Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I wish I did.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

To say Kano was angry would have been a vast understatement. He had done his share of bad things in life, he had once been a shinobi; no one can remain innocent in that career field, particularly if you work for Iwa. Even so he still had his morals. Killing a harmless child is a bad thing.

"Dad?"

Kano looked up at his daughter Michie. She handed him a cup full of some noxious brew that would soothe his growing head ache.

The two of them sat in the corner of one of the spare bed rooms on the second floor of the building they owned. They had closed the bar early tonight, much to the disappointment of a few regulars. Usually Kano stayed open till midnight, but the small blond boy who now resided in the bed had forced a change of plans.

Michie spoke quietly, so as not to disturb the sleeping child

"That's him right, the Kyuubi container?"

"Yeah, Uzumaki Naruto…how the hell did this happen?"

"What do you mean? Those stupid village bastards are to dumb to see that the poor kid is not a demon, so they attacked him. End of story."

"No, no…most people don't know it but the Sandaime has a group of ANBU watching the kid nearly 24/7…why didn't they stop this?"

With a fierce scowl, Kano stood up and headed for the door

"Michie I'm going out. Take care of Naruto."

"Where are you going?"

"I need to have a talk with Sarutobi."

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Kano all but ran to the Hokage's tower. As he mounted the tall stairs and approached the Hokage's office, some wimpy little silver haired chunnin attempted to stop him. Kano simply raised a foot and kicked the unfortunate chunin in the stomach. The man flew back into the door and then through the door. Both door and chunnin sailed into the Hokage's office and landed with a thud.

"As usual it's a pleasure to see you, but must you always break my door…and my guards for that matter?"

The Sandaime's bemused tone did nothing to calm the angry ex-nin.

"Old man, I got a bone to pick with you! Why the hell weren't your ANBU guards doing their job? That brat nearly died tonight!"

No one had to explain who 'that brat' was to Sarutobi. He felt his blood run cold. He stood and called out for one of the other chunin guards.

"Iruka, take Mizuki to the hospital. He probably has broken ribs."

As the chunnin complied, Sarutobi turned to Kano and pointed to a chair.

"Sit."

Kano shuddered slightly. The Sandaime may be old, but he was still a terrifying site when in a rage. From his reaction, Kano assumed that the old man had been unaware of danger to the little blond jinchuuriki.

"What happened?"

Kano sighed, "I heard some commotion coming from outside the bar. When went to check it out, I found a few of the village men about to run the boy through with a kunai. I took care of them, but they did a number on the kid."

Sarutobi shut his eyes and gave a sigh. First the Uchiha's and now Naruto; It was shaping up to be a hellish night.

"No matter what I do it seems that I can't help the boy. I can't be everywhere at once. When trouble brews my attention must be elsewhere, the ANBU as well."

Kano frowned "Trouble?"

"Several hours ago Uchiha Shisui murdered his clan. There are only two survivors. The ANBU is busy cleaning up the mess and searching for Shisui."

Kano gaped like a fish. "Kami have mercy….who are the survivors?"

"Mikoto and Fugaku's boys, Itachi and Sasuke"

Kano nodded slowly. "Well…I'm sorry for yelling then. Seems you've had as bad a night as I have"

"Indeed. I trust Naruto is receiving proper care?"

"Yes. I didn't bother taking him to the hospital, but Michie's looking after him. She got her Mama's talent for medicine"

"I'm glad you found him Kano. I can't thank you enough."

Kano nodded, his mind whirling. As he had made his way to the tower, he had begun to form a plan. It was foolish and impulsive…but…Kano had some suspicions; and if his suspicions were correct…

"Sarutobi, I want to become the boy's guardian."

Oddly enough, the Hokage didn't look all that surprised.

There was a long moment of silence. Then the Hokage spoke.

"You know, don't you?" It wasn't a question, but a statement.

"I wasn't certain but I guessed. He looks just like Minato and he has Kushina's last name.

Sarutobi sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Actually, the name on his birth certificate is Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto."

They sat in silence while Kano absorbed what had just been confirmed. After a moment Kano sighed.

"Why didn't you tell anyone? Maybe if the villagers had known that Naruto was the son of their beloved Yondaime, they would have treated him better."

"Minato had enemies…many enemies. Shortly before the Kyuubi attacked, Iwa had sent several assassins to try and kill both him and Kushina. In the wake of the Kyuubi sealing, Konoha didn't have the ability to defend it's self. Had Iwa sought vengeance on Naruto at that time…there would have been little se could do to stop them. I would have made it public later, when we were stronger but…by then so many people wished harm on Naruto…I had no way of knowing that they wouldn't aid Iwa in their vengeance even is they knew of Naruto's parentage."

Kano shook his head. It was a sad thing when a Kage could not have more faith in his people. Then again what Sarutobi said was true. The Tsuchikage was a tyrant and a fool. He would not hesitate to start a new war to avenge the losses of an old war.

