Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 2: False Pretenses

-

Four Years Ago: Konoha Orphanage - 7:39 PM

"Are you going to join me, demon?" asked the woman as she stepped onto the wooden stool in front of her. Right next to it was a taller one.

"You know why I have to do this, don't you? After all, you were the one that confided in the Hokage about our 'training', correct little Naruto?"

The young boy who had just been promoted to Chuunin stared at her with tear filled eyes, not wanting to see what was in front of him. "Y-yes! I did! But I didn't know it would come to this, Lucia-sensei! Honest..."

"There's no time for lies. Before they come, which I am sure they are on their way, we must embark on this journey. It's for the best." She looked down at the boy through her pink bangs, staring at him with cold eyes.

The orphanage was abandoned currently. The children had left with her assistant just an hour ago to treat all of them to a late dinner at a local barbecue place. All but one of them, her favorite person, no, demon to use. Though her fun was ruined now... That abomination of an existence had told the Hokage about her relationship with the boy and the experiments she had undergone many a times over the past five years of his residence there.

"Do you remember why you exist? Why you were here the whole time and your reason for becoming a ninja?" she demanded with a sickly smile.

"To prolong your happiness. To become powerful enough to protect you. To exist for you only!" he answered quickly with a hint of fear in his voice.

"Then you must be aware of what you have just done to me, little Naruto. Do you know what? The Hokage is probably sending some ninja to pick me up now for eternal damnation within the cells beneath our village. This all because of you, Naruto!" she said all of this with an insane smile and continued after she saw him look at her with a sorrowful face, "I see, so you do know that my fate is sealed also. That means your own is as well."

"No...don't do this. Please don't leave me, Lucia-sensei. I'll do anything for you! I'll fight all of them off, I'll buy you time to escape!" he urged her to stop while openly crying now.

"You don't seem to understand, Naruto. You're just a Chuunin going against, what, two or maybe three Hokage trained assistant Chuunin? I doubt you can do anything. But there is one thing you can do for me..." Taking a step down from the chair she walked over to the shuddering boy and extended a hand.

"Please just name it, Lucia-chan..." Naruto plead to her calmly as he started reaching towards her hand.

"Die with me!" she said with an overly cheerful tone and amused eyes.

"W-what? I...I." The nine year old nin had no idea what to say. His vision started blurring, he attributed this to tears.

"You forgot again you useless boy! How did you become a Chuunin with such horrible reasoning skills, huh? Obviously, with my death you have no reason to exist." exclaimed the woman as if it were fact.

"..." He didn't know what to feel. Did that mean she finally wanted him? Or was this just another cruel challenge he had to overcome to become a more powerful ninja? Either way he knew it would eventually end with the same result. Death.

"Remember what I said so many times before, little Naruto?"

"That I'm a tool, a useless one that no one will ever love. My happiness and the love from others are an illusion because the people around me make it so with their false pretenses..." He had heard this many times, and taken it to heart.

"You know something, Naruto? There is one person that loves you, and that's me, the woman who taught you how to be human. How to be somewhat useful in this world full of tools that fail to meet any such requirements that you have overcame with my help!" Time was running out, she needed to off herself before having to be detained. But she'd be damned to hell if her loyal device didn't enjoy the same fate.

Naruto looked up at her, stunned. He had never been told that he was loved before. This newfound gift and the current situation weren't helping his mental state comprehend what was going on or what decision he should make.

Noticing she had the desired effect on the blond she took his limp hand and led him to his chair. She got on her own and slightly tightened the nooses of the two ropes she had attached to the ceiling. Drama had always been her favorite genre, it was only proper that such a death would fit it.

"Alright, now we will both travel to the afterlife happily, right Naruto?" she flashed him a smile that he caught with unresponsive eyes.

"Lucia-chan...will you love me even after this? Can we...can we stop the 'secret training' and be like a real couple or possibly, a family?" he asked curiously.

"Of course Naruto, how else would we live together? Now just put your head through that loop in the rope and follow my movements." All the while she grinned as if this were the best way to die.

Both chairs scraped the ground and fell a couple of seconds later after her instructions.

While she was hanging by her neck and waiting for the effects to ensue Lucia looked over at the demon container. It looked like he was trying not to struggle but kept staring at her with those horrid blue eyes. She concluded that she was able to ultimately win the boy over with that simple lie she had spouted before. The same one that she was about to repeat to him just to make sure he gave no thought to escape.

