A/n : Hey all. I' am so sorry that this so very late. But life had just become rather strange and difficult as of late. My apologies. I am back with this chapter. Which can be considered the last chapter, really. But there is still a little more to go. I worked really hard on it and I hope you enjoy. This chapter got way too long so I had to break it in two parts. Thanks again for all the love and reviews you have shown this story.
Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto. No duh.
Naruto didn't stop walking. He kept on moving with little intention to stop. The whisker-faced teen had so much on his mind, he couldn't have stopped even if he wanted to.
"Is this real, is this really happening?" He thought to himself.
Tsunade would never lie to him. The blonde-haired Hokage cared for him too much to be dishonest. This was much too important to lie about, so it had to be true.
"Baa-chan wouldn't lie but..."
He couldn't bring himself to finish that thought. A part of him was still very much in shock about the entire ordeal. It wasn't everyday you find out that one of the greatest shinobi that ever came out of your village was your father. It was still so hard for him to believe but he knew it had to all be true. At this moment though he really didn't know what to do. His mind felt like it was going a thousand miles an hour. His thoughts were everywhere.
"Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, you're parents." He heard Tsunade's voice in his mind.
There were still so many different emotions running through him. He needed to clear his head and think, only he doubted he would be able to when all he could think about was what happened earlier. Tsunade sure chose a fine time to drop this bomb on him. Why did the blonde-haired Hokage choose now to spring this information on him. Sure he needed to know, more importantly he deserved to know.
But one thing Naruto didn't understand was why she hadn't told him sooner. She had plenty of time to tell him the truth. The young man's mind began to travel to Jiraiya. Jiraiya could have told him too. A part of him wished his former sensei had been the one to tell him. Since after all he had been very close to the Yondaime. He had been his teacher as well.
"Ero-sennin." He thought. "You taught the 4th you had to have known about me. I..."
Naturally all of his memories of the toad sage would come into play right now. He couldn't help but think of Jiraiya after learning the truth about his parents. There were so many stories and things the white-haired man could have told him.
"I just wish you were still here Ero-sennin. I guess I wish you could have told me about..." He paused when he realized he was not able to say who they were right now. Yes they were his parents but the words weren't coming. "Them." Naruto finished.
Finally the young man began to slow down when he came upon an all too familiar spot. He stood staring at the old swing that he used to sit at all the time during his academy years. This place definitely had memories. He could vividly remember sitting all alone at this swing. The blond teen stared at the swing for a minute. He didn't know what he was thinking, if he was even really thinking at all but he sat down, or at least he tried to. Almost immediately he fell on the ground. Naturally he wouldn't have been able to sit there now.
"Hm," A small smile crept on to his face. "I should have known better, can't sit there anymore."
Instead he just remained sitting on the ground underneath the tree. He found himself not wanting to leave just yet. He felt the urge to sit here for awhile. Naruto wanted to be alone right now. He needed to give himself enough time to process everything that happened.
"Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki...." He whispered.
Meanwhile another blonde had been in search of him. All she had to go on was that he had run off in this direction. Cod only knows where he could have disappeared. Ino still had the image of his face etched in his mind. Obviously something serious had happened in Tsunade's office.
"Naruto," She thought. "What's going on with you?"
She cared, no matter what she knew that she cared. Deep down she knew that even if Sakura hadn't told her to go after him she would have anyway. She needed to go see how he was doing. Ino knew that if the situation had been reversed he would have done the same for her.
"You would have come for me. I have to help if I can."
The look on his face and in his eyes still haunted her. She needed to find out why that was. Ino needed to be there for him.
"I need to be there for my..." She paused.
What could she say? They had been acquaintances that gradually turned into friends. Friends that had turned into something more. They had been closer than friends but never an official couple. And she knew what she felt for him was more than just simple friendship. She couldn't deny that even id she had tried.
"I have to be there for him." She finished. "I need to be there for Naruto."
The platinum-blonde came to a stop for a moment. She needed to find the whisker-faced male.
"Naruto where did you run off to? Is he up at the Hokage Monument again." She whispered to herself.
It was one of his favorite spots why couldn't there be a possibility of him being up there. She was almost considering going there when she spotted Konohamaru.
"Konohamaru?" She ran over to him.
"Oh hey Ino-chan." He gave her his familiar toothy grin.
"Hi." She managed to give him a smile as well. "Um Konohamaru you wouldn't have happened to have seen Naruto by any chance?"
The brown-haired boy nodded.
"Yeah I've seen Naruto-nii-chan."
"You did?" She was very hopeful.
"He was walking off really fast though and he was heading in the direction of the academy."
Ino suddenly grabbed him and kissed him on the forehead, causing the young man to blush heavily.
"You are a life-saver Konohamaru, thank you."
"S-Sure Ino-chan. I hope you find him."
"Right, thanks again. Bye Konohamaru." She said and went in the direction of the academy, hopefully he was still somewhere nearby.
"Well at least I have an idea where he is."
The blue-eyed female continued walking, not even bothering to stop for any reason. She had to get to him and she had to get there as soon as possible. She came up towards the academy, there was no one around, or so it had seemed.
"I don't see anyone."
She looked around for a second and was about to turn to leave when she noticed a head full of spiky-blond hair. There he was sitting underneath the tree near the old swing. She remembered how often he had sat there when they were younger.
"Naruto?" She thought sadly as she thought of his lonely childhood. He had always been alone when they were smaller.
"I wish I knew why back then so I could have...." She stopped. "Now was not the time to dwell on the past. They couldn't change it. The only thing now was to worry about the present. Naruto was sitting in what looked like a trance. His gaze was so intense as he focused on the ground.
"Naruto?" She whispered his name and began walking towards him. He didn't look up at her as she kept walking. The boy seemed so into his thoughts he probably hadn't even heard her footsteps. The pretty blonde stopped walking.
"Hey." She spoke.
