A/N: Well, here I am with the next chapter. It is out a little later than I wanted, but we are in the summer vacation cycle and that means working longer hours to cover vacationing coworkers. I am actually looking forward to summer being over so that the problem with people taking time off will slow down, at least till the end of the year holiday season comes around. That way I can hopefully get back to my old writing schedule for a few months.

Thank you everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and a big welcome to those of you who have recently joined the ride. More importantly I want to say thank you to those of you who have been with me since the beginning of this story and are still reading.

"So, it looks like your mission was a success and went without any incidents this time." Lady Tsunade closes the mission folder and regards the returning team standing in front of her desk. "Are you sure there is nothing else that you would like to add to your mission report?"

Naruto rubs the back of his head and laughs nervously. "Nope, nothing extra to report, this was just a routine mission. It was boring really, since nothing unusual happened… nothing at all."

Tsunade narrows her eyes and looks at each of the shinobi, one at a time, to see if anyone of them will break under her scrutinizing gaze. 'It is obvious something did happen by the way every one of them has been avoiding direct eye contact with me from the moment they came into the office. Also, Naruto looks like he has not slept in a week. I don't think that I have seen him looking this tired since the war ended.' She decides to let it go for now since her desk is covered in paperwork requiring her attention. If it was really something seriously needing her attention at least one of them would come forth and report what all of them seem to be on the edge about.

"Very well, you are all dismissed." As they turn to leave Tsunade returns to the files she was reading before Naruto and the others came in to report on their mission. Tsunade is a little surprised when she hears someone clearing their throat to politely get her attention. The owner of the polite noise is an even greater surprise.

Naruto is standing there, his hands folded behind his back, with a serious look on his tired face. "Lady Tsunade, could you spare a few more minutes to talk with me, I know that you are really busy and all, but I would feel a lot better if I could get this off my chest."

The hairs on the back of her neck stand straight up as her instincts tells her that she might need to throw the intruder out the window, or possibly even need to summon her nearby ANBU guards to arrest the imposter in her office. 'He just said my official title calmly and properly, probably for the first time ever, and is standing there waiting patiently.' One of her hands slides towards the side of the desk where both the panic button and her emergency sake are located. 'I knew something was wrong, but whatever it is I am afraid that I am going to need some serious help, liquid or otherwise.' To give her a moment to get a sudden wave of anxiety under control she gestures for him to take a seat. "Yes Naruto, we can talk about whatever seems to be bothering you, why don't you have a seat."

Naruto declines the offer of the chair and bows gratefully for her taking time to let him speak freely. "I just… I just want to apologize, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade's muscles spasm nervously as she watches the usually loudmouth kid struggle to find the right words. In her mind's eye she throws the desk aside and grabs Naruto by the collar, shaking him violently till he tells her just what sort of epic disaster he has caused. Instead she forces her voice to sound calm as she puts a benevolent smile on her face. "Really, what do you need to apologize for Naruto?" While she holds his attention with her eyes, Tsunade silently gestures to Shizune, who had just entered the room with a shocked look on her face when she heard what was being said, to activate the privacy seal on the door.

"I've been acting like such an ass, for most of my life really. I can't say that there was never anybody there to teach me better, because there have been, even the Third Hokage tried to give me good advice when I was a kid. I just never cared to listen because being a loudmouth got me the attention that I needed so desperately." Naruto puts his hands into his jacket pockets to give them something to do besides fidgeting nervously. "I've never vocalized the respect I have for you the entire time that we have known each other, or anyone else who ever really mattered in my life." He looks down towards his feet in shame. "I especially need to apologize for how I acted towards you the night I got into that fight with Rock Lee, and for that I am truly sorry."

FLASHBACK

Tsunade tries to suppress her rage as she makes her way through the prison to talk with Naruto. 'Of all of the stupid ass things he has done over the years, this is by far his most idiotic.' She nearly tears off the door to the isolation area as she passes through the last portal before confronting Naruto. She finds him sitting on the floor of the cell in the center of the room, his head slightly bowed and his eyes closed as if meditating. Just before she begins to speak Tsunade slams the door shut, causing a reverberation that leaves a ringing in her own ears. "So are you proud of yourself? Years of hard work to have the village not see you as dangerous because of the Kyubi inside your body, and instead as a hero, may have gone to hell tonight because of your public brawl in the middle of the village." She places her hands on her hips as she glares down at Naruto. "Would you like to explain just what the hell happened tonight, and why I should not just leave you here till you are an old grey haired man?"

