Warning : I recently made the decision that there WILL be CHARACTER DEATHS. Just a couple, but seriously, it's just not realistic unless someone dies (not in this chapter, I promise). Should I mention that in the story synopsis? I prefer not to get enraged messages from people who say I didn't warn them... Consider yourself warned.

Disclaimer: Naruto = not mine.

Importance of the Sun

Naruto stared at the Elders. Through her own efforts, Naruto made them acknowledge her. They trusted her, believed in her. They saw her as more than a jinchuriki, as more than the Fourth's daughter. They supported her for Hokage.

They were her allies, who sought to protect her from a danger she herself couldn't see.

"Everything centers around the Uchiha, huh?" Naruto released a sigh. "Yeah, somehow it always does. But here's where we disagree. You see Sasuke as a liability, but the truth is…he's the reason I became strong. I was always chasing after him, challenging myself so that I could stand with him. His anger and desire for revenge convinced me how wrong that was, and it was that conviction that helped me gain control over Kyuubi and later the Juubi. Sasuke gave me strength to keep fighting. He pushes me to be a better shinobi." Naruto smiled at the Elders and nodded. "So, thanks for the warning. But I didn't let hatred stop me before. I won't let some curse stop me now."

Homura and Koharu looked at each other, resigned. "Then," said Koharu, "we will respect your decision. Only—and hear me out—should the Uchiha be innocent, we ask that you do not leave Konoha accompanied only by him."

"Sasuke and I couldn't go on missions!"

"It is a compromise, Naruto. There are a multitude of missions in Konoha."

"D-ranks!"

"Or you can assemble a four-man squad and take missions outside of Konoha." Elder Koharu held up a hand to ward off Naruto's protest. "Is that such a difficult request to honor? We are being safe. Until we understand the situation, you must not be vulnerable."

Naruto deliberated. "Fine," she finally said, "on one condition." The Elders waited. "With the four-man squad, I get to go after my mother."

Homura's jaw dropped before he recovered from his surprise. "That completely disregards the whole point of keeping you safe! You would be charging into the lion's den. Or, the snake's pit, I should say. Kushina's fate is in ANBU hands."

"Well, I want it in my hands. My mom's crazy powerful! You've got no idea—"

"If you'll recall, we know her and her abilities far better than you do."

"That's my compromise," said Naruto firmly. "I won't be alone outside the village with Sasuke if you support me going after my mother."

"We do not accept! Kushina is undoubtably with Orochimaru. You could not to do something more foolish, more horrifically stupid—!"

"It's that or I go alone with Sasuke! That's my preference anyways. Take it or leave it."

Koharu had an out of body experience as she watched the debate, wondering how the conversation had taking the turn it had. Somehow their attempt at persuasion had descended to a shouting match.

"The Hokage would never support it! Will you disobey her and further weaken your bond?"

"Obaa-chan owes me big time. I'll guilt her into it. And if that doesn't work, I'll nag her until she gives in."

"That doesn't—! How does that—? You can't do that!" Homura rarely lost his composure, but something about the infuriating Uzumaki undid him.

"I can and will. So either we end this conversation now—cause I've loads of stuff to do—or I go on the hunt for my mom with Sasuke. Just Sasuke, of course."

"That's— Wait! You changed the original premise!"

"Snooze, you lose, oji-san!" Naruto flashed a smug smile and bounded out the door.

"That brat—!" Homura mumbled and snarled under his breath. "That—her own safety—reckless—completely changed the whole debate—not even what we were arguing about—Uzumaki brat!"

"She continues to turn the situation to her advantage," said Koharu, sitting in a chair and propping her head on one hand. "I'm tired."

"I was blackmailed. Even though she didn't have anything on me, I was blackmailed with my good intentions. That's what just happened, wasn't it." Homura stared disbelievingly at his hands, his glasses slipping down his nose.

Koharu patted his shoulder. "We can't keep up with them anymore. Perhaps it truly is time for us to consider retirement."

... ... ...

You did well, Naruto. Brash, as always, but strong and convincing.

Couldn't have done it without you. You remembered the Sato story.

It would be more difficult to torment the Uchiha if he were in prison.

Eh?

Nothing for you to worry about.

Shrugging, Naruto walked to the balcony where Tsunade stood waiting.

"What did the Elders say?" asked the pigtailed Hokage without preamble.

