AN: It has been a little while since i updated, but i figured i should give my other story's a read. I am currently in the progressive of doing a joint project FF7 story if anyone is into that category. If anyone read my last chapter to my fmp story, i sincerelty apoligize for the complete lack of thought put into it, but i don't really want to have to deal with taht in the near future. Perhaps a long time from now i will make a more substantial ending. If you are reading my ff8/ff7 crossover, an update should be up within two days time.

However here are somet of the elements i promised for this chapter. Other things will be left out until the next chapter or so. This should talk a little bit more about Naruto's past i think. Its all theory really, but i hope it is an intersting read. Enjoy.

"You have been learning from some of the twelve, haven't you?"

"How did you –"

"It's what my half-brother would have done." Rin had a far out and spacey look to herself as she spoke about her lost brother.

"So what does that have to do with me?" Sometimes Rin severely confused Naruto. What difference would it make if he acted like her half-brother?

Not much was known about Rin to most of the village but Naruto had been able to learn a little bit here and there about her otherwise mysterious past.

It seemed where Kakashi picked up his strange dog-like abilities remained a mystery to all. Even though his father had been known as Konoha's Great White Fang, he seemed to favor loyal dogs over ferocious wolves.

Naruto mildly suspected that Rin was the reason for such a strange affiliation. After meeting Pakkun time and time again, there was certainly no mistaking that he was a dog and not a wolf.

And then there was Kakashi's sense of smell which overwhelmed even Kiba's. Such a unique clan trait to be found in an outsider, genius or not was a rare occurrence.

The only logical conclusion Naruto was willing to draw about this was that Rin was actually a member of the Inuzuka Clan. It almost made sense. Naruto recalled seeing Kiba's mom with a dog, no scratch that, a large wolf with a patch over one eye. They seemed to have create a strong attraction for all canine related beings.

While he heavily suspected her connection to Kiba's clan, he never confronted her about it. It's not like it had anything to do with him, nor did he have a right to invade upon her privacy.

If there was anything Naruto cherished more than the relationships he had been creating over the years, it would be the sense of privacy and security.

Rin casually arched an eyebrow at the blond haired shinobi and wondered if his question was one of genuine curiosity, or if he was just waiting for her to confirm what he had suspected all along.

It couldn't be possible that he hadn't noticed the connection by now. There were far too many similarities to take into consideration. Even a half-rate new ninja fresh out of the academy should have been able to notice it.

"Naruto, please tell me you're joking." He was a prankster at heart, just like…

"How could I be joking about anything? You keep talking in generalities!" At least he learned big words like 'generalities'.

"Naruto, I think its time you learned something about your past. You're old enough now." Both Rin and Naruto looked towards the entrance to her apartment with a gasp as they saw just who had walked through.

"Old ha- I mean mom? What's going on?" What the hell was the Fifth Hokage doing at a ninja's apartment in the middle of the day? If she didn't have anything better to do at this hour, perhaps being Hokage wasn't as hard as everyone claimed it to be.

"You know I thought about it, and I don't want to be your mom anymore." Rin made her way to the kitchen to prepare some tea for her guest while Naruto was once again left shocked.

The time he spent here was too good to be true. Sure people liked to praise him whenever he accomplished a notable feat, but it always went back to being the same. He would always be looked upon by everyone as a monster, and not the vessel that contained him.

As the years went on and his training with Jiraiya made him wiser, the less he understood the people of the world. Their were jails and prisons all over the five great ninja countries. People hated and scorned the convicted criminals inside and thus banished them away from society. Yet no one hated the prison cells and building that contained them. In fact they were all glad the jail was there as it provided that safe feeling. Then why was he so hated? Curse of the living perhaps.

Either way it was time for the lies to be dissolved and his time as Konoha's curse to return.

"Mom's got to worry about disciplining the child and feeding them and making sure they grow up right. Now grandmothers, they got the sweet deal. All they got to do is spoil their grandkids rotten." Tsunade had a smirk dressed upon her as she knew precisely what Naruto had been thinking during that slight two second pause.

"You mean you still-" People really need to learn to stop interrupting Naruto mid sentence. It can get kind of annoying.

"Of course!" With the story Naruto was just about to be told, it would be easier if she didn't go by the title of mother anyways. He was easy enough to confuse as it is.

"Then….then what's going on?" Rin had finally returned with the tea just as the story of Konoha's and Naruto's past was about to be revealed. The timing was perfect, seeing as she would need to provide crucial details.

"Naruto, it's about your family. Where you come from. We think its time you really knew about your past and what happened twenty years ago." Tsunade's voice sounded hopeful yet just a little cautious. Naruto immediately understood that meant while the news may delight him, there was more than a little tragedy tied into it.

"What about my family?" Was he going to finally learn about the mother he always wished he had. Tsunade had always cared for the young ninja in a maternal way, but it was never the same as a real flesh and blood mother who had always been there for you. He agreed that a grandmother role was far better suited for her.

