Author's Note: Hello again ladies and gents. I was planning on holding back on updating until many of you Harry Potter fanatics had time to read the book and digest it but I figured I would release it anyway since "Naruto of the Shikon" and "Training for the Job" both came out with a new chapter irregardless of the HP madness in the air. I've come to realize I'm VERY bad with making time flow when writing (I'm almost taking 2 chapters per day of time passing in story) but I'm trying hard to resolve this although I'm guilty of it again this chapter. When I get done having him meet with all the active characters I'm hoping to have it pick up nicely (which he should be done doing that within the next chap or one after) as soon as that's done. Thank you again for your patience.

Also I have an update on the parings.

I am in a dilemma right now with who I want to be with him. I have decided one thing though: After long and hard thinking about it I can't do a harem . I'm sorry if that pisses any of you off but I can't see it working with him being so messed up in the head already (letting one in and pulling it off is going to be hard enough already). If this was a more happy sunshine kind of fic where he is NON-AU except a little older I would definitely say hell yes, but with him in emo-mode I don't see it happening.

Now comes your time to interact! You have the follow choices you can vote on:

NarutoXAnko
NarutoXIno
NarutoXKurenai (keep in mind she will have her kid in this fic)
NarutoXTenten
NarutoXSakura

Your vote must be in review form and MUST BE A SIGNED REVIEW. Not trying to inflate my count but i figure it is easier this way to avoid multiple voters.

I would add Temari but I'm saving that for another fic ;) On that note someone needs to write a fic with NarutoXKiba's Mom, that would be awesome and I don't think anyone really has.

Now on with the show.

Chapter 8

The late afternoon sun peered through the cloudy sky as day slowly began its transition to dusk. The hidden village of the leaf glowed in the fleeting light as its people carried on with their final affairs before retiring for the evening. Among the many people three particular souls were exiting a well known ramen establishment with one having a very content look on their face. After the two nins waved their good-byes to the enthusiastic owner and his blushing daughter they were on their way with their other guest. The hunter-nin had surprised both his friend and the restaurant's operators when he had only ordered one bowl which incidentally he barely touched. They were concerned but tried not to show it as they watched him fumble with his noodles. The girl that accompanied them was a completely different story. She had downed almost two bowls in rapid succession before her stomach caught up with her when she promptly entered a state of over-eating comatose. The academy instructor smiled at the memory of how much she had resembled his old student when he would go ramen crazy but was brought out of his musings when they both noticed that Hime-chan (which his blonde friend seemed to enjoy calling her) was starting to lag behind them. The hunter-nin turned around and kneeled in front of her getting a good look at her relaxed features. Her chocolate brown eyes were sagging lightly as she fought to keep sleep at bay, but both nins could see she was beginning to lose. Her eyes were unfocused looking at the ground until she heard him chuckle lightly at her current state.

"That is the one draw back to Ichimaru's ramen; it's a natural tranquilizer" she responded by attempting to appear more alert by bringing her head up straight but soon it nodded back to a slouch failing miserably. He kept his features schooled at her display trying to not to deliver the wrong messages again like he had earlier. Suddenly he had a plan.

"You want a ride?" the blonde spoke playfully to the ramen hypnotized child. She didn't have time to remotely respond before he lightly picked her up and hoisted her above his head and plopped her behind on the back of his shoulders. She clung tightly to his long spikes while he adjusted her on his shoulders and lightly took hold of her pale legs. He couldn't see her face but he could tell this may have been the first time she had ever had a piggy back ride.

"Just hold on and try not to pull out all my hair" he said laughing quietly as she released some pressure from her death grip. After he felt she was secure he stood back up and they began their trek back to the hospital at a slow pace. Iruka smiled brightly at the display he had just witnessed and felt something for his friend he could only describe with on word: Hope. As night began to fall they reached a fork that would lead back to the Academy at which the scarred chunnin remembered the paper work he said he would look over.

"Well it seems this is where we part ways" he said smiling at the blonde. He looked up noticing the girl had fallen asleep with her face buried in his shiny blonde locks.