"I love...you...my little Naruto." Lucia choked out.

-

Current Time: Hokage Office - 6 PM

"Man, I never know if this bloodline ability is a gift or a curse." The seasoned Jounin sat down into the padded chair with a low sigh.

Naruto was unconscious, sleeping soundly on the couch across the room. The Hokage looked up from the book he was reading to address the seemingly disturbed mind walker.

"How bad is his mental state, Inoichi-san? Uchiha Ayane told me, during her verbal report, that he was talking to himself at one point in the mission. Quite a few times this has happened... I fear that the seal is either weakening or he is trying to make direct contact with the Kyuubi." Sarutobi pulled out one of his drawers to deposit the orange colored book and took out his traditional pipe.

"Far from it, Hokage-sama. I looked through his recent memories, though many of his old ones kept popping up, and found that he's trying hard to resist the demon inside him. To the point of self harm." Inoichi looked over at the boy to make sure he was still sleeping.

"There were other things that I saw, but because our time is limited I'll just have to write it in my report at home. Very troubling..." The sandy blond looked the Hokage in the eyes and continued, "My final conclusion is that Naruto Uzumaki, fourth member of ANBU Infantry Squad 6, is unfit for any duty at the moment due to mental stress and potential endangerment of teammates or bystanders. I will provide further details within my report but, as a veteran ninja and psychologist, I highly suggest some sort of rehabilitation for the boy."

Sarutobi flicked some of the ash from his pipe and heaved a sigh. "I've already sent our best to deal with him, I truly believe there is nothing I can do for Naruto anymore. All I can do is continually lie to him about everything being all right."

The Hokage then put his unlit pipe on the table and walked over to the window that overlooked his village, "On another note, if I were to send him any more of our specialists I'm sure they would just have the opposite effect and make him retreat behind that damned mask again..."

Inoichi stood up and went over to the coat rack to receive his vest. "May I speak on a personal level with you, Hokage-sama?"

"Anytime, in fact I encourage you to do that more. My life is lacking people with unbiased viewpoints." The aged man turned from the window to look at the Jounin.

"Why didn't you send Naruto to me earlier?! I could have done something for him, even the smallest bit of aid from me would have been able to comfort his mind by a good fraction!" shouted the enraged Jounin.

Sarutobi smiled warmly at Inoichi which caused the man to lose a bit of his temper but also take a step back. "I guess you don't remember how you treated this boy most of his life? If memory serves me right, you only started treating him as an equal after he saved your interrogation squad from a failed reconnaissance mission. He risked banishment from the village for disobeying orders to stay in the village and not interfere."

Inoichi fixated his eyes on one of the floorboard tiles that looked particularly dirty. "That's all in the past now...You still could have assigned me as his psychologist afterwards. It was only a year ago."

In the boy's younger days Inoichi would always antagonize him with killer intent and harsh comments about demons existing for a bitter end. Many would not notice it, but Inoichi had gained a rather soft spot for the young demon container over the years. He had watched Naruto perform in every one of the challenges to become part of the elite. After the Chuunin exam, he had eagerly participated as a viewer to witness the astonishing power and determination the boy exuded in constant waves. Naruto had saved his unit from death, so the mind walker Jounin had taken it upon himself to help the enigmatic blond whenever possible.

Sarutobi decided to ignore any further requests the interrogation specialist had, believing that help was beyond Naruto's reach. "Just tell me one thing, was she in there? A woman named Lucia, if I remember correctly." he asked with a grim face.

"Yes, and I saw the many things that she had..." Inoichi closed his eyes, "...forced the boy to do through certain manipulation techniques. To think that our village holds such disturbed individuals is quite repulsive."

"It really is Inoichi-san, it really is. I believe we are done here for today. I sense the drug I had slipped in Naruto's tea is wearing off." Sarutobi looked over at the couch to see small bursts of purple chakra radiating in short spurts out of Naruto's still sleeping body.

"Then I'll take my leave, Hokage-sama. I'll drop off my report two mornings from now, there is much to write." With that he formed a hand seal and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

-

Hokage Office – 7:38 PM

Naruto opened his eyes slowly and felt numb all around his body for some odd reason. "Dammit...not again."

It was all coming back. He was walking to Ichiraku Ramen after scheduling an appointment with the Hokage when Dan, his annoyingly silent teammate, had told him to report back to the tower for a "personal talk" with the Hokage. He hated these meetings. They were always concerning his inner demon and the old man's fake concerns about his well being. Either that or it was about the not so secret missions he would complete for the Council to make them like him more.