Naruto does not move a muscle at the obvious rage being directed towards him through the bars. "No!" The word is said in such a petulant tone that it is obvious that Naruto is basically telling the Hokage, to go the hell away.

Tsunade is actually glad that there are bars between them at the moment or she is sure that she would have kicked him into the next village otherwise. "That's it, no? You destroy one tavern and several surrounding buildings and put three ANBU in the hospital and you have nothing to say?"

"Just go away and leave me alone." He looks up and stares at her coldly with bloodshot eyes.

Tsunade has seen a similar look in the mirror many times, and knows the difference between being drunk and the look of heartbreak. "Would all of this happen to have anything to do with Sakura begging me to let her talk with you tonight?" Seeing Naruto sneer at her when Sakura's name is mentioned surprises Tsunade, who had come to the prison assuming that Naruto's brawl in the street was his reaction to the news about Sasuke. 'I had thought tonight was some drunken temper tantrum about Sasuke's fate, but now that I have looked into his eyes I am beginning to think maybe not.' She decides to see what happens when she pushes the 'Sasuke' button a little more. "I assume that you have heard what the Kage Council has decided to do about Sasuke?"

Naruto's expression changes from cold anger to deep sorrow at the mention of Sasuke's name. "Just… promise me that you honestly did everything you could to save his life."

The look of sadness in his blue eyes dampens the burning anger she had been feeling just moments before. "I did, I offered concessions to each of the other Kages as part of the new coalition being created by our villages in the new post-war world. Some of the Leaf Village council members would have probably asked me to resign my position for being so generous to our former enemies in order to save Sasuke's life."

She holds out her hands in a gesture of defeat. "If I don't have him executed, or if he happens to escape, it could jeopardize the fragile treaty we now have with the other villages. All the hard work to bring our villages together and put aside old animosities to fight a common enemy could fall apart like a house of cards if I were to refuse." She has to mention the part about Sasuke escaping just in case Naruto was thinking about doing something rash when he is released from the prison. "Gaara was the only one to vote with me and he refused to accept any of the concessions for that vote either. I tried to explain all of this to Sakura, but …" Almost instantly, Naruto's expression darkens the moment Sakura's name is mentioned.

'Something did happen and it must have been bad, really bad to have him act like this, but what could have possibly happened to make him upset at even the mentioning of the name of the girl he has adored for so long?' She places her hands on her hips defiantly. "Something did happen between you and Sakura to cause all of this, so why don't you tell me what happened, and I might let you out of that cell with just a warning?"

Naruto's eyes narrow angrily as he glares back at Tsunade. "Don't ever mention that name around me again, got it!" He places his palms on the floor as his posture takes on an almost feral like appearance.

"Or what, Naruto? This cell was specially constructed to imprison powerful shinobi, and the bars of this cell will absorb any chakra you try to use before you can perform a jutsu. So, you are not going anywhere till I decide you can leave. So you might as well tell me what happened with Sakura and stop wasting my time." She takes a half step back as his mouth pulls back into a fox-like snarl of barely controlled rage. 'I guess he didn't buy my bluff?'

"I told you not to say that name again!" Naruto's voice comes out like a growl as he looks around the jail cell. "Let's test that theory of yours about this cell, old woman." Naruto inhales deeply through his nose and closes his eyes in concentration as he slowly starts drawing on Kurama's chakra and mixes it with his own. He decides not to go abruptly into his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, unsure if the bars could handle absorbing that much chakra all at once without exploding and harming the Hokage. 'No sense in compounding my crimes against the undeserving, but I'll be damned if they're going to cage me up like some animal.' Instead he lets Kurama's chakra begin to flow out and surround him like a cloak.

At first nothing happens, but soon Tsunade starts to feel a tingling sensation and looks down to see the fine hairs on her arms have begun to stand up, as well as the hair on the back of her neck. Naruto inhales and she sees him beginning to strain a little. His head lowers and his lips curl back to show that his canine teeth have elongated as a glow of chakra can be seen slowly forming around his body. 'The glow is slightly orange, not the normal bright yellow I am used to seeing. It's as if the Kyubi's rage has been rekindled and is bleeding over into Naruto. Is he losing control over the nine-tailed fox? What the hell did Sakura do, or say to cause this kind of reaction?'

To say that she is shaken by his body being shrouded in an angry orange chakra, when it should be a bright warm yellow, would be an understatement. When Tsunade looks over and sees the bars of the cell glowing bright red she feels her blood run cold. 'Damn, the bars seem to be swelling up with absorbed chakra; they might melt or even explode if this goes on for much longer.'

