serious wound; one which can ruin a person's career. But…

Now, one might be wondering why the Kyuubi's chakra had been failing in its attempt to remove the nail board. In truth, Naruto's body was still trying to acclimate itself to the usage of such corrosive chakra. As a result of this, his body was currently struggling against the unusual chakra, rather than working in tandem alongside it to truly remove the foreign object protruding from Naruto's skull. It was a complicated mess, further exacerbated by the impaired motor functions and thought processes caused by the board. In essence, Naruto's brain, body, and chakra weren't cooperating with one another.

Shaking her head free of her stray thoughts, Tsunade said to the other doctors and nurses assisting her in the procedure, "I'm going to do what I can to mend his brain and stop any kind of bleeding that might come as a result of what we're about to do. Doctor, when I give you the signal, I want you to start removing the nail board slowly. I need to be able to make adjustments to my treatment immediately should anything go wrong. If I tell you to stop, then you stop immediately. Nurses, I want you on cleaning duty. There will be blood and I want you to clear it out of the way and rinse the area." Looking around at everyone again, she said, "I believe that, once the board is free, the Kyuubi's chakra will begin work to repair the damage that has been done. I will work to assist the Kyuubi in this endeavor. For now, I want everyone to be careful. This is already a delicate procedure, and it's made even more so by the Kyuubi's chakra lashing about. If it touches us, it will feel like acid burning away at your skin. That's why I insisted we wear these suits." Taking a breath, she nodded to the others and said, "It's time. Let us begin the operation. Nurses, be prepared to hand me the necessary tools as I ask for them."

Tsunade took a breath to steady herself before she went to work. Using her knowledge of medical ninjutsu, she tried to decrease the swelling of Naruto's brain slightly to make it a bit easier to remove the nail board. Once she was sure she had done everything she could in that regard, she nodded to her fellow doctor and watched carefully as he began to remove the nails from her patient's cranium. When blood began to pool up and leak from Naruto's head, Tsunade's eyes widened in horror and she began to hyperventilate. However, she knew she couldn't let her fear overcome her. So, squashing her fears down, she commanded the nurses to get to work so she could see what she was doing.

When the blood was cleared and she could see more clearly, Tsunade shook her head and said, "Dammit. There's a lot of swelling. Hold on a moment, doctor." Leaning in close, she examined Naruto's brain and said, "I'm going to do what I can to ease the process. Continue with the removal process."

The doctor nodded and proceeded to carefully remove the nails. Once they were out completely, he handed the weapon to one of the nurses before returning his attention to the patient. "How's he holding up, Tsunade?"

Tsunade shook her head as she examined the wound cautiously. "It looks like the Kyuubi is trying to heal him, but the swelling is worse than I thought. Whoever hit him with that thing managed to get those nails in deeper than I expected. There's a very real possibility that he might have some kind of brain damage in one form or another. I'm going to try something to alleviate the pressure building up in his head. It should help the Kyuubi's regenerative capabilities along. I just hope that he will come out of this without any serious complications."

"As do I, Tsunade." The doctor said as he watched her work. "Is there anything I can do to assist you?"

"Yes, actually." Tsunade said. "I need to cut into his head to help relieve some of the pressure building up in there. Once I get a passage open, I need you to clean away the blood so I can get to work. I might have to snip a few pieces of his brain away to help release the pressure building up in there. As it stands, chances are good that something will be wrong with him when he finally wakes up. The Kyuubi is working its hardest to repair all the damage that's been done, but I want to help it along, however I am able. So please, help me operate on him. The more hands, the better."

As Tsunade moved to begin working on Naruto again, he opened his right eye and looked hard into her eyes. "Wait…" he said weakly. "Kyuubi…working…"

The busty blonde frowned at him and said, "If I don't do anything, you run the risk of permanent brain damage. I understand that the Kyuubi is trying to help you, but…"

Naruto slowly shook his head and struggled to try and speak. "Going…fine…"

Tsunade looked into his eye and asked, "Why won't you open your left eye? If you're going to be fine, then show me."

Naruto blinked his right eyelid a few times and said, "Won't…open…" When the legendary medic went to speak again, he shook his head and said, "Wait…please…"

Doctor Ueta looked kindly upon Naruto before he turned his gaze onto Tsunade. "What do you say, Tsunade? Shall we give the Kyuubi a chance to work its magic? Naruto seems pretty confident that everything will be fine."

Tsunade looked hard into Naruto's eye and said, "Before I agree to this, I want to check something. Is that acceptable to you?" When Naruto nodded, she proceeded to open his left eyelid and shined a light into his eye. Looking at it carefully, she asked, "Can you see anything, Naruto?"