Slowly Naruto looked up. Her aqua-colored pools met his almost lost-looking cerulean orbs. He was surprised to see her standing there, but his face didn't show it.
"What is she doing here?" He wondered.
"Looks like I finally found you." She gave a warm smile.
A pony-tailed male sat with his back against a near-by tree. He had a certain feeling of uneasiness running though him. He had a feeling that something was about to happen.
"I don't like this." Shikamaru thought.
His hand began to shake nervously as he began to reach for a cigarette. He had to have it so he could calm down.
"You know smoking is bad for your health." A voice said from behind him.
"Shit." He cursed and his eye twitched slightly. "Sakura," Shikamaru sighed. "Why are you sneaking up behind me?"
The pink-haired teen came up from behind the tree and stood in front of the lazy genius.
"I'm sorry." She apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you or anything."
"Hm." He snorted. "You didn't scare me. I just want to know what you wanted. Obviously you have something to say."
Sakura nodded. She was actually glad she saw Shikamaru sitting there. The green-eyed teen wanted to talk to him. Whether or not he was even interested he was involved in the whole Naruto and Ino drama. She felt like both she and Shikamaru were in the same boat. They were their best friends and very close to the situation. Sakura needed to see where his head was, just what was he thinking about. Besides at this time he happened to be the only one that she could discuss this with. None of their other friends were as close to the situation as they were, not only that but none of the others knew anything about what was going on.
Sakura knew that eventually they would have to be told, especially when people like Tenten were accusing her of being something she wasn't. But of course that would have to wait.
"Yeah I do have to talk to you. You don't mind do you?" She asked.
"What's going on Sakura?"
All the dark-haired male wanted to do was relax before meeting up with Ino and Chouji later. It seemed now that he would not get his wish. He decided he would just listen to whatever Sakura had to say.
"We need to talk about Ino and Naruto."
"Of course." Shikamaru thought. "What else could it have been about?"
Shikamaru knew that whether Sakura had meant to or not she was deeply involved in their drama.
"No." Shikamaru started. "You aren't dragging me into this Sakura. Whatever you have going on with them is your problem."
Sakura frowned slightly yet she wasn't surprised by his words. This was more than likely too troublesome for him to deal with.
"That lazy..." She stopped herself from finishing those thoughts. "Shikamaru I hate to say this but you are involved. We're their best friends this is our problem too."
She had a point, he knew that. He was friends with both Naruto and Ino. She was no doubt the closest female friend he had. They were teammates and grieved over their sensei. Their fathers were good friends and had been teammates as well. So he would always be close to the platinum blonde. If something was bothering her he would know about it. He was involved, he already knew all the details. Shikamaru could see that he was stuck in this mess.
"How troublesome."
Now the question was what was on Sakura's mind. What did she want from him?
"Okay." Shikamaru nodded. "So we're involved, are we done here?" He asked in his usual lazy tone.
Sakura groaned this would probably not be easy.
"Shikamaru we have to do something."
"We don't have to do anything. Don't you think we should leave those two to handle their own drama."
The medic-nin held her mouth open for a minute. She didn't believe that he would say that. There was no way those two idiots could fix this problem with how stubborn they both were, an outer interference was needed to be the answer.
"Do you hear what you just said. We can't trust those two to fix this. They need us to help solve the issue."
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow to the pink-haired teen.
"And just what would be the problem Sakura? Why are you so dead set on fixing this problem?"
She became silent. Her silence was all he needed to confirm the truth. She looked away from his already knowing gaze. Did he have to look at her like that?
"It's..." She began. "I have to fix it Shikamaru. I'm really deeply involved, they're both my friends and I...."
"What?"
"It has a lot to do with me. I feel like it's mostly my fault." She admitted.
The pony-tailed male nodded. He was wondering when she would get to that little detail.
"Yeah you are involved Sakura. Ino was really upset because of you, listen I'm not saying that everything is your fault. But you do understand her feelings behind it right?"
The medic-nin gave a slight nod. At first she hadn't really understood but that was before she knew everything.
"Yes I understand. She wouldn't let me explain though. She completely has the wrong idea bout what's going on."
"Are you sure Sakura?" He had to ask. "You and Naruto are close, are you sure she's really just jumping to the wrong conclusion? It's why you feel so badly right because you know that Ino is insecure about your close relationship with him."
"She doesn't have to be." Sakura started.
"But she is." Shikamaru said. "He's liked you for a really long time, that can't make her feel good to know that."
Sakura felt as if some tears would come down her eyes. She wasn't sure if it was because of how much she was thinking of her role in this mess, or if it was Shikamaru's tone of voice. A lot of different emotions were running through her at this time.
"Yeah." She started in a cracked voice. "I know all of this Shikamaru, you don't have to remind me of any of it. I completely understand why she would feel insecure and lash out like she did. But she doesn't get it, you know how it started as a game; how none of it was real. Well it's real now, it's real for both of them. I saw it."
"So you don't have those feelings for Naruto?"
"No, that's what I tried to tell Ino but she was so stubborn. She just doesn't get that I'm not a threat to her. Naruto doesn't feel those kinds of feelings for me anymore. He's my best friend and all I want is his happiness. I want them both to be happy, its why I have to help."
There was something in her tone of voice that made him believe she was being completely honest. All she had to do was convince Ino of all of this.
"She was definitely really upset. She said something about seeing you guys up on the Hokage Monument. She had it in her head that you guys kissed. It really hurt her."
"She overreacted, nothing like that happened up there. Naruto and I were just coming to terms of our relationship and how we felt. We both decided we were only friends Shikamaru."
Green orbs were once again staring into his dull hazel eyes.
"Oh boy here it comes." he thought.
"Shikamaru I need your help. I don't think I will be able to do this on my own. I need your help because you are just as involved as I' am."
He closed his eyes for a minute and appeared to be in deep thought.
"Maybe he's thinking of a plan." She assumed.