"Thanks for hanging out with us today. Like you did with me I think you found the way to Hime-chan's heart." He said allowing a tiny smile take hold. He bowed lightly to his old sensei and turned to leave.

"You know…you said that the Hokage won't let you do any missions since your on the inactive duty roster right?" that stopped the blonde as he turned around.

"Yeah, sadly"

"Well if you want I could use some help at the academy. You think you would be interested?" he desperately hoped the blonde would consider it, not only the fact he would like to see him more but he knew the students would DEFINITELY listen to the Great Naruto and behave while he was around. The blonde looked down at the ground for a long moment before raising his head.

"I'll think about it" he bowed once again and turned heading the opposite direction.

The bronze lamp on the nightstand glowed weakly in the dark bedroom barely penetrating the shadows that loomed about. The blue curtains that covered the main window were drawn closed keeping the dusk's dying rays from coming in and exposing the area. There were not many things in this room as ninjas needn't bother with the many luxuries of the civilian world. All that was needed was what she already had: a bed, a desk, a chair, a dresser and a night stand. Although they many times had the bare minimum of essentials that did not mean they would forgo sentimental items. The pink haired medic-nin remained motionless sitting in the exact same spot on her bed since she had returned from work. When she first came in she immediately went into her closet and searched for the one item she longed to hold in her hand. Quickly she had found the tattered wooden box and trekked swiftly to her bed sitting down on it. She carefully opened it as the hinges creaked revealing many pictures and other trinkets of importance. What she hunted for was found quickly, pulling out an old white envelope that had already been opened. That had been her final action before she stopped all functions, staring blankly at her name written hastily on the letter she grasped. However unexpressive her body seemed to show, she couldn't stop her eyes from betraying her as a tear slowly slid down her cheek, landing silently on the paper below her.

'Naruto….'

Flashback

A pink blur could be seen darting over the rooftops as it flew from point to point. The current course was set on a place she had visited many times in the past six months since she opened up to a certain person. Many nights she would travel this same path when she felt the stress making her want to go crazy and knowing who would be willing to listen to her vent her frustrations. She had continued to allow herself to spiral into a hopeless wreck since her last meeting with her special person, but this time she was going to be strong and find a way to fix things. In all the time she had known the blonde ramen freak he had forgiven many who had come to see the light about him and welcomed them with open arms. She desperately prayed he would be willing to listen to her, willing to forgive her for betraying his heart. She finally reached his steps as she quickly ran up the creaking stairwell. Running around the corner she bound to the front of his door, knocking loudly almost as if trying to knock the door down.

No response.

She knocked again and tried opening the door before realizing it was locked.

No response.

She raised her hand to knock again.

"He's gone"

She hadn't noticed a presence when she approached the building as the familiar sounding voice crept from the shadows at the end of the hallway.

"Where is he then?" she said between huffs trying to catch her breath from the overexertion getting there. He walked towards here keeping his face in his usual stone expression as he reached behind his back pulling out an envelope. She watched him come to a stop as she eyed the object in his hand.

"He told me to give this to you" she reached down taking it from him and examining the front of the letter. She looked down seeing it was addressed to her and quickly recognized the poor handwriting.

"Where did he-"she looked up to face him and noticed he was gone. She cursed out loud at how he left without a word pertaining to the blonde's location but quickly focused her attention back to the letter. Ripping the top off slowly she pulled out a folded sheet of paper and opened it hastily and began reading the text.

Sakura

By the time this letter reaches your eyes I should already be on my journey and near the fire country's borders. Due to circumstances I can no longer control I requested permission to leave the village for a period of time that I myself am unsure of. I didn't leave to be spiteful about what happened, if anything I wish something else could be done, however it seems I must discover a new way to protect the village from what is inside me. I'm sorry for not being a man and telling you and the rest of our friends to your faces but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

I want you to know I don't hate you for what happened nor could I ever hate you , although I'm not certain how long it will take until the pain goes away. I knew a long time ago that when we started dating there could ultimately be consequences in the end if I allowed myself to become disillusioned because of my own feelings. I was naïve to think I could replace the man you loved with all your heart, but I selfishly kept on thinking you would move on and open your heart to me. Please forgive me for holding on to you after he had returned, had I known your heart was still set on him I would of broken things off myself.

