Edit: July 3rd - I think all the formatting issues are FINALLY fixed.

Chapter 2

"What do you mean you can't locate him? Aren't you guys our best sensors?"

Several men and women cringed under Naruto's stern gaze. Jonin General Kakashi had taken on a risky operation to eliminate one of the bijuu statues, in hopes of freeing the bijuu and reducing the Tobi's power. Unfortunately Naruto was beginning to believe the whole thing was a trap, as only a few members of the expedition had made it back, stating Kakashi had remained behind so that they could get away.

Naruto had since sent out a few sensors, but none of them could find a trace of Kakashi's chakra.

"Dammit!" Naruto cursed as his fists banged against the top of a nearby table. He noticed a few of the shinobi flinch out of the corner of his eyes, so he sighed and rubbed a hand back through his hair. "I'm sorry guys, it's not your fault. This is just... very frustrating. Dismissed."

They all bowed and quickly moved away from him, lest they have to face his indirect wrath again. On occasion Naruto found himself wondering if his sanity was starting to slip, considering he was now one of two remaining generals of their army that was no more than a pale shadow of its former self. They were losing this fight, it was easy to see.

He knew it was probably time to consult with Darui about that seal they found again, especially since Kakashi was gone. It was now or never.

"Here."

Naruto caught the ANBU mask that was tossed to him, and looked at it curiously. "What is this for?"

The current Hokage chuckled briefly as he moved to sit behind the chair in his office. "Well, I was thinking we can't just have you appearing out of nowhere. So I conferred with both Danzo and Sakumo for a while, and we came to the conclusion that it would be best for you to be at least recognized as an ANBU. This way any history we make up for you would seem plausible, and we can claim you have been under my service the entire time.

"In case anyone asks where you have been, state that the mission is classified, of course. If anyone with clearance asks, just say that you have been doing research into this Tobi character who claims to be a second coming of Uchiha Madara, as you explained to us yesterday. If they have any further questions, point them to me."

Naruto shrugged. "Sounds good. Also, since I'm an orphan, so should we just continue with that? I was thinking about telling my parents who I am, but as I think about it more... I don't think it would be a good idea."

Sarutobi nodded slowly. "If you're already familiar with being an orphan than it makes no sense to change. I'm assuming since you brought it up you would be able to tell them now?"

"Yes. I know who they are, but I don't know if they are really close to each other yet or not. My father is the... err, I mean willbe the Yondaime Hokage - Namikaze Minato."

Hiruzen's eyes went wide before his whole face adopted a knowing look. "Ah, I see. I thought you resembled Minato a bit, but I was not certain. It could prove problematic when we see the two of you next to each other, I'm afraid."

Naruto absentmindedly rubbed at the back of his neck. "Yeah, I didn't think about that. Any ideas?"

"We could just chalk it up to coincidence. Though if you continue to use the Uzumaki name, and claim you are an orphan, you could very well make a believable reference to the fact that you and Minato are distantly related. I would suggest talking to him about it first, though. How old are you now?"

"I'll be turning twenty next month."

"That's even better." Sarutobi nodded as he reached for his pipe. "He is only seventeen, therefore even if you did somehow have the same parents, as he is an orphan also – no one would be able to confirm one way or another."

"I understand."

The Hokage nodded again, tapping the end of his pipe against his desk, and then using a small Katon jutsu to cause the contents at the end to smolder. After taking a few puffs, he looked at Naruto again. "So, your mother is Kushina?"

Naruto blinked for a few seconds, surprised. "How did you know?"

"You were wondering before, but I can confirm that she and Minato are nearly inseparable whenever they are out in the village. It has been like that ever since he saved her from being abducted by Kumogakure, years ago. Besides that, while your hair and eyes resemble your father, I see Kushina's face when I look at you. That will help confirm to her at least that you are an Uzumaki. Assuming she puts you under any scrutiny, of course."

Nodding, the blond finally took a moment to examine the mask in his hands. "A fox?"

"You did say you were the Kyuubi's third host, correct? I thought it would be fitting."

Chuckling, Naruto nodded, and let his hands fall to his sides. "Is there anything else you need from me or want to know?"

"Two things. Is the Kyuubi still in you now, and have you been in ANBU before?"

Naruto nodded slowly, and unzipped his dull orange and black jacket. Pulling one of his arms out from the sleeve, he lifted up the short sleeve of his mesh shirt underneath, exposing the ANBU tattoo. "As for the Kyuubi, I still have his chakra, though his consciousness is not in me anymore. It seems like the chakra is regenerating too, so that means I can still use my abilities – but I'd rather avoid using any unless it's an emergency. The Kyuubi itself is probably back inside my mom, though it agreed not to say anything to her until I initiate contact." He briefly considered using Kyuubi's name in front of the Hokage, but decided against it in the end. He'd let Kurama share his name with whomever he wanted to.

Hiruzen eyed him warily for a moment, probably not used to anyone being on speaking terms with a bijuu, least of all the Kyuubi. "I... see. In any case, we'll leave you solo for now, and I'll try to start fitting you into operations with other chunin and jonin."