Kano looked into the Hokage's eyes

"I will care the boy; I will treat him like my own son. I owe at least that much to Minato and Kushina."

"If that is the case then, I have a request to make of you."

"What?"

"Take Naruto out of Konoha."

Kano was speechless but the Hokage continued. "Minato was an idealist but he was not an idiot. He asked that Naruto be seen as a hero, but he would not be so careless with his son's life. He told me that if things should ever get to bad, we should send Naruto to Jiraiya and Tsunade. They would raise the boy in a safe house that Minato had set up about four days travel from here, just outside the Land of Waves. Unfortunately…things did not go as planned…."

Kano nodded sadly, "No one has seen or heard from Jiraiya since the Kyuubi attacked. Tsunade has been gone even longer."

The Hokage looked worn as he thought of his students. Orochimaru had turned traitor and Tsunade and Jiraiya had all but abandoned the village. Tsunade had left after the death of her brother and her fiancé. Jiraiya had disappeared after the death of Minato, who had been like a son to him.

Sarutobi began to speak again "I had no options. With Jiraiya and Tsunade gone no one could care for the boy. Minato asked that I not tell Kakashi. He felt the boy was too young. He did request that Kakashi be told after Naruto became a genin…but…."

"Until then the boy would be alone."

"Yes. Kushina had no family that we know of and Minato was an orphan."

"Yeah…so back on topic…you want me to take Naruto the Land of Waves. Will this be a permanent arrangement?"

Sarutobi smiled. "No, Naruto will return to become a genin. I assume you are willing to do this."

Kano felt his headache returning "yeah, but with some conditions. I want the bar to stay untouched. I plan to open it back up after we return."

"Fine by me," the Hokage nodded. "You will be supported by Minato's private funds; however you will probably want to do some kind of work."

"Yeah I'll figure something out." Kano stood. "I need to go and get ready. Michie and I have to pack."

"Do so quickly. You should depart in three days time. The village will be distracted by the Uchiha incident. You can leave at just after dawn."

Kano nodded and took his leave. Sarutobi was left looking at his now broken door with unseeing eyes.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

The first thing Naruto felt as he drifted back to reality was warmth.

"Are you awake?"

Naruto opened his eyes and looked into the face of his care-taker. The young woman had long dark blonde, almost brown hair. She wore it in a loose waist length braid. The woman's eyes where a very dark blue, almost black in the dim light. They and seemed to shine with concern. To anyone else she would have looked like a pretty, but not beautiful, girl. To Naruto she was an angel.

"Where am I?" He rasped out

She smiled. "You're in our home. My father saved you from some rather unpleasant men. You were hurt very badly."

"Oh." They boy blinked and then looked around. "Why?"

She looked confused "Why what? Why where you hurt?"

"No. Why did you guys save me?"

She smiled at him sadly. "You needed to be saved. It was the right thing to do."

"…the right thing…"

"Yes. It's really very simple. Sometimes we help one another, we save one another, because it is the right thing to do."

Naruto was very quiet at this…such on odd idea. He had never heard of this before. He pushed it away, deciding to ponder it later.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage!"

Michie giggled, though inside she was awed. The boy was bouncing around and cheerful, his injuries all but gone.

"It's nice to meet you Naruto; I'm Ibi Michie, waitress and medic among other things."

Naruto gave her a hesitant smile "Well…I should probably head home."

Michie felt her heart ache. There was a hint of fear in the boy's eyes. He was afraid to return to his apartment. Who could blame him? Michie had heard that it was less than secure and he lived all alone. She liked kids. She had always wanted younger siblings, but her mother had died years ago and her father never remarried. It hurt her to think that this little boy was suffering.

"Oh, I don't think it would be too much trouble for you to spend the night. I have some stew in the kitchen and some hot bread. I'll get you a bowl."

Naruto grinned and nodded eagerly. It wasn't ramen, but he was starving. As she left, he took time to look at his surroundings. The room was plain but cozy. The bed was soft and comfy. It was the nicest place Naruto had ever been in and…it felt safe. It was a foreign but pleasant concept for the little boy.

Michie returned with a tray filled with stew, bread, and a few pieces of sweet candy. As Naruto ate, he and Michie talked. For the first time in the boy's life someone besides the scar faced man from the ramen stand was listening to him. Naruto shared his dreams and his sorrows. He told Michie about his lack of friends; about the cold, hateful, and sometimes frightened looks. He even told her about the little girl from the playground who would look at him kindly.

Michie listened to it all. When the boy become tearful as he described the treatment from the villagers, she pushed the tray aside and pulled him into her lap. He stiffened at first but then relaxed and clung to her.

That was how Kano found them. Michie was rocking Naruto back and forth, singing softly; Naruto was half asleep in her arms.

"How're you feeling little man?"

