I almost didn't manage to finish this one. I've been sick for almost a month now and this ended up taking me nearly twelve hours to write, which is absolutely ridiculous.

Again, thanks goes to ncpfan for his help.

Now, on with the show.

It was a lot to take in, the planned coup and subsequent eradication of a founding clan, and Naruto found himself almost unable to wrap his head around it as he sat upon his worn couch with a distressed Uchiha clinging to his side like a lifeline. It was certainly understandable. To have been cut off from the outside world for a year by your own clan and then to be there as they were slaughtered for the safety of the village would leave anyone seeking comfort from whatever source they could find.

His left arm continued to rub soothing patterns over her back as he tried to keep her from breaking down again. The wounds were fresh enough; it must have been like pouring salt into them for her to tell him everything she knew about the event so soon after it. In this mess she was just an innocent bystander and while he was sure there were many more in a similar position to the Uchiha matriarch she was the one who would have to suffer.

His gaze traveled over her porcelain skin and the midnight hair that cascaded down her back and over his arm. Here was a woman who resembled the night itself, once a shinobi of the highest caliber, but as she tried to burrow deeper into the warmth of his body he could only see a child awakened by a nightmare. He gave the woman a pitying frown.

'If only it were a nightmare,' He thought 'So that the light of the morning sun might wash away your suffering.'

"Thank you." He almost didn't hear her whisper over his own thoughts. Turning back down to his guest he found he gazing up at him, her eyes still marked by the tears that had escaped her midnight eyes.

"For what?" He inquired.

"For listening. It hurt, but I needed to tell someone- I needed to accept it." She buried her head back into his side. "I don't have the luxury of time to come to terms with this."

It was a sad truth. Even now the regular ANBU were probably being made aware of the massacre, as if their own had not been behind it, and would no doubt be identifying all the bodies they could. Once they learned of her absence amongst the deceased they would no doubt begin searching for her. Should the search be kept under wraps she might manage to escape for at least a few years, depending on how tenacious Konohagakure proved to be. If they made the knowledge public, however, things would become far more complicated.

They might try to find her just so that the Uchiha clan remained in Konoha, keeping her safe and trying their best to regain her favor, but that was far too optimistic for Naruto to believe for even a second.

They could act as though they intended to go with the first course of action and then proceed to kill her or they might impregnate her until she gave birth to a son who could be used to bring back the Uchiha, but that was assuming they even wanted the Uchiha back.

The last, and perhaps most cruel, option they had would be to place the blame upon her troubled shoulders, allowing the kinslayer Uchiha Itachi to walk free and continue serving Konoha. It would probably break the poor woman and would guarantee that she would never have a moments rest for the remainder of her life. Suicide within three years was the most likely result.

"Speaking of time," He murmured softly. "What's your plan? They'll start searching soon enough and I can't support us both for very long until I can start taking missions." As much as that was true, with her curled up into his side as she was he was fairly tempted to attempt it anyway. It had been a while since he had such physical contact. With Mito contact was dancing, which they both enjoyed and partook in often, but being in the seal it always lacked a certain realness that took away from the experience. When it came to Tatsuki it was usually just her pulling him along or wrapping her arms around his as they found somewhere to have a quick lunch together. It was nice, but it was nothing like having this woman wrapped around him as they sat on his couch. There was something that felt far more personal in this situation.

For a moment he was reminded of the hugs his moth- no, Kushina used to give him, but he quickly crushed those thoughts. Such memories only brought forth pain and the woman at his side had enough for both of them at the moment.

"There was someone I talked to before it happened." She turned her head to look back up at him again. She looked so lost, so fragile, and Naruto couldn't help but wonder if that's what he looked like when he woke up in the hospital over a year ago. "He knew it was going to happen. He says he has a way to fix it all, the whole world, but he needs my help. I just don't know if I should trust him."

"You shouldn't." He hadn't hesitated for a second to share his opinion. "Trust should never be given so lightly." How odd was it, that he had taken up the role of adult and she a child. It was strange how such similar situations could change people in vastly different ways. Then again, they had been different from the start; there was no true way to compare changes between the two of them.

"But then," He continued. "Perhaps that's all the more reason for you to join him. You don't have very many options and someone needs to keep an eye on him, wouldn't you say?" He could feel her nod into his side and as much as he felt for her misfortune, he couldn't help but be thankful that it had given him this opportunity. Almost as when he saw Tatsuki after he had killed her client, there was a need to care for this woman. This, however, was far more strong. Something about her vulnerability and the fact that she had actually sought him out of all people stirred something within him. He didn't know what it was, but he liked it.