But no, this one was different. Pleasant actually, since all that had happened was a conversation about the advanced methodology behind genjutsu and several cups of his favorite jasmine tea. Of course, he never expected to fall asleep so easily. Hell, it was a difficult task for himself to complete every night because of his dreams.

"I see you are finally up from your nap, Naruto-kun. You drank all of my reserves of tea, after all." said the Hokage who was walking towards his place on the couch.

"Ara, ara...Sorry about that, Sarutobi-san." apologized Naruto knowing that the old man loved it when someone used his name and not the title.

"No problem, I rather enjoyed our talk about genjutsu. But next time, don't talk so much about it that you bore yourself to sleep." Sarutobi chuckled.

Naruto looked up at the Hokage suspiciously and placed his favorite mask on with a smile, "I guess it should become a forbidden jutsu because of the effects it has on the user." The two laughed lightly at his lame joke.

The blond stood up to leave only to be stopped by Sarutobi's hand on his shoulder. "We haven't finished yet, Naruto-kun..." Sarutobi walked over to his chair and motioned him to take a seat as well.

As Naruto sat down Sarutobi picked up his unlit pipe and started fiddling around with it between his aged fingers. "As you might know, the real reason you were called here concerns your prisoner, the Kyuubi." He heard Naruto groan but continued, "Due to your mental state I will have to place you in standby status."

"What?! Hokage-sama, you can't do that! I need to be available for my team, they need me since I'm their only Medic-Nin!" shouted the blond who looked more scared than angry. Ayane's face had flashed in his mind as he said that.

"We have a replacement ready, she won't be as good as you, but won't hold your team back either." said the stone faced Hokage.

Naruto calmed down from hearing that but still felt angry. "Why would you do this? You know how valuable I am to our village and our increasing status. I haven't shown any signs of mental instability at all, I'm sure of it. You can even send one of those damned mind probe specialists to examine me."

Sarutobi laughed heartily and laid his pipe on the table. "How many times have I done that? Each one is fooled by your veil and knowledge of the mind to think twice of their results. This is most likely because they go by the book, but I am different Naruto. I, as you are too, am a ninja. To look underneath and such, isn't that correct?" asked Sarutobi as he took off his hat and placed it on the desk next to his pipe.

"You're making a mistake Sarutobi-san, what will the Council do once they hear of your decision?" inquired Naruto as he looked at the increasing darkness behind the window.

"I have sent word, and my say is final when it comes to my own ninja. If they were to argue or propose any plans, I am in power of vetoing either to end whatever complaints there may be." stated the Hokage.

"I see...But I still don't get how I'm not mentally stable. Where's your proof, Sarutobi-san?"

"Do you usually fall asleep that easily during the afternoon? Jasmine tea, well the type I served you anyway, does not have sleep inducing effects. I'm by no means an expert at genjutsu as well." Sarutobi said amiably.

"You drugged me, again... It must have been in rather large doses to be able to have that effect, considering my resilience from the Kyuubi." commented Naruto who was starting to feel uncomfortable.

"That is correct. Now as for the proof, it is being written by our village mind walker, Inoichi-san. I'm sorry Naruto, but I had to resort to this method because of your unwillingness to cooperate appropriately."

"I did cooperate! I passed every one of your damned tests those psychologists put me through!" shouted Naruto.

"As I said before, you fooled them into writing falsities." replied Sarutobi who was growing tired of repeating.

"So you had Inoichi-san go through my memories to procure evidence of my mental illness..." Naruto said with a softer voice.

"Again, I'm sorry. But I did this for your own good. You may not see it now, but giving you this chance will benefit your life more than you think. I remember when you were younger, before that woman tainted you-"

"Don't say that! She made me into who I am now, she was my reason for existing." interrupted Naruto vehemently.

"Naruto, you know that is not true. Her upbringing has flawed your thinking but not your whole personality." he said with a serious voice. "You seem to be forgetting your friends that have been at your side for many years. Or how about your teachers, I believe their names were Cloud and Chipp?"

Naruto looked down in shame for overlooking such important people in his life. "You're right, Sarutobi-san."

"Now, as I was saying before. When you were younger you would always tell me that your dream was to become Hokage." He glanced at the boy who had a distant look in his eyes, "Can you tell me if your dream is the same now, and be sure of it?"