It was time for Rin to take center stage, being the most familiar with the topic of discussion. "You see my half-brother was a very powerful ninja. His mother married my father after their spouses died in one of the earlier ninja wars." Sadly it wasn't uncommon for a ninja family to be torn apart by death during those wars.

"Me and my half-brother were still very young at the time though he was still a bit older, so we quickly grew fond of each other's company. While we had a lot in common, there was one thing for certain. He was going to be a very strong ninja far sooner than me." That much was made true by history.

"His chakra control was amazing, and his ability to create new jutsus at such a young age surprised even the Hokage. He was what you would call…"

"A genius" The three quickly shot their glances towards the window where Kakashi was seen calmly sitting while listening to this story. He waved one hand while continuing his reading.

Rin looked over in his direction and smiled sweetly, but needed to continue her story without further interruption. Kakashi would be punished later.

"He was smart, witty, had a great sense of humor and loved playing pranks. But I guess what people loved about him the most was his burning desire to protect the people of this village with everything he had. It was –"

"One of the reasons why he was allowed to become my baka deshi" Jiraiya often speaks fondly of his 'idiot apprentice' but now it was time for Naruto to see the similarities and feel a bit of kinship with Rin's brother, not feel estranged.

"Jiraiya-sensei?" Naruto's head was about to split open from the headache he was getting. Just how many people knew more about his past than he did?

Jiraiya remained standing calmly in the door way, leaning against the frame with his eyes closed as he continued to take note of the story. Rin always had a soft flowing voice which made listening to her pleasant.

"Yes I heard he was quite the troublesome student. But please Jiraiya-sama, let me continue." No noise was heard from the great sannin. One may have concluded he had fallen asleep were it not for the subtle shifts in his body.

"He eventually fell in love with a beautiful woman with long flowing black hair and chestnut brown eyes. She was from a scattered ninja clan that lived apart from the Five Great Ninja Countries. Since her people were always looking to improve their status in the world, they had no qualms about allowing her to marry a genius ninja and apprentice of the-"

"Great Jiraiya-sama!" The frog hermit abandoned his otherwise near meditating state to proclaim the greatness of his name.

His outburst was quickly met with a fist to his face as the Hokage would not tolerate further interruptions. After all it was story time with Rin.

"My brother would quickly become one of Konoha's strongest ninjas, with potential to surpass the Sannins themselves. When the last ninja war erupted, he played an invaluable role in securing Konoha's victory. This ensured his spot as…" This one interruption, everyone in the room was willing to forgive.

"The Fourth Hokage of the Hidden Village of Konoha." Naruto spoke very slowly even though he realized the truth of his parentage at the very beginning of the story. It only took him all this time to actually accept it.

It was amazing how obvious the connection was. The vibrant golden hair was a very rare find in Konoha. So rare that only he himself had that particular shade of yellow. That and the matching blue eyes alone should have made him realize the truth of the matter.

And he would have had Naruto not accepted that he was some sort of family-less demon spawn that was cursed to live a life of redemption helping the very people that sought to destroy him.

"Mm hmm where he and his wife would start a family together with the birth of their son. Their son took on the same roguish blond hair and deep blue eyes as the father. He demanded attention all the time and hated being separated from either one of his parents. He-"

Naruto didn't have time to listen to the pleasantries. Correction, he did have the time, just not the patience to listen any further. He knew what fate awaited both him and his father in the not so distant future. There was something else he needed to know. "What happened to my mother?"

It was Jiraiya's turn to speak, though this time not out of turn. "Naruto I would suggest you absorb this information first before we divulge any information regarding your mother. This should be a lot to take in."

"Jiraiya-sama, perhaps it is time we left." With a nod, Jiraiya and Kakashi quickly exited the room in a flash.

A flash. The Yellow Flash of Konoha. Now he understood why he was able to take the Fourth's infamous technique a step farther than he ever had a chance to. Now Naruto understood why speed came so quickly to him. He was built for it.

Naruto was left in the room with Rin and Tsunade as an awkward silence was hanging about in the air. What is the appropriate thing to say after revealing the partial past of an orphaned child?

"Naruto, I have one more very serious thing to discuss with you now."

"What is it?" What could the Fifth possibly want now? That stern tone made him realize that it could only be a matter resulting in some cruel form of punishment.

With a thundering voice Tsunade spoke "Just what are your intentions with my apprentice?" The cycle was being repeated by another. If Naruto had picked up any of Jiraiya's bad habits…

"Uh….Uh…."

It was time for Rin to throw in her two cents as well after a fit of giggles escaped her. "Oh my yes. She has been spending quite a bit of time away from work and looking after you playing doctor. Now we both know Naruto, that you can heal yourself very quickly even without using the Kyuubi's powers."

"Uh…."

