Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. However, the original characters and plot of this fic belong to me.

Author Notes: This chapter revolves around the reaction to what Kakashi said along with some more information which should clear up the background. Not much else to say, except enjoy.

Chapter 7: Yondaime's Sacrifice

Naruto observed all of his surroundings carefully while walking through the residence of the Hokage. After leaving the office, he was quick to search the building as discreetly as he could to find the scroll which he had originally planned on coming to Konoha for. Taking off his hat, he brushed his hair backwards before feeling some irritation when realising he had been through the same corridor previously. Clearing his throat, he resumed moving through the surprisingly quiet building before coming to a halt.

In front of the Uzumaki were a pair of large doors, evidently made to attract attention and give the sense of something important being hidden behind them. The blonde walked forwards and put his hands on the door. Applying pressure, he smiled when they came ajar before pushing them completely open. He raised an eyebrow as the smell of books entered his nose and the sheer amount of them astounded him.

"Well, I guess this is the place." He rubbed his nose, laughing before walking into the room. Moving from one position to the other, he pulled out some books and observed them; they ranged from basic history to the rules of being a shinobi. It became clear to him that the room was some sort of a personal library only to be used by authorised people. Glancing around the room, his eyes caught the sight of a large scroll sitting on top of a stand.

Placing the books he had taken out back in their positions, he walked to the scroll and stopped a few feet away from it, wondering why there was no security in such a place. Beginning to move around the scroll, his answer was made apparent as he saw the indistinct shapes of wires which were undoubtedly set in place to alert everyone if there was an intruder.

Folding his arms, Naruto began to think of a way to disable everything before he could hear some voices heading in his direction. Alerted by the growing sound of conversation, he swiftly made an exit from the library into the corridor.

The conversation became clearer as he recognised the voice of the Tsuchikage. Shaking his head as he realised the terrible timing of the people's arrival, he jumped out of the window across him before sticking to the side with his chakra and listening in.

The voice of the Tsuchikage was close as he spoke, "Konoha is indeed a beautiful place. It seems to have recovered well after the attack by Orochimaru."

The female voice laughed as it returned the pleasantries, "Tsunade-sama has been an excellent Hokage. She helped the people a great deal; it's amazing the progress which was made."

They could be heard stopping near the window as Naruto closed his eyes. The Tsuchikage was the one who answered, "A library I assume, so it seems this is a trend shared by the Godaime also. A personal place for information is always useful when one wants something quickly."

A nervous laugh could be heard in response, "I don't know why this is open." The sound of the doors slamming shut entered Naruto's ears as he let go of his hold on the wall and landed on the ground, not garnering any attention.

Standing up straight, he walked into the streets of Konoha and mixed in with the crowd, "Always something that happens." Reaching into his pocket, he took out his cigarettes before placing one in his mouth.

He turned away from the crowd in the streets, entering a quiet passage that led into a district which had multiple buildings, most of which looked in bad shape. Taking out a match, he lit his cigarette and blew out some smoke before the sight of a particular apartment caught his attention.

He stared at the building, almost mesmerised as flashes of his last day in Konoha entered his mind. Calming himself, he made his way closer to the steps which led onto the next floor. Following the staircase upwards with his eyes, he smiled resignedly, "This is something I didn't expect to do."

XXXXXXXXXX

Tsunade's eyes showed that she was deep in thought as she sat at her desk. The busty blonde was silent as she ran over the words of the jounin standing opposite her.

Sakura looked at her mentor before speaking out, "What exactly does he mean when he says container?" She awaited her answer before facing Kakashi when she didn't receive one, "The Kyuubi was killed wasn't it?"

Tsunade finally answered, "The Kyuubi wasn't killed. What you think you know forget it; the truth is different."

Sakura folded her arms, puzzlement etched within her mind as she took in the information. "So, everything we were taught about it was a lie?"

Tsunade faced her student before speaking, "Sakura, everything will be explained shortly." She directed her attention to the shinobi who had informed her of the Kyuubi vessel's return, "How do you know it's him?"

Kakashi's hands were in his pocket, "I can recognise him. The whiskers on his face are what make him stand out from everyone."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow as he realised who the individual they were referring to might be, "It's the one we brought here moments ago."

Sakura's eyes widened, "That pervert is the container of the Kyuubi?" The look she received from Kakashi answered her question as she calmed down.

Kakashi looked at the Godaime, "What are your orders?"

Tsunade leaned back in her chair, "This is an unneeded complication. One thing is for sure, we can't aggravate him. By now, the merger between him and the Kyuubi could be close to completion."

Kakashi nodded, "You're right. You must have seen the crimson in his eyes, it might be a side affect of something which is happening between him and the Kyuubi. His eyes weren't originally the same colour."

