Naruto groaned as he sat up. He really didn't want to get up because that dream had been awesome! Naruto had just been named the Godaime Hokage after kicking the crap out of Sasuke. Sakura-chan and the other girls had even started following him around. They even hand fed him ramen! It was the best dream ever!

Then it had ended. As great as that dream was, the one that followed was its total opposite. It could only be described as pain.

"You changed me, Naruto. Your smile is what saved me! That is why I am not afraid to die if it means I can protect you!"

It was a girl, but Naruto was pinned to the ground and could not see her face. There was a flash and a new scene appeared in his mind's eye. A man whose face was clouded had just stabbed Naruto's mysterious savior.

"Out of love, sacrifice is born... Hate is born... and we are able to know pain!" As Naruto heard those words, he wanted to scream. But there no sound escaped his lips. Instead, he simply awoke.

"What the hell was that dream?" Naruto sighed and for some reason checked to see if his eyes were still there. He shook off his confusion after a moment. It returned quickly, but was focused on the present. There was someone in his kitchen. He could hear the water boiling. Naruto reached under his other pillow and pulled out a kunai. He slipped up to the wall.

"Good morning, Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto came around the corner and stared at the intruder. He looks like me!

"Who… who are you?"

"Complicated. The water's boiled. I'll explain over ramen." The intruder reached up into the cupboard without looking and grabbed two cups of ramen. He tossed one over to Naruto and walked over with the kettle and another cup of instant ramen.

The entire world froze as Naruto got a good luck at his 'guest'. "You have my birthmarks! Our hair is the same color! I bet our eyes are the same too!"

The kettle hit the table and actually bounced. Naruto felt a wave of pity as the man who looked like him slipped into the chair. "They used to."

"What do you mean, used to?"

"I… I'm not ready to talk about that." The man swallowed. Naruto wasn't the sharpest kunai in the holster, but he could tell the guest was on the verge of tears.

"Alright, I won't ask about that, but seriously, who are you?"

It took a second for the other guy to respond. He simply opened his ramen and poured the hot water over it. He shakily handed the kettle to Naruto. "This will freak you out. I'm you from the future."

"Bullshit."

"What's the date?"

"June 2nd, 519." The present Naruto finally decided to eat his ramen and poured the water.

"Alright, here's some proof. Two days ago, you attempted the Academy Graduation Exam for the second time. We actually did really well on the written exam. Question nine on the economics of the Nidame Hokage through us for a loop. We transformed into Iruka-sensei perfectly but screwed up the Bunshin. Oh, and you asked out Sakura but she hit you and left to chase after Sasuke."

Naruto felt his jaw drop. "You… you are me." His counterpart nodded. "What should I call you? I mean, it'll get confusing calling each other Naruto all the time."

"Call me by our father's last name. Call me Namikaze."

Naruto dropped his ramen. He didn't react to it hitting the edge of the table and falling off to the side. Everyone in Konoha knew the last name Namikaze. "You're lying. You can't be me. This is some prank."

Namikaze rose and walked over to the training closet and came back with a kunai. "I have memorized every inch of this apartment. This is the only home I have ever known." He presented his hand to Naruto and cut it. "I am not a transformation or a Bunshin."

For the first time, Naruto truly looked at Namikaze. His older counterpart looked like hell. The clothes he wore were ragged and filthy. There was dried blood over many areas of his body. Naruto found he couldn't look away from the bandages around his eyes.

"Why are you here? Why come back?" Naruto thought for a moment. "The future can't be so horrible that you'd actually miss living alone and ignored."

"You are right." Namikaze said and Naruto felt a bit relieved. His older self was probably sent back in time by some vengeful enemy to avoid getting his butt kicked by Godaime Hokage Uzumaki. "It's worse."

The Uzumaki's fantasy shattered. "How bad was it?"

"We lost everything." Namikaze Naruto sighed and sat down. "I have so much to tell you, but I want you to ask me the questions. You'll be better prepared for my answers."

