Hope you guys are enjoying it! Just one thing, if you're going to post a negative review, actually give points on how to better it. Don't just be a dick. My little rant's done.

Please note: pain17ification doesn't own Naruto and neither do I.

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Higher Being Speech"

'Higher Being Thoughts'

"Jutsu"

(Technique Translations)

Scene Shift

Chapter 5: Truth and Tests

It was a beautiful morning in the village.

The sun rose slowly in the sky above Konohagakure, bathing the village in its radiance. Stray rays of light shone through various windows of many different homes of the village; one such home being that of Uzumaki Naruto. The light didn't stop there, though. It also hit his closed eyes directly, making him turn his head to avoid them.

Seriously.

The sun is 92,960,000 miles away and it still managed to headshot him?

"Hey brat, wake your ass up!" yelled the Kyuubi within its host's mind.

Naruto groaned and hid his head underneath a pillow. "Five more minutes…" he mumbled out.

"WAKE YOUR PATHETIC ASS UP RIGHT NOW BEFORE I FILL YOUR HEAD WITH YAOI!" roared the Bijuu with the sound echoing throughout the seal and Naruto's mind.

"AAH!" yelled the blonde as he jolted awake. He looked around his room frantically for any naked men before he realized that he was alone; well, alone with a damnable fox sealed inside of him. 'Damn it fox, I was trying to sleep! I think I've earned it after working my ass off removing the damn Curse Mark! And really?! YAOI?!'

He heard the fox scoff and retort, "Please… If it weren't for me, you'd still be in that lab failing to find a cure. But enough about your stupidity." Naruto growled at the fox, making it smirk before it continued, "Your clone picked up two really valuable bodies last night; one of them being that woman I mentioned."

Naruto pulled out a red arm-length scroll with black lining and stared at it in wonder. 'You mean the redheaded woman buried alongside the Yondaime? I assume she was his wife since I doubt they'd put her body with his if she wasn't.'

"Correct… But there's more to it than that."

'Meaning…?'

"Those two…they're connected to you in a way that I'll bet one of my tails that those two Sannin know. I'm honestly surprised that you never came to the correct answer when it was literally staring at you every day you lived here…"

'Get to the point, fox! Just what is the connection between us?'

"That scroll holds the people who brought you into this world. I'm honestly surprised you didn't figure that out yourself."

Shock; pure shock and surprise filled the blonde after he heard the fox's words. The Yondaime Hokage, the man who sealed the Kyuubi into him and damned him to the life of a Jinchuriki, was his father? And the woman was his mother?

'Y-You can't be serious… You're joking, right?'

The Kyuubi bashed its head against the cage holding it back. "You stupid human! Why the hell would joke about something like this?! Well, other than the obvious fact that I'm a sadistic bastard, I was there when that woman gave birth to you! She was my previous host; Kushina Uzumaki, wife of the Yondaime and member of the Uzumaki Clan. Your mother was my old prison!"

'But why, or rather how, did you get out? The Yondaime was said to be a Seals Master and the Uzumaki were famous for the Sealing Arts… It doesn't make sense.'

"I told you the answer before that Anko woman took you away from the snake's base. Madara Uchiha controlled me that night. So, who's to say he didn't release me from your mother's seal?"

Naruto couldn't argue with that. 'Okay… So, Madara showed up during my birth, freed you from my mother, then took control of you and made you attack Konoha before the Yondaime sealed you into me… Am I right so far?'

"Yes… So, now you know who the woman is. What are you going to do with this information?"

Naruto turned his gaze to the scroll holding the bodies of his parents. Thinking of the night the fox got sealed into him made him scowl and clench the hand holding the rolled up sealing paper. He then stood up and pocketed the scroll before he put on his black hooded cloak and left his room.

'I'm going to see what Tsunade and Jiraiya have to say about all of this. If they knew who my parents were, then I want to know why I was never told.'

'I totally should have made a joke about being inside his mother' Kyuubi snorted.

Tsunade's Office

The Slug Sannin sighed tiredly as she dealt with the morning paperwork. Or at least, that's what she was supposed to be doing. Right now, her mind was filled with thoughts on how Naruto's psyche was and how stable he would be after being imprisoned for about three years. There were bound to be repercussions for what he went through all that time.

'I suppose it would be best to have Inoichi or Ino take a look at his mental health; although, he hasn't shown any serious problems other than an almost 180 to his personality. Not to mention he was also able to come up with a solution to Anko's seal without anything more serious than work-related stress. Maybe I'll just wait and see if he'll be alright for now, but have his friends keep an eye on him.'

Her thoughts were interrupted by Shizune stepping in with the very person she was just thinking about. "Naruto, I wasn't expecting you this morning. What do you need?"

"Get Jiraiya here…now," ordered the blonde with narrowed eyes making the two women look confused at his attitude.

"What did the pervert do this time?