Naruto looked up into Tsunade's eyes and said, "No. Kyuubi…working…"

Tsunade frowned deeply at him before saying, "We'll give the Kyuubi thirty minutes. That's me being generous. If you're so confident that the Kyuubi can help you, then tell it that he needs to hurry up. The fact of the matter is that you are currently blind in your left eye and you can barely speak. I need to finish the operation before any permanent damage is done. As per the oath I took, I shouldn't even be hesitating on this. However, these are unusual circumstances. Your thirty minutes start now."

Naruto closed his good eye and said, "Thank…you…"

Doctor Ueta looked at Naruto and watched as the Kyuubi's chakra stopped lashing about wildly as it had been. Now, it covered Naruto, similar to a blanket. "Thirty minutes is being awfully generous of you. I would have said ten minutes at the most."

Tsunade shook her head and said, "A few important facts factored into my decision. First is the fact that he's an Uzumaki and has a heightened healing factor. Second is the fact that he's a jinchuriki. We still don't know everything about the bijuu and what being sealed inside someone means for their host. Third is the fact that Naruto seems to trust the Kyuubi. That means they've been in contact and have decided to work together. Something tells me that, even if they can't heal from the brain damage, then they'll find some kind of workaround. We just need to wait and see what happens. However, if they fail to heal from this in the time I've given them, then we'll proceed with the operation. As it stands, I don't like what I've seen. Blind in one eye and struggling to speak? Those are NOT good signs."

Ueta nodded in agreement with her assessment. "I noticed that, as well. Still, I worry about the kid. He's been through far too much already. Then this happened and put his career in jeopardy before it could even begin." Shaking his head sadly, he said, "If Hokage-sama hadn't done something to remedy the situation, you can bet your ass I'd have done something about it in my own way. Starting with hunting down whoever did this to him and playing 'where can I hide the kunai?' with them."

Tsunade chuckled a bit and said, "That sounds like a fun game to me. How many people like them do you think there are in the village? It wouldn't surprise me if there's more out there that would be more than happy to do something like this to Naruto again."

Ueta looked at Tsunade and said, "There are likely to be a large number of folks decrying that the Hokage is wrong and Naruto is just working his 'demon magic' on him or some such thing. People won't believe that Naruto is the son of their hero so easily. I fully expect them to try this shit again. Next time, if I'm around for it, I will break some heads. I'm tired of them hurting this poor boy."

"Bastards." Tsunade practically snarled out. "To think that past Hokages gave their lives for these people. Hell, Minato would be pissed if he saw the way these monsters were treating his son! If he was still alive, he'd be able to set these people straight." Sighing softly, she looked at Naruto again and said, "I just hope he's able to recover from this. He deserves better than this. Poor kid."

Dr. Ueta smiled and said, "Naruto will be fine. He'll recover from this and become stronger than he was before. Renewed determination and a new purpose. That's what he needed, and I'm positive he'll go on to do great things. I just hope his teammates will work with him instead of treating him like he doesn't matter. So many people have done that already."

"Kami. How horrible can people get?" Tsunade asked. However, before Ueta could respond to her rhetorical question, the Kyuubi's chakra receded into Naruto's body. Taking a few cautious steps towards him, she asked, "Naruto? Can you hear me?"

Naruto opened his eyes and looked into Tsunade's eyes. "Yes. I'm feeling a LOT better now that all that's over with. There is a small problem, though. Well, if you want to call it a problem." He said, shrugging his shoulders.

Tsunade nodded as she looked at his left eye. It was no longer a brilliant blue. No, this eye was that of the Kyuubi's. Slit pupil, red coloration, and honestly, it was quite intimidating. Seeing this, she asked, "What has changed, Naruto? I'm sure there's more than the new eye."

The younger blonde nodded and said, "The eye is the most obvious change. Kyuubi has informed me that it has special properties similar to a dojutsu. This eye grants me thermal vision and allows me to pinpoint sources of chakra in the vicinity. In essence, it will be much harder to hide from this eye."

Turning his gaze to his hands, he raised them and showed the doctors his fingers. "As you can see, my nails have turned into claws. Both on my fingers and my toes. And…" Opening his mouth, Naruto pointed out his fangs. "Needless to say, there's some 'problems'. I think we're just lucky I didn't grow fox ears and a tail or two. The Kyuubi did everything he could to save me, and this is the end result. Things have changed, and people are just going to have to deal with it." He explained with a shrug of his shoulders. "Kyuubi has informed me that I'm sort of like a pseudo-hanyou now. I'm not quite a half-demon, but I have some of the features of one."