Naruto scratched her nose. "Something weird. I guess…I don't know. They're not as bad as I thought, but we really don't see things eye to eye."

"A problem you and I have had lately." Naruto didn't answer. "Your performance in the council room was good. Surprisingly good. You managed to learn all of that in three hours?"

"Clones," said Naruto. "I had three clones reading those damn books. I hate the library. Do you know, I don't think I stepped foot in the library until this year when I started reading up on seals. The place sucks. But Shikamaru said it was our best bet. Hope he didn't fall asleep on the table." The silence was heavy. Naruto chuckled uncomfortably. It was time to clear the air. "Er," she hedged, "speaking of bets, Kakashi said you bet against Sasuke. You—you always lose your bets."

"I want him to be innocent. Please believe me, Naruto."

"I know, but I hope you aren't offended if I do things differently when I'm Hokage."

Tsunade smiled, relieved. "I expect nothing less." Her face turned downward. "I regret not telling you. It was cowardly of me."

Naruto shuffled her feet. She was still mad; it would take time for her to fully forgive what she considered a betrayal. "Maybe you were trying to make it easy for me. I don't know what I would have done if I'd known beforehand."

"Probably the exact same thing."

"Yeah, except then the Council wouldn't have broken a law, and I couldn't have used it against them."

Tsunade laughed. "You still need to work on your diplomacy. That sounded very much like blackmail."

"Yeah, that's like twice in an hour. Bad habit."

Tsunade laughed again, and Naruto relaxed. This was her Hokage. She didn't have to agree with her all the time, but she had to trust her to do what was best for the village. In that, Naruto had unwavering confidence.

The peaceful silence was broken when an ANBU darted in front of the duo. It was Sai in his Fox mask. "Hokage-sama, Yamanaka-san has awakened."

... ... ...

Naruto and Tsunade were at the hospital in minutes. Ino was just ahead of them, rushing into her father's room.

"Oto-san!" Ino ran to her father's side but paused in surprise. Naruto and Tsunade stopped inside the doorway. Inoichi was thrashing on his hospital bed, trying to fight off the nurses. Naruto was taken aback. The man looked crazed. His hair was unkempt. There was a glint in his eyes, a torrid flush to his cheeks. He was breathing heavily with effort.

"Yamanaka!"

For a brief moment, Inoichi stopped. He recognized his Hokage's voice. The nurses took advantage of his stillness and wrestled him back into the bed. Tsunade moved to the bedside to help the nurses. She was just in time because Inoichi's panic returned fourfold. The nurses were talking to him, trying to calm him. Tsunade spoke to him, yelled at him, but nothing was working. The nurses were trying to put restraints across his wrists, his chest, and his legs. One nurse had run for medicine—some kind of tranquilizer.

Naruto tore her eyes from the sight and looked at Ino. Her pale face was far whiter than usual. Her eyes were large and terrified. It must break her heart to see her father like this. "Ino," said Naruto, "come on. Let's leave them. There's nothing we can do right now. We'll wait outside—"

It was the sudden ceasing of struggling noises that made Naruto turn back to Inoichi. She found his eyes fixated on her. But it was strange; he wasn't seeing her, not really. His green eyes were glazed over. As everyone present looked at each other in confusion, Inoichi began to grow restless. His eyes slid from Naruto and darted around again. He was looking for something, waiting for something. And the longer he waited, the more agitated he became.

"Yamanaka, you're in the hospital." Tsunade placed a gentle hand on Inoichi's shoulder. He recoiled at her touch then lashed out at her.

"Oi!" yelled Naruto.

Inoichi stopped.

"Naruto, it's your voice," said Ino, in sudden comprehension.

Naruto frowned. "What do you—?" When Inoichi heard Naruto speak, he swiveled his head back towards her. His hands made a faint gesture in her direction, as though weakly grasping for a lifeline. The nurses stood at the ready, but Inoichi wasn't thrashing. "Ah, oji-san? Do you, er, recognize me? I don't quite get why you're staring at me like that." Naruto laughed nervously. His green eyes were trained on her. Yet still, it was clear he wasn't truly seeing her.

"Keep talking," ordered Tsunade.