Naruto turned his head up to look at the Hokage and with an honest voice answered, "No."

"Do you have a dream, not an ambition, but a solid dream to reach for?"

"No."

Sarutobi expected these answers and in his mind had already prepared a new mission for the boy. "As a ninja of Konoha, I am assigning you this vital mission that will secure your place back into the ranks of ANBU. Your objectives are; Find your own dream, find your reason for existing, and to ease your mind of the Kyuubi's influence." Sarutobi finally lit the pipe and placed it in his mouth.

"When you are ready, I will have Inoichi-san examine you for any deception within your words by going through your mindscape. Is this understood, Naruto?"

"Yes, Sarutobi-san." A torrent of feelings were flowing through him at the moment. He wouldn't be able to watch over the girl that he loved or help support his village in their time of need. But now he had time to find himself, to strengthen his resolve and finally confront the many questions that plagued his mind throughout his short life.

"Though you are on standby status, I would still like you to continue your espionage mission at the Academy. It might actually help you in your newly assigned one as well... Do you have any evidence yet of Mizuki's allegiance with an outer influence?"

Naruto tried quieting the constant barrage of questions in his head before replying. "No, but I believe I am getting close to some. I have heard him talking with a student in my class, a Hinata Hyuuga, about the security around her estate. He questions her with the excuse of being concerned that the Lightning Country incident might repeat itself."

"So nothing more than what you have already given me in the report a few days ago? I see...Then continue this investigation for a couple of more weeks. If we don't receive any new information I'm afraid we will have to get Ibiki-san to directly confront the matter." Sarutobi exhaled some smoke through his nose and turned towards the young blond.

"I almost feel like I'm reliving a smaller version of the Root Revolution." He heard Naruto chuckle at that.

"And I bet it will end the same way. That man is horrible at hiding his tracks, even if he's taking every precaution possible." Naruto said dryly.

"You're pretty good at hiding it Naruto, but I can see that you're quite eager to get to Ichiraku Ramen. Maybe it's because of that vibrant flower that works there, what's her name again...?" asked Sarutobi with a sly smile.

Naruto blushed, "It's Ayame, Sarutobi-san." Sarutobi walked over to Naruto and patted the boy's head.

"Good luck my boy." the old man said with a hint of humor in his voice. "I bore witness to some of the situations that girl had placed you in, and saw the results which involved her Grandfather's skill with a knife."

Naruto faintly nodded before forming a hand seal to execute a jutsu that made him dissipate in a spiral of cherry blossoms.

-

Western Konoha: Ichiraku Ramen Bar – 8:19 PM

Ayame turned off the cooking equipment before going to the back to lock everything up. Since it was Sunday the ramen bar had to close early. It had been a hard day, not because of the influx of customers or her Grandpa's absence due to a slight cold. No, it was because Naruto hadn't shown up. She was continually distracted and kept looking at the wall clock during most of work.

"Even that stupid Uchiha girl came by to grab a bite...Why the hell wouldn't he be here by now? He can't be injured, that's not really possible. Maybe he got sick! No, he never gets sick. Wasn't he on the same mission as that whore?" she kept talking to herself throughout her inspection while cursing the existence of Ayane.

Ayame was what some would call clingy, when it came to Naruto. She was always near him when he was in the village and only without him when she was working in the kitchen or at home. But even then he was with her in the apartment sometimes, making him sort of a family member to Teuchi who owned the apartment complex and restaurant that Naruto frequented. This had all started when he met her after his graduation from the Academy, his teacher had brought him to the ramen bar for a celebratory meal.

The six year old boy befriended the ten year old girl quickly and inspired her to try harder at doing whatever she aspired to become. Teuchi saw this as an achievement in itself because his daughter, that's what he liked to believe, was recluse and bitter when it came to other children.

"He never forgets to walk home with me unless he's on a mission...I swear, if I find out he's with that arrogant bitch I'll use him as my pillow for the next couple of nights." she said as the final lock was put in place.

"Ara, ara! I didn't think she was that mean to you, Aya-hime." Naruto laughed a little.

Ayame turned around and blushed as he walked up to her with a wide grin. "Why didn't you come earlier?" She noted that he was still in his ninja attire.

His face immediately turned downcast. "How about we talk about it once I get you home. This isn't the right...atmosphere to tell you about it." She saw him look towards one of the trees next to the restaurant she had just closed up.

"Sure, but as punishment for being late I want you to jump me to my house!" Ayame said and jabbed a finger at his armored stomach. She then began hefting up her waitress skirt.