The busty Sannin looked hard at him before asking, "Are you able to hide these new features via use of a genjutsu of some kind? Perhaps a transformation?"

Naruto scowled and said, "I can. But I'm not going to. Why hide what I am from such bigoted people? It's not like this will change their opinion of me any. They already believe I'm some kind of monster. Hell, they tried to kill me. Not really sure how much worse it can get. So no, I'm not going to hide from them. Let them think I'm some kind of monster. I don't care."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? They don't need any more of a reason to try and harm you again." Tsunade said worriedly.

"Don't care." Naruto said. "I'd much rather just get out of the hospital and get to work on missions and training with my team. Is it safe to assume that the Hokage has taken care of things while I was unconscious?"

Before Tsunade could respond, Ueta placed a hand firmly upon her shoulder and stepped forward. "Yes, Naruto-kun. Hokage-sama informed the village of your heritage earlier today. Many people likely don't, or won't believe it, but it should go a long way in helping you. I highly doubt there will be any more attacks on your person. Still, it never hurts to be careful and remain vigilant. Unfortunately, as Tsunade has pointed out, your new features will not help your cause any. So just be careful out there, okay, Naruto-kun?"

The blonde nodded before standing up, only to wobble a bit. "Heh. Legs kind of feel like jelly right now." Shrugging it off, he smiled at Ueta and Tsunade and said, "Thanks for taking care of me, Docs. And no need to worry too much. I'll be careful. I just hope I won't be stuck doing too many D-ranks. Not because they're stupid or anything, but because I really don't want to deal with the villagers too much if I can help it. Not sure if my teammates will feel the same way, but whatever. Aaaanyways, when the heck can I get out of here?"

Ueta chuckled to himself and looked at his superior in all things medicine to see what she'd say. Tsunade noticed this, but didn't comment on it. Instead, she walked up to Naruto and activated a diagnostic jutsu before checking him from head to toe, making sure everything was truly back to normal. Once she had finished, she frowned slightly and looked into his eyes. "Everything seems to be working fine, but there's something of an anomaly. It seems the Kyuubi's chakra and your own chakra seem to be merging together. Whatever you two did, it may have saved your life, but it's also likely shot your control to hell. And getting any measure of control over your chakra right now is going to be difficult. This seems like it's going to be a continuous process until you and the Kyuubi have merged, essentially. Did the Kyuubi tell you that you two would be merging as a result of whatever it was you did?"

Naruto blinked a couple of times before shouting, "Wait! What?! What do you mean we're merging?! I thought freeing him from the cage would make it easier for him to work his magic. Not…not THAT!"

Tsunade shook her head and said, "More than likely, it's the result of the seal your father used when he sealed the Kyuubi inside of you. I doubt it was any fault on your part or the Kyuubi's. But, as a result of this, I cannot guarantee what will happen to you. For all we know, you could become a demon yourself or a half-demon. Or your features will become more prominent and continue to change you for a time. I'm not entirely sure. I would speak with the Kyuubi about this and determine what you both should do. I'm sorry. And…" Seeing she had Naruto's attention, she said, "In answer to your question, I'd like to keep you here for at least today so we can continue to monitor you and run a few more tests. Still, you really don't like hospitals, do you?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "Not really. Then again, a bunch of doctors and nurses don't really want to treat me. They'd much rather let me die from my injuries than ensure I live through them. Dr. Ueta and a few of the nurses are the only ones I really trust with my life. Still, as thankful as I am to them for everything they've done and will probably continue to do, I don't like extended stays in hospitals. I dunno why, but hospitals kinda creep me out. Weird, I know."

Tsunade shook her head and said, "That's not weird at all. Believe it or not, more people than you might think don't like hospitals for the very same reason. Personally, I feel kind of at home in a hospital or a clinic. Everybody is different, but just know you aren't the only person that doesn't really like hospitals. It's okay to feel that way."

"Thanks." Naruto said. "Guess I'm stuck here for the day. Oh well. Do you think anyone's going to bother to visit me? It's gonna get kind of boring being stuck in a hospital room all day with nothing to do besides get poked and prodded..."

Ueta chuckled and said, "Don't worry, Naruto-kun. Your teammates will most likely come to visit later. Hokage-sama should be by to check on you soon. If they could find the time, I'm sure the Ichiraku's would visit you, too. Then there's Hinata…"

Naruto scowled and shook his head negatively. "I know how she feels about me, believe me, but I'm just not interested in her in that way. I don't feel any kind of connection between us, and she's too shy to even say hello to me. I don't know, I just don't like her like that. I'd prefer it if she didn't come to visit me, to be perfectly honest with you. Sorry, Doc."