It was an attack from both sides, with Naruto as the unfortunate target. "And you did have a certain spring to your step when you originally came here earlier. Something…or someone must have made you very happy last night. And since a girl did spend the night at your apartment, that only means…"

Tsunade's fury was feared all over the known world for good reason, and Naruto was about to find out why. "NAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRUUUUUUUTTTTTTTOOO! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SWEET AND INNOCENT APPRENTICE?" Her fist came slamming down against the not so sturdy wood frame of the table which sent it splintering into pieces.

The blond shinobi stumbled and fell upon his back as he tried to inch away towards salvation.

"I….she…didn't….she was the one…who…umm……" He was going to die. That's the universe for ya. It would answer all the questions that you ever had regarding you and your past, and then kill you just because it could.

Unless of course Rin was there to the rescue. "Don't worry Naruto-kun. Tsunade-sama is just putting on a little bit of an act, now aren't you?"

Immediately switching to a calmer demeanor, the Fifth Hokage immediately smiled and laughed at the one who saw through her so clearly. "Mm hmm. I wouldn't want to hurt my dear little grandchild." She continued speaking with that same smile but now with far more malicious intent in her voice. "Unless he fails to tell me everything I want to know."

However now Naruto was far to immobilized with fear to even verbalize a response. Tsunade's job at acting was done quite well.

Perhaps it had been too much too soon. After all he did just find out that he was the son of one of the Hokages, the very same one that had given him this accursed life. "Naruto, I want you to know that I couldn't think of a better match for my apprentice, anywhere, ever. You've grown up to be a fine young man and I'm sure you will tell us what you feel when you are ready."

Naruto stumbled back onto his feet and cleaned the dust off of his pants before looking upon Rin and Tsunade again. There was no desire for violence or anger here. He had been surrounded long enough to recognize it. No here there were only feelings of acceptance and caring.

"I think I've….I've fallen for Sakura-chan again. I didn't mean for it to happen but…but..."

"But she was the one who was there to look after you since you came back. You finally had all her attention all to yourself and you wanted to cherish every moment of it. Is that why you didn't allow yourself to heal as quickly as you would have liked?" He responded with a simple nod as his intentions were brought to light.

"And now you're afraid that after you are all better, things might go back to the way they were. That she would continue to see you as an annoyance upon her life and that you would continue chasing a dream that may never be realized?" There was a somber look of fear upon his face. The scariest thing that could happen to a visionary is to lose sight of his dream.

"Naruto…you love her don't you."

Briefly but assuredly he flashed that genuine smile to Rin as he answered her question. There was no doubt in his mind about how he felt towards his teammate. "Yes, I do."

"Does she feel the same way about you?" And almost unnoticeably to Tsunade, Naruto switches to a smile lacking in sincerity but appeared to be happy as well. Only Rin knew the difference for sure, having grown up with her brother for so long.

"I don't know, I mean—"

"Yes, I do." All eyes shot towards the door as the pink-haired kunoichi entered undaunted by the presence of her sensei.

Tsunade did however, sensed her presence coming. It would have been shameful for someone of her caliber not to notice the approach of the ninja she spent much of her time training.

"What's going on here?" There was near silence in the room as no one felt right about speaking up. Sakura had arrived just in time to hear the latter part of the conversation. Only Naruto could decide what would be revealed to her.

She walked right over to Naruto where she quickly kissed him on the cheek and grabbed his right hand before dragging him off with her. "I know you guys were up to something, and not just interrogating him on our love life."

That dumb quirky smile would never leave his face. The entire way out.

"Don't worry, I'll get to the bottom of this." In her cutest possible voice, she addressed Naruto "You'll tell me won't you, Naruto-kun?

"Umm, I…Uhh….Errr." He could feel himself start to sweat profusely as the tension was quickly building up everywhere.

"That's alright you can tell me later, after lunch. I thought we could have Ramen since you have been such a good little patient." Sakura dragged Naruto out of the room and towards his favorite ramen shop to get a little meal.

Now only Rin and Tsunade were left in the apartment.

"I think he handled that well. Naruto should be just fine."

"He's a tough guy. Has to be with you for a grandmother."

Tsunade laughed softly as she smiled once more. The fifth had been doing more of that since Naruto's return. "They look good together, don't they?"

"Yeah they do."

"Do you think we should tell him Aya has found her way to Konoha?"

"I think it's safer for him to find out on his own. Think Sakura will be able to keep her cool?" By safer she meant safer for them, not for Naruto.

"Well if she doesn't, the whole town will certainly be aware of it." The Fifth Hokage then also quickly took her leave of the room. If Aya ran into Naruto and Sakura, things could get a little dangerous.

I hope you liked it, and i hope you liked it enough to give it a nice long review! Remember, the longer the better! As always, please leave your questions, thoughts, comments or just general reviews. I love reading them. If there is something you would like to see happen, go ahead and let me know. I may not write it in, but if its an interesting enough event, who knows?

Anyways, thanks for reading my fic, and thanks for being such a great and understanding reader. Until next time, take care:-)