I am REALLY SORRY about how long it's taken me to update this! I will try SO hard to update more from now on!

Yondaime Hokage...

Minato...

The blond man looked out of a window at a harsh world; he saw this world and sighed laboriously. His wife and he had believed in it so much, and then they had seen the truth... and could stay in it no longer.

Somewhere out there... is the Kyuubi, until now it was the final Bijuu; the Jinchuuriki who shares my blood. Kushina, what did we make? Who is the boy who is a part of us? Do I love him? The way that a father should? Itachi said that he was powerful... am I proud? When those two come back, will I ask about him?

Does a father plan his son's death from the moment he is conceived?

Naruto grimaced in pain and regained consciousness slowly; Sakura, Yamato and Sai came into focus, blurry at first, then clearer. Everyone looked pretty beat up from that fight with Orochimaru. Sasori's spy... had been Kabuto.

Now I remember... They'd planned to kill Sasori... heh... too bad Sakura-chan got there first.

He looked at the relief on his teammates' faces, and sat up. Supported by the girl he loved, he slowly stood and looked at the marred landscape before him.

"Did we kill them?"

"No." Sai said, helping Sakura support the blond boy. "ROOT ANBU will have me for this... at this point I was meant to go for Sasuke."

"Thank you Sai." Naruto looked at his recently made friend, who was smiling his real smile... the one he'd smiled when he'd finished that picture book on the way here. He noticed scratches on Sakura's arm and frowned. "Sakura-chan, you got hurt..."

"What about the rest of us? Talk about one track mind!" Yamato smiled at the couple, but wondered whether Sakura would tell the impulsive Naruto the truth about those wounds. That he'd given them to her as the Kyuubi, when she'd tried to stop his path of relentless destruction, caused by Kabuto's provocation. The boy just smiled and rested his head against Sakura's as they walked, she thanked Yamato with her eyes for the distraction and he looked away, it hadn't been meant as a distraction, he wanted Naruto to know what he was capable of.

Sai smiled again, he was going to get in trouble for failing his mission, but maybe he could leave ROOT and become a true member of team Kakashi... able at last to have friends for real. To share bonds that he would protect with his life.

Sakura wheezed in exhaustion and grimaced in pain. It had been a few weeks since the mission where Azuma had died; she was training as hard as ever with Tsunade and researching the Bijuus as much as possible...

My arm still hurts... jeez, what a useless Bijuu I have, what extraordinary qualities do I show? None.

Tsunade watched the girl in concern; she was pushing herself too hard again... Tsunade watched her pupil form a chakra blade and fight with Shizune, winning fairly easily.

The Sakura Bijuu, a phenomenon that's existed for so long without any of the Hokages knowing. Or the Haruno family, as it turns out...something passed down but dismissed as an imaginary voice... The family was as helpful as possible but- we're no closer to knowing anything about it.

Sakura had been spending a lot of time meditating recently, conversing with the Sakura Bijuu, while Naruto worked on the completion of the Rasengan technique, and her ninjutsu progress was as good as ever, perhaps greater than before, but it was hard to tell, because she always seemed to be aiming higher than she was capable... Although... If she continued developing at this rate, she would definitely surpass Tsunade within a few years.

I wonder how Naruto is doing. Both medics thought simultaneously. But Tsunade was the only one who thought; will he keep his promise to surpass his father? Will he complete the technique that Minato could not?

She'd always thought it slightly odd that Minato, calm, cool and a certifiable genius, had fallen in love with the hyperactive, impulsive, but nevertheless talented Kushina. But now, well history was always meant to repeat itself; Intelligent Sakura and Impulsive Naruto.

Let's hope they don't share the same end. Jirayia would hate to see his two favourite students share that fate... I don't care that to die in battle is a fitting death for a Shinobi; I've never believed that... And Naruto can't die before he becomes Hokage; he promised.

"YES!" Naruto punched the air with a grin on his face; "AT LAST!"

Kakashi and Yamato looked at each other, speechless. "I had no idea that it would happen so fast..." Kakashi started but Naruto glared at him.

"What the hell do you mean fast?! This took forever!"