Ueta nodded in response and said, "Understandable. Can't say I fault you for not wanting to see her. I'll be sure to let them know not to let her see you. Now, let's get you to a room so you can relax for the time being. We'll check up on you throughout the day and run the necessary tests. I'm curious to see if there's anything else we're missing."

Tsunade frowned in confusion and said, "There's more to this story that I'm missing. Why do you seem so against seeing this Hinata girl? It sounds like she really cares for you. So, what's wrong with her?"

Dr. Ueta flinched at the question before turning his gaze back on Naruto. Sorry, Naruto. I wonder how you'll answer her question.

Naruto gained a cold look in his eyes and seemed to be looking right through Tsunade in response to her inquiry. "I saved Hinata from bullies when we were younger. The things they were talking about doing to her were awful, especially for kids. But, it's what happened after I saved her that pisses me the fuck off."

When Naruto looked into her eyes, Tsunade felt a cold shiver shoot down her spine. Just what the hell happened to cause this kind of trauma?! I'm not sure I even want to hear this anymore. However, she was frozen in place and unable to say a word. All she could bring herself to do in the moment was listen to everything her patient had to say.

"Her father found out that she didn't stand up for herself and had to be saved by the 'demon'. I'm not sure if he gave the order or if it was the elders of the clan, but somebody sent seven members of the Branch family to kill me so I could never interfere again. I was just a young kid back then with no way to defend myself against fully grown adults, let alone ones that could attack the chakra network and vital organs without the need to use some kind of weapon. I was technically dead for eight whole minutes with the Kyuubi working in overdrive at the time with what he had available to try and save my life. You see, I hadn't freed him from the cage yet, so he could only do so much to try and save my life. And yet, I lived."

"Hokage-sama punished the assholes that attacked me, but he couldn't do a damn thing about the ones that were really behind the attack. So they got off with a slap on the wrist and were essentially told not to do it again. Hinata wants to be my friend and even follows me around, likely trying to find the right time to approach me and thank me for what I did back then. But I've avoided her as much as I possibly could." Naruto explained. "You see, Tsunade, I don't hate Hinata. She's not a bad person and I wish her all the best. But I can't bring myself to try and associate with her when I know the ones responsible will try it again. I refuse to open myself up to an attack like that again."

Naruto shrugged and said, "Then there's the fact that, despite her interest in me, I'm just not interested in her. It's like I said before: I don't feel any sort of connection between us. And after everything that's happened and her inability to even try and approach me, a relationship between us just isn't feasible. So I really don't want to see her, even if she's just coming to wish me a speedy recovery."

"I see. Damn." Tsunade said, frowning deeply afterwards. "I think I'll have a chat with Sensei. If he can't act against them, then I'll look into them and see what I can do. You don't deserve to have to suffer like that." Looking at one of the nurses watching them, she motioned for her to come closer. "See Naruto back to his room and get him some food. I need to go and speak to Sensei about my findings. Dr. Ueta?" When he looked at her, she said, "I'm counting on you to perform the necessary tests and look into things for me until I return. And Naruto?" Looking at her patient, she offered him a smile and placed a gentle hand upon his head. "I'm glad you're better. I'll be back to see you later." And with that, she turned and left the room.

Once she was gone, Naruto looked back at Dr. Ueta and smiled. "Thanks for looking out for me again, Doc. See you again soon. I'm ready, Ashleigh." He said, turning to face the nurse as she took his hand and began to lead him out of the room and back towards his hospital room.

Dr. Ueta chuckled to himself and said, "She's always been fond of Naruto. Ashleigh was really worried about you, Naruto-kun." Shrugging, he looked around the room and said quietly, "I never want to see this happen to you again, Naruto. Whatever it takes, I'll keep you safe from now on."

Tsunade

Without stopping for the secretary, Tsunade threw open the door to the Hokage's office and stepped inside, interrupting an apparent meeting with a man that smelled strongly of alcohol. Frowning to herself, she brushed him off and looked towards Hiruzen. "Sensei, we need to have a long talk. It's about Naruto."

The Hokage nodded before he looked at his guest. "Tazuna, we will discuss your situation later. And, just so we're clear, I know you're lying to me about the danger this mission of yours presents. For your sake, I hope you're more honest with me when we see each other again. For now, go and get some rest. And do try not to drown yourself in anymore sake while you're here, okay?"

The man's eyes widened and he nearly dropped the bottle he was holding. Tightening his grip on it, he gulped nervously before looking searchingly into the Hokage's eyes. Seeing just how serious he was, Tazuna nodded and apologized before standing up and leaving the office. I'm so screwed!