"I'll go then." She declared. "And I'll do what I can to let you know what he's up to." There was something in her eyes now, not a fire, but perhaps a spark. She had purpose now, direction, which is far more than she'd had just an hour before.

"You don't have to tell me what he's up to." He tried to assure her. He really couldn't care what this man was trying to do, be it for good or ill, but it would hopefully place Mikoto out of harm and give her something to do with herself.

"I have to tell someone." Countered the woman. "You're the only one I can trust right now; the only one I have left."

That struck something within him. There was sadness, of course, pity for the misfortunate woman, but there was also a certain happiness and hope that came from those words and a shameful guilt that came from letting her current situation give him such pleasant feelings. To feel good about being the only one a person had left to turn to was wrong. For you to have only met them a handful of times and not have any sort of relationship with them was horrible.

"You know, Kushina is out there somewhere. I'm sure she could offer you help if something goes wrong." He felt her tense up beside him.

"Just like she helped you?" The acidic nature of her voice caught him by surprise, as did her defensiveness of him.

"I heard about what happened and I wanted to be able to help, but I wasn't allowed to leave my home. I know your mother made plans, but everyone who was a part of those plans should have known that they immediately crumbled the instant you were locked out of the compound.

I know that Kurenai and Tsunade are still here, that they were a part of your mother's plan. I don't know why they weren't there for you in the beginning, but I know they still aren't. If either one of them had people would have talked. Hiruzen must have known too, he probably sent word immediately to Kushina. For her to have not returned immediately-" The woman shuddered, holding him with all her might.

"She must have had a reason for leaving you, but no reason is good enough for a mother to leave her child. I can't call a woman like that my friend, not when she didn't even try to inform everyone as to what was going on so that we could help you while she continued. I could have forgiven that, but not this, not abandoning such a wonderful child to plans that were already in tatters."

Naruto found himself speechless. He had no idea what to say to that and most definitely had not been aware that she cared so deeply for him despite only meeting him a handful of times. Then again, she and Kushina were said to have been like sisters, it would not be hard to imagine her thinking of herself as his aunt.

"Come on," He said after a minute of silence. "Let's get you to bed. You've had a long day, you need to rest." He couldn't explain the sudden protectiveness he felt for the woman when she spoke so strongly against this hand that fate had dealt him, but it was unlikely to go away anytime soon. Both Mito and Tatsuki had quickly found their way into his heart, but that was nothing compared to the speed at which Mikoto had just crashed through like a train and established herself a part of.

A deep sorrow washed over him as he helped her up. She would be gone, probably first thing in the morning, and he might never see her again. How cruel this hand to give him someone like Mikoto only to immediately pull her away. It would seem that this was to be a reoccurring theme within his life, a boy fated to forever meet those who would be taken from him.

Banishing such thoughts he continued to the bedroom, helping Mikoto onto his bed. There were more important things for him to focus on right now. He was not the only one with problems, and hers were far worse. He started with her weapon pouches, setting them and her tanto gently on the floor by the bed. Arm and leg guards were removed, placed neatly by her shinobi equipment. Next came her vest which, while embarrassing, was nowhere near as embarrassing as removing her skintight shirt.

Averting his gaze, he removed her shoes.

He was tempted, for a moment, to leave her in her pants, but when she began trying to remove them his choice was made for him. Folding the pants and lying them atop the rest of her uniform, he was going to look for a shirt for her to wear when he found himself grabbed and dragged into the bed. Slender arms snaked around his body and as he tried to remove himself they only tightened further.

"Don't go." She pleaded. It would seem that in such a short amount of time she had begun to see him as a source of comfort, one she was unwilling to part with after such an emotional night.

"I need to find you a shirt."

"It's fine like this," She insisted. "we're just sleeping."

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this."

"Please don't go, I don't want to be alone, not yet." Uncomfortable or not, he knew what it was to be alone. If his presence would spare her for just tonight then how could he possibly deny her?

"Very well," He surrendered. "But I need to change first." Her grip grew stronger.

"Promise you'll let me hold you?" If he had not already decided to give her this comfort the defenseless plea that came from her lips would have made it impossible to resist.