Tsunade felt as if she needed a cup of sake. The situation with the Tsuchikage was difficult enough without having a potentially dangerous person, who disappeared for 9 years, return without knowing of their motives. "I want you 3 to monitor him at all times to see if you can find out what he wants. You are in no way to confront him or cause problems. I need to discuss this with Homura and Koharu after I've confirmed a few things."

Kakashi turned around as he moved to the door, "No problem."

Sakura, who was planning to ask Kakashi a multitude of questions, followed along with the last of the Uchiha. Team 7 exited the Hokage's office, seeing Ebisu and his team resting against the wall as well as the Tsuchikage and Shizune coming towards them.

The Tsuchikage addressed the shinobi, "I trust your mission went well."

Sakura laughed nervously, "We know who the pervert was and he'll be dealt with accordingly by Tsunade-shisou." Clearing her throat, she made her way down the corridor along with the rest of Team 7.

The Tsuchikage entered the office of the Godaime with Shizune closing the door behind him. Tsunade instantly spoke before the red haired Kage could take a seat and make himself comfortable, "I'm going to have to ask you to excuse me for the rest of the day; something has come up. We'll meet again at the official celebration of our agreement." Turning to Shizune, she spoke in an authoritative tone, "Bring me the list of all the people who have entered Konoha within the past few days and ask Ebisu and his team to return in the morning."

Shizune nodded in acknowledgment before turning around and making a move to leave, followed by the Tsuchikage.

XXXXXXXXXX

Naruto opened the door as he walked into the dusty apartment. Bringing up his hand, he blew and got rid of the dust covering it, careful not to let his cigarette fall out of his mouth as he did. The blonde looked over the dark abode which seemed to have gone unused for years before beginning to slowly move around it. He looked at the petite sized table and chair which he used to eat at when he was young before his eyes travelled to an open door that led into the bedroom.

Walking towards the bedroom, he entered to find that everything was still there and untouched. The room was extremely dirty with dust covering everything in sight as well as a few cobwebs. Standing still momentarily, he took a deep breath as he brushed his hand over the walls, "The last time I was here, my life changed."

Flashback

A disappointed Naruto continued walking, ignoring the crowd around him. Not minding where he was going to, he travelled onwards. The 9 year olds mind was fixated on his recent failure of the graduation exam. His thoughts kept drifting from one point to another in order to find out how he could possibly improve himself and for once get someone to acknowledge that he exists.

He stopped momentarily as he saw the small pier over the lake where a black haired boy sat calmly, staring into the water. The Uzumaki had seen the young Uchiha sitting in the same spot at different times for over a year now. He, like himself, knew what it meant to be alone but unlike Naruto, everyone acknowledged him.

Naruto diverted his attention as he saw the boy look at him before walking forwards without concentrating on where he was going. The sounds of the village became distant as he eventually came to a stop in front of large gates, behind of which was largest forest he had seen.

Sitting down, he put his head in his hands, "Why can't I do this? Why am I weak?" He looked up at the gate as several thoughts flowed through his head. Getting up, he ran towards it before trying to climb which resulted in him falling on his back.

The jinchuuriki got up again and continued trying to climb over the fence as his hands became bloodied before eventually throwing himself over to the other side. As he landed on his back and a jolt of pain ran through him, his mind was set on the glares he would always receive from the villagers. Every time they'd look at him with bad intent or pull their children away from him, it stung his heart hardly.

Rising to his feet, he walked into the humongous forest, "I'll show them all. I'll make them all remember my name."

The young boy wiped the tears from his face as he looked at where he had wandered into. Taking a better look at his surroundings, he realised the grim atmosphere which sent a wave of fear into his body. Sniffing, he kept his determination strong and ignored everything before taking out a kunai from his trousers.

He looked at the massive log, which seemed to be covered in moss, several feet away from him as he flung the kunai directly into it. The weapon bounced off it and fell to the ground as Naruto clenched his fist in anger. Walking up to the kunai, he picked it up as faint breathing sound entered his ears. The chilling sound's source soon made itself clear as Naruto saw what he thought was a log begin to move.

Stumbling backwards, he fell onto the ground as the deadly fangs of a snake became visible along with the serpent's intimidating eyes. Naruto kept his eyes on the beast as his hand thrashed around the ground before he felt his kunai and began to grip it tightly.

Holding the weapon in front of him as a form of defence, he began to regret coming into the forest as the snake lunged at him causing him to cry out in fear. Naruto saw his life vanishing before a thunderous sound could be heard and the serpent went crashing across the ground. A man covered entirely in black, leaving only his eyes visible, landed next to Naruto. He held his sword in the direction of the snake which had recovered and began to hiss at the new adversary.