Once he was gone, Hiruzen activated the silencing seals and motioned for Tsunade to take a seat. "Judging from how you stormed in here, I assume something has happened?"

Tsunade nodded and said, "Naruto has fully recovered from his injuries. But, there have been some unexpected changes." Looking hard into her sensei's eyes, she began to explain, "Naruto freed the Kyuubi from its cage. The Kyuubi worked overtime to heal the damage that had been done. Ueta and I did what we could and allowed the Kyuubi to handle the rest, as per Naruto's request when he regained consciousness partway through the procedure. Unfortunately, as I said before, some things have changed."

Rather than interrupting his student, Hiruzen motioned for her to continue. "Sensei, with the Kyuubi's chakra having unrestrained access to Naruto's network, it came with some unexpected surprises. We found that Naruto was unable to use his left eye. It seems he had gone blind in that eye and he was unable to so much as open his eyelids."

"I assume something has changed, then? From what you're saying, it sounds like something major has happened. So what is it, Tsunade? What happened?" Hiruzen pressed her for answers.

"The Kyuubi changed his left eye. It looks exactly like the Kyuubi's eye, Sensei. Apparently, it functions as his own form of a kekkei genkai. Thermal vision, ability to see chakra, the works. Naruto has also grown claws and fangs similar to the Kyuubi's. But, there's more. For some reason, with unrestricted access to Naruto's chakra network, the Kyuubi's chakra and Naruto's are fusing. Naruto is absorbing the Kyuubi! Soon enough, there won't be a Kyuubi. Until this process is finished, Naruto is going to have a really hard time with chakra control. He'll have to train much harder than anyone else to gain any semblance of control, which will make things rather difficult on him." Sighing softly, Tsunade scratched at her cheek for a moment before saying, "I'm honestly not sure what to expect from this sudden development. Naruto could continue to change, gaining more features like the Kyuubi's. It's entirely possible that he could end up becoming a demon or a half-demon if things continue as they are. I have recommended that he talk with the Kyuubi about what's happening. They need to come to terms with what's happening to them."

Hiruzen frowned deeply at this and said, "This isn't good. There's bound to be a number of naysayers who refuse to believe that Naruto is Minato's son. I'm assuming Naruto refuses to hide his new features?" Seeing Tsunade nod, Hiruzen sighed and said, "I figured as much. If that's the case, it will only reinforce their belief that Naruto is a demon. There will be far less people against him than before, but there's still enough that will believe they're honoring Minato and his wife by killing the 'demon', as it were." Stroking his beard for a moment, the Hokage looked into his student's eyes with a curious gaze. "Tell me, why do you think this has happened? I assume you have a theory."

The Slug Sannin nodded in response. "I do. I don't think this was an expected outcome from Naruto or the Kyuubi. I theorize that the seal Minato used to seal the Kyuubi within his son is the cause for what's happening. I'm not sure if Minato intended for the seal to act as it did, or if this is truly just an accident. Either way, it's happening and there's nothing anyone can do to stop it now that Naruto and the Kyuubi are merging."

"I see. I figured as much. Minato may have been a genius in the art of fuinjutsu, but he was not infallible by any means. Considering the rush he was in at the time, what with everything that was taking place that night, it is understandable that the seal might have a few accidental 'issues', let's say. This is simply one such side effect. Fuinjutsu is a difficult art to master, and even the smallest mistake can have serious consequences. I suppose we'll just have to control the damage as best we can and assure the people that Naruto's changes are simply aesthetic and NOT dangerous by any means. We'll just have to hope it's enough." Hiruzen said.

Tsunade scowled at this point and said, "That actually brings me to my next topic of discussion." Once she was sure she had Hiruzen's attention, she said, "Naruto told me about the time he nearly died. I'm sure you must know all about that day."

The Hokage flinched before fumbling around in his drawer for his pipe. Prepping it, he soon lit it and took a drag from the pipe to help settle his nerves. "He doesn't want Hinata to visit him, does he?"

"You are correct." Tsunade said. She sounded very pissed off with her sensei right now. "I was also informed that you didn't punish those behind the attack. You should have done something, Sensei! Letting them go is a sign to them that they can get away with anything and everything they do to him! You should have made an example of them!"