"I promise."

"As an Uzumaki?" Naruto was well aware of that which she spoke. Was she really so vulnerable in this instant that she would ask for such an oath just to be able to sleep next to him? He felt a spark of anger towards the Sandaime. The massacre was most likely the only course left for the man to take, but for it to have taken so much from this woman was unacceptable. The next time he saw him, Naruto would be sure to bring up the cost of this night.

"As an Uzumaki I give you my oath that I'll let you hold me tonight." That seemed to satisfy her as she released her hold and let him slide off the bed. Quickly, he discarded his pants and shirt. His intent had been to grab at least a pair of shorts to sleep in but a soft whimper from the broken woman in his bed made him abandon the thought.

He slipped back into his bed and was immediately captured within her embrace. At first he didn't know how to react to his situation, but as time passed and her breathing grew soft he found himself relaxing into her touch. Safely cocooned within her arms, pressed tightly against the warmth of her soft body, Naruto quickly surrendered himself to the land of dreams.

A lot of energy had returned to her by morning Naruto had noticed as she prepared to leave. She had woken up around ten, late enough for most of the ANBU activity to have calmed down substantially. Everyone would be on high alert still, but that was likely to be the case for the next few weeks, this was the best chance she was going to get.

After a quick shower she had thrown back on her old ANBU uniform and made the two of them a small breakfast with what little was in his fridge. She had tried to leave immediately afterwards but he wasn't about to have that.

"What?" She asked, looking down at the boy-no, young man before her.

"I said take what you want." He gestured around his apartment.

"I can't do that Naruto-kun-"

"You can and you will." He insisted. "I have time enough to replace anything you take. At the moment your need far outweighs my own."

"But-" Anything she might have said was cut off by his stern gaze. He wasn't backing down about this, even if he had to throw everything he had into a bag and tie it to her back.

A fair share of his remaining food, his spare blanket, and whatever shinobi gear he had yet to sell found its way into a bag. Before she could sling it over her shoulder she found herself covered by his tattered brown cloak, which reached just past her waist.

"It's not much of a traveling cloak," He gave her a small smile. "But it's the best I have." As soon as she had it secured over her shoulders she swooped down and gave him a quick kiss to the forehead.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun, for everything. I'll do my best to stay in touch."

"Then I look forward to hearing from you. Stay safe, Mikoto." He hugged her around her waist and easily slipped his purse into her shiruken pouch. Breaking away, she ruffled his crimson crown once before slipping out his door and into the bustling late-morning streets of Konoha. She was going to have it pretty hard at first, needing to slip past the hokage tower and into the forests behind the hokage monument, but after that it should be far less difficult for her to follow the coast northwards until she reached a port city near the capital. If she could make it that far wityhout being caught then she could easily make it anywhere in the world.

With a fair bit of luck, the forests around the monument would have been checked first- for the safety of the Hokage- and when no evidence of her passing turned up in the early morning they would have hopefully directed their attention to the forests closer to the Uchiha district itself. Nowhere else would make any sense- though there had been some squads deployed elsewhere just in case- and so the majority of available forces would be directed from the Uchiha district to the borders of the neighboring countries.

It was going to be a long week for the shinobi of Konohagakure.

Feeling he had waited long enough, Naruto grabbed his own bag and left his apartment. His destination was very different from Mikoto's, mainly in the sense that his destination was the last place she would want to be right now. Slipping in and out of the crowd, it only took him a few minutes to arrive at the Uchiha clan district.

Purple eyes quickly noted the stationed ANBU, but many of them were facing away from the district, probably to stop people from entering. Within the district itself he could see a few moving about collecting the bodies of Uchiha clan members. Little surprise there, the sharingan was not something you wanted to fall into the hands of your enemies.

Finding an opening in the wooden fence, he quickly slipped through, pausing at each body that had yet to be collected to check for wallets, purses, or anything else of value or use. Moving to the first house, he could faintly see two ANBU from the corner of his eye. Not seeing the harm in his actions and not wanting to have to do anything about it, one shrugged to the other before the two turned away from him.

Had they not been so helpful, they may have seen him grin as he pulled out a stolen storage seal and got to work on the house.

"Ah, Uzumaki-san, thank you for coming." Greeted the Sandaime upon his entrance.

"Of course, Sarutobi-Sama, I know that you would not call upon me for anything not of significant importance to this village our clans call home."

