Sakura ran out of the tower, it was now almost totally dark.

I won't believe it. Naruto can't believe it's like that. He wouldn't be like that; he'd smile that goofy grin and laugh, proud that he was his son... He would trust in the goodness behind it all.

"Naruto!" She called out, seeing him sitting on the Forth's head. When she jumped up and landed beside him he turned away, quickly wiping his face. She softened her expression without realising and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Don't cry Naruto."

"I'm not crying." He whispered.

"Sure." He held on to her arms and wept, his shoulders shaking, she closed her eyes and let him cry there. She wondered if he knew that she knew what Tsunade had said to him. Then she noticed something weird, his hair was loose; there was no headband on his forehead. "Naruto, where's your forehead protector?" The boy she was holding lifted up one of his hands, showing her his headband with the hidden leaf village insignia engraved into it. He was holding it so tightly that she could see bruising on his palm. "Give me your hand Naruto, I'll heal you." After a brief hesitation, Naruto moved away and offered her his hand.

The green light of healing chakra gathered around their hands and Sakura frowned in concern. "You've been holding it that tightly all this time huh?" She muttered; Naruto refused to meet her eyes.

"Sakura-chan, Ero-Sennin and Granny Tsunade told me that- But I don't know if... They said that the fourth was my father."

"Well, you do look like him, Naruto, a lot. I'd wondered myself when I saw Tsunade's file on him." She finished healing his hand and wiped away a tear that was falling down his face. "You're not happy about it?"

Naruto shook his head. "He'd the one who- put this thing inside of me and I'll never be rid of it... Sakura-chan, what did you think of me when you found out?" He took hold of her hand and stroked her wrist with his thumb, she smiled, when she'd found out... [A/N in this fanfic- Sakura knew about the Kyuubi before Naruto's return

Sakura was cleaning up after Tsunade-Sama, again. The fifth Hokage was asleep at her desk with a very thick file in front of her. When the rest of the office was clean, Sakura teased the folder out from under Tsunade's arms. Then gave a little gasp. This was Naruto's file.

Why is it so thick?

Open it! Open it! Open it!

No! It's Naruto's file!

Oh come on! Aren't you even a little curious? We've not seen the kid in so long!

Go on.

Fine... Just a quick peek!

The pink haired kunoichi opened the file carefully. Then her eyes widened.

This isn't Naruto's mission record! This is detailed information about his life!

Who're his parents?

It doesn't say... But- I didn't know that he was in an outsider orphanage until the age of 3.

It says that the third gave him his own apartment, lucky bastard.

No... Not lucky.

Sakura's finger paused on an extract by the third, a part about a law passed about Naruto. No one was allowed to talk about...

Oh my god.

"I thought, that's why, and I realised why people always treated you that way." Sakura said, "They were scared. They didn't know that you would be strong enough to contain it." She looked out at the village. "You've always been alone, Naruto. I'm sorry."

Naruto smiled something closer to his usual expression. "No Sakura-chan, I've not been alone since graduation. Team 7 was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. You, Sasuke and Kakashi were my first real friends, apart from Iruka-sensei."

Sakura smiled, relieved that he was happier now. She leant in and so did Naruto. Their lips met and they closed their eyes.

Sai promptly changed direction, walking away from them. Seriously, he always seemed to barge in on those two at the wrong moment. He didn't want to interrupt every time; it just didn't seem fair on them.

He headed through the dark, nearly empty streets of Konoha; he headed for Yamato's house, since he had a question about his team.

Sasuke kept inside the trees, signalling for team Hebi to stay back. They were useful, his three new underlings, but their personalities were like twisted versions of those in team 7. Exaggerated copies of Sakura, Naruto and Himself.

That would make me Kakashi sensei then. He smirked, but raised an eyebrow. Except, without that flippancy.

"I wonder what Konoha is like now." He mused, hand on hip. He'd gathered team Hebi to defeat Itachi when he heard about his resurrection. Then, he'd decided that Konoha would be the village most likely to know the most about Itachi's whereabouts, since they'd been keeping tabs on Akatsuki.

Minato opened his eyes after a period of meditation. Reflecting on his life in Konoha, watching over Konoha was a sort of pastime for him now. Since he'd perfected his guardian jutsu, he'd been making sure that Akatsuki didn't try to destroy his home. He mostly watched those he'd known before, occasionally watching the younger ninja at the academy. When he'd first seen the blond boy with the whisker lines on his cheeks he'd stopped watching and tried to forget that face... That face, so... so like his own, and the reckless smile when he'd first arrived.

Too much like Kushina, too much like Minato.

So much that he had to look again.

And again.

So much that he felt his heart tear when he saw the boy return to an empty apartment, when he saw the boy punished by the village adults when he tried to go out into the village, when he saw the boy rejected by a girl with pink hair because she knew her parents hated him.

So much that when Naruto's teacher, Iruka, bought him ramen, Yondaime had a similar expression on his face to the boy himself. Since then, he'd become addicted to watching his son's life. He tried to make up for not being a true father by monitoring the boy's progress.

He watched as the boy's infectious personality warmed the villagers to him over time, watched him gain many friends and forge bonds strong enough to make you believe in the world again. Among those close to him were the last Uchiha and the pink haired girl; his teammates. Led by Kakashi-kun.