Silence descended. It hovered in their air like an oppressive heat. "Why are we ignored? Why does no one care about us?"

"Naruto, what I'm about to tell you cannot leave this room. You will probably hate me, but at least listen to me. Before I tell you I want you to swear you will keep this a secret. You cannot tell anyone about this. Not the Hokage, not Iruka-sensei, not anyone!"

There was something about Namikaze Naruto's voice that made him obey immediately.

"Naruto, you know that the Nine Tailed Demon Fox attacked Konoha on the day you were born." The younger blond nodded.

"The Fourth Hokage did indeed fight the Demon Fox. He was the only one who could. But not even Namikaze Minato could beat the Demon Fox. A demon is a being of pure chakra. They cannot be killed. There is only one surefire way to put down a demon. Seal it away. The bastard fox is too strong to be contained in an object. It has to be a person. An adult isn't the best choice because the chakra coils will be damaged by the power of the demon and the person won't live as long. A baby is the 'best' choice because the chakra coils can adapt to the power of the creature."

Namikaze paused. He saw the look of abject terror on Naruto's face. It was the same look he had all those years ago when Mizuki ran his mouth. "Minato was selfless. He couldn't ask a family to make a sacrifice that he was unwilling to do. So, he sealed the Fox within his own son. There was another reason the Yondaime did this. He had faith in his son. He knew that his son could resist the demon. Minato also knew that the Fox had been controlled by an evil man and that his son would need the power to one day defeat this evil."

"This…"

"Is true, Naruto. You are the jailor of the Nine Tailed Fox and the son of the Fourth Hokage. His last wish was that you, we, be viewed as a hero for keeping the Fox sealed away."

Naruto jumped up and knocked the now cool kettle from the table. "If he wanted that why does everyone hate me? Why am I ignored? Why doesn't anyone say anything about this?"

"Pain. Pain drives them. They cannot get revenge on you because the Hokage protects you from direct attacks. He also passed a law punishing anyone who reveals that the Fox is sealed within you with execution. They cannot do anything so they choose to do nothing. They ignore you."

Naruto looked at his older self. "Then why do the kids hate and ignore me?"

"They follow their parents' example. You will reach the kids your age. Trust me, I did."

Naruto saw his future smile. It comforted him a little bit. "I… I've only got a few more questions. This is a lot to take in."

"I understand. It was tough for me too."

The younger Naruto took off his sleeping cap and looked at it. He wasn't sure why he was so attached to this thing. It looked ridiculous, but it had been a gift. Naruto had found it on his door step on his tenth birthday. There had been a simple note: Happy Birthday, Naruto-kun.

"Did they love me? My, uh, our parents I mean."

Namikaze smiled. "They did and they are and will be proud of you."

"Thank you." He swallowed. Naruto knew there would be a million other questions later. "Last one about the big stuff for now… Is there anyone who knows about the Fox that still cares about me because I'm Naruto?"

This is where it will begin. I swear to you that you will not have to wait until the stars die this time. "There are a few. Iruka-sensei and Old Man Teuchi spring to mind. I… I think there is one person in our class at the Academy who deeply cares, but I'm not sure if she knows about the Fox yet."

"What about the Hokage? Who is the girl?"

Namikaze looked away. "I'm not sure about the Hokage at the moment. I… learned a great many things recently. I'm still trying to figure it out. I hate to say that I have doubts. The girl… I don't have any doubts about her."

"Well, who is she?"

Namikaze leaned back in the chair. He had to start preparing his younger self for the trials that would come. There was so much that needed to change and so much he had to prepare for. Konoha would not fall easily. Even as rotten as the village was; it was still strong. The specter of Orochimaru loomed over everything. Then there was Tobi to worry about.

I have to meet with Nagato-niisan and Konan-neechan. I'll have to leave Konoha to gather support. I can probably convince Ero-sennin and Baa-chan to join me. It's ironic that 'I' am going to be the hardest person to convince. Gah, there is so much to do. But first… I have to prepare Naruto.