"Wait! What are you doing? I can pick you up bridal style, it's much more efficient." Naruto babbled at seeing her lightly tanned, and slender he mentally added, legs.

Ayame knew the effects she had on the poor boy. Ever since she had met him when they were younger she had developed a crush on him. That crush grew to be more as she observed Naruto grow up mentally and physically by overcoming the many arduous tests of becoming a shinobi. She learned much about his past and current life to the point where, if she wanted to, could write a small biography about him. But that was only one of the key factors to the reason why she loved the goofy blond so much.

"I don't like being carried that way. It's more fun to get on your back while you hold my..." she didn't finish the statement fearing he would lose a good amount of blood through his nose. "Come on, are you afraid someone will see more than they should? No one is out tonight, really. Besides, we've done this numerous times." Ayame finished this statement off with a pout that won her more victories than any ninja could hope for against Naruto.

"Alright, but please don't guide my hands elsewhere while I'm jumping. You remember what happened last time..." He heard her squeak a "Yes" before hopping on his back and landing on his prepared hands.

He readied his jump but decided to ask a question that didn't need answering. "Does the offer of being your pillow still stand?"

Ayame laughed and slapped him on his head with more strength than needed. "Of course you idiot." The usual trademark phrase he used came from his lips which caused her to smile.

"Okay, I'm going to up the portion of chakra this time. There's a full moon you can see while I jump us home, Aya-hime!" With that he took one step and bounded for the skies.

-

Kousai Residence: Ayame's Room – 9 PM

The two teens had just gotten in a couple of minutes ago and were getting comfortable. Ayame was making tea while Naruto was removing all of his ANBU gear on top of the table that had two small cushioned stools underneath it.

The auburn-haired girl sat two cups of steaming tea onto the table. "So, are you ready to talk about what made you late for our appointment?"

Naruto looked at her with an expressionless face before pasting a fake smile on and replying, "I didn't know we made a schedule."

"Don't give me that, you know as well as I do that hiding emotions aren't the answer. Now tell me why you're so down." she demanded with a serious tone.

"Ara, ara. All right. Basically I got rejected by Aya-chan..." he saw Ayame's face take on a furious look, "It was my fault though, I went too far with what I was doing. You know how selfish I am, Aya-hime." he said with a cheerful voice.

"Bullshit. You mean selfless, right?" She still got angry whenever he called that girl "Aya-chan". Wasn't she supposed to be the only "Aya" in his life?

Naruto forgot how she reacted when it came to this sensitive subject. He decided to ignore her comment and bring up a different topic.

"Something more important happened though, Aya-hime. I've been put on standby status. The Hokage believes that I'm unstable as a ninja because of my circumstances." he said this while dejectedly looking at the steam rising from the tea.

She stared at him with an unreadable expression. This meant many things for her. One being that more time could be spent being together and the other situating on the fact that separation between Naruto and Ayane would be possible. Ayame shook her head to get the ideas out. Here Naruto was openly confessing his troubles and she was thinking about her own wants and needs. Who was selfish now?

"How could he do that? I thought you said that the psychiatrists approved of you being a ninja and never came up with negative results to give him." she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I was thinking along the same lines, that is until I was mind raped. Inoichi Yamanaka, the mind walker, was able to find proof of my mental instability by going through my most recent, and some past, memories. At least, that's what Sarutobi-san said."

"What are you going to do now?" she asked with hope that he'd respond in her favor of view. In her mind she was actually wondering how the Hokage could be as cruel to do such a thing to a person's privacy.

Naruto didn't want to let her know that going back within the ranks quickly was possible, or that he was still carrying out a mission at the Academy. "I guess, if it's alright with you...Maybe we can spend some more time together? Though I'll be busy training in the mornings, then there's those occasional meetings I have with the others." He saw her brighten up and it caused him to feel better.

"Why not? I mean, we do that anyway. Now back onto the subject of Ayane..." Ayame saw him wince at the mention.

"Why do you like reopening old wounds?" Naruto asked before taking a sip of the now warm tea.

"Well, Naruto, have you ever thought that maybe there's someone else that might be interested in you?" Ayame asked with as much courage as she could muster. She had waited years for a moment like this. Where the boy of her affections was weak, submissive to the comfort that she could offer.

"What?" he looked at her with a surprised expression.