Naruto stuttered at first. She didn't know what was going on, or what to say to fix whatever was going on, so she turned to her favorite subject: How she would be Hokage and the whole world better watch out. After several minutes of that and several minutes of a far calmer Inoichi, Tsunade murmured, "Tell him he's in the hospital and he'll be just fine. Tell him Ino's worried about him."

Naruto obeyed, and Inoichi took his eyes off of her to look around the room. It was it as though he were seeing it for the first time. His gaze lingered on Ino. Confusion entered his eyes. Not the frantic confusion from before, but genuine confusion that signaled how he was trying to put two and two together.

All the while, Naruto was talking. The topic had turned to Ino. "—yeah, and your daughter's pretty hot. I wouldn't've told you that when I was a guy—might have been awkward, you know—but now I'm a girl, so I get to say stuff I couldn't before. 'Course there's a lot I can't talk about now since I'm not a boy. It's all so confusing. Still, it's pretty lucky I didn't tell you or Ino about me thinking that Ino was hot because Ino would have fallen madly in love with me. I still would have turned into a girl, and that would be way awkward since I'm guessing Ino doesn't have a thing for—"

"Naruto!" yelled Ino.

"—um, anyways, Ino's not in love with me, and I'm not in love with her, so we're pretty set there. Um, what else can I say? I was pissed when I learned you interrogated Sasuke, but I guess you did it on the Council's orders, and I already had it out with them, so we're good now. Besides, it's not my style to hold grudges."

It was taking a long time, but lucidity was returning to his eyes. Recognition sparked. He scanned the room until he came to his daughter. "I—no," he mumbled. His voice was rasping and dry.

"Oto-san." Ino grasped his hand tightly, crying in relief. He made a clawing motion towards his throat. Ino grabbed a cup of water and held it to his face.

Inoichi allowed Ino to help him. He tried to pull himself up. "C—coun—cil?" he managed.

Tsunade said, "Don't worry about that right now. Focus on—" She broke off because Inoichi was shaking his head as best as he could manage. Tsunade sighed. "We held the meeting without your testimony. We decided—"

A surge of energy shook Inoichi. "Uch—Sas—"

Naruto froze, became rigid. It was apparent that Inoichi was trying to give his testimony. But there was that terrible look in his eyes. He seemed angry, or desperate, or maybe crazy again. Naruto debated knocking the man out.

"Sas—" There were more garbled words—and every person stood tensely—until he forced out, "Innocent. He's innocent."

The world seemed to breathe again.

Naruto's relief was powerful. She believed in Sasuke to the last, but she didn't know what would come out of Inoichi's mouth. Here was proof. All of Konoha would know that their faith was not misplaced.

Tsunade looked almost as relieved as Naruto. She turned to the nurses and to the other shinobi in the room. "You've witnessed the testimony of Yamanaka Inoichi. Uchiha Sasuke is innocent. He will remain in the hospital until he recovers. He will retain his rights as a conditional citizen—and soon a full citizen—and he will receive an apology from the Hokage and the Council."

Inoichi began to shift again. A strange, rasping sound emitted from his mouth. There was more he was trying to say.

"Inoichi!" barked Tsunade. Inoichi stopped. "You are to rest calmly and allow the nurses to take care of you. That is an order!"

"Want—" He coughed. His throat was so dry. His thoughts were still disoriented. "Talk—ruto."

Ino, raising her brows, asked, "You want to talk to Naruto?"

Naruto stepped forward. "I won't go anywhere oji-san. Take your time." It would take a large-scale disaster to make her budge. She had to hear what he would say; it was surely about Sasuke. Naruto's words seemed to penetrate his conscious, and he fully relaxed. Closing his eyes, he ordered his thoughts. A crease ran between his brows. His struggle to focus was palpable.

Tsunade, seeing his determination, sighed. She put her hands, glowing with faint green light, on his chest. "This is a temporary fix, similar to an adrenaline rush. It's your mind that needs to rest. But this will help you focus."

Inoichi was able to sit up and drink more water. He took his time, cleared his throat. Color returned to his face. The glaze disappeared from his eyes. Ino pulled his hair back so he no longer resembled a mad man. Meanwhile, Naruto was on pins and needles. Finally, Inoichi motioned to the nurses and two ANBU, then to the door. He didn't want them in the room.

Inoichi took a breath to begin, but Naruto interrupted, "Wait. I don't want to know any specifics from Sasuke's memories. That's private. It'd be the same as interrogating him all over again."