The boy was brilliant there was no denying it. Some sort of plan had to be formulating in that brain of his. She waited in anticipation for what his response was going to be.
"Come on Shikamaru I know you've got some sort of strategy worked out."
His bored hazel eyes opened.
"Sakura?"
"Yes?"
"I can't help you." He started. "I...."
Sakura's eyes turned white and she looked as if her mouth would hit the floor at any second.
"What the hell do you mean you can't help me?"' She shouted. "What don't you understand about the fact that you are involved just as much as I' am. Is there a reason why you don't want to help me, maybe..." She stopped. "Maybe you don't want to help me because you don't want them to be together. Maybe your feelings for Ino are more than you want to admit. What exactly is it that you feel for her?"
Ino and Naruto stared at each other for a little while. She was really glad that she had found him. Naruto didn't bring himself to talk first.
"It looks like I finally found you."
He had no idea she was even looking for him in the first place. He had been in such a hurry he hadn't really been paying attention to anything else. Naruto did remember having bumped into her while leaving Tsunade's office.
"You kind of sent me on a wild goose chase for awhile, huh Naruto?"
The blue-eyed simply blinked. She couldn't have possibly come all this way because she wanted an apology for him bumping into her like that. It may not have been the best but he had said sorry.
"Ino?"
"You have people worried Naruto, the way you ran off like that it really made us worry about you. We couldn't just leave you alone out here when you're obviously upset. Can I sit?" She asked him.
"Okay." Naruto gave a slight nod but still didn't say anything.
She sat down besides him leaving a little bit of distance between them. She could see that there would be no words coming out of his mouth. He had yet to say anything.
"Do you want to start or should I?"
There was nothing but silence.
"Okay. Will you at least tell me what's wrong or will I have to get you a bowl of ramen to bribe you?"
She turned to look at him, expecting to see him smile a little at the mention of getting Ichiraku's. Ino found herself wanting to see him smile. She loved his smile and would rather see him happy than in the state he was currently in. A sigh escaped her.
"Okay I guess that ramen is out. Naruto...."
"Ino?" He finally spoke.
She blinked upon hearing his voice for the first time in what felt like a long time.
"Hey, so you are alive in there. Are you ready to talk now? Do you want to tell me what happened back in Tsunade-sama's office."
Naruto wasn't really sure where he should begin. He didn't really know how to put everything into words. A lot had happened in just a short time. His emotions were all over the place. So he ended up saying one of the first things that came to mind.
"I don't really know what you're doing here Ino."
He hadn't said it in a rude way by any means. If anything his tone of voice seemed distant and slightly confused. Not that she blamed hims for any confusion. The two of them weren't on good speaking terms right now, and the last time they had spoken she made it very clear that she didn't want to see him let alone talk to him.
"I can't be concerned?"
"You don't have to be. I'll...I'll be alright."
The platinum-blonde did not believe those words.
"Liar." She said. "You're not okay Naruto. I don't want to push you or upset you even more I just want to know what's wrong. But I can understand if you don't want to tell me. I can go if you want me to, if you want to tell me later I'll be around.
Ino decided that perhaps space was what Naruto needed. It didn't appear like he wanted to talk anyway."
"I'll go okay..."
She moved to get up but he suddenly put his hand to her arm, preventing her from leaving just yet. She stared at him with slight confusion. Did he want her to stay after all? Would he tell her the truth?
"No," Naruto started. "You don't have to go. I appreciate you being here." He told her honestly.
Despite whatever emotions he was battling within himself at this moment. He did appreciate the fact that she had come after him. It meant that she did in fact care. The blue-eyed female nodded and sat down once again. Truthfully this was where she needed to be, more importantly this was where she wanted to be.
"You don't have to thank me Naruto. I'm here to listen alright, so tell me what happened."
The whisker-faced male gave a slight nod. He was turned away from her a little as he kept his gaze elsewhere. Ino couldn't take her eyes off of him as she waited for him to speak.
"I'm sorry I just don't know where to start."
"It's okay, take your time." She told him.
"It's just a lot to really take in. I almost still can't grasp the fact that its true, that it happened. I guess I'm still trying to come to terms with what Baa-chan told me."
It was the most he had said the whole time she had been here. Ino was starting to doubt he would open up. It was good to see he wasn't completely dead in there, although his facial expression and tone of voice proved otherwise.
"What did she tell you Naruto?"
He closed his eyes for a second before re-opening them.
"You've never had something told you that would end up changing a lot of things for you, huh Ino..."
"I guess leaning about my brother's death changed the way I felt about things. I used to wonder how come I survived and he didn't, you know what made me so special? But no matter how many questions I had about it. I knew that there was nothing I could do to bring him back. The only thing I could do was live my life and make him proud of me. Naruto," She turned to face him. "Whatever Tsunade-sama said to you it doesn't..."
Before she could finish speaking he cut her off.
"It does. It changes everything for me. I won't really be able to look at things the same now Ino-chan." He gazed into her aqua-colored orbs.
"She told me about my parents."
The young woman blinked. This was extremely big news. It was no wonder why he was in the state that he was in. She understood completely why he had run off, for all his life Naruto had never known his parents. He never received the chance to be raised by the people who helped create him. He was now just learning about his family. Ino couldn't help but wonder why Tsunade decided to spring it on him now. Sure she most have had her reasons for doing so, but didn't she think he should have learned this a long time ago.
"Your parents." Ino repeated. "Tsunade-sama told you about who they were."
"Yeah." He nodded.
"I can't even begin to imagine what you must be feeling right now. I'm sorry."
"I feel like I've just had the rug pulled out from underneath me. I feel sort of like I was the only one kept out of the loop, like this is all a big joke that everyone knew but me. I'm feeling a lot of different things." He began to explain.
The platinum-blonde nodded in understanding. She understood the point he was trying to make. How was he supposed to feel after not hearing the truth for so many years.
"Naruto this is really big news. It's a lot to handle hearing information about your family. I'm sure you must have wondered about them."