"But I'm still a genin."

Hiruzen chuckled. "Not anymore you aren't. I'm assuming it was just a circumstance of the time when you lived that you kept that rank. But for someone who has the experience of being a Hokage as well as a general and leader of the united shinobi of the Elemental Nations, if you expect me to overlook that and keep you doing D and C Rank missions? Not happening."

Naruto simply chuckled, looking sheepish. "It would be like a vacation for a little while."

"I know, but I'm sorry. Even though you just came out of one war, we're going to be entering another one soon. You know this as well as I do."

"I understand. Do you have any idea when we will enter?"

"Our forces are on standby in Rain, in case Rock or Sand try anything. They've been keeping most of their fights in Bird Country so far, so we haven't had to intervene. Other, smaller forces are garrisoned in River and Grass, just in case either of them tries anything. We'll deal with moving forces to Waterfall when the time comes, if necessary."

"Sand doesn't last long in the war, if I remember correctly. Rock is too strong for them. Speaking of... has my father used Hiraishin yet?"

"I can't say anything by that name has been brought to my attention. What is it?"

"I guess not then," Naruto mumbled under his breath. "It was – or will be the technique that enables him to end and win the war, and one reason you nominate him as Yondaime Hokage."

"I see." Sarutobi leaned back in his chair and took a few puffs on his pipe. "I always thought he was talented, and in fact I have only been recently been considering people to take over when I'm done."

"It's probably the war and... well, one other thing that affects your opinion about the job. Has Orochimaru already been chased out of the village?"

Sarutobi's eyes went wide for a moment, until he remembered who it was he was talking to. "No. What are you going on about now?"

"He causes a lot of problems later. Especially for you." Naruto didn't have the heart to say that Orochimaru would eventually kill him, unless specifically asked for details. That would be one preventable death if he had any say in the matter.

There were a few moments of silence before Sarutobi let out a sigh, then set down his pipe and leaned forward once again, grabbing a scroll and some ink. "Some of his recent comments and activities have been... disturbing me, but we can discuss my student later since I know right now he is currently standing with Konoha. For now, your standard ANBU outfit will be given to you at their main office. You know where that is?"

Naruto nodded.

"Good. I don't care what you wear, but for a while you'll need to be seen in something close to jonin gear while keeping your tattoo visible. People may not recognize you, but at least they won't question you. Otherwise they will have to answer to me. Now we just need to work on your history, and you need to memorize it before you leave this office."

Sarutobi hummed briefly as the blond moved towards one of the nearby chairs. "I guess I can start our meeting by saying welcome home, Jonin Commander Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto blinked in pleasant surprise for a moment before smiling at the Hokage. "It's good to be here, old man."

Naruto chewed on his bottom lip as he wandered through the streets of Konoha. It had been a long time since he had been able to walk through the village like this, especially since it had first been destroyed back when he was sixteen. They had done a very good job rebuilding it, but it just hadn't been the same. Especially once it was destroyed the second time.

Another thing that had slightly unnerved him at first was seeing so many Uchiha. He hadn't gotten around to informing Sarutobi about the massacre yet, but it would still be years before that would happen. On the other hand, that made it of utmost importance that he try to convince the Hokage to get the Uchiha to merge with the village more than they currently were, otherwise they risked alienating themselves in the future.

Humming as he walked along, he got the occasional glance from villagers, who would give him a small nod of acknowledgment and maybe a smile before continuing on their business. It was another big difference – previously he was either completely ignored or treated like a celebrity. This right now was a nice happy medium.

He rubbed at an itch on his arm, not used to having them exposed like they currently were. The Hokage had gotten him a small apartment to use and a few sets of standard jonin clothing, along with a few sleeveless vests and the standard jonin jacket. The outfit was similar to that which most ANBU wore, but he currently didn't have his mask or arm-guards on since he wasn't on duty, but still needed to leave his right upper arm exposed so that the tattoo was visible.

It wasn't long before a particular scent caught the attention of his nose, and dragged him to the source. Upon approach, the stand looked familiar, however it wasn't called Ichiraku. It did look like a young Teuchi behind the counter, however, so perhaps he simply bought the stand or changed the name at a later date.

Not wasting any time, and making sure he still had his money pouch that the Hokage had given him, the blond entered the stand and quickly sat down. Barely a second later Teuchi was willing to take his order."One miso ramen, please."

"Of course. Just a moment."

Naruto leaned his arms on the counter and smiled, closing his eyes as he simply basked in the atmosphere. He normally would have ordered more, but didn't want to spoil his visit. It had been so long since he had any ramen, and he wanted to enjoy this first bowl again.

Other than that, he simply wouldn't have enough money. Yet.

"Wow, fancy meeting you here. So Hokage-sama let you go?"

Naruto opened his eyes and turned in the direction where the voice had come from – only to come face to face with the one and only Namikaze Minato. What were the chances?

