Disclaimer: See Chapter One

Live or Let Die

The 4th Hokage's eyes widened, and Naruto's hand fell from his now nerveless fingers. He slowly pushed himself away from the bed and began to pace around the room. Naruto now noticed that the cottage was nothing but one big room, except for the bathroom, which was in an niche of sorts with a curtain covering the opening in the far left corner. Naruto's gaze went back to Yondaime. He had gone over to the window at the far end right corner of the cottage, which was across from Naruto and the door that was on Naruto's immediate right, and was staring out of it with a faraway expression on his face. Almost reluctantly, Yondaime turned toward the bed where Naruto was laying in his injured state.

Naruto noticed that since he had told Yondaime his name the 4th had been unable to look Naruto in the eyes.

"What's wrong Yondaime? Can't look me in the eye anymore? I wonder why?" Naruto put on a mock thoughtful expression.

"It can't be because you're looking at the son you abandoned 14 years ago could it?"

Naruto almost missed the look of pain that flashed across his father's face.

"Oh it is!! Well wow!" Naruto said while pretending to be surprised.

Yondaime visibly flinched at Naruto's words and tone. He knew he deserved it, but it was still painful to hear. He wanted to say he was sorry, that he didn't mean for it to turn out like this, and he knew such words would be lost on Naruto, but he couldn't help but try.

"Naruto, I…"

"You what?" Naruto interrupted angrily. He really didn't care what Yondaime had to say right now.

"What Yondaime? Do you wish I had never found you? Do you wish I had never found out that the 4th Hokage, my father, was nothing but a coward? Huh? Is that what you're trying to tell me?"

Naruto glared at Yondaime while breathing hard from pain both physical and mental. Yondaime started toward him. Naruto tried to back away and hissed in pain when he jostled his broken limbs.

"Keep away from me!" Naruto screamed, desperately trying to keep him away.

Yondaime stopped and cocked his head before saying in a hoarse voice, "You've opened up some of your wounds. I need to check them."

"I don't need your help." Naruto growled angrily.

Yondaime ignored him and sat down beside him to check his wounds.

"If I don't check these wounds, they could get infected and you could die." Yondaime stated when he saw Naruto open his mouth to spit out yet another refusal.

Naruto just turned his head to the side instead of giving him an answer. He did not see the slightly bitter smile that graced Yondaime's face when he did this.

Naruto lost himself in his musings of what he would do now that he had found the 4th Hokage. He knew that his chances of killing him were now even lower than they had been when he had been healthy and strong.

He silently cursed himself.

'Well what am I going to do now? It's not like I can…'

Naruto was brought out of his murderous thoughts by a quickly smothered sniffle. Reluctantly he looked at Yondaime and was surprised to see tears silently flowing down his face.

Naruto's eyes widened.

'Is he…crying? Why?'

For some reason Naruto could not quite understand, he felt extreme sympathy for his father.

'What! Sympathy, he doesn't deserve sympathy! He left me and the village for no reason!'

But something inside him thought that maybe Yondaime had a good reason fro leaving. Maybe if Naruto just asked he'd tell him.

'There is no good reason for abandoning your village when you've sworn to protect them and even if he does have a reason I don't want to hear it!'

But Naruto couldn't stand his tears.

"Why are you crying?"

Yondaime's head snapped up in surprise.

"Huh? Oh…I was just thinking about your mother."

Naruto froze.

"What about her?"

Yondaime smiled through his tears before he went back to wrapping the gash above Naruto's knee.

"Well she would have called me a 'truly unobservant idiot' for not seeing the similarities between you and me."

Despite himself, Naruto smiled at this. He didn't want to smile with his father. He didn't want to push away all the pain and pretend nothing was wrong between them. But he couldn't help but want to do just that.

Naruto's eyes followed his father as he rose from his side and went to put away the unused bandages and ointments in a small cabinet built into the west wall. (the wall where the window and door are.)Naruto steeled himself for the reaction he might get from his father. Naruto hesitated.

'Do I really want to know why he decided to abandon the village and me?'

"Hey Naruto?"

Naruto glanced at his father.

"What?" Naruto's tone was clipped and suspicious.

"You hungry?" Yondaime ignored his tone completely.

Naruto's stomach growled in answer to Yondaime's question. Yondaime grinned that wide toothy smile that reminded Naruto so much of his own smile.

"You like ramen?"

Naruto's stomach growled even louder. Naruto blushed and Yondaime's grin widened in amusement.

"I'll take that as a yes."

As Yondaime went about the business of making ramen, Naruto contemplated asking him.

'I'll ask him after ramen.'

Naruto could already feel his resolve to kill his father slipping.

'If he doesn't give a good answer to my question, he's dead as soon as I heal properly, which should be like in a few days.'

But after all the pain he'd had to go through, he might still kill him no matter what he says. Naruto laid his head back on the soft pillow to rest while waiting for ramen: it didn't matter what was happening or had happened to him; ramen made him feel better.

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