"Yeah." He nodded. "I used to wonder about what happened to them? Did they abandon me? Did they ever want me in the first place? No matter what they were both in the back of my mind somewhere. It's just strange now that I have the pictures to go with the image, it's hard to get used to still."
Ino ended up putting her hand to the young man's shoulder. He didn't flinch but felt the soft comforting touch.
"Naruto if you don't mind my asking who were they? Do you know what happened to them?"
He suddenly took the picture he realized he still hand and placed it on the ground in the middle of them.
"Here." He pointed. "Do you believe it Ino-chan. Yondaime was my father."
She stared at the picture for a few minutes.
"The fourth?"
"Yeah, I just found out that one of the greatest shinobi from our village is actually my father. I didn't really know if I could believe it or not, but Baa-chan wouldn't lie to me." That much he was sure of.
Ino took the picture in her hand and stared between him and the handsome fourth Hokage.
"You know it's not really so hard to believe."
"Hm?" He blinked.
"I mean, look at him. I don't know why none of us ever realized it before. The two of you look so much alike, especially now that you're older you two could pass off as twins even. Well, except the fact that he doesn't have these, huh?" She smiled and touched the markings on his cheek.
Naruto felt his cheeks flush slightly at the young woman's touch. He looked at the Yondaime once more. Ino was right, the resemblance was indeed there. The spiky blond-colored hair, blue-eyes, even the smile was similar. How could he have not seen it before. Then again it wasn't every day you were told you are actually the child of the Hokage. One of the greatest shinobi to ever come out of your village. Also Naruto never had a reason to believe he was connected to the 4th in such a way.
"Yeah I guess we do look a lot alike."
"Yeah, his hair is just a bit more wilder than yours and a little darker. But the resemblance is definitely there, no one can deny that. Hey," She laughed. "At least we know that you'll probably be just as handsome as he is the older you get."
Ino could see Naruto looking more and more like the Yondaime as he aged. If that was the case then it really wouldn't be able to stay a secret forever then. Everyone would be able to see that Naruto was his son. The resemblance would be so similar no one would be able to ignore it. The platinum-blonde then turned her attention to the red-haired woman standing besides the 4th.
"She's very pretty Naruto."
The whisker-faced male looked at his mother. He had glanced at the photo earlier but he hadn't really looked until now.
"Yeah she is."
"What's her name?"
"Uzumaki Kushina." Naruto answered. "She wasn't from our village though. Baa-chan said she was a refugee from whirlpool country. It's supposed to be gone now though."
Ino hen took the picture and gave it back to him.
"I'm sorry Naruto that you didn't get the chance to know them."
"Yeah, well we all know why that is." He spoke in a bitter tone.
She didn't say anything else but she knew exactly what he was referring to.
"It's okay to be upset."
"Upset." He repeated. "Hell yeah I'm upset, but it's not like I can change what happened all those years ago. What the hell am I supposed to do build a freaking time machine and make it so Kyuubi never attacked Konoha. No," He whispered. "I can't do that. I can't do anything to change the fact that they are both dead. I can't change that I'll never know them."
He turned to the picture and stared at his parents once more. This was the only picture he had of them. He would never have the chance to know them in person. Naruto would never have the chance to ask them any questions that a child would ask their parents. All he could think about was the many questions he had when he was a kid. The questions he wouldn't get the answers to.
"I have so much to say to them. I don't even know where I would begin if I had the chance."
"Naruto what are you thinking?" She asked him.
Naruto looked at the blond-haired Hokage. The man that was actually his father. There was something on his mind, a question he definitely couldn't ignore.
"It's just I don't know how to feel towards him. What do I feel for the man who sealed Kyuubi inside of me."
Of course it was normal for him to ask that. He must be experiencing a lot of different feelings right now. His father had been the one to seal the Kyuubi inside of him, thus changing his life forever. How was he supposed to feel.
"I don't know." Naruto started. "I should be proud right, that my father is the 4th Hokage. He was one of the best, but he also put this goddamn fox inside of me. Should I love him, hate him, respect him! I just don't know." He sighed.
"Naruto no one is going to tell you what you should feel. No one has the right to tell you how to feel right now. It's okay to feel whenever you feel. If you're angry you can be angry. If you're sad too then that's fine too. It's okay." She said to him in a comforting tone.
She wanted him to realize that he shouldn't feel bad for whatever feelings he had. No one would judge him at all. He was entitled to feel all of those emotions. She imagined it must have been hard to deal with at this time. Naruto closed his eyes and gripped his fist.
"Everything changed because of that day."
Ino put her hand to the young man's shoulder.
"Naruto I know it's hard now but I don't think the 4th sealed Kyuubi inside of you to hurt you. I don't think he did it out of malice. It must have been hard for him to have to make that choice, you're his son. He made a very difficult decision in order to save everyone. Naruto when you think about it you are a her, although not a lot of people treated you as one. I'm not saying you can't be upset just look at it from his point of view."
Naruto gave a slight nod. He could see the point she was trying to make.
"Yeah I guess you're right. He did what he felt was the right thing to do. He was the Hokage he had to protect the village."
"Yes but I'm sure it wasn't an easy choice for him, having to burden his son like that."
"Well," He sighed. "We'll never know its not like we can go ask him or anything. There's no point in dwelling on it."
"Yes there is. This is your life we're talking about Naruto."
"It doesn't matter." He spoke in a whisper.
She hated to hear him talk in such a way. This was not the Naruto she had come to know. Her Naruto would never speak like this. She understood that he wasn't himself. She just had to believe that he was in there somewhere.
"I can't let you lose yourself Naruto. I wont let it happen."
To his surprise the platinum-blonde suddenly grabbed him and pulled him towards her.
"You're wrong Naruto. It does matter, all of it matters. You can't pretend it doesn't affect you. It's okay to let it all out."
The blond male sat frozen with the blue-eyed girl holding him close.