"I will be discreet. I promise," Inoichi assured. Naruto, Tsunade, and Ino gathered around his bed. Inoichi's start was slow and halting. "They say that Uchihas feel more intensely. I thought that was a load of bull." Inoichi's voice was heavy with irony. "How could a single family feel so intensely that it consumed their very reason? I thought it was because they were reckless. Reckless and selfish. It wasn't that they felt more; it was that their clan came first, no matter how many feet they stepped on and bodies they crushed. Before the interrogation, Sasuke told me to stay sane. It's the first rule we teach rookies at T&I: Never let a subject's emotions compromise your own reason. I thought Sasuke was mocking me. I was wrong."

If Hokage Mountain had exploded in a blaze of fire and rock, Naruto would not have realized. Her sole focus was Inoichi and the words spilling from his lips.

"He let me see everything. He opened up his memories to me. I sped through his childhood. When it came to the massacre, I couldn't move as quickly. That should have been my warning. I know now that I was pulled down by his feelings. But I was confident in my abilities, arrogant, and kept pushing through. He entered the Academy, joined Team Seven and, for a time, he was happy, despite himself. He had come to care for his teammates, but even as he recognized that bond, he felt the danger in it. He was still a child, but he was being torn apart. I felt his anguish as acutely as if it were my own. At some point—" Inoichi's voice cracked. "At some point, I began to lose sight of myself."

Ino gasped. She knew now what danger her father had been in. She hadn't believed it possible, not for a shinobi of his abilities.

"I remembered that I was searching for Orochimaru in his memories, but that goal began to lose its importance. I saw everything. I reached the present, but somehow, I knew there was still more. It wasn't enough that I knew Sasuke was innocent. I was pulled in by his feelings, drawn into his world, but the world wasn't complete. I forgot my purpose entirely. I—I searched for what was missing. And I found it."

Inoichi's gaze was bleak.

"Sasuke—Sasuke had been keeping the darkness in check. The feelings that came so strongly from his memories—enough to blindside me—they were nothing in comparison. Rage like I've never known consumed me, gripped me in its clutches. I was trapped by poisoned thorns, burning in the black fire of hatred." A ghost of that intense feeling darkened Inoichi's face. He looked to Ino, closed his eyes, and forced it back. "He had kept the depth of his feelings hidden. He was protecting me from them, but I pushed. I released the maelstrom. I was burning. I was freezing. Suffocating, drowning—I don't even know how to describe it. Drawn into the force of his memories, I was lost."

Ino was weeping. Her father had come so close to losing his sanity.

"Then, he saved me."

"What?" Naruto barely recognized her voice.

"Sasuke saved me," Inoichi repeated. "I was gone. I was no longer Yamanaka Inoichi. I remembered nothing. Nothing existed outside of Sasuke. I would have gone insane, ceased to exist. But he found me inside his mind." Inoichi had reached the crux of his story. Urgency threaded his voice. "Sasuke was fractured. Beginning with the massacre and periodically throughout his life, pieces of his soul have been chipping away as he descended further into madness. Sometimes it felt like he would fly apart. So, he took all his better feelings, every happy memory, anything that he held precious—and he bound them to a single source. I'm sure he did it subconsciously. It's a remarkable ability, can save people during torture, but I don't believe he is fully aware of how he saved himself."

"I don't get it," said Naruto, frowning.

"He compartmentalized. He saved the core of what made him him. His love for his family, particularly his brother, his attachment to Konoha, his—his rivalry with you—he buried it deeply, so deeply I would never have found it. He didn't want to show me—they were the feelings most precious to him—but to save me, he released it. The toxic feelings that consumed him—he couldn't have survived on those feelings alone. All along, he had within him the key to his own salvation.

"It was the counter to his hatred, the foil to his revenge. It calmed the storm, destroyed the chains of madness. It was like the sun." Inoichi's eyes found Naruto's. "Burning away the darkness."

... ... ...

Naruto was a rushing waterfall—turbulent, violent, powerful, desperate to press Inoichi for answers. She had suspected, had long sensed it. But to know that Sasuke had been broken, his soul mauled, Naruto felt an answering rage. She wanted to go back in time. There must have been another way for it all to play out, one that didn't leave Sasuke alone and fractured. Maybe there was more Naruto could have done when they were children. That day by the pier, if she had spoken to him instead of turned up her nose—maybe she could have altered his future.