"You know, I'm a lot better than Ayane in many aspects... I may not have a bigger chest than her, but I can offer you more than that! My body is desirable, or at least that's what many of my male customers think. I've seen you staring before too, I know you've thought about it more than once." Ayame got up from her seat and sat on the lap of the stuttering blond.

"Ay-Ayame, isn't, eh...this a bad time? I mean-"

"Grandpa isn't here, being a ninja I thought you'd notice how his usual hat and coat are gone. Probably at the bar playing some game with the guys." She giggled and positioned herself so that her legs could wrap around his waist. "Haven't you ever thought that there could be another 'Aya-chan' in your life, Naru-kun?" She brought her face closer to his.

Naruto's mind was working at different intervals. The list of lies he could use at this moment were being drained by his wanting of love, any kind and any form. Then it clicked, he knew what she truly wanted. Release. This was what Lucia-sensei had done whenever she wanted to commence his training... She would always make similar advances, use nicknames such as "Little Naruto" or just plainly tell him to do what she wanted. In his mind, Ayame wanted someone to bring her release, she wanted to use him, a tool that existed for that purpose.

Naruto picked Ayame up and gently laid the stunned girl on the bed. He then went on top of her on all fours and brought his face to the nape of her neck and started trailing his kisses up to her lower lip. He channeled some chakra to cover his lips and tongue to increase the pleasure he was giving her.

"Naruto, wait we..." Ayame was losing herself to his technique as he parted her lips and ran his tongue over hers. He then disengaged from her mouth and lowered himself to open her waitress outfit that was held together by a couple of buttons. He tore the two sides apart without breaking any of them and slid her body out of the uniform. He did this all while silently nipping her ear lobe.

"You're just a tool, and a worthless one at that!"

"I won't be worthless, I'll make myself useful."

Naruto laid down and brought Ayame's body on top of his to where she was facing the ceiling.

"This is all women will ever want you for. None of them will expect anything higher of you. You're just a tool. You're not human, Naruto."

"I can't cease to exist. I will carry out what is wanted of me."

He coated his hands with his special chakra and slipped his right hand under Ayame's laced bra to start massaging her full C-cup breast. He used his middle finger to stimulate her nipple while doing the kneading motion.

"Do you hate being alone? It's a horrid feeling, isn't it little Naruto? You will always have that feeling, no matter what you do."

"Please, don't leave me alone..." Naruto was losing to his inner demon, trying to keep a hold of himself was hard when the truth was there on display. His mind revolved around the idea that if he didn't continue pleasuring the beautiful goddess before him he'd be abandoned because of his unwillingness.

He shifted his body lower so that he had a better reach for Ayame's lower region. Using his left hand he quickly moved it under her pantie and started his ministrations. He could feel the nub of her clitoris becoming perkier as he traced the lips of her urethral opening.

"Do you remember why you exist, demon? Who is it you exist for?"

Ayame was enjoying the bold actions of Naruto immensely. She heard him whispering things but didn't pay much attention because of the pleasure clouding her senses. She wanted to say something back, anything, but found that her mouth couldn't release any verbal thoughts other than constant moaning. She was able to hear his next comment though.

"I'll exist only for you."

Naruto started pinching and nudging her clitoris while using the rest of his expert fingers to slightly enter her vaginal opening. He noticed that the portion of his body under her bottom was drenched with the juicy substance emanating from the area he was arousing. He felt her body shaking more than normal and knew what was coming.

"Naruto!" Ayame gasped before convulsing from her orgasm. Her body went limp as he held her in his arms.

Naruto brought his left hand up slowly to his face to see some of the substance sliding down his index finger.

"Am I still a demon?"

-

Author's Note: Well, I am finally done with this chapter. It took me awhile because of all these damn high stake tests being thrown around like free ads. So fucking fun. Anyway, there will probably be a lot of spelling/grammatical errors in this due to my OpenOffice program not wanting to spell check.

Now about the story. I have made the pairing that I wrote in the last author's note a temporary one. It would be way too confusing trying to get an emotionally confused Naruto to truly love more than three girls, so I've got to consider the potential events more. That's my next chapter; I plan to introduce Ino's character and Naruto's standing within the Academy class. The changes will be noticeable I assume. On another note, did you notice how I left out Naruto's questioning of the easy mission? I'll explain it later.

For those of you who missed it in my first post, I've added the clothing/attire visuals for the story in my profile. Thanks again for reading, I didn't expect that many people to embrace my ideas. Oh, and review if possible.