The sword began to glow with chakra before elongating and driving itself through the snake's mouth, killing it. As the sword retracted to its original shape, the snake fell to the ground.

Naruto stared at the man with trepidation as he turned to face him. He was shaking as the unidentifiable shinobi spoke to him, "Go home." The shinobi ran away from him but stopped and turned around to find Naruto in the same position, "What's wrong with you? It's dangerous here, go home."

Naruto gulped as he saw the corpse of the snake before facing the shinobi, "I…don't know how." He could see the conflict in the man's eyes as he was sure he must be deciding on something.

"Damn." The shinobi walked up to him and grabbed him before throwing him onto his shoulders and jumping into the trees. Naruto was taken by surprise but was afraid to make a move as he saw the ground rush by. The man holding him came to a halt near the end of the forest before placing him on the branch, "Can you see your home from here?"

Naruto grabbed the leg of the older shinobi tightly as he saw the distance between himself and the ground, "It's that one over there." He pointed at a building with a broken roof which stood out from the others around it.

The shinobi next to him picked him up again, "Right in the middle of everything." He could hear a sigh before they took off again but this time the pace seemed to be slower as they constantly stopped and it was made sure they weren't spotted.

Eventually arriving at Naruto's home, the shinobi looked at the broken door before slowly opening it and moving inside. Naruto entered the small and untidy house, "Uh, thanks…" The blonde stared at him briefly.

The shinobi returned the gaze, knowing it wouldn't result in harm by letting him hear his name since his existence was a shadow, "Yuudai…" He turned to leave, "You should tell your parents to clean this place."

Naruto laughed nervously, still a little shaken, "I don't have parents…I live here on my own."

Yuudai stopped abruptly, "You don't even have a caretaker?"

Naruto had a grim expression, "For some reason, no one wants to accept me. That's why I take care of myself."

Yuudai faced the young boy, his eyes showing that he was deep in thought, "Pull up your shirt."

Naruto nodded awkwardly, complying with the request as Yuudai placed his hand on his stomach. He could feel his stomach warm up before speaking, "What are you doing?"

Yuudai spoke calmly, "Seems like this mission won't be a complete failure."

Naruto was confused by the shinobi's words before he felt a pain engulf his body. His eyes slowly closed as his mind went blank.

End Flashback

Naruto took out the cigarette from his mouth and moved towards the bed, taking a seat. As his mind began to focus on his past, his stomach churned and he began to feel sick. A strong pain entered his senses as he grabbed his stomach tightly and began to breathe heavily. He tried his hardest to remain conscious as a few minutes passed and it eventually stopped, leaving him feeling weary and slightly tired. He looked towards the entrance of his bedroom to find Genkei staring at him.

The dragon looked over the room before walking inside, "This is your old home, huh?"

Naruto nodded as he placed his cigarette on the cabinet next to the bed, "It's not much."

Genkei's tail waved around as he stared at the blonde, "When I said to meet me once you've thought of what you were going to do, didn't you hear me?"

Naruto grinned, "I got an opportunity and took it."

Genkei shook his head, "And what if you collapsed in pain in front of them all? Stop trying to do everything alone."

Naruto sighed as he took off his rucksack and began to search through it for a small scroll and a pen. Opening the scroll, he began to write on it, "I need to let the Confederation know of what's going on." Finishing the scroll, he rolled it up and tied a small ribbon around it.

Genkei folded his arms, "Did you find what you're looking for?"

Naruto bit his thumb before slamming his hand into the ground, resulting in a tiny plume of smoke. A dragon who didn't even reach his shin stood there, shaking from excitement. His red wings stretched out completely and he shook his head continuously. The Uzumaki tied the scroll around the dragon's neck, "Take this to Hideaki, he's in the encampment. Stay out of sight and once you get there, they'll give you a treat."

The red dragon nodded before jumping up and flapping his wings. Once he began to sustain balance, he flew through the window and into the air as Genkei waited for his reply from the blonde, "Well?"

Naruto moved backwards on the bed and rested against the headboard, "I saw the crystal. It seems the Hokage keeps it with her at all times. As for the scroll, if what I saw was it, then it's in a library."

Genkei scratched the wall, testing its toughness, "Make the scroll your first priority; you need that to fix your seal. The crystal seems like it won't be attainable unless you're up to fighting one of the legendary sannin."

Naruto took off his hat and placed it on his lap, "Genkei, I can't let that crystal fall into the wrong hands. If it's not with me then I don't know whether it really is in a safe place."

The dragon gave his advice, "If that's the case then you're going to have to do everything at once. As soon as you get the scroll, you'll need to beat the old woman and take the crystal. But, you're going to have to be clever about it. Your current condition and ability is no longer on the level where you can fight with someone like her."