Ino's voice broke into her thoughts when she asked, "How did that save you? Wouldn't it have drawn you further in? You saw all of him."

Inoichi smiled sadly at his daughter. Ino was remaining strong. He had wanted her in the room so that she would understand, so that she would give up her feelings for the Uchiha. Above all, he wanted her to be happy. It was an impossible love for her. "Ordinarily, yes, but by then, Sasuke was in control. I had lost my power as the interrogator. In any other case, the subject would have taken advantage of the situation and used it to fry me. Sasuke did the opposite. With his sun for strength, he overcame the barriers placed upon his mind by the interrogation. He took control and guided me out. I returned to my body. I'm sure I've been unconscious since then. When I woke up, I couldn't feel the sun anymore; I panicked…" He trailed off. Misery colored his voice.

Silence hung over the shinobi. A strange feeling replaced Naruto's turmoil. It took a while for her to recognize it—something Naruto wasn't accustomed to feeling. It was pride. She was proud of Sasuke. He had saved Inoichi at great cost to himself.

"I know a little about suns," said Naruto, thinking of her parents. "His must be his love for Itachi."

"No," said Inoichi. He cursed himself after the word left his mouth. It was just as well to leave Naruto in ignorance—it was certainly what Sasuke would want—but Inoichi had spoken and committed himself. "No," he continued, "his sun began to form while he still hated Itachi. It was because of that hatred that his subconscious clung to the single happiness that remained to him. It kept him strong during his time with Orochimaru and sane when he was with Madara."

Tsunade said quietly, "You make him sound unstable."

"Should he lose that sun, he would be. Undoubtably."

Tsunade held Inoichi's gaze. "He will not. Never."

"If we knew who or what the sun was, we could protect it," mumbled Naruto in thought. "But I bet Sasuke would never tell us. Something like that…even I wouldn't be able to beat it out of him."

Tsunade admired the blonde's obtuseness. "If it's that important to him, I'm sure he is guarding it with his life."

"Naruto," said Inoichi. He was rapidly weakening. Exhaustion swept over him, but he one thing left to say. "Sasuke won't remember what happened in his mind. Or, if he does, it will be like a faded dream. He'll likely be disoriented. When he wakes up, you should be there."

"I plan to."

With that, Naruto and Tsunade said their goodbyes and left Ino and her father alone. Outside the hospital, Naruto breathed in the crisp air. She looked at her hands. They were still shaking.

"Shouldn't you be getting back to Sasuke?" asked Tsunade.

"Yeah. But…there's something I gotta do first."

Tsunade's interest was peaked, but Naruto said nothing further. She let it pass. "I hate to say this, Naruto, but this whole controversy isn't over yet. We held two council sessions in as many days. This will not go unnoticed. Even if it's not immediate, it will spread. First to the civilians, then to the other nations. Inoichi's testimony will go a long way, but suspicion against Sasuke will still grow. The Elders were not wrong to make this point as a reason to imprison him."

Naruto, far from being worried, grinned. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about that." She clasped her hands behind her head in her most relaxed gesture.

Tsunade, surprised, was seized with trepidation. "What have you done?"

"Just asked for a little help from Konohamaru. He's still got contacts in the newspaper."

"I doubt he has the influence to cover something like this up."

"No, we're not covering anything up. Just…diverting their attention."

"Diverting—?"

"Oh, and obaa-chan? I'm going after my mom as soon as Sasuke's recovered. Thought you'd want to know. Ja ne!"

The blonde was gone, leaving a fuming Tsunade in her wake.

... ... ...

It was time. Naruto couldn't put it off any longer. Not with the future so suddenly uncertain. Not with everyone soon to learn that she was a girl. Her guilty conscience wouldn't allow it. A second reason for this, of all times, being the right time was one that Naruto would barely admit to herself: She was unraveling.

In the space of five days, her life had been overturned, upended, and trodden upon. Everything she held dear was threatened. Everything she believed in was called into question. She had fought, and she had won. But she was left feeling hollow. When would it end? When would she be able to rest? She hadn't lied to the Elders: Sasuke gave her strength, gave her a reason to fight. And now he needed her more than ever. So Naruto had to get her shit together.