Several ANBU have sensed the impossible emanation of chakra coming from the room and rush in to investigate. Upon seeing Naruto shrouded in an angry looking glow they immediately step forward to impose themselves between Naruto and the Hokage. Tsunade nearly has to forcibly remove them from the room so she can be alone with Naruto. 'I don't know what he thinks he is going to gain from all of this, but I would rather that there are no witnesses.'

When she turns back three tails have sprouted from the aura around his body and another two are beginning to form as the bars of the cell are now glowing a bright pink. "Alright Naruto, you have proved your point. Let's start over okay?" She watches as the tails shrink away and the bars start to cool leaving the air filled with a hot metallic smell that leaves a bitter taste on the palate. He looks up at her, clearly tired by the effort, but his eyes are filled with his familiar look of defiance.

Tsunade places her hands on her hips and strikes a defiant pose, trying to show more confidence than she is feeling at the moment. "So where do you propose we go from here, because I don't think you are in the right emotional state at the moment for me to let you roam the streets unsupervised. Plus, you have made it clear that I would have a tough time keeping you here against your will otherwise?" After seeing his display of shear power Tsunade is not sure if anything short of a sealing team backed up by nearly every jounin in the village could stop a rogue, heartbroken Uzumaki.

The struggle to keep Kurama under control when a dark, still hurting part of him just wants to unleash the Kyubi and release years of frustration, takes more effort than he had expected it would. Naruto looks into Tsunade's eyes and can see the pain his actions have caused her and the concern she feels for him is obvious, but at this moment he is still too hurt and angry to feel any regret. That would come later when he is all alone and the only thing keeping him company are painful memories and remorse.

"I am going to leave the village for a while. Tell everyone that I got celebrating with Rock Lee a little too hard and got drunk from too much sake. We then started roughhousing and it got out of hand. As punishment, you are sending me on one menial low rank mission after another to earn the money needed to repair every bit of the damage I have done tonight. Anyone who knows me will know how much it will piss me off to be stuck on low ranked punishment missions."

Tsunade shakes her head in denial. "Honestly, I am hesitant to let you leave the village, I've seen other shinobi with the same look in their eyes as you have right now and they all have ended up in a dark place. I cannot let you go outside the village on a mission, or for personal reasons, until I am sure that you are not going to do something that would put yourself or anyone else in danger."

Naruto stands up and holds up a fist defiantly as he yells angrily at the Hokage. "The longer you leave me in this prison cell the more people are going to talk old lady, and we both know where that kind of talk leads. If people just think that I got drunk and reckless, then they will just laugh it off to me being a stupid kid who can't hold his liquor, and in time they will just make jokes at my expense. If I am in here longer than it takes to sober up, then people are going to start making up their own answers, some of which we both don't want them thinking, like how am I going to react when you kill my best friend. Once word gets out about what the Kage's have decided people will figure things out anyways, about why I was in a drunken brawl." He doesn't even blink when Tsunade flinches at his accusation of her part in Sasuke's impending death. "I'm not going to be here when Sasuke is murdered, like I somehow agree with and support that damn decision. I am going to Mount Myōbokuzan to meditate for a while and figure out what the hell I am going to do with my life next. All the pain and hard work I have done over the last few years seems completely worthless right now."

Naruto turns his back away from Tsunade and pretends to adjust his headband to give him a moment to blink away the moisture gathering in the corners of his eyes. "I am serious about doing missions to pay for the damage I did to the village tonight and I mean until every bit has been repaid." He gives a shrug of his shoulders before he starts pacing back and forth in his cell. "Heck, you can send Kakashi-sensei or Yamato, both if you are really worried about me doing something unexpected when I go on these missions. I don't care really as long as they just leave me alone."

Tsunade smirks at hearing Naruto's statement. "So you have everything planned out do you Naruto?" Actually, she is relieved that he has chosen such a place to go and think. 'Those old toads are wise and have a soft spot for Naruto, and he cares for them as well. I don't think that I could have come up with a better place for him to cool off for a little while. Hopefully, things will be better here as well when he gets back.'

Naruto gives her an arrogant smile that makes her want to give him a good slap. "Well, I had plenty of time to sit and think while I was here waiting for you to show up, old lady. I guess you are tired after that long walk, maybe you should have a guard bring you a chair to sit in while you waste my time with more talking." His smile becomes a defiant sneer when Tsunade's hands reflexively ball into a fist at his remark. "I just want to be as far away from this village and its people as I can get right now. When I get back from my meditations just keep the missions coming. I don't care what they are, just as long as they keep me far away from here, for as long as you can make them. Though I would prefer missions that promise me a chance of some action, so make sure whoever I am sent after really deserves the beating they are going to get." Naruto's knuckles pop loudly as he balls up his fists tightly and grins menacingly.