Naruto picked up his cigarette and placed it back in his mouth, "2 years really does take a lot from someone." He put his hat to a side and laid back on the bed, "I'm going to rest here for today. I'll meet up with you tomorrow."

Genkei nodded as he moved to the exit, "I'll be around."

Before the dragon left, Naruto spoke one last time, "By the way, the Hokage looks exactly like the sculpture of her on the mountain."

Genkei stopped, "Genjutsu?"

Naruto laughed, "Yeah, it's doing her wonders. She would have been a good catch when she was young."

Genkei sighed, "It's a shame that people have no pride in their natural appearance."

Naruto put his hands behind his head, "You've looked like that for a long time now so you probably don't know what it means to look old and past your prime."

Genkei listened to his words as his eyes lost a little of their shine, "There's a reason for that." Naruto's curiosity was peaked as he heard the dragon, "I probably should remain quiet about this subject. Get some rest."

The summon left the abode as Naruto wondered what he could be talking about before slowly falling asleep.

XXXXXXXXXX

Team 7 jumped through the rooftops of Konoha as Sakura voiced the one question which lingered on her mind relentlessly, "Why was the Kyuubi sealed in a boy? I thought Konoha didn't believe in creating a weapon of war."

Kakashi slowed down as he neared the destination he had been heading to, "The Kyuubi wasn't sealed in him because Konoha planned on using him as a weapon. The Yondaime did the only thing he could to save this village at that time."

Sasuke listened intently as they landed on a rooftop across a terrible looking building. He saw a familiar face lying down in a bed, fast asleep. "How did you know to come here?"

Kakashi stared at the still form of Naruto, "I didn't; it was just a guess. He used to live here."

Sakura looked at the sleeping figure before back at her former teacher, "If that's the case then why is his existence so closely guarded by Konoha?"

Kakashi sighed, "A lot of things have gone wrong in his life. Many people in this village dishonoured the Yondaime's sacrifice which led to children pursuing a similar attitude towards him like that of their parents. The Sandaime created the law to protect him and to give him a chance to live like a normal person."

Sasuke walked to the ledge of the roof before taking a seat, "It didn't work out though did it?"

Kakashi turned to the Uchiha, "You remember him?"

Sasuke smirked, "The power of Kyuubi; I wonder how much of it he can control."

Sakura stared at her team mates, "He lived a life like Gaara." She shook her head, "I can't believe something like this happened in Konoha."

Kakashi stared at the unconscious form of Naruto, his eye showing some regret, "We all failed the Yondaime; his wish for him to be seen as a hero never came true."

Sakura folded her arms as she went over the situation, "The reason why we got involved with Akatsuki; it was to see whether we could find him again wasn't it?"

The white haired shinobi remained silent for a few moments before answering, "When he disappeared, there was nothing more the Sandaime regretted than not giving him a family like he always longed for."

Sasuke acknowledged the new information before glancing towards the blonde, "A life of loneliness…"

Kakashi moved backwards, "The only thing that matters as of now is what he wants. Whether it is revenge or something else, we have to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't endanger Konoha."

The sky was a dark crimson as the sun was setting in the horizon. There were no clouds in sight as a few birds could be heard. Sakura sighed as she saw the peaceful face of the jinchuuriki while Sasuke's demeanour remained calm, his thoughts on his own personal problems.

XXXXXXXXXX

Tsunade closed the drawer before placing the file on her desk. Opening it to the front page, there was picture of a young boy with blonde hair along with information written about him on the pages following. The file contained details of his daily life, eating habits and some of his characteristics. The Godaime sat down in her chair before picking up the list Shizune had fetched for her.

She began to scour through the pages, looking for a particular name before she came upon it, "Uzumaki Naruto…"

Shizune's eyes widened as she heard her mentor, "Isn't that the name of the Kyuubi container?" She realised exactly why Tsunade wanted the list of entrants to Konoha as she feared what this could mean.

Tsunade leaned back in her chair, "Kakashi was right." Rubbing her head, she addressed her assistant, "Shizune, I need you to send a message to Koharu and Homura. I want them both here early in the morning to discuss this."

Shizune nodded before leaving the office as Tsunade stared at the picture of the blonde boy who looked innocent. Accepting the job as Hokage wasn't an easy task for her but she was eventually persuaded by Jiraiya to do it in memory of her deceased brother and lover. However, after everything she had done and been through, her drive to remain in the village was diminishing as she constantly had nightmares about her precious people's demise. She didn't understand why but as she looked at the picture of the jinchuuriki, it reminded her of the innocence of her younger brother. She began to wonder what the motive of the returning man was, hoping it wouldn't cause conflict.

Author Notes: A lot of questions arise about Yuudai and what his mission in Konoha was. However, this chapter should have have now given you a clear idea of Naruto's past in Konoha before he was taken. Laters.