And the major stumbling block to that end was none other than fear. Naruto wasn't used to being afraid. Despite all odds, she believed in herself, and that belief had pulled her through. This was different. It wasn't a battle. She couldn't fight. She was going to the slaughter.

Naruto, in a henge of the boy she once was, walked slowly down the busy street. Male Naruto attracted a lot of attention. Old ladies called out to her. Younger girls batted their lashes. Children attempted to keep up with Naruto's stride, imitating her walk. Naruto smiled distractedly at all of them.

Where she was going, she couldn't bring a crowd. With a last wave to her admirers, Naruto leaped to the rooftops. She arrived at her destination a short three minutes later. Jumping to the ground, she landed in an alley so that no one could see her. She checked the street before stepping out. And there it was. Her favorite ramen stand. Pausing momentarily, still uncertain if this was a good idea, Naruto stepped inside.

Teuchi, wearing his tall white hat as always, turned from the stove. His face brightened. "Yo, Naruto! We haven't seen you in a while. Been busy with missions?"

Naruto attempted a smile. "Yeah, something like that." Seeing him in the flesh, Naruto felt her courage falter. "Um, listen. I was—was hoping I could…talk to you."

"Oh?" He raised a brow. "Well, have a seat. I'll whip up some miso while you—"

"No." It came out harsher than Naruto intended. Teuchi stopped in surprise. "Sorry, I—I have something to say, and I would appreciate if you would listen."

"So formal, Naruto. What's wrong?"

Just then, Ayame came in from the back. "Naruto! I thought I heard you. Where've you been? You might not win most-bowls-of-ramen-eaten-in-a-month award if you keep up this rotten record."

"H-hai, Ayame-chan."

"Eh? You don't have to look so glum. I'm joking. You're still the frontrunner by far." When Naruto didn't laugh, Ayame frowned. She looked between her dad and the blonde.

Unable to prolong the inevitable, Naruto cast her eyes to the ground and slowly raised her hands to perform a seal. "Something happened…on my birthday. I learned something about myself, and—and I want you to know, too." Unable to continue speaking, Naruto hoped they would understand. She released the henge.

"Ah."

At Teuchi's soft gasp, Naruto couldn't stop herself from looking up at him. She wondered if he would realize the significance right away. He must have always wondered, for his whole life, why an Iwa shinobi had murdered his infant daughter. How it must have plagued him! Or maybe the Sandaime had concealed the truth. Maybe Teuchi never learned who had stolen his daughter's life. And all along, the real murderer was just in front of him. Then, there was Ayame. Her jaw had dropped; her brown eyes were wide. She could never have imagined the truth of what happened that night more than eighteen years before.

Teuchi's lips broke into a smile. "I see the seal finally wore off!"

"Y-you knew?" Naruto was dumfounded.

Teuchi nodded. "Minato came here after the Tanabata festival ages ago, growling about some Uchiha brat. I asked him what was wrong, and he told me everything. How he knew you would be a girl, how he was certain that the Uchihas would make your life miserable." He rubbed the back of his neck. "A few weeks later, he pulled me aside and told me about some living seal that used some sort of energy. I didn't understand the details. He was rambling. The man was a worse chatterbox than his wife when he wanted to be. I just laughed because surely even Minato wasn't crazy enough to do such a thing!" Teuchi laughed then, an echo of the laugh he must have given Minato.

Naruto was speechless, completely uncomprehending. He knew everything.

"Naruto, he wasn't actually going to put the seal on you. If he had lived, you would have grown up as a girl." Teuchi hesitated, uncertain why Naruto's face had turned a deathly white, uncertain why she was looking at him as though he were a ghost. "I hope you're not mad at me for not telling you. I didn't think it was my place. But then, I was close to Minato. Perhaps I should have…"

He was apologizing to her! Horror forced Naruto's tongue to move. "Why?" she choked. "How can you just stand there and—? You should—You, more than anyone—you have a reason to hate me! Why have you always—?"

He quickly caught on. A lingering sadness flashed across his eyes, but the same kind smile remained on his face. "Why would I hate the innocent child that saved Konoha when she was less than an hour old?"

"Saved—? I—Y-you should hate my dad, at least! And you should take it out on me! Because if it weren't for us, if I hadn't been born…your daughter would still be alive!"

Teuchi stepped forward and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto flinched, but Teuchi kept his hand firm. "Kaname was born prematurely, Naruto."