Tsunade wants to ask him how he is going to reach his goal of becoming Hokage if he just walks away from the village, but decides against asking that question for the moment. Seeing him looking so hurt and angry makes her worried about asking that question, because it might just cause him to make one of his lifetime promises that he will regret later. 'He's just too damn stubborn to break one of those promises, even if it is for the best that he does.'

Besides, had she not done the same thing? Had she not left the village, her heart broken into small pieces, swearing that she would never return? So, can she really deny him the chance to go out there and find out there really is no healing in solace? If Shizune had not been with her for all those years offering her friendship and support, then she might have gotten lost on that path, or even worse ended up so drunk that she would have drowned in a gutter someplace.

Tsunade places her hands on her hips and gives Naruto a derisive smile. "You got yourself a deal Naruto, but I expect you to behave yourself while you are away meditating in Mount Myōbokuzan. Those old toads deserve a lot of respect for all of the help they have given to you and your predecessors over the years. If I find out that you haven't been more respectful to them, than you have me, I will personally make sure that you regret ever going there to hide, believe it baka."

After Naruto shrugs in agreement she holds out a hand in a gesture of compromise. "In the meantime I will send out another set of letters asking the other Kages to reconsider their decision. We only need one of them to switch their vote, and the Tsuchikage is a shrewd old man who has been known to hold out for a better deal. Maybe I can come up with something else to sweeten the deal and make him change his vote."

END FLASHBACK

Tsunade watches in delighted surprise as Uzumaki Naruto, the number one unpredictable ninja does something that nobody who knows their argumentative relationship will ever believe she is witnessing; he pulls his hands out of his pockets, gets on his hands and knees to bow deeply in respect. She gets up from behind her desk and walks over to stand in front of Naruto, the whole time he stays bowed, and she bows deeply in return. When he stands up she wraps her arms tightly around Naruto and gives him a motherly embrace. "Something did happen on your last mission. I can delay my next meeting if you want to talk about what transpired. I can have Shizune go get us something to eat and we can talk over lunch."

"Not today." Naruto gratefully returns the hug and rests his chin on her shoulder. "I will just say this for now, while I was on this last mission I had a reminder of just how far off course I let my life get during my time away from home. Lately, I have been so happy, that my time away has felt more like some sort of nightmare. Like it couldn't have been real, and that it wasn't really me doing and saying all that stuff. Now that I am thinking straight again I can look back and examine what happened, what I did wrong, where I am now, and how I can best set things right so that I can reach the life goals that I want for myself."

Naruto turns his head to the side and looks out a nearby window. "On the walk home I had time to reflect on things, and I need to apologize to some of the people I hurt while I was pickling myself with sake." He leans back and looks at Tsunade with a sad smile. "Thanks to that whole experience I think that I got to understand Master Jiraiya a little better. I now understand better some of the stuff he was trying to teach me, but I was just too young and arrogant to appreciate it at the time." He leaves some of his realizations unsaid because he can see by the look in her eyes that she knows what he is trying to find words to express. "He wasn't just trying to show me how to be a better shinobi, he was trying to teach me how to be a man." They both share a little laugh at how absurd that really sounds.

Tsunade places a hand on his cheek and smiles warmly. "He was proud of the person he got to know, and would be very proud of the man you have become." She watches him expectantly hoping that he will bring up another subject, but her impatience gets the better of her and she takes a chance. "So will you be going to see…"

"Hinata?" Naruto quickly cuts off her question and takes a step back to let her know that he doesn't want anything, or anyone else to be brought up, at least not now. "Of course, it is around lunchtime, so I am hoping she is home and will be free this afternoon to hang out together, and talk." His hands begin to fidget nervously as he walks towards the exit.

Tsunade does her best to hide her disappointment at seeing that he has not yet decided to come to terms with that one important issue. "Yes, of course, you will want to see Hinata as soon as you can, and yes she is back from her last mission. I won't keep you any longer, so go and enjoy your evening. Shizune will be waiting for you tomorrow with some more files to go through."

In his haste to leave Naruto doesn't even flinch at the mention of getting back behind the desk again. He is happy that he had took a chance that Hinata was already home and sent a shadow clone to the Yamanaka's flower shop to order some flowers to be delivered to her, along with a message, while he went with the others to report on their recently finished mission.