"Ino?" He whispered and slowly put his arms around her waist.
"It's okay." She promised. "Everything will be okay."
A breeze blew through the air as Sakura stared down at the lazy genius. She hadn't meant to lose her cool. She probably shouldn't have made such an accusation, but her anger had gotten the better of her.
"Where the hell did that come from Sakura?"
Shikamaru kept his cool face on but he knew he would be needing a cigarette after this. The whole situation was bound to drive him crazy.
"Well, do you want to be with her. Is that why you don't want to help me?"
"My relationship with Ino has never been in question. It's always been yours with Naruto. Ino can't get over the idea of you two, especially since he had liked you for so long; and no one was really sure what you felt for him."
"You and Ino are close Shikamaru, just like Naruto and I. He thinks there is more to you guys than friendship. I jumped to the same conclusion myself. Am I wrong or right Shikamaru, what do you feel for her?"
He just wanted to sit back and watch the clouds. Why the hell did his day have to get shot to hell?
"I shouldn't have to explain my relationship with Ino to you. You know that we have always been nothing but friends, it's always been strictly platonic. We're practically like family she, Chouji, and I."
The pink-haired medic-nin nodded. He was right about that. They were all definitely more like family if nothing at all.
"Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry for yelling at you like that."
"It's okay."
"But if you really don't have any romantic feelings for her, then why won't you help me Shikamaru."
"I just don't think we should get involved. Things like this have a way of blowing up in people's faces. I'm sure Ino gets that now after she saw how stupid this whole plan was."
"Yeah I agree it was definitely stupid, but at the same time it really brought those two closer together. Like I said they have real feelings for one another."
Sakura suddenly grabbed the pony-tailed male by his arm and pulled him up from the ground.
"Ouch! What the hell Sakura?"
"I'm sorry, but you have to come with me. They should be together now, let's go okay."
Shikamaru saw that there would be no getting out of this. She wanted him to go with her and it looked like he was definitely going.
"Hey Sakura do you even have a clue about where they are?" He decided to ask.
"Heh," She let out an uneasy laugh. "I don't have a clue. How hard can it be to find two blonds?"
"Unbelievable." Shikamaru sighed. "Will you at least let go of my arm."
She realized her grip was probably a little too tight. She wanted his help, not to break the poor guys arm. She ended up releasing him.
"Okay I'll let you go just don't run away."
"Yeah right." He snorted. "Like I'd be able to get away. You'd pro...."
She spotted something in the distance as they were nearing the academy. She silenced him by elbowing him in the stomach and pulling him behind the bushes.
"Fuck!" He groaned in pain. "What the hell is your problem?"
"I saw them, look." She pointed.
Shikamaru opened one eye and sat that Sakura was right, they were indeed nearby.
"Y-yeah but you didn't have to elbow me in the stomach."
"I didn't mean to Shikamaru, I'm sorry. I guess I sort of reacted too quickly. I didn't want them to see us. Let's just watch them for awhile and you'll see what I'm talking about."
"Fine." Shikamaru agreed with one hand on to his stomach. Sakura was too strong for her own good.
"Damn I feel sorry for whoever marries her. She'll kill him before the honeymoon's over."
Ino slowly released Naruto from the comforting embrace. It felt good to hold him that way. She was glad to be the one to help even if it was only a little. Naruto didn't give it words but he appreciated her being here. Her words and presence made him feel slightly better.
"Are you going to be okay?" She asked him.
"Yeah, I'll be fine."
Somehow she wasn't sure if she should believe him. God only knows what he would do once she left him alone.
"Naruto are you sure?"
"Yes I'm sure."
The two teens were staring into each other's eyes. Her aqua-colored orbs were filled with concern, while his cerulean pools seemed to be lost like he was still in some sort of daze.
"Naruto I just..." She started.
"Ino you don't have..."
Unable to finish their sentences or control themselves the two blond's leaned towards each other. Their lips were inches apart as they both felt their temperatures rising. They ended up going in for the kiss at the same time. This felt real, it felt good. She wanted to kiss him so badly she couldn't help herself. Naruto continued kissing her, showing no real signs of slowing down. He had wanted to kiss her too. He didn't want to stop it. If he could freeze time and make this moment last forever he would.
The kiss only intensified with each passing moment. She soon felt his tongue enter her mouth, causing her to let out a light moan into his mouth. She ended up wrapping her arms around his neck only deepening the kiss. God she wanted this, she wanted him more than anything. She couldn't deny it even if she wanted to, only she soon stopped.
"N-No..." She said in a breathy tone.
Her hand was pressed firmly around his neck and they were both looking down avoiding each other's gaze. It was almost as if they couldn't even look at each other at this moment.
"No, we can't."
A sigh escaped the blue-eyed male. It had to be too good to be true, of course the kiss had to end. Giving the current situation it probably wasn't even appropriate to begin with.
"Alright." Naruto nodded.
"I'm sorry." She apologized and slowly let him go.
She looked up into his eyes. They still had a hint of uncertainty in them. She hated the look he had in them. She would give anything to see the familiar bright glint in his beautiful blue eyes usually held.
"Listen I have to go. I'm meeting up with Shika..."
"Of course you're going to see him." Naruto thought almost bitterly.
"And Chouji today it's the anniversary of Asuma-sensei's death."
"Oh yeah." Naruto suddenly remembered.
It was an important day for the former team 10.
"I'm sorry Ino."
"Yeah, it's okay. We're not looking at it like a sad occasion. We're going to go eat some barbecue and I know Shika will light up a cigarette in his honor. I would too if I didn't find the idea disgusting." She tried to lighten the mood, but he knew she had to be sad on this day. It made him appreciate her being there for him more than ever, especially when she had her own pain to deal with today."
"I'm sure he would appreciate the thought."
"Yeah, he would." Ino agreed.
She stood up from the ground. Before she did leave she needed to know if he was truly going to be okay.
"Naruto what are you going to do?"