"K-Kaname?"

"That was my daughter's name. My wife went into labor three weeks early, and we rushed her to the hospital. Kaname was born just before midnight on October 10, during the Kyuubi's attack. Minato had no idea that our children were born on the same day." The hand on Naruto's shoulder moved to her chin, as Teuchi lifted her face upwards. "Her life helped to conceal you, and you later saved Konoha and our entire world. The way I see it…my daughter was a hero."

"You can't be serious!" shouted Naruto, suddenly animated. "You can't just pass it off like that! You should be angry! You should hate me! You should—"

When Naruto showed no signs of stopping, Teuchi clapped a hand across her mouth. "Now hear me out, Naruto." Naruto became as still as stone. "I don't mean to say her loss wasn't unbearable, because it was. My wife was distraught. I was little better. It was Ayame who saved us." Teuchi motioned to his surviving daughter, who came to stand beside him. "We were wretched after Kaname was taken from us, but so many others had suffered worse than us the night of the attack. We still had each other."

"But your wife…" croaked Naruto, tears slipping down her cheeks, "she died a few years later. If she had never lost Kaname, maybe—"

"Who can say what would have happened? Her health was always fragile. But I'll tell one thing that really did happen. When she first saw you—you were about three, nothing more than skinny legs and a head full of blonde hair—she turned right to me and said 'Teuchi, there goes our future Hokage.' It wasn't two weeks later that she found you in the street, dirty and bleeding after a fight. She picked you up and brought you to our store. That was your first time eating ramen. You could barely handle the chopsticks."

"I remember," sniffled Naruto.

"She knew you would be a great shinobi, and I knew that Kaname's sacrifice would not be in vain. I've always believed that a piece of Kaname lives through you. Thing is, if the attack had never happened, you and Kaname would have grown up as friends, even sisters. I like to believe that Kaname, if she had lived, would think that sacrificing herself for her family was, all in all, a pretty good way to go."

Naruto couldn't speak. She couldn't accept it. For all Naruto was able to forgive, for all the room in her heart she was able to create for the most unlikely people, she wasn't capable of allowing herself such freedom.

"Maybe you find my reasoning forced, but Naruto—" Teuchi waited until the blonde met his eyes, "—you're not the only one who think hatred and vengeance result in vicious cycles. I wanted my family to live in peace, happily. I would have failed them if I'd chosen to hate you and spread that hatred to Ayame."

With that, Ayame took a step towards Naruto and hugged the younger girl. "Naruto, sounds like, if things had been different, you would have been my imouto. Do you think it's too late for us?"

Naruto's smile was wobbly, but it was as true a smile as she had ever given. "No way. Ayame-onee-chan." Eyes red, Naruto hiccuped. "I don't know what's come over me. I've always been really good at keeping my spirits up, but lately…lately, I just keep feeling so sad."

"We're with you, Naruto," said Teuchi. "I can't imagine what it'd be like to suddenly become a girl, but you can come to us if you need anything."

"If I need anything? Oji-san," she whispered to Teuchi, who cocked his head, "I wasn't going to mention this. I thought it would be inconsiderate, but—but I can't handle it anymore." Naruto slumped, and the two Ichirakus became alarmed. When Naruto looked up at them, there was a desperate gleam in her eyes. "I haven't eaten ramen in ages! I'm dying!"

Teuchi gave a hearty laugh while Ayame wiped a small tear from her eye. "Right you are, Naruto," called Teuchi as he walked back to his stove. "One miso ramen comin' up!"

"Only one?" she asked petulantly.

The the trio erupted in laughter.

... ... ...

Later that afternoon, Naruto would make her way back to Sasuke's hospital room. She would sit next to his bed. She would talk to him—chatter, really—about how awesome ramen was and how she would allow him to treat her to miso when he woke up.

"Hey, Sasuke," she would say, "Life kinda sucks sometimes, doesn't it. Both of us, we've been hit with some doozies. So much bad stuff happens, it's sort of like 'what's the point?' Why do we keep trying? Well, I can't answer for you, but for me, it's because I realize that all the bad stuff is nothing compared to the good. The Ichirakus just reminded me of that. And you know what else? You're a big part of that good.

"With Orochimaru back and my mother his zombie slave, there's a shitload of bad that I've gotta fix. So I need you to wake up soon. We've got work to do."