Naruto jumped slightly at the rough voice that interrupted Michie's song. A tall older man stood in the door way. He had grey streaked brown hair and a moustache. His skin was weathered and he looked like he had seen better days. Even so there was a hint of humor in the man's dark blue eyes.

"I…I'm good. Are you Michie's dad?"

"Yup, the name's Kano. Ibi Kano, best bartender in Konoha."

"Oh…" the boy looked uncertain "do I have to leave now?"

"Nope; although we'll all be leaving in a few days"

Naruto looked at Michie, but she seemed just as confused as he was. It was Michie who questioned the older man.

"What the hell are you taking about dad?"

"Well I had a talk with the Hokage. I'm your new guardian Naruto. Welcome to the family. Michie get packing."

"NANI?!" both Michie and Naruto cried.

Michie stuttered "ppppacking? Why? Where are we going?"

"To the Land of Waves" Kano left the room and headed into the bar. Michie and Naruto trailed after.

"Are you serious? You adopted me?!" Naruto cried

"In a way, yes. Your name is still Uzumaki but for appearances sake you will go by Ibi Naruto. Michie, go get some boxes from the back."

Michie disappeared into the back room.

"Anymore questions brat?"

"Why are you taking care of me?"

"'Cause I felt like it."

"I can't leave Konoha; I'm going to become Hokage!"

Kano stopped and turned to look at the little boy. For a moment he felt like he was in the past, where another little blonde had looked up at him and made the same promise. Kano shook his head in wonder.

"Hokage, huh? Well don't worry; we'll be coming back in a few years, in time for you to become a genin."

"Don't I have to go to the academy?"

"With the Hokage's permission, you will be home schooled. I will teach you academics and train you in my fighting style. You'll learn some jutsu as well. Then you'll come back to take your genin test and be placed on a team."

Naruto looked up with wide eyes at Kano, Michie walked back into the front from with a stack of empty boxes.

Kano bent down to be on eye level with Naruto.

"You okay with all this kid? I won't force you to go with us. I'll tell you the truth though, I'd be happy to have you.

I've always wanted a son.; Not that I don't love Michie but I need another man to talk to." He winked at his daughter.

Naruto looked up at Kano and Michie. Everything was happening so fast. He was saved from death. He had a family now. They were leaving Konoha. So much to process at once and yet…it felt right.

"So when do we leave?"

Kano gave a bark of laughter, joined a moment later by his daughter's soft giggling. Naruto felt…odd. He too, began to laugh. It was real laughter, not fake or hollow. It felt good.

For the first time in a very long time, Naruto was happy.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Really long authors note!

Sorry this chapter took so long. Piggy and I found out about the identity of Naruto's parents while I was writing this chapter. We had to change a few things. In addition school started, enough said.

For those of you who were wondering:

Iruka guards the Hokage's office on weekends, it's a good way to make extra money.

I felt like having Mizuki get beat up. I don't think he will have any other roll in this story.

The 'scar faced man from the ramen stand' is Iruka. I don't care if he was only nice to Naruto after he taught him at the academy. I like Iruka, so in my story he is nice to Naruto as a child too.

The girl from the playground is Hinata. I like Hinata, if you don't like her, I really don't care. If Naruto gets together with anyone it will be Hinata.

As a side note, I have a pretty good idea of how the rookie nine will be split up into teams, however I will take opinions. This isn't really a poll, I won't promise I will listen, but if I get overwhelming response toward one group then it might happen.

Also, I feel I should warn you now. There is major OOCness in this story. Many of the more annoying characters are less annoying coughsasukeandsakuracough. There are also some very unusual parings planned for the older people. I have a very funny pairing planned for Itachi. (if you can guess it you get imaginary cookies) I'm also pretty sure about who Iruka gets…but not so much for Kakashi. So, for fun, I wouldn't mind hearing who your favorite pairings are. Again I can't promise I will listen but it defiantly influences the decision. Here are some ideas I had: Kaka/Anko, Kaka/Michie, Kaka/Shizu, Iru/Michie, Iru/Anko, and Gai/Anko (I like this one…).

If there is anyone I have forgotten you can add it. I will say now that there are unlikely to be any yaoi couples, unless maybe we decide to go with Kaka/Iru. Sorry, but that is the only yaoi couple that Piggy likes and this is his story too… I already got to choose Naru/Hina so I have to be fair. Also feel free to add Kurenai and Asuma to the list. Hell, you can add Zabuza if you really want to. Don't bother with Ayame though. She's taken care of. A lot of these couples won't get more than a moment's mention, but I think this will be a fun vote. Please don't get rabid about this though….

Piggy says "Belle wrote this incredibly long authors note, PEACE OUT AND CALL ME SANTA"

"Why the hell would they call you Santa?!"

So anyway please Read and Review

Remember flames and fire and whatnot

Thank you

Phatpigeats and Belle-san