Naruto stops at the door and looks back at Tsunade. "Uhh, Lady Tsunade, would you mind scheduling some time to meet with me tomorrow? I will tell you about what happened on this last assignment, and don't worry it did not affect the mission because it happened on our way back home."

"Just come to my office before you start working on the files, and we can talk for as long as you need too." Tsunade sits down behind her desk, steeples her fingers and smiles as she places her chin on top. Her mind begins to wonder what could possibly have happened to cause such an obvious change in Naruto in such a short period of time.

The sound of a drawer opening draws her attention, and Tsunade turns to see Shizune opening the desk drawer where the emergency sake is hidden. Shizune pulls out the bottle and fills a cup nearly to the brim. Tsunade reaches over to take the cup, feeling the desire to both celebrate and to calm her nerves of what sort of news Naruto will be delivering tomorrow. "Thank you Shizune, I…" Before she can say anything else Shizune lifts up the cup and downs its contents in one quick gulp.

Shizune turns to look at the Hokage with a grimace as the liquid burns its way down. "What, after what I just witnessed I need a drink." She glances towards the door for a moment before looking back at Lady Tsunade. "I am not sure if I want to be here tomorrow, just in case he has done something so epically stupid that you are going to throw him out the window again. Maybe I should be waiting at the hospital's emergency room entrance for them to bring in his body." She pulls out another cup and pours the Hokage a drink as well. "On the other hand I just have to know what exactly can cause such a transformation in a person in just a short period of time, talk about being unpredictable, sheesh." Shizune looks down into her cup thoughtfully. 'I wonder what Kakashi will say when I tell him what I have just witnessed. He might just sneak up and hang outside the window tomorrow.'

Tsunade laughs dryly at her friends comment. "No, I need you here with me tomorrow. Though, I do want you to clear my calendar for the rest of the afternoon tomorrow. I have a feeling that whatever he and I have to discuss is not going to be short and sweet. Oh, and have the privacy seals checked tonight. I don't want anybody sneaking up here and listening in when Naruto and I talk tomorrow."

She stands up and looks out her window to watch the young blonde haired hero leap from rooftop to rooftop, taking the quickest way towards his home. "It is clear by the exhausted look on his face that something is tearing him up, and by the way Hanabi was glaring at him I think that whatever this news is, it might have an affect on his relationship with Hinata." She closes her eyes and makes a silent prayer, hoping that her fears are not realized.

Tsunade drinks the sake very slowly and lets the liquid's flavor distract her troubled thoughts before she turns to look at Shizune. "I sincerely hope that when he and I talk tomorrow that we are not discussing a broken heart. I am not sure how he would handle another one, especially with someone that he has grown so close to lately. Maybe it is the fear of losing Hinata that has caused such a dramatic shift in his personality. Losing that special bond he had with Sakura, did it to him not too long ago, and maybe deep down he is afraid to experience that kind of loss again."

After a quick snack and a shower, Naruto puts on the clothes he had his shadow clone pick up from the cleaners after ordering the flowers. He is hoping that when he gets to the Hyuga compound that Hinata will have received his message, along with the flowers, and be available to go out with him today. As he is nervously checking his appearance, grumbling about how shaggy his hair has gotten lately, he hears someone knocking on his door. "Hinata came to see me instead. Great, that means we can start our date sooner. I need to get this over with before she finds out the truth from somebody else about what happened on my last mission."

He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, trying to calm his nerves. 'Hopefully, after I tell her about the crap I did when I was lost in a sake bottle that she will give me a chance to show her that I'm not that guy anymore. I'm the old me that she grew up with, but better... I hope.' He opens the door with a smile that somewhat fades when he sees Hanabi standing there instead of her sister. "Hanabi, I'm sorry I was expecting Hinata. Is… everything okay?"

With a concerned look on her face Hanabi hands Naruto a handwritten letter. "Onee-san asked that I give you this letter."

Naruto nervously licks his lips as he slowly tries to open the letter. 'Oh crap, what happened? Did Hinata already find out about what happened during my last mission? How?' He looks up at Hanabi in disbelief that she would go ahead and tell her sister, even after she had said that she wouldn't, but her facial expression does not change. 'Is she so upset with me about what those girls said I did, that she would break her promise and not give me a chance to tell Hinata first?'

He nearly shreds the letter trying to unfold it so that he can read its contents. 'If Hinata dumped me without letting me explain I don't know what I'll do.' Everything starts going blurry as tears well up in his eyes. After blinking several times the words finally come into focus.