In the end I'm happy I got to catch of glimpse of what it feels like to have someone love you, even if I was just a temporary solution. It's obvious now that I wasn't filling your heart the way you needed; I only wish you could have told me how you felt before I found you lying with him that morning . It seems no matter how hard I try I'm always second best to him, yet I can promise you this will be the last time. I made a vow later that day, a vow that I intend to honor until death takes me from this world. I will continue to become stronger and live my life for all of you in order to keep you safe so that you can enjoy the things I'm not meant to have. I'm happy you finally got the man you deserve, the man you have always wanted and dreamed of having. I may not be that man but it felt good pretending while it lasted. Stay safe and enjoy the love you were always meant to feel.

-Naruto

PS. Underneath the floorboard next to the welcome mat was going to your six month anniversary present. I still want you to have it even though its original purpose is no longer possible.

She stood motionless planted in place, her brain registering what she had just read very slowly.

'He blames himself about what happened…'

She felt her chest lurch realizing the damage she had done to the boy, damage that only a woman could do to the man who loved her. She remembered the end of the letter and looked around for the floorboard he mentioned. It didn't take long when she found the loose board, prying it up easily from the floor. Inside the small compartment was a tiny black box no bigger then a fist which she quickly grabbed standing to her feet. Upon further inspection her breath began to quicken as she opened it slowly. There in her hand she held the most beautiful diamond ring she had ever seen. It was a gold band with remarkable etching in the side of a rose with thorns going around the ring's stem and the diamond in the middle was a rare pinkish color, the color of her hair that glowed with an ethereal light. In her entire life she had never seen or heard of such a colored diamond as she allowed herself to become mesmerized by its luster. And then it hit her like all the weight of the world was dropped on her very heart.

'It's….an engagement ring'

Time seemed to stop; her eyes darting back and forth from the letter and the box in her hand. At that very moment she felt the disgust and shame she could only imagine was nothing compared to how he was feeling, the man who had always tried to make her happy. She fell to her knees as the welt up tears finally escaped their ducts pouring down her checks. It dawned on her moments later the gravity of what she had done. She knew she had made possibly the biggest mistake of her life; betraying the one man who she knew wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. She launched her head to the heavens and released a bone chilling scream into the night.

Endflashback

She clutched the letter in her hand as her memory faded out of existence. Since he had returned she couldn't keep her mind off his once bright smiling face. 'What should she say to him?' and 'What should I do now?' were just a few of the questions that plagued her mind. Her eyes focused on the team 7 picture she had on her nightstand, watching as if waiting for something to happen. She stood suddenly putting the letter back into the tiny chest next to the tiny black box and left her room shutting the door quietly behind her.

-------------------------------------

The hunter-nin moved silently through the hospital corridors as he made his trek back to the bundle in his arms room. Two times on the way back she had almost fell of his back while asleep so he decided to wrap her up in his field jacket and carry her in his arms the remainder of the journey. He hoped he wasn't going to be fussed at about keeping her out a few hours longer then he had planned but he had a feeling they wouldn't be too upset. He walked passed the nurses station of his patient's hall and nodded to her as he proceeded past her. When he reached the door he opened it quietly and walked in shutting the door behind him. He noticed all the lights in the room were on unlike last time which he quickly hit a few of the switches so his eyes didn't go crazy from the brightness. Now that the room was dimmed his eyes readjusted quickly and he made his way to the bed. Very carefully he unrolled his precious cargo and set her lightly on the soft mattress with her head on top of the pillow. He reached down taking off her shoes and pulled the blanket up to her neck tucking in the sides as lightly as he could. The blonde looked over his work and nodded in approval as his eyes traced to her face, taking in soft innocence of her features.