Then the Uchiha broke those bonds. Yondaime had stopped watching after that. He had to remember why he was doing this, why it was so important to leave his son all those years ago.

Then recently, he'd been unable to resist. Naruto had not been in Konoha anymore, he was training with... Jirayia-sensei.

He knew that Naruto had been taught the rasengan by Jirayia-sensei, but the young man he now saw was much stronger, much more capable.

When the teenager returned to Konoha, Yondaime had watched his reunions. The same pink haired girl who'd rejected his son, who'd become his friend, had found out all about the Kyuubi, from Tsunade's files. But she didn't fear him, none of those who knew rejected him now; he was welcomed back to Konoha as a prodigal son.

When he and the pink haired girl had kissed for the first time, Minato had silently grinned and punched the air.

That boy... I am proud of my son. I should never have watched him grow up. I may not be able to do what I must now. Damn it.

Especially now that his lover is a Jinchuuriki too. He sighed grimly. A knock on his door startled him out of his reverie, and he murmured permission to enter.

The man who entered his room had long dark hair and black, impassive eyes.

"Ah, you've finally come." Yondaime smiled, as if greeting an old friend, but the hatred sparked between them like electrical chakra.

"I knew you'd be glad to see me Yondaime Hokage-Sama." Itachi smirked, clearly sarcastic. "Pain-Sama wanted you informed of our progress with the Jinchuuriki... Ah, Issue."

"You're especially malicious today Itachi-kun." The Hokage said coldly, "angry that your little brother killed you after all?" He turned away, walking over to the window. "I wish that I didn't have to bring the two of you back, personally."

"Same here." Itachi glared at him. The blond man half turned to glance at him from the corner of his sky-blue eyes.

"Next time, he will defeat you without help from Naruto and Sakura." Yondaime smiled resting against the wall. "Maybe Naruto and Sakura will defeat me."

Itachi half laughed, "You're not serious." He muttered. "That's impossible."

"No." Yondaime looked out of the window again, the hope just audible in his voice. "I don't think so. You know that he has completed the rasengan?" Itachi stopped laughing.

"How? It's impossible."

"Never say impossible with that boy." Yondaime smirked at Itachi's expression. But Itachi then turned unreadable.

"You sound as if you're talking about a son."

"Oh, do I?" Yondaime put on an air of cold indifference. "How strange that you should say such a thing."

Itachi turned and left the room, muttering, "It's not as if they're human."

Yondaime looked up sharply as the door clicked shut.

"More human than you, Uchiha Itachi." He whispered.

Their bargain had only extended to include confirmed relations, not suspected ones. Itachi could do a lot to Naruto without actually killing him. But there was no turning back now. Tears crept up on him, unbidden and unwanted, he had been in charge of the hidden rain village's Pein and Konan for some time; letting them control Akatsuki so long as he remained their censor and ruler. Or, as Pein put it, the god of the god.

They were not allowed to destroy Konoha, at least not irreversibly. His ice-blue eyes softened as he thought of his home. His past.

His wife.

Kushina...

She entered the room as though summoned by his thoughts. He looked at her and smiled.

"You've been gone a while."

"I'm back now." She grinned, he wondered how she could stay so happy and cheerful after all they had seen? He loved her so much, only he could see her pain, the pain that had been there since the day they left Konoha behind. Konoha, that haven of safety hidden from the hardships known to the other ninja villages.

His wife stepped into his embrace and sighed. "You were watching him again, weren't you? Oh Minato, we should go back and see him... Just for a moment."

"Kushina-chan, we mustn't, if we did, someone may recognise us. We must establish true peace before we can return."

"Maybe, but is peace worth all that it demands?"

"I hope so, but maybe it won't be necessary to- kill him."

"Naruto... Hmm, I'm hungry, could we get some ramen?" She smiled at him but her eyes didn't sparkle.

I will find another way. Minato silently vowed. This cannot continue.

Yamato looked carefully at the building in front of him, behind him, stood Kakashi. When Yamato looked back at the silver-haired ninja, he saw that Kakashi, too, had reached the same conclusion as he.

"Inside." He murmured.

"Yes." Kakashi agreed. "I'm sure of it." They stood before a nondescript town building in the middle of a village near Konoha itself in the Fire country. This was the subject of their secret mission. While Sai and Sakura waited for Naruto, they had left to find the Akatsuki head base.

This was it.

"Do we barge in now?" Yamato muttered to his fellow ninja, who glanced up at the building in curiosity.

"I won't deny that I want to..." The masked ninja smirked, "I just know that that is Naruto's influence. But, as good as we are, whoever is in there is undoubtedly stronger. While Jirayia may go after his own students alone, we do not know who this is."

"The true leader." Yamato agreed. "On the other hand, they probably know that we're here. If we don't attack now, an army may not be able to do this."

"We're not the only village, who wants Akatsuki gone, and the Sand village is Konoha's ally and good friend."

"I agree; it's too risky to go in now."

"We'll report to Hokage-Sama and Kazekage-Sama immediately." Kakashi smiled to himself; it still felt strange calling Gaara that. As allies, the Leaf and the Sand made it common practice to meet and exchange information.

Looking at the night sky, the blond Shinobi stood by the one he loved.

Father and son mirroring each other without knowing.

The bond that spanned time, space and heartache, would never break.

No matter how far it was stretched, it would not break.

O such a fast update!!! Two chapters in two days!!! Oo review or I cry TT