Naruto-kun,

The lavender roses that you sent are so beautiful. I know that it has only been a little while since you left on your mission, but each day has felt like an eternity. If I did not have my pendant with me, so that I can feel your presence whenever I am feeling lonely, I don't know what I would have done.

I cannot wait to see you again, Naruto-kun. Will you meet me near the main gate of the Leaf Village as soon as you are able? I was hoping that we could go have a picnic and spend some uninterrupted time together. I look forward to seeing you real soon.

Hinata

Naruto looks up from the letter in absolute confusion. By the way Hanabi was acting he was expecting the letter to be heart broken or angry, but this letter was written as if Hinata still doesn't know. "What? I don't get it Hanabi."

Hanabi narrows her eyes and gives him a serious glare. "Just remember how you just felt the next time you consider doing something stupid that might hurt onee-san, or bring shame to the Hyuga Clan because of your current association with the main branch of the family." Without waiting for a reply she turns and walks away.

Naruto's knees go weak with relief and he has to lean against the doorframe to keep from collapsing into a boneless heap. He tries to say something back to Hanabi, but his mouth has gone completely dry and his breathing is more like a dogs panting in his near panicked state. After swallowing a few times he is finally able to croak out a response. "That wasn't funny Hanabi, not funny at all." One of his hands clutches at the throbbing ache in his chest as he tries to bring his breathing back under control. When he feels the calm chakra emanating from the pendant hanging from his neck, he wraps his hands around it desperately.

She doesn't even turn around to reply. "It wasn't meant to be a joke Naruto. While onee-san and I may have our differences, she is a Hyuga and we foremost protect the clan, especially the members of the main branch and their integrity. That is a lesson that you should take to heart if you are somehow lucky enough to still be with her after she learns the truth. You should also know that our father is not as forgiving a person as I am."

After she turns the corner Hanabi brushes a tear from her cheek. She had really planned on telling Hinata the truth when she had gotten home today, but just couldn't go through with it when she saw her sister. Hinata had been excitedly flittering about her room like a butterfly as she was getting ready to see Naruto. Hanabi just didn't have the strength to be that cruel and tell Hinata what she had learned on her recent mission. Watching her sister smiling so bright while she wrote that letter to Naruto had nearly brought her to tears. 'She is my sister, and I love her too much to be the one to break her heart with the news of the kind of sicko she is dating, even though she may be angry with me later for not warning her of what Naruto will be telling her today. Anyways, she might not believe the truth coming from anyone other than Naruto, so it was probably for the best that I said nothing, for now.' It was on her way to deliver the letter, as she thought about how terrible it will be to see the happiness gone from her sister's smile, that she had decided to teach Naruto a little lesson. She almost felt guilty when she saw the panicked look in his eyes while he opened that letter, almost.

Hanabi leans up against a wall for a moment to regain her composure, while the conflict of whether she had done right by Hinata still rages on in her soul. 'I need to go home and wait for her return, ready to lend a comforting shoulder, and to fill in any details that he might leave out of his confession.' She shrugs unhappily and starts walking down the street towards home. 'I'll ask the cooks to make one of her favorite foods for tonight's dinner with otou-sama. He will be expecting a full report on my mission this evening, so I need to prepare myself for that as well.'

Naruto shuts the door, sits down at the dinner table, and just stares at Hinata's letter while holding onto the pendant he is wearing. It takes him a little while to completely regain his composure, all the while going over again in his mind what he needs to tell Hinata. For the first time in months his hands tremble with the need for some sake to calm his nerves, but he quickly makes a fist and shakes his head to dismiss those thoughts, thankful that he threw that all away. "Nope, Rock Lee might turn into some near unstoppable beast when he drinks, but I just turn into a completely insensitive jerk. That jerk is the reason I am sitting here nearly scared to death to go talk to Hinata about a past that I had tried to ignore, and had hoped that I would never have to face the consequences of those actions." He takes a deep breath and walks out the door to meet his fate head on, like he has done with nearly every challenge in his life.

A/N: Well, Naruto is off to meet his fate. The next chapter is mapping out to be a longer one, so it will be the later part September when chapter 36 comes out.

I wanted to express my thanks to Fate-117 for putting a recommendation for 'Snow Angels' in the latest chapter of his story, 'The Scales of Peace and War'. It takes places a few years after Naruto: The Last, and once you read his introduction you will get an idea of the interesting scope his story will be covering.