"Naruto, I want you to figure it out on your own."

"Oh come on! Why can't you just tell me?"

Namikaze laughed at his younger self when he crossed his arms and pouted. So that's why Iruka-sensei always laughed. "Because I don't want you to be as dense as I was. One of my teachers told me that a good ninja can look underneath the underneath. I know the mistakes I made and I can help you avoid them."

"Really? You can help make me a kickass ninja?"

"Hey! You're Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto! You'll be a kickass ninja even if I didn't help you out!" But I couldn't save her.

"Cool, so how will figuring out who this girl is on my own help me?"

"Well, ninjas need to be observant. You need to know what is going around you at all times. This will help you pick up on what everyone around you is about to do or thinking about doing."

Naruto nodded with enthusiasm. "I think I get it!"

"Is there anything else you need to talk about?" Namikaze asked hoping there wasn't. He needed as much time to think as Naruto did.

"No, I'm going to go do some training. That might help clear my head."

"May I make a suggestion? Chakra control. That should help with your Bunshin problem. I'll show you something. Come with me to the stairwell."

Naruto nodded and followed Namikaze into the hall. They were on the third floor. Naruto's apartment complex was older and the stairs weren't in the top shape. Old Man Hokage said it was scheduled for repair at the end of the year. Namikaze stopped and turned around.

"This is called 'Tree Walking' because it's generally done on trees, but you can use it on any surface. Not only is it a good chakra control exercise but you can use it during missions to gain advantages. Watch closely." The older blond simply walked straight ahead. Namikaze strolled up the wall casually and stopped.

"Wow! That's amazing!"

Namikaze smiled. He missed having that amount of enthusiasm. The future Naruto could feel it deep within himself, but the pain of losing Hinata-chan, Kakashi-sensei, baa-chan and the rest of the Eleven was still too fresh. "It is. The trick is to find the right amount of chakra. Too much and you'll fly off the tree. Too little and you'll slide down like overly wet ramen noodles down your throat."

"I'm going to the park to try this! Before I go, any hints on the kid my age who doesn't hate me?"

"She's very quiet. Tell you what, here's some more training. Like I said earlier, if you want to be a successful ninja you'll need to be aware of everything around you. While you're practicing climbing trees, keep an eye out for anything unusual. Oh, before I forget, take a kunai to mark your progress on the tree climbing. Work on getting higher than last time. Don't stop until you reach the top."

Naruto jumped up. "Thanks, uh, me… I guess. I'll be back later!"

After the younger Jinchūriki had rushed off, Namikaze's other temporal ally emerged from the shadows. "It is good to see that you made it back, Naruto-kun. But I am curious, how are there two of you?"

"The Great Old Geezer mentioned that Time couldn't fuse me with my past self because I bear Hinata's gift. Well, not immediately. I will eventually merge with Naruto. It should take a year or more."

Yamato sighed. "We have a great deal of work to do."

Namikaze started removing the bandages. They had served their purpose. "Captain Yamato, I need you to see what Sai brought us."

The two time travelers entered Uzumaki Naruto's small apartment. The Sage opened the loose floorboard and removed Sai's documents. He tossed them across the table to the ANBU Captain.

"You will not like what you read." Naruto was unintentionally curt.

Yamato stared at the documents for a moment. "I am surprised that you are adjusting so well to the transplant."

"I could never reject her." Naruto sat down. "I know our enemies are pathological liars, but the internal reports will have some truth to them."

The ANBU Captain nodded and started reading. As he read deeper into the crimes of ROOT, he was appalled that the Sandaime was implemented in several operations. Yamato rose to his feet and paced around the room when he read about the depths of Danzō's madness. His lust for the Tower and the twisted bargains he struck with many elements of Konoha were nearly inhuman. The massacre of the Uchiha Clan, the assistance to the Hyūga Council and the dueling desires to reduce Naruto to a weapon were like physical blows.

"This is not the Konoha I swore to serve."