Before she could say anymore, Hiruzen held up his hand and silenced her. "Without sufficient proof, I could not act against them. The perpetrators that attacked him wouldn't speak, most likely out of fear for their loved ones should they point the finger at those I suspect to be behind the attack. The Main Branch of the family is…cruel, let's say. They torture the Branch family and are not above harming women and children just to prove a point to their 'slaves'. The Branch family are treated as subhuman creatures without any rights. And the Main family likes to hide behind 'clan affairs'. I have to be careful about how much I intervene in their personal affairs, lest I lose the trust of the other clans that reside here. After all, if I'm willing to meddle in the affairs of one clan to prove a point, the others might lose their trust and confidence in me. However…"

Tsunade nodded, seeing exactly where her sensei was going with this line of thought. "I plan to get involved and deal with the bastards personally. They'll never hurt Naruto again if I have anything to say about it. You may not be able to act against them, but there's nothing saying I can't. So, I'll do what you are unable to. And if I happen to crush a few heads along the way, then so be it. Tell me, do you trust Hiashi? Or is he a potential enemy, as well?"

Closing his eyes, Hiruzen took a moment to think on it before saying, "I believe Hiashi is innocent of any wrongdoing in this matter. He may not be the greatest father or person, but he means Naruto no ill will. Of that, I'm sure. Unfortunately, the elders of the clan are another story entirely. If ever there was true evil in this world, they'd be prime examples of it. There are ten you need to deal with. I'll get you all the information on them that I can. After that, I leave everything up to you, Tsunade. Do whatever it takes to remove them and set things right."

Tsunade smirked sinisterly at him and said, "Oh, they'll regret ever being born before I kill the bastards. You can count on it."

"Good." Hiruzen said, smirking right back at her.

Naruto – Later that afternoon

Naruto couldn't help but grumble a bit as Ashleigh took another vial of blood from him for analysis purposes. He was getting awfully tired of being poked and prodded, but he did realize the necessity of all of this.

Right when he was about to let out a groan of agitation, the door opened and in walked the other members of Team 7. Seeing them, Naruto donned a smile and said, "Hey. Nice to see you three again."

The girls' eyes widened before Sakura hurried forward and went to hug him, only for Ashleigh to glare at her and say, "Wait before you hug him, please. I'm still drawing blood."

Sakura blushed in embarrassment before stepping backwards. "S-Sorry." She said. "I wasn't thinking."

"It's fine. I'm glad Naruto's awake now, too." Ashleigh said before she finished and took the vials of blood to a nearby table to do what needed to be done. Afterwards, she bade goodbye to the team and left the room to deliver the vials to Dr. Ueta and Tsunade.

Readjusting himself on the bed, Naruto looked at his teammates before turning his gaze on Sakura. "Didn't think you girls would be so worried about me. Have to admit, it's a pleasant surprise."

Before Sakura could say anything, Satsuki spoke up, looking directly into his new eye. "Not that I'm not happy to see you awake, but what the heck's with the eye?"

Sakura blinked before looking into Naruto's Kyuubified eye. Eyes widening slightly, she looked the rest of his body over and noticed the claws as well. "Naruto, what on Earth has happened to you? Are you sure you're okay?"

Naruto nodded and said, "I'm fine. I released the Kyuubi from its cage and things kind of, well…" Shrugging his shoulders, Naruto said, "Well, things happened. Seems my dad's seal has had an adverse effect on things. The Kyuubi and I are kind of, um…merging. I still need to talk to the Kyuubi and see if we can figure out what the heck to do, but chances are good that this is irreversible. Tsunade said that I could end up becoming a demon myself if this continues. But, I don't care. If it happens, it happens. I'm not about to hide who and what I am from the villagers. If they hate me more for it, then so be it."

Karina's eye was wide, and on the inside she was panicking slightly. However, she didn't let any of this show. Instead, she looked into his normal eye and asked, "Are you sure that was a wise decision, Naruto? What if releasing the Kyuubi had killed you or unleashed it upon the village again? It was a really risky move."

Naruto looked into Karina's eye and asked, "Would you believe me if I told you that I talked to my father about it before I did it? Dad agreed with me that it was probably our best choice. Kyuubi and I came to an agreement and we decided to work together. I don't think Dad expected us to start merging, though. That was pretty unexpected."

The girls' eyes all widened before Karina zoomed in close and practically began shaking him. "What do you mean you talked to Sensei?! What the heck happened to you while you were unconscious?!"

Naruto blinked a couple of times before poking Karina lightly in the forehead with his pointer and middle fingers. This action reminded Satsuki way too much of Izumi and how she used to do the same to her. Shaking it off, she listened to what Naruto had to say. "When Dad sealed the Kyuubi into me, he also sealed a part of his soul into me as well. He had a lot to say, and even told me a bit about what happened when I was born. Apparently, an Uchiha released the Kyuubi and fought my dad. This guy claimed he was Madara, but we don't believe it was actually him. Whoever it was, they were strong enough to challenge Dad AND control the Kyuubi. He's the one responsible for what happened to the village that night. He's the reason Mom and Dad are dead."