"Excuse me sir but visiting ho---Naruto?" he turned around hearing the woman's timid voice and saw it was none other then the Hyuga heiress dressed in nurses attire taking a step out of the bathroom.

'I'm getting soft, I didn't realize someone was in the bathroom' he inwardly berated himself for being so careless.

"Hello Hinata-sama. I was supposed to come back earlier but we got a little side tracked. I apologize for my actions" he voiced respectfully as he bowed his head to the timid Hyuga.

'Hinata-sama? What's with the formalities now after all these years?' she pondered.

She couldn't stop herself from blushing while she eyed his toned arms and chest since he still had his jacket off bundled in on of his hands. Her eyes traced down his body taking in his new attire which she liked but missed his orange-black attire from before. When her eyes came to his face she noticed the long scar on his cheek and tried not to stare at it but her body resisted from looking away for some reason. She quickly recovered realizing this could get very awkward fast.

"Its no problem Naruto-kun. Ino-san mentioned you would be coming back with a patient before she left after her shift. When I heard the she was with you I knew she would be safe in your care so like I said its not a big deal." She looked into his eyes trying to see his expression but only saw his dull blue spheres stare back at her as if looking through her. He was surprised she had changed some much from the stuttering mess she had been before when around him but at the same time he was pleased she seemed to be more confident even if it was just her speech.

"Very well Hinata-sama" he said quietly as he turned back to the bed looking down at the child. Hinata moved quietly as she positioned her self to his right looking down at her as well.

"Did Shizune-san by chance come by here while I was gone?"

"Oh that reminds me yes she did. She came by an hour and a half ago to speak with you but when I told her I hadn't seen you she said to come by the Hokage's office in the morning to speak with her about the little girl"

"I see. Hopefully we can get to the bottom of why this girl was on the street all alone"

His hand drifted downwards tracing her soft cheek brushing the stray hairs from her face. The longer he spent with this child the more he could feel something beginning to trouble him, perhaps some sort of safety mechanism instilled in his heart to protect himself from the hurt of others. He knew she was almost incapable of doing something that could hurt him, but the fear still remained in the dark digging deeper into his mind.

'What makes you think you can protect her……like you "saved" the others' the fox laughed in his head while forcing the images into his mindscape of his last assignment, the only missing-nin he had yet to find. What many people didn't know was the fact that hunter-nins hunted missing-nins for many reasons besides them leaving their village; many were murderers, rapists and other pitiful excuses for human life. This particular missing-nin was a serial rapist from the hidden village of the rain who had over 15 known counts of rape on him as well as the consequent murders of his victims. The thing about this missing-nin that particularly made his bounty one of the highest in the bingo book was that his victims were not women; they were children.

'Remember the last one you found in that cave? I never knew such a little thing could be ripped open from her-'

'SHUT UP!!!' He screamed in his mind as he heard the voice begin to drift away back into the recesses of his mind, but the message had already been made.

His hand shot away from the girl's face like she had burnt his fingers clutching the scar on his face, trying to subdue the pain and hatred clawing inside him. Hinata was so started by the sudden movement she nearly yelped in surprise. She watched him for a moment as his shaking hand held tightly over his cheek covering the long scar she had noticed earlier.

"What's wrong?" she said in an alarmed tone as her hand glided towards his shoulder, her face confused and worried at the same time. She could hear his breathing becoming ragged as he struggled to keep himself quiet, but slowly he was beginning to gain back control. He jumped slightly feeling the contact on his shoulder and he looked at her with eye's she had never thought possible for the number 1 surprising hyperactive ninja to bear; the eyes of someone desperate.

"I…I have to go" he said in a wavering voice as he swiftly walked past her out of her reach, pulling his mask on and walking out the door. The door opened from down the hall where he had been behind him and could hear her call out to him but he was too fast and out of the hospital in a flash. As soon as he reached the road he jumped onto the rooftops and made his way to his old apartment, hoping to be able to relax and bury the dark memories.