Naruto leaned forward. "We must destroy the Reality of Konoha and restore the Dream of Konoha, dattebayo."

"Let's not rush into things, Naruto! I will check the ANBU records. If I find anything that can corroborate the ROOT documents Sai gave us, then we will work out a course of action. We are all upset about the betrayal we suffered; you more than anyone. But we cannot rush into this."

Naruto remained silent as he remembered Nagato's words to Ero-Sennin "But someday I'll break the curse. If there's such a thing as peace, I will find it! Faith is better than any plan!"

He would give Yamato some time to find evidence. Namikaze Naruto knew that regardless of what Yamato found; Naruto and his brother apprentice would still change the world.

Naruto took a deep breath. He needed to clear his head before attempting the exercise Namikaze told him about. Unfortunately, everything else Namikaze had told him about was making it near impossible to concentrate. Could he believe a man who claimed to be his future self? There was no way Naruto could ask anyone about him.

"To hell with all that thinking!" Naruto pushed everything to the back of his mind and focused on gathering chakra in his feet. He was going to reach top of the tree before nightfall!

The blond ran at the tree and he realized that he wasn't sticking very well, but his momentum was carrying him upwards. He got a few feet before falling back to earth.

"Not quite enough…" The blond muttered and pushed more Chakra into his feet. He was climbing the tree a lot easier this time. He made it nearly six feet up when he felt himself begin to push off. Naruto always had trouble suppressing his chakra. Right before he exploded off the tree, he got the brilliant idea to simply divert chakra to other parts of his body. It worked! Tragically, Naruto became so excited by his success that he jumped up in the air and shouted.

He had momentarily forgotten that he was on the tree and fell to the ground. "Crap! I almost got it!"

"Hello Naruto." Naruto shot up at the voice.

"Oh, uh, hey Iruka-sensei."

The Academy instructor smiled and offered Naruto his hand. "It's good to see you hard at work. Though, I'm curious how you learned about such an advanced Chakra control exercise."

"You, uh, know how I have a ton of training scrolls?" Iruka nodded his head. "I, uh, learned it from one of those."

Can't exactly tell you that a version of me from a nightmare future told me about it.

"Well, I'm glad to see that you can study if you put your mind to it." Iruka smiled Naruto dusted himself off.

Naruto laughed nervously. "Hopefully this'll help me with that stupid Bunshin roadblock."

"I'm sure it well, but the Bunshin is a basic ninja technique that everyone has to learn." Iruka added in his 'teacher voice'.

The blond picked back up the kunai. "I guess, but does anyone actually use the Bunshin technique? I mean, it's just a simple illusion. You even said in class that skilled ninja aren't fooled by the technique. At least the Transformation technique can fool civilians and help with spying on them. I've been reading up on jutsus and the only really useful technique we learn is the Body Replacement."

Iruka wasn't sure whether he should be impressed by Naruto's reasoning or insulted that he basically called part of the Academy's curriculum useless. "Think of it this way, the Bunshin is also a gauge of the level of chakra control you possess."

"Oh, I guess when you put it that way, it kinda makes sense." The instructor was pleased to see his student somewhat mollified by his explanation.

"Well, I have to get to the Hokage's Tower and work on Team Selections. I'm proud of how hard you're working Naruto and I'm sure that I'll be suggesting you for after the next term!"

"Thanks Iruka-sensei!" Naruto grinned broadly as his favorite teacher headed to the tower. Naruto's future self had said that Iruka was one of the people who had always accepted him. He could believe that. If Namikaze was telling the truth about that, maybe everything he talked about was true.

Naruto didn't know if he was suppose to be comforted by that realization or terrified by it.

It was a strange feeling. That was the only way Namikaze could describe the course of action he had decided on. His entire life had been dedicated to defending Konoha and becoming Hokage. Now, his ultimate goal was to see his home village torn down. The future Naruto realized on some level that he was still defending Konoha. Currently, Konoha was a cruel mockery of the visions of the First and Fourth Hokages.

