A/N: From here, I'm doing a few chapters that fill in more of the history of the alternate timeline, from different people's POVs .

Let's get it on!

Chapter 38: A Father's Worry

Asuma frowned slightly when he saw how tired Naruto looked as he stormed into the tower, toting his teammates. He'd heard Naruto had slept for three solid days without moving, but he had his doubts.

The Kyuubi must have basically put him into a coma to let him recharge. With Naru's night terrors, it couldn't have been anything else. Throughout the matches, he'd kept a close eye on his son, all but ignoring his students. A parents' prerogative and all that. He noticed all the little signs of how exhausted the blond was.

His shoulders were tight, but slumped.

His head tilted ever so slightly to the left, where his pillow would be if he laid down.

How his hands, which were normally moving non-stop as he spoke, were still and dead by his sides.

There was also the fact that he killed a kid for insulting Ramen. Even with an insult to the old man thrown in, Naruto wouldn't kill someone unless it was absolutely necessary- as evidenced by him sparing Zabuza and recruiting him after Gato was taken care of. Thrash him within an inch of his life, sure, but kill? Never.

That told the worried man that Naruto was irritable and on edge, snappish, one might say. But if he knew one thing about his son, it was that the boy was stubborn to a fault.

Flashback- a few months after Naruto got adopted

Asuma was still adjusting to being a parent. With his Shinobi senses, he heard every time Naru began whimpering or crying. But this was too late to be his usual tears of loneliness- he should be asleep already. So Asuma did what any unsure parent would do; he crept up the stairs silently and peeked in on the boy. What he saw confused and worried him.

Naru was tangled up in the sheets like a game of twister, and he was thrashing violently, whimpering under his breath, constantly clutching at his right shoulder. With the skill befitting of a Jounin, he stepped over and flawlessly removed the boys' sleeping shirt, revealing his torso- and nearly heaving his dinner at the same time. The kid was a mass of scar tissue from shoulder to shoulder and from neck to waistband. The biggest one, though, was a massive star-shaped blot of white- a stark contrast to his naturally tanned flesh- right next to his collarbone on the right side, above his heart, but through the artery in his shoulder.

With a gasping sigh, Asuma sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching slowly for the blond locks of sunshine. With a loud cry, Naruto recoiled instinctively away from the touch, even in his sleep, and began thrashing harder, his volume going up. Asuma could feel his heart breaking, so he swiftly reached out and pulled the boy to his stomach, cradling him and stroking his hair- a method that his own mother had used on him countless times. Within moments, Naruto had relaxed visibly and nuzzled into the touch, pulling a small smile from Asuma. Before he could enjoy it more though, Cerulean orbs snapped open, full of fear, and a small fist connected with his jaw- with a surprising amount of force for the small boy he might add- and he was forced to drop Naru back onto his bed. When he looked again, he saw recognition dawning in the boys' eyes.

"Tou-chan? I'm... i'm sorry..."

"It's okay Naru, no harm done."

"What are you doing in my room though?" Asuma fidgeted uncomfortably.

"I heard you whimpering in your sleep." Naruto's face hardened.

"I'm fine," he said quietly.

"Naru, I know you're used to dealing with things alone, but..."

"I said, I'm fine, Tou-chan. It's nothing."

"Night Terrors aren't nothing, Naru." Naruto looked down at his hands in anger, avoiding eye contact.

"I've survived this long, I'll be fine. I don't need any help." Asuma sighed in exasperation.

Flashback end

Naruto would do everything in his power to avoid causing problems for someone, or getting help. He did his pranks to point out the holes in the Village Security. He thrashed Civvies to show them what a Shinobi is capable of. Hell, he volunteered at the Academy four times a week to help kids be better prepared for Shinobi life.

Naruto was selfless, annoyingly so, but he had a good heart. But when it came time to help himself, he was more bullheaded than everyone else in the Village combined, and he all but gave himself up for dead.

So, Asuma worried for him. He also managed to get Naru to take care of himself by saying him not being at his best would hurt everyone he cared for.

But Asuma knew he could never get Sarutobi Naruto to give anything less than his absolute best. It was his Nindo- Never Back down, always keep a promise, and take care of others.

Asuma sighed heavily while rubbing his nose.

"Why can't anything be simple with you, Naru?"