"You have no idea Naruto-kun." Yamato laughed; "This was nothing." He stopped and let silence fall, enjoying the fact that Naruto was so clearly restless and desperate to leave. "Oh go on then, go and tell her."

The boy had already left.

I did it, I did it, and I am DEFINATELY becoming Hokage now! I am DEFINATELY gonna beat Sasuke!

Still thinking about that kid? Simple kid, aren't you?

Better than being evil!

So you think...

I'm still not forgiving you for hurting Sakura twice!

I don't need a bratty kid's forgiveness.

Bratty kid?

Naruto ran up the steps of the Hokage's tower, clearing the steps two at a time, nearly bumping into a vaguely surprised Ino as he did so.

"Oh Naruto?" She said, a slightly bored tone, "she's not up there." That stopped him and he turned to the blonde girl quizzically.

"What do you mean? Where is she?" He was practically jumping up and down in impatience, Ino pulled a face at him; she didn't know what anyone meant when they said he was more mature now, she just didn't see any change.

"Umm, I think Shikamaru said something about Sakura's house... Something about that Bigoo thing-"

"Bijuu."

"Whatever, they're looking something up. Oh and Naruto..."

"Yeah?" He half turned as he reached the bottom of the staircase.

"Ask her if she's okay... I haven't seen her much lately. I'm- a little worried about her." Ino folded her arms and raised an eyebrow, pretending indifference; "Don't mess it up okay?"

"No problem Ino, I'll pass on the message!" Ino closed her eyes in annoyance; seriously, no change.

"That's not what I meant." But he'd already bolted off down the street. "Oh whatever... I'll chase her down later." She walked down the stairs herself, before heading in the direction of her dead sensei's grave.

Shizune closed the front door of the Haruno house carefully. "Come on Tonton; let's go get something to eat." A blur of orange sped past her as she headed towards Ichiraku ramen store, and she smiled to herself. "Sometimes it's easy to forget that they're still young. Eh Tonton?''

He must have finished the rasengan... that boy really is something?

She heard the excited cry of "SAKURA-CHAN!!!" and laughed as other people in the street suddenly looked up to see where the shout had come from. Then a passing Kiba simply said "Naruto." And they nodded, getting back to whatever it was they'd been doing.

Naruto barged into the Haruno living room to see Tsunade, Sakura and Sakura's family gathered there with serious expressions on their faces; he was shocked out of his excitement by the oppressive mood of the people there.

"Um..." He started, forgetting why he was there. "I'm sorry to- barge in like this but- err..." He looked around for inspiration; Sakura smiled and stood up to greet him.

"Did you complete the jutsu already?" He grinned.

"Yep!" Tsunade's eyes widened.

"What, already?"

"Hokage-Sama, I'd like to finish training for today if that's alright." Sakura bowed her head to her sensei, which, in turn, looked at the girl's mother.

"Of course, that's quite enough for today."

The Haruno woman looked at her daughter sadly as she left the room with Naruto, then looked at her husband in regret.

"How did we not know?"

"There was no way to know without specifically researching it, Sakura's great grandmother was the only one who knew; it's a relief that she wrote it down or we'd still be in the dark." The Hokage sipped some sake and sighed. "I wonder if Akatsuki know too."

Sakura's mother gasped and her husband pulled her into a hug. "It's alright Haruka, she'll manage, she's already beat one of those bastards, and that was without Naruto, who has about two or more of their deaths to his name."

"But Shirai, she's too young to have to deal with this..."

"Sakura's lucky; she hasn't had to deal with this her whole life." Tsunade snapped; a little annoyed at the woman before her. "Naruto and all the other Jinchuuriki have been outcast and abandoned their whole lives, Sakura may go through the same things, but she can understand why, which is more than Naruto used to." She looked at Haruka Haruno and instantly regretted her harsh words; this woman loved her daughter and only wanted her to live safely. A difficult task for a ninja.

"I-I know Hokage-Sama. I wish that in the past- I wish I'd at least tried to understand... I'm so sorry for that boy." She smiled weakly. "Maybe he will find happiness with my daughter, and she with him." Tsunade returned the smile, but with more reassurance.

"I think that they already have."

PLEASE REVIEW! I don't know if i deserve it after my late late LATE update but... please?