"I never thought I'd turn my back on you, Hokage-ji." The elder Naruto flopped at the edge of the bed. He couldn't bring himself to blame Sarutobi for letting Orochimaru escape. Namikaze knew that if he laid the blame for that at the Third's feet that he would be a hypocrite of the highest order. He would have done the same thing if confronted with Sasuke. Was it such sentimentality a weakness? Possibly.

No, the real reason for Namikaze's crisis of faith centered around two other of the Third Hokage's failings. The first was turning a blind eye to Danzō's actions outside of Konoha. ROOT's crushing of the Pranjā Group extended the Civil War in the Land of Woods for another two and a half years. In those two and a half years, nearly a thousand people died. The chaos in the Land of Woods was one of the chief reasons for the Alliance between Suna and Konoha. Then there was the 'Hyūga Incident'. Naruto had been taught by Kakashi that those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are lower than trash. Konoha, and the Third Hokage, were willing to hand over Hiashi to Kumo. Yes, the solution involving the sacrifice of Neji's father prevented a conflict, but there were other ways to handle the situation! The blame for the incident rested solely with Kumo. Naruto did not hold a militant view at all, but Konoha should have stood firm against an action that was essentially blackmail. Konoha was allied with Kusa and Suna at the time. If the Alliance had presented a unified front, Kumo would have backed down.

Instead, a good man was sacrificed and a vicious cycle of hatred was born.

Naruto sighed and looked out the window.

"You are troubled, my brother apprentice." The sudden appearance of Nagato's Deva Path startled Namikaze. The blond fell off the bed with a surprised yelp. He looked up and saw a shimmering outline of Yahiko. The only definitive feature was Nagato's Rinnegan.

Naruto got to his feet. "That's a bit of an understatement! Are you back in Amegakure?"

"I have returned home. We do not have much time to talk. My Animal Path will be summoning a messenger bird to deliver the truth about the man you know as Tobi to you. Why have you not merged as Captain Yamato and I have with our past selves?"

The blond activated the transplanted Byakugan. "Hinata's Byakugan. It created an imbalance and Time is compensating for it. I will merge with my younger self in one year's time. I believe that this can be a huge help for us. We can use the time to prepare for what needs to be done. Konoha is rotten to the core. It has forgotten the truth of the Will of Fire. It no longer protects the world out of love. It seeks to perpetuate itself by any means. In order for Konoha to be reborn into what it should be, it has to be destroyed as it is."

"Konoha is not alone in its crimes. All the villages are equally as guilty." Nagato's Deva Path countered.

Naruto shook his head. "The smaller villages like Takigakure, Amegakure and Hoshigakure are isolationist. I'm sure we can sway them to our cause. It's just the Kage villages that are the threat. Nagato-nii-san, what are your plans for Akatsuki?"

"I do not wish to pursue the Bijū as we did in our previous life, but as long as Uchiha Madara we cannot safely change paths."

"Madara?" Naruto knew the name was familiar, but he couldn't place it.

"You know him as Tobi. All will be explained when you receive the summon."

Namikaze sat back on the bed. "If he worries you, even a little bit, I think my plan to go recruit baa-chan and Ero-sennin just got a bit more urgent."

The two brother apprentices were quiet as they weighed each other's words. "They would be powerful allies."

"Yeah, you know how strong Ero-sennin is. Well, baa-chan is just as strong." Naruto deactivated Hinata's gift. "Nagato-nii-san, I'm going to stay in Konoha for a little while longer. Yamato is searching for evidence to confirm the documents Sai gave us. When he gets those, I will convince both Captain Yamato and my younger self to embrace our ideals. After that, I'll get baa-chan and Ero-Sennin and we'll deal with this Madara character."

Deva Path bowed his head. "You must hurry; we only have a year."

"I know. Peace is within our grasp."