"Yeah. How did you like our little act? Was it convincing?" Naruto tossed the other young man a small smirk before looking back at Teuchi who was currently filling his bowl. He was amazed with his own ability to keep a mostly straight face upon seeing his dad. If he hadn't met his father previously in his mindscape, he probably would have been acting like a fanboy right at the moment. Luckily he had grown up in leaps and bounds during the war, and knew how to keep a straight face when he really needed to. It was perhaps a bit easier to deal with than it would have been otherwise considering he was currently older than his future father.

"Act?" Minato's head tilted to the side slightly. "You mean that whole thing was staged?"

Naruto nodded, turned his head to wink at Minato, then faced forward again as he watched Teuchi come over with his bowl of miso ramen. Smiling at the chef, the blond thanked him, then immediately dug in, completely ignoring Minato in favor of his food.

"Hey! Come on, don't just leave me hanging! What did you mean about it being an act?"

Naruto turned to face Minato again, some noodles hanging out of his mouth. When the corner of Minato's lips began to twitch upwards into a smile at the sight of someone acting like an idiot, Naruto smirked as well, and immediately slurped them up.

"What I meant is exactly what I said." Naruto pointed his chopsticks at Minato as he continued talking. "I was testing something for Hokage-sama and it backfired. I was knocked unconscious. He wasn't sure if it was me or an actual attack though, so he had to act as if it was an attack and be cautious. When he found out it was me though, I just played along."

Naruto finished his comments with a shrug, and turned back to his food again. Minato appeared to buy what he said, for the most part, and turned back to his own bowl.

"So I guess you can't say what it was you were testing?"

Naruto chuckled a little, stirring his ramen. "Nope. Sorry. Not yet anyway. Hokage-sama said to direct any inquiries to him, so that's what I'm going to do."

Minato continued shooting random glances at Naruto as they both ate, as if he wanted to keep asking questions, but not coming up with anything worthwhile. At least... not until his eyes finally landed on the ANBU tattoo.

"Oh, so you're ANBU? I've done a few things with them, but haven't joined up. Are you out of the village a lot?"

Naruto nodded slowly, then finished off his bowl and set it down. "All the time. It's nice to be able to sit down and just enjoy myself in the village instead of constantly running errands for Hokage-sama."

"So you don't run missions with others, then? I don't think I've ever seen you before."

"Not usually. I typically get the stuff that doesn't need a full team to complete. With the way I was trained, I'm pretty much a one man army. I don't really need to be paired with anyone. It sucks because I don't meet a lot of people or have any friends, really... but I love my home so I'll do what's asked of me."

The short speech brought Minato up short for a moment, but it didn't take long for a small grin to form over his face. "One man army, huh? I wouldn't say no to making another friend, want to spar sometime?"

Naruto snorted, waving off the offer of another bowl from Teuchi at the same time. "Buttering me up so you can steal all my kick-ass moves? Friends sure, spar... no thanks."

"What? I would never do that!"

Naruto simply gave Minato a look out of his peripheral, only to see the other teenager actually giving him a hurt look. With a sigh, Naruto shook his head. He was wary about getting too close too fast. "If I manage to get some free time, I'll consider it. I usually don't have any free time at all."

Minato's demeanor instantly changed as his face morphed into a warm smile. "Excellent! If Hokage-sama has you doing special assignments, you must be good. Most people are afraid to spar with me now, because I always win."

Naruto knew what that felt like, all too well. "Well then, I hope you're prepared to lose."

"Hah! We'll see. Oh, by the way my na-"

"I knew I'd find you here!"

Naruto blinked as Minato suddenly disappeared, hidden by a large curtain of deep red hair. It didn't even take a second for him to register that this was probably his mother. As much as he would have loved to sit and chat with both of them, it would be much too soon to slip up by saying something odd and figured fleeing the scene would be the best bet. Thankfully he didn't have to watch his future mother make kissy-face with his father as Teuchi decided to be merciful and come over to hand him his bill. Not wasting any time, he paid up and thanked the chef, then stood up to leave.

"Hey! Wait... wait, hold on a sec Kushina, sorry!"

Naruto looked over his shoulder to see Minato blushing as he tried to look around Kushina. She was pouting slightly as she stared at him, murmuring something that Naruto really didn't care to hear. Seeing as how she wasn't going to leave him alone, Naruto started to leave again, only to stop once again as he heard Minato call out again.

"Hey, wait up! My name is Minato, if you're free tomorrow come find me at training ground six at around noon, okay?"

Not turning around, he nodded his head. "See you then. My name is Uzumaki Naruto, by the way. Nice to meet you."

As soon as he finished speaking, he leaped up to the roof of the stand, and then up and over again to the building next door. He heard his mother gasp after he said his name, and wanted to introduce himself to her, but not when she was hounding all over his future father like that. He'd probably get used to it eventually, but right now he was more worried about falling out of character. He'd have to brush up on his Uzushiogakure history some before talking to her.

His thoughts were distracted as he noticed his mother finally walk out from the stand and look around, but not find what she was looking for – him. Shaking her head slightly, Naruto noticed as she placed her hands on her hips for a moment and looked down, then turned around and walked back behind the hanging cloth of the stand.

Time to go study. She'd probably be hounding him after his spar with Minato tomorrow.