Satsuki's eyes narrowed into a glare and she asked, "Are you sure? If you're lying to try and make my clan look even worse…"

The blonde looked her in the eyes and nodded once. "I'm sure. And no, it wasn't Izumi. Whoever this Uchiha was, it was a man, not a woman. Dad was pretty damn confident about that. Besides, Izumi may be powerful, but I don't know if she's powerful enough to control the Kyuubi like that."

"I see." Satsuki said as she willed herself to calm down. Clenching and unclenching her fists as she tried to rein in her anger, she said, "Mom's not going to like this. It'll be even worse for us both if the villagers find out that an Uchiha is behind the Kyuubi attack. Is it wrong of me to hope that Hokage-sama doesn't release this information to the public when we tell him about this?"

"No need to worry about that." Hiruzen said as he entered the room. "I heard enough. So, an Uchiha is behind the events of that night, hm? I had a feeling. My question is: how the hell did this man get in undetected and find your parents and my wife, hm? Seems to me that we have a traitor. Someone leaked that information to the wrong people and, as a result, my wife died that night, as did your parents and many others. However, I will not be releasing this information to the public. Not only would it NOT help matters any, but it would alert whoever this Uchiha is to the fact that we now know about him and his involvement. It would behoove us to keep him in the dark for as long as possible. Tell me, do you have a description of this Uchiha?"

Naruto frowned for a moment before holding up a finger. "One sec." "Hey, Kyuubi? I know we still need to have that talk, but can you give me a quick description of the bastard that did that to you and ruined everything?"

Kyuubi was silent for a good while, leaving Naruto to wonder if the bijuu was mad at him or something. Then, after minutes of waiting, Kyuubi's voice could finally be heard. "Sorry. Still trying to come to terms with everything that's happening right now. You should thank your father for this information, Kit. Tell the old fogey out there that…"

Naruto nodded his head a few times before looking straight into the Hokage's eyes. "Apparently, this guy was wearing an orange, spiraling mask with a single hole in it. I think the guy only has one eye. It's his right eye, if that helps any. Kyuubi said that he felt familiar, like somebody that had been around my parents before. He had the advanced stage of the Sharingan, as well. Apparently it's called a Mangekyo Sharingan, if that rings any bells."

Satsuki's eyes widened fractionally before she nodded and said, "You're right. Izumi had the Mangekyo, as well. I'm not entirely sure how you go about attaining that advanced form, but it's a LOT more powerful."

Hiruzen frowned deeply at this news and said, "Thank you, Naruto-kun. I will tell the shinobi of the village to be cautious and keep an eye out for this individual. As I said, I don't want to let this man know we're onto him, so I won't update our bingo books with said information. I'll inform them NOT to fight this man and simply report to me where they saw him and what he was doing at the time. We'll figure out how best to deal with him later. If Minato couldn't kill him that night, like I know he would have if he was given the chance to do so, then this man is definitely dangerous. I don't want our people needlessly putting themselves at risk in an attempt to apprehend this man. Anyways, please let me have a look at this new eye of yours. I'm rather curious about it." Hiruzen finished as he stepped closer to the young man.

Naruto allowed the Hokage to examine his eye, although he felt slightly uncomfortable doing so. When Hiruzen hummed in thought, Naruto gave an awkward smile and asked, "Is something wrong?"

The old man shook his head and smiled at his young compatriot. "No, I'm simply curious is all. I heard that this eye of yours has some special properties not unlike a dojutsu. Would you mind telling me about it in more detail? I'd like to know in case we might be able to devise a proper way to help train you in the use of this new eye."

Frowning slightly in suspicion, Naruto soon shrugged it off and said, "Thermal vision and the ability to see chakra signatures nearby. Doesn't matter who it is, it'll be much harder for anyone to hide from this eye. That's all I know about it right now."

"I see." Hiruzen said as he stroked his beard in thought. "I assume that the eye will continue to grow in power as you absorb more of the Kyuubi into yourself. I'm curious to see how it develops and what its future capabilities are. However, I feel I must apologize. You were just getting along with the Kyuubi and now this happens."

Naruto nodded solemnly and said, "Yeah. I promised the Kyuubi that we'd talk more about this later when we have some free time to really think over our current situation. As you can imagine, he's not too happy about it. But, he told me he's not mad at me or anything. It's just a shitty situation we've found ourselves in, is all. Nobody could have predicted this would happen."