Normally, Yamato hated the paperwork that his position as ANBU Captain forced on him. At the moment, he was glad for the access to ANBU records. Yamato was reviewing a report by Towa. He had been on an assassination mission along the border with the Land of Woods. Towa had succeeded in his mission and eliminated the Nuke-nin that had been raiding the Land of Fire. Yamato decided to personally file the report. The opportunity to confirm or, hopefully, deny some of Naruto's suspicions was too great. The time traveler flipped through the documents and found a report from a large mission several years ago to the Land of Woods. Yamato felt a pain in his chest as the dates matched those of the elimination of the Pranjā group. He had always felt that operation had far too many ANBU on it for a simple reconnaissance in force.

"Naruto, why did you have to be right about this?"

Namikaze was meditating when Naruto arrived. The younger Jinchūriki was shocked. Meditating was an activity he never thought he'd ever do. Naruto wasn't a sensor nin, but even he could practically feel the power radiating off his future self.

"Why am I? Argh, why is he mediating? Stupid time travel, stop confusing me!" Naruto clutched his head and groaned.

"He is centering himself and gathering Nature Chakra."

Naruto leapt into the air and yelled in surprise as a voice appeared behind him. "How did you do that?"

Yamato smiled behind his mask. "ANBU."

Namikaze opened his eyes. "How did my, our, your? Forget it. How did the training go?"

Naruto looked straight at his future self's eyes. They were surrounded by a brownish pattern. The pupils were a horizontal rectangle instead of a circle. Instead of his natural blue, they were golden. "It went really well."

"Good." Namikaze smiled. "What did you find Captain Yamato?"

The ANBU sighed. "There was a large ANBU reconnaissance in force to the Land of Woods at the time of the ROOT operation against the Pranjā group."

"What the heck are you guys talking about?" Naruto asked nervously.

"Remember how I said you could tell absolutely no one about the Kyūbi and who your parents are?" Namikaze asks.

"Yeah, but what about this ANBU guy? Can we trust him?" Naruto never took his eyes off Yamato.

Namikaze smiles softly. "Captain Yamato was one of my friends who came back in time with me. I have faith in him."

The explanation eased, but did not erase, Naruto's concerns. "Fine, but what are you talking about? What's ROOT?"

"ROOT is a splinter division of ANBU. Instead of answering to the Hokage, they answer to Danzō." Yamato said with a bit of venom.

"Danzō is the one behind the betrayal that forced us back in time. He is our enemy. He is your enemy." Namikaze matched and surpassed Captain Yamato's anger.

"Naruto, I have to leave. I just wanted to let you know that we have evidence supporting the elimination of the Pranjā group. I'm sorry."

Namikaze sighed. "There was a part of me that wished you would prove me wrong, Captain Yamato. But, thanks for finding the information."

The ANBU disappeared. Naruto turned to his elder self. "These guys are bad news then? I mean, if they are made up of ANBU level ninja…"

"It's a lot worse than that. Danzō has stripped them of all emotion. ROOT agents are little more than slaves. And that is how that bastard Danzō treats them. He treats them as little more than tools after burying their humanity."

"That's horrible!" Naruto yelled.

"It really is. He wants to do that to us."

Naruto sat down on the edge of his bed. "Because of the Kyūbi."

"Yes." Namikaze breathed deeply. "Our enemy views us as little more than a kunai. To Danzō, we would be nothing more than another tool on his path to being Hokage."

"Too bad for him, I'm going to be Hokage!" Naruto declared.

And here is where I begin to kill my own dream. "Naruto, that will be difficult."

"Of course it will. Is anything worth doing easy?"

Namikaze smiled, truly smiled, at his younger self. "No, nothing ever is. But there are many people who would oppose you becoming Hokage."

"Why? I'd be a kickass Hokage!"

"I know. The problem is we care for the people of Konoha even after how most have treated us. The clans, Danzō and other groups want to keep Konoha as it is now. We'd change things and cause a lot of corrupt people to lose power and wealth."

"But that's a good thing! We'd make things better, dattebayo!" Naruto pounded his fist into his palm.