"I think I'll go see Baa-chan. I'm sure I really worried her when I ran out like that."
"Yeah I'm sure you did. You should probably go tell Sakura you're okay. She was worried too."
"If I see her I'll tell her. Ino thanks for talking to me, I'll be okay though."
"Are you sure?"
The whisker-faced male nodded his head as he tried to reassure her that he really was going to be fine.
"I promise you I'll be fine go and see Shikamaru and Chouji, it's an important day for you guys."
"Alright then." Although a part of her did want to stay here with him. He would need all the support he could get. But she would respect the fact that he would be okay, more than likely he probably wanted to be alone for awhile.
"Good luck with everything Naruto. I hope you really will be okay. I'm sure you will though, if anyone will bounce back it's you Uzumaki."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"No problem. Take care okay, and if you do need to talk you can talk to me." She promised him.
"Thank you Ino."
"You're welcome Naruto, bye." She waved to him and casted him one more look before leaving him.
Naruto gave himself a few extra minutes before he left. Once they were sure the two blond's were gone from sight Shikamaru and Sakura came out from the bushes.
"Tell me you saw that." Sakura started. "You had to have been paying attention. Did you see how much they really care for each other? The kiss alone should be proof enough."
The lazy genius couldn't deny anything Sakura just said. Any fool would be able to see the obvious chemistry and attraction between the two of them. They wanted one another and they wanted one another badly.
"Yeah." He sighed. "I see what you were talking about. They definitely have real feelings for each other."
The pink-haired medic-nin was glad to see Shikamaru was finally seeing things her way. Maybe he would finally help her out. She turned to face him.
"So Shikamaru will you help me."
He did want this friends to be happy, and he remembered how upset Ino had been over this whole thing. If he could help he would.
"This could come back to bite us in the ass, but yeah I'll help."
"Thanks so much." She hugged him suddenly.
"Ouch, watch the stomach."
"Oh." She smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry, will you be okay?"
"Yeah I'll be fine. Do you want me to talk to Naruto or something?"
"You could try if you get the chance. But I doubt it will work, talking to them really won't work. They're both so freaking stubborn we're going to have to take some action. We'll figure it out."
"Fine." Shikamaru agreed. "I have to go anyway though. I'm sure you'll be in touch."
"You'll definitely hear from me." Sakura promised.
"Yeah, I'll be looking forward to it." His voice held sarcasm.
Sakura bit down on her bottom lip as she tried to resist the urge to hit the young man into the next world.
"Yes I'm sure you will Shikamaru. I bet you're just counting down the days."
"You got it."
She sighed and clenched her fist tightly. She had to keep in control so she wouldn't hit him again.
"I'll just see you later okay Shikamaru."
"Okay, bye Sakura."
As the two teens were now going their separate ways the hazel-eyed male couldn't help but thing about how this would all go. How were they going to go about bringing Naruto and Ino together.
"I hope you have some type of plan Sakura."
Naruto was now standing outside of Tsunade's office. He felt a little nervous about going back in there. He had left in such an abrupt way it would probably be awkward for him to walk back in there. It didn't matter though he needed to hear what else the blonde-haired Hokage had to say. He took a deep breath before entering her office.
"Naruto?" Her voice held clear surprise. She honestly didn't think he would have come back here. It would be a lie if she said she wasn't worried about him.
"Hey Baa-chan."
"I'm glad you came back Naruto. I was very worried about you." She paused for a moment. "Are you okay?" Tsunade had to ask.
She knew that he was still reeling over the news about his parents, but she had to ask anyway.
"I'll be okay Baa-chan." It was the only thing he could think of to say to her.
He had to try and reassure of her of something. Only giving the look on her face she probably didn't really believe him.
"It's okay you know. You don't have to lie to me Naruto. I want for you to tell me how you're truly feeling."
Naruto looked away from her for a minute.
"I don't know what I'm feeling. I feel so many different things."
"It's understandable."
"Baa-chan why did you decide to tell me now? Were you ever going to tell me?"
'I've been questioning whether or not when the right time to tell you would be. I' am sorry to have sprung it on you so suddenly, but you deserved to know. So yes I would have eventually told you. I had always felt that Jiraiya should have been the one since he had been so close to Minato."
Naruto agreed.
"Yeah, Ero-sennin could have told me so many things about them. Hearing the truth made me a little upset with him for never telling me, but it also made me miss him even more."
The blonde-haired Hokage understood completely. There was no possible way she wouldn't be thinking of her friend and former teammate at a time like this.
"I miss him as well. Naruto don't hold it against him for not telling you himself. I'm sure he would have eventually told you when he thought you were ready. But for me I just needed you to know now they were your parents, your family."
She reached for the box and handed it to him.
"These are some of their things, you should have them. It belongs to you after all."
Naruto accepted the box from her but didn't look in right away, although a part of him wanted to. Perhaps once he was back home he would look through it.
"Thank you Baa-chan. It is nice to have some of their things I guess. I just wish I could have known them, or at least had the chance to talk to them. It's like I have so many questions that will never get answers now."
Tsunade stared at him with sad eyes. She truly hated to see him in such a way, but she had confidence that he would be okay. Naruto was and had always been a strong individual. He would get through this too.
"On top of that I also don't know what to feel about him. He's my father, the same man who had no choice but to seal Kyuubi in me. I don't know what to feel for him. I can't say that I love hi m but I don't hate him either, you know."
"Yes I know exactly what you're trying to say Naruto."
"He helped give me life and it does make me feel good to that such a great shinobi was my father. But Iruka-sensei, he's always been like a father figure to me. I can't just ignore that."
"And you shouldn't Naruto. There can be places in your heart for both of them. You won't be betraying either one. I'm glad you're talking about this, and I'm glad you came back here. What helped you decide to?" She wondered.
"Talking to Ino-chan helped." He admitted.