"Indeed." Turning to look into Karina's eye, Hiruzen said, "Karina, I want you to keep an eye out for Naruto-kun. With these changes, the villagers are bound to get some nasty ideas in their heads again. Chances are that they might try something during D-rank missions, so I'll try to assign as few of those as possible to your team. I want you to focus on building up their individual skills and strengthening their teamwork. I have a feeling you want to help unlock Satsuki's Sharingan, as well. If you're successful, which I'm sure you will be, feel free to teach her as much as you want. So long as you don't neglect Naruto and Sakura." Looking at Sakura at this point, he said, "As you have some impressive chakra control, I want you to begin undergoing medical training under Tsunade. I will instruct her to begin teaching at least one member from each team everything she can about medicine and medical ninjutsu. I'm sure Shizune would be more than willing to lend her a hand in teaching you all."

Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment before he opened his mouth to speak. However, the Kyuubi's voice stopped him from doing so. "Wait. Your father left me with knowledge that he wanted to impart unto you. It should help you keep up with your teammates so you don't get left behind. The academy wasn't a favorable experience for you, after all. You need every advantage you can get. I just hope you're ready for one hell of a headache, because I'm about to pump your brain full of all the knowledge your father left for you." And before Naruto could reply, he felt an immense pain in his head before suddenly collapsing to the floor, quickly losing consciousness.

Karina's eye widened and she hurried to Naruto's side. Kneeling down, she cradled his head and looked him over. "What just happened?! Why the hell did Naruto just faint like that?!"

Hiruzen shook his head and said, "I have no idea. Satsuki, Sakura!" Once he had their attention, he commanded, "Find Dr. Ueta and Tsunade Senju and bring them here immediately! I'm positive they're both here in the hospital somewhere, so you shouldn't have to leave the building to search for them. Hurry!"

As Satsuki hurried out of the room to follow her orders, Sakura gazed at her unconscious comrade with a deep frown and thought, Is this because of what happened to him? Is something wrong with his brain? Dammit! I wish I could help you somehow, Naruto! Shaking her head, she hurried out of the room to go in search of Tsunade and Dr. Ueta.

Looking back down at the unconscious jinchuriki, Hiruzen frowned deeply and thought, What on Earth is happening to you, m'boy? You're making an old man stress out over you and your safety far too much lately. I hope you'll be okay.

Naruto's Mindscape

Naruto groaned as he slowly came to in his mindscape. At first, he was rather confused, as this didn't look anything like the sewer he had been expecting to awaken in. However, he soon spotted a rather stunningly attractive woman with vibrant red hair smiling at him from nearby. Instinctively, he knew this woman to be his mother, Kushina Uzumaki. Smiling at her, he walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her, giving her what would probably be their first and only hug during the brief time they had together. "Mom."

Kushina smiled and gently rubbed her son's back. "Naruto. It's so good to finally meet you face to face. You've grown to be such a handsome young man. I'm sure you have some questions for me. I have some very important things to tell you, Naruto. My sweet, baby boy. I wish I could have been there for you growing up. This village has not been kind to you, has it?"

Naruto stepped back and looked into his mother's eyes. "No. It has not been kind to me at all. I'd tell you in detail everything that they've done to me, but something tells me we just don't have the time for such a lengthy, depressing discussion. You're right, I do have questions for you. But, I'm sure what you have to say first will be far more important. So what did you need to tell me, Mom?"

Kushina frowned for a time before saying, "Honey, we need to have a talk. About the Kyuubi, the seal, and about your unusual circumstances. Have you ever heard of the red string of fate?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Yeah. When I talked to Dad about the strange connection I felt with Karina-sensei, he mentioned the red string of fate. Why? I get the feeling I'm missing something here."

Closing her eyes for a moment, she said, "There's something about that you should know. This isn't going to be easy for you to hear…"

Naruto knew, with those words, that this would likely be a life-changing discussion. He just hoped it was nothing too serious, otherwise he knew his life was about to get a hell of a lot more chaotic than it already was.


A/N - And that's the chapter! Hopefully you enjoyed it and didn't find the whole thing boring or something. That would suck. lol

Anyways, I know I took a really long time to update this story, and I apologize for that. Real life happened, and some bad things have happened to me. I've explained most of it in an update at the top of my profile if you want to know what's going on. Just know that I've been in a lot of pain and it can be pretty hard to breathe and catch my breath sometimes right now. This Hiatal hernia's killing me, I frigging swear.

Anywho, I honestly have no idea what the heck I'll update next. So hopefully you're looking forward to whatever! lol