"Heck yeah we would! The catch is that the corrupt people in Konoha don't want things to get better." Namikaze spoke with the same intensity as his younger self. He walked over to the loose floorboard and pulled out Sai's Documents. Namikaze flipped through the documents and pulled out the papers detailing ROOT paying off the orphanages to keep their recruiting secret.

I'm going to have to find a new place for these. The last thing I need is for me, uh, him reading too much and rushing off to try and smash ROOT. The Gods know I want to, but we aren't strong enough yet.

"This is an example of what we'd have to deal with." Namikaze handed the papers to Naruto.

A wave of disgust rolled over the young child's face. The report detailed the orphans that were 'purchased' and divided into two groups, experiments and recruits. ROOT was treating the orphans, kids similar to Naruto, like items you'd pick up at the store! Naruto couldn't believe that the report casually said that only forty percent of the 'acquisitions' would survive.

"They're kids… They're kids not groceries!"

"That is how Danzō and ROOT think. And as long as people continue to get rich or get political support from Danzō and his allies, they will refuse to change." Namikaze growled.

"What do we have to do?"

Namikaze thought for a moment. How do I explain this?

"You know what you do with a plant in winter?" The older man asked.

Naruto thought for a minute. "Yeah, you cut back the dead branches so that when new branches grow in spring they grow in healthy."

"Well, that's Konoha. Right now, it's winter. The branches, ROOT, the Guilds, some of the Clans and other groups, are dead and rotten. We're going to cut back the dead branches so a new Konoha can grow."

The young blond flopped back on the bed. "If we do that we'd have to fight a whole lot of people. I know the two of us can kick a whole lot of ass, but I don't think we can take on half of Konoha yet."

"You're right." Namikaze saw his counterpart's face fall. "I'll train you a bit before I leave Konoha."

"Wait! You'll train me? Why would you leave?" The eleven year old shot up.

Namikaze sighed. "I'm going to teach you a little bit. And I'm going to leave Konoha to talk to some people who will help us."

"Awesome! I bet you're going to teach me some kickass jutsus that'll knock Sasuke down a few pegs!"

"They would, if we didn't need to keep them secret." Namikaze interrupted the oncoming rant. He enjoyed them, but they had to stay focused.

Naruto stared at Namikaze in open-mouth disbelief. "Not cool! You're me so you know how much I, we, argh, I love to show off awesome Jutsus!"

"I know! It's just we have to keep it secret for now. If you start showing off, our enemies will know something is up and we won't be able to hit them as hard later."

"So, you're saying, it's like the sneaking around before a prank?" Naruto scratched the back of his head.

"You've got it." Namikaze suddenly became serious. "Naruto, I need to know if you are willing to fight against Konoha to save it."

Naruto looked at the ground. "Well, I'm not sure if I like the idea of fighting against the village. I mean, my dream is to be Hokage. But, I guess I didn't realize things were so bad. I mean, everyone looks up to Old Man Hokage. It's hard to imagine they'd do such horrible things."

"If they are willing to ignore Dad's last wish and basically thumb their noses at the Old Man's law about the Fox, does it really surprise you they'd do everything I've told you about?"

Naruto could hear the pain in Namikaze's voice and matched it with his own. "Is there anyone worth saving?"

"There are a few and they will become your, our, most precious people."

The child sighed. "Then I guess I'll have to start cutting away Konoha's dead branches to protect my precious people."

Author's Notes: And that's a wrap on Chapter 2. I'd also like to thank everyone for the response to this story! Most importantly, this was my first story to be put in a NaruHina C2! Hell yes! Please read and review! I know this wasn't an action packed chapter, but it was necessary. Things will pick up next chapter with Namikaze training Naruto. Also, Present Hinata will make her first appearance too.

Speaking of Hinata! She finished 10th in the 7th popularity poll! Hinata was very close to tying with Shikamaru for 9th and beat out Sakura for the most popular female character in the series! Hell yeah!

More good news: Prince Naruto? and The Hyūga's Hound are coming along nicely. If I keep going like I've been, I hope to have one of them updated soon.