Tsunade was more than a little surprised to hear him say that. She had no idea they were on such friendly terms. Sure they were both friends with Sakura, so naturally they were aware of each other. Had they grown closer, this had been news to her.
"Yamanaka Ino?"
"Yeah." Naruto nodded. "She found me and we spoke for awhile."
"Oh, well I'm glad she was there to help you Naruto, because I didn't want you to be alone at the time. But I didn't know you two were so close."
Naruto looked up.
"We...yeah, we're friends." He managed to say.
Only she caught the look in his eyes. There was obviously more to the story than that.
"Naruto are you.." She stopped, deciding that she shouldn't ask him about that right now. Perhaps it was not the right time. He had a lot on his mind as of late.
"You wanted to know if I like her Baa-chan?"
"Well now that you mention it, yes. I just never knew you two to socialize that much."
"We didn't really before. Anyway I'm not going to get into all the details now, but we did get closer and I..." He paused.
Tsunade waited in anticipation for him to answer.
"It's complicated. But the way I feel for her, I've never felt it before."
A small smile crept up on to the older woman's face.
"It sounds like our little Naruto has fallen in love." She thought. "Maybe she will be the one to help him through all of this."
"I understand Naruto, believe me."
"I'm feeling a little better now Baa-chan, thank you. I'm going to go I need to just be alone for awhile."
"Alright." Tsunade nodded. "Naruto if you need anything don't hesitate to drop by."
"Thanks Baa-chan." He gave her a half-smile. "But I really will be okay."
"I know you will but just the same..."
"I appreciate it Baa-chan, bye." He waved and left Tsunade's office. He needed to go home so he could have this time to think and look through the box of items. As he was making his way home he spotted a head full of pink hair heading in his direction.
"Naruto?" Sakura called out to him.
She was very glad to see him right now. She just like Ino had been worried about him.
"Naruto are you okay? She asked as she ran over to her dearest friend.
"Hey Sakura-chan."
She immediately noticed the box he was carrying.
"What's in the box?"
"Just a few personal items."
"Oh." She nodded and decided not to ask about it any further. "Naruto you had me really worried earlier. Please tell me that you're okay now."
He wasn't sure what to say to her. He was doing slightly better that was for sure.
"I'll be okay Sakura-chan. I'm sorry if I worried you."
"Yeah, you really did. Do you want to talk about it? What happened with Tsunade-shishou."
"She just told me something very important. I'm still trying to get used to it."
Sakura blinked a few times while trying to figure out what he was referring to.
"Naruto?"
"She um told me who my parents were." He decided to just tell her.
Her eyes widened and she suddenly hugged him. He had been told about his family after so long.
"Naruto, I...I don't know what to say. You must have so much on your mind. I'm..."
"It's okay Sakura-chan it was a lot for me to take in too. But I promise you I will be alright."
"Are you sure?" She asked as she let him go.
"Yeah, thanks for checking up on me."
"Of course you know I would have. If you need anything I'm here you know that right?"
"Yeah." He managed to give her a smile. "I know you're there for me. I just want to be alone for awhile okay."
"Yeah." She understood. "I'll give you some space but if you need to talk I'm here. Bye Naruto, take care."
"You too Sakura-chan. I'll see you around."
"Yes." She nodded. "Bye." She waved and watched the spiky-haired blond walk away. He didn't seem nearly as upset as she had seen him looking earlier.
"I knew having Ino there would help you. Okay," She pumped her first in her hand. "Shikamaru you and I have to bring those two together somehow."
Meanwhile the former team 10 were sitting together outside. They had just finished eating barbecue in honor of their former sensei. They decided that they would get together no matter what on this very important day. Soon Chouji stood up.
"Guys I have to go my father and I have another mission together."
"Oh, okay Chouji we understand." Ino nodded.
"Yeah we'll see you Chouji, be careful okay." Shikamaru told his best friend.
The light-brown haired male just gave his friends a warm smile and nodded.
"I will bye Shikamaru, Ino." He waved.
Before too long it was now only Shikamaru and Ino by themselves.
"Hey?" Shikamaru started. "Where are you right now?"
The platinum blonde turned to look at the pony-tailed male.
"What do you mean Shika?"
"I'm just wondering where your head is right now. Because it's not here with us."
"Are you saying that I didn't want to be here with you and Chouji today. You know how important today is for us. You guys are like my family Shika you know that."
Shikamaru nodded, of course he knew she had wanted to spend time with him and Chouji on the anniversary of Asuma's death. But that didn't mean she couldn't have thoughts elsewhere. Thoughts that were more thank likely with a certain whisker-faced blond boy.
"I know Ino but it's okay. I know you're thinking about Naruto right now. I saw the look in your eyes."
She didn't want to lie to him so she decided to remain silent for awhile. Although it wasn't like Shikamaru was completely off or anything. Naruto had definitely crossed her mind more than a few times since she had last seen him.
"Okay well maybe he was on my mind. He's going through something right now so I was worried."
"You don't have to apologize for thinking about him, neither I or Chouji, or Asuma for that matter would hold it against you if you wanted to be with him now."
She was quiet again as she thought back to earlier. It wasn't easy forgetting the look on Naruto's face and in his eyes.
"I saw him earlier. I think he wanted to be alone after we talked. I don't think I should go bothering him."
"What if he wants you to? Are you going to just leave him alone when you probably want to be with him right now anyway?"
"Shika," Ino let out a sigh.
"Well," He raised an eyebrow to her in question.
"It...It doesn't matter about that right now Shikamaru. He and aren't together so I can't be the one to go after him, especially if he probably wanted to be alone in the first place."
"Ino that's bull and you know it. So what if you're not an official couple. Does that change your feelings for him or his feelings for you?"
The platinum blonde could feel herself getting frustrated. All of her emotions she had been struggling with were trying to rush to the surface.
"Shika!" She raised her voice slightly. "Let it go, it doesn't matter anymore." She lied. She was lying because it did matter. Naruto would always matter to her. Shikamaru looked to see Ino standing up from her spot next to him.
"I-I have to go okay take an extra long puff of your cigarette to Asuma for me, alright?" She forced a smile and left him sitting there.
"Ino wait..."
"Only she did not stop at his call. The young man only sighed at her reaction. Sakura had indeed been right.
"It looks like you were right Sakura. I guess we're going to have to do what we have to do. Damn, I really hope this doesn't blow up in our faces."
That night Naruto slept next to the box that Tsunade had given him. He looked through it to see his mother's hitai-ate and also the one that belonged to his father. Some other various memento's and even the long white trench coat that Minato had taken to wearing. Naruto had even tried it on himself. He wasn't sure if he did it to feel closer to him, or if it was simply because it was a really cool-looking jacket. The young man turned over sharply in his sleep while he continued to dream.
(Naruto's Dream)
The blond teen found himself in the Hokage's office. The chair was turned around so he couldn't see who was sitting there.
"Um Baa-chan." He assumed it was Tsunade sitting there. "Why are you sitting like that?"
The chair turned and he looked to see someone who looked a lot like him. Blue eyes reflecting into his own, same wild blond hair just longer in length, and no whisker markings on his face.
"Yondaime." He said in a whisper.
"Hello son." The 4th Hokage acknowledged him.
Naruto could form no words as the other blond-haired male came over to him. He stood in front of his son and put a firm hand to his shoulder.
"My you've grown. How old are you now son?"
"17." Naruto mouthed.
"17 years old, it's been 17 years since I've last laid eyes on you. Time has certainly passed."
Naruto turned away from the gaze of the 4th Hokage. Minato sighed a little, not that he blamed him.
"Do you hate me Naruto? It's okay if you feel some resentment towards me. I wouldn't blame you for any negative feelings you may have."
Naruto took a moment to gather his thoughts before turning back to face his father.
"I don't know what I feel for you. I don't hate you though. I'm just unable to say what I feel. I'm sorry."
Minato suddenly hugged his son, much to Naruto's surprise.
"I have always wanted the chance to hug you Naruto. It is okay that you don't know how to describe your feelings for me. Just know that you are loved. You're mother and I were so excited about your arrival. We loved you before you were born and we always will. Although our time was cut so very short and our family was ripped apart. We have always loved you." He repeated.
Naruto felt almost as if tears were going to come pouring down his eyes. He couldn't cry though, he wouldn't allow himself.
"I just wish..." He stopped. "I wish I had the chance to know you and my mom. It's bullshit that we didn't get the time."
Minato let his son go and gave him a sad smile.
"I' am sorry for having to burden you with being the Kyuubi's container. You must have had an especially hard time growing up. If there had been any other way I would have done it in an instant. But I' am very proud of the person you have become Naruto."
Naruto blinked.
"Y-You're proud of me."
"Of course I' am." He nodded. "You have grown into such a strong, reliable, hard-working young man. I'm always going to be proud of you son. Both your mother and I.."
As Minato mentioned his mother Naruto felt a little misty-eyed while thinking of the red-haired woman he would never get the chance to know.
"What's wrong Naruto?"
"Are you sure she would have been proud of me?"
"She loved you more than anything son. She..." He paused when he heard footsteps. There was his red-haired love walking towards him and their son. Minato smiled widely.
"Kushina-chan you're here."
The whisker-faced teen turned around to see the woman with the long red hair.
"Naruto." She whispered and wrapped him in a warm, loving hug. The kind of a hug a child would receive from it's mother. He was frozen for a moment but soon hugged her back. When the hug ended she pulled him away slightly so she could have a better look at him.
"You've gotten so big and handsome, just like your father. It makes me feel so good to have a chance to see you like this as a young man."
"Mom?" It was all he could manage to say.
She wiped the tears out of her eyes.
"I have wanted to hear you call me mom ever since I found out I was going to have you. Naruto you are never far from our hearts or our minds, even though we can't be together. It doesn't change how your father and I feel for you." She hugged him again.
"We love you more than anything Naruto. You are our one and only son and nothing can change that."
Minato nodded and came over to his family. He wrapped his strong arms around the both of them.
"We love you son and we will continue watching over you. We can't wait to see the man that you will become."
"We are so proud of you." Kushina left a kiss on his forehead.
"Thank you." He whispered to the both of them. He truly needed to hear those words now. The family released from their group hug and once they did the dream had ended.
(End dream)
Naruto awoke almost instantly. It was almost light outside. The young man then remembered seeing a journal of some sort in the box. He picked it up to see it had the name Minato Namikaze written on the front. He didn't know what came over him but he opened the book and turned to a random page. It read:
July. 7
Many months have passed since Kushina revealed to me that we were going to have a child. I, like any first time father was in completely nervous, but despite all the new fears, concerns, and responsibilities. I' am truly excited the arrival our first born as the days pass and Kushina's stomach grows with our child my nerves wash away, and all I can feel is happiness and the most unconditional love. Kushina and our child are my family. My most precious people. I will do everything in my power to keep them feeling loved, safe, and happy.
P. S
I could have sworn I felt him kick at me the other day. There are no words to truly describe the new feeling.
Naruto then closed the book. He felt a sudden joy and happiness from reading Minato's journal entry.
"They did love me." He whispered.
He needed to be hear those words it was why he had been thankful for the dream. It had felt so real and he needed the chance to feel close to his parents even if it was simply a dream. Naruto knew he had been loved and not abandoned, knowing this gave him the strength he needed to keep going on and make his parents even prouder. He felt almost like he could do anything he set his mind too at this moment. Well, almost anything.
"If only I could get Ino-chan to come around."
It was funny how even now his mind would run to her. He wanted to be with her more than anything he knew that for sure. He remembered the kiss hey had shared earlier, that had to be worth giving it another shot. Because he truly couldn't imagine his life without her in it somehow. He would have to try again, unknowing to him he would not be alone in the final attempt. Naruto was going to have a little help.