Hiruzen winced slightly. He should have expected such from the boy. It would appear they were to start immediately with the clan-speak. Maybe he had taken the use of his clan name as a sign that the meeting was clan natured. Next time he'd start by calling him by his given name.

"Indeed, Uzumaki-Dono, but it is not so urgent as to require the abandonment of pleasantries within our conversation. Would you care for tea?" The boy looked skeptically at the pot resting above the Hokage's desk. Schooling his features, he returned his gaze to Hiruzen and gave him a small, polite, smile.

"I'm afraid I must decline your most generous offer, Sarutobi-Sama, but I thank you all the same. "

Such little trust.

"Of course, Uzumaki-Dono, perhaps there is a certain refreshment you would prefer upon our next meeting?"

"I have little preference for drink, Sarutobi-Sama, but perhaps you might allow me to provide you with refreshments upon our next meeting, I would very much like to return the hospitality of you and your clan."

"It's quite alright, Uzumaki-Dono, as the Hokage I quite insist that such refreshments be provided by myself in thanks for your time."

"While I am grateful for such a sentiment, Sarutobi-Sama, as a resident in our wondrous village I am merely doing my part. I insist that you allow me to treat you in thanks for all that you do for me and my clan."

Mentally, Hiruzen applauded the boy. He had practiced over the year but Naruto was still matching him. If nothing else, at least, that strange edge the young boy seemed to have over him during their previous encounter seemed to have lessened significantly. Of course, maybe now he could turn that edge around. With a vicious internal grin, Hiruzen made his move. Gods had he missed this game.

"When you put it like that, who am I to decline such a gracious offer?" He gave a kind grin despite his desire to show his opponent just how happy he was with his next move. "In that case, perhaps you would be so kind as to bring a bottle of wine or two for us to enjoy during our next meeting? Unless, of course, you are unable to procure any, in which case I would be most willing to open my cabinet and share with you some of my better years."

The calculating look in those amethyst eyes and the wolf-like grin that quickly grew over Naruto's face told him that Naruto knew exactly what he was trying to do. Hiruzen would have to give him props for that, most of his Chuunin these days would have no idea and would instead see only a chance to try some expensive wines by the grace of their Kage.

"My dear Sarutobi-Sama, I do hope you are not suggesting that I might be unable to provide you with wine of high enough quality to thank you for your service to our village and the friendship you have shared with my clan over all these years. I assure you, my clan is quite capable of showing our gratitude to you and yours."

A counter had been promised, but this could all be a bluff. Would Naruto really be able to get ahold of wine, let alone anything that the clans might partake in? And when might their next meeting be, tomorrow? In a week? It would seem he would have to wait to see if he had truly lost the engagement. Sure, it was a simple matter, inconsequential in the end, but that wasn't the point. All of it was for the sake of the game, one that both he and the boy sitting before him could enjoy with few others.

A pity, too. It was such a fun game.

"Not at all, Uzumaki-Dono, I apologize if what I said was taken as such. Now, I do believe we have gotten severely off track before we have even had a chance to start. Now, where was I?" He took a second to think, observing the tenseness of his guest. Oh, it would appear that he had forgotten something. No matter, this was the perfect chance to remedy that without making it seem out of place. It wouldn't do to forget like last time.

"Ah, yes. After offering you a drink, it had been my intention to inform you of my current guard.." Monkey moved into the open from the shadows behind the Hokage's desk.

"Currently, only Monkey is present." Naruto visibly relaxed and gave the ANBU a curt nod. "From now on, I'll try my best to keep my guard to one member when we meet, unless you manage to obtain some of your own." Naruto looked rather thoughtful about the idea.

"Thank you, Sarutobi-Sama, I appreciate you informing me before we began." The Kage gave him a quick nod. "Now, if you do not mind my asking, why have you called for me on this day?"

The old Kage's face became serious. The game was on hold, for now at least, it was time to deal with Konohagakure business.

"I have heard, from various sources, that you have been spending quite a lot of time within the Uchiha district over the past few days, despite it being off limits to all non-authorized personnel. As you may know, a great tragedy recently occurred there and as such it is still being treated as a crime zone."

"I'm afraid, Sarutobi-Sama, that if you're asking some sort of question, I am not hearing it. I would not have been aware that the district was off limits, being a civilian, and not once was I stopped by any authorized personnel while there." Naruto's expression had taken upon itself a new hardness, one that reminded him far too much of his old teammate for his liking. A new game had started, but this one was far more dangerous than the last.

"While I am curious as to what you were doing there, I'm willing to overlook any less than acceptable activities and will instead inquire as to whether or not you have noticed anything odd or suspicious during your…visits. The one behind these attacks may not have operated alone, or he may have had other objectives, and we could use all the clues we can get."

"012110"

"Excuse me?"

"You know exactly what I mean, Sarutobi." The formalities were gone, replaced by an ice that shook the old Sarutobi to the core. This was not the emotionless repeating of a book that he had heard last time, this was a frigid hostility that could only mean the boy before him knew far more than he should.

"012110 – Uchiha Itachi, codename Weasel. I do hope this office is secure, Sarutobi."

Monkey immediately tensed but a shake of the head from his Kage sent him out of the room so that the two could speak in peace.

"You've told me of a person, Naruto, what does that have to do with any of this?"

"Everything," Hissed the red head. "And you damn well know it."

"I'm afraid I don-"

"Itachi Uchiha, along with a team of ANBU, executed the Uchiha clan of Konohagakure under the direct orders of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, and the advisors of the Konohagakure High Council. Itachi had spent the previous year acting as a spy against his own clan as you tried to find a peaceful solution to the growing unrest."

"How do you know this?" This was not something that could be attributed to a small leak somewhere, this was highly classified information that should have been known only to those directly involved. As much as he wanted to be furious about it, he was also terrified by the implications of a nine year-old civilian child having been able to come across it.

Naruto gave a grin.

"They missed a spot."

When the young man had finally left the office Hiruzen went limp in his chair. Heaving out a deep sigh, he set about preparing his trusty pipe. A deep breath of its smoke did wonders to calm him.

To think that some of them would not only have escaped, but would have been able to tell others as they fled. Naruto had refused to give names or numbers, but unfortunately there was nothing that could be done about that. He was a civilian child, but also the heir to a famous shinobi clan, there was no way he would be able to get away with some of the more crude methods of gaining information- not that the old monkey had any desire to use them in the first place.

It was troubling though, as he didn't not know if those who survived intended to simply hide and live out the remainder of their lives under new names or if they were gathering together with the enemies of Konoha, ravenous for revenge. At the same time, however, Naruto seemed rather fond of Konoha. Perhaps his refusal to reveal information was because it wasn't' Konoha that needed the protection in this case.

It was certainly a nice thought.

He supposed he would be able to come to his own conclusion soon enough. All the bodies had been gathered and now all that was left was to identify them. When the list was finished they'd compare it to all known Uchiha living within Konoha at the time. Any discrepancies would have to be their survivors.

Or, worse, a body that had been stolen by an opportunistic ninja, either foreign or domestic.

He had to hope that it wouldn't be the case, but then again, perhaps a pair of missing Sharingan was better than a surviving member bent on revenge. That could easily prove disastrous. There was little he could do now, however, so he would just have to sit and wait, praying for the best.

'I hope you know what you're doing, Naruto, and I hope you know just how dangerous that information you hold really is.'

It was waiting for him upon his arrival home, laying innocently atop a table he had managed to get for next to nothing at a second hand shop. It was a good sized item, something comfortably carryable under one arm, wrapped in brown paper and a length of twine.

It was soft to the touch, probably fabric, and a quick look revealed nothing that could be harmful. At the same time, however, someone had broken into his home to deliver it, and that was concerning. Using a kunai to cut the twine, he carefully folded away the paper to see what was contained within.

He was rather amused when it turned out to be a cloak, as he had just given his to Mikoto a few days prior and was in need of a new one. Such a thoughtful gift.

This cloak, however, was vastly superior to the one he had scrapped together with old, discarded cloth. No, this one seemed to be made of some sort of white fur that fit comfortably on his shoulders. There was no hood, but a scarf could stand in as one easily enough in the future. At his current height, it was only a few inches from the floor, but that would give it room to grow with him. Hopefully he could keep it throughout his shinobi career.

A quick look back at the paper it had been derived in revealed a simple cared with elegant writing.

'A gift for you, godson, the first of many.' It read. There was no signature but there was a picture carefully painted onto the back-

A white serpent with burning gold eyes.

And that concludes chapter eight. The next chapter will be posted in a week, as usual. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go greet a dear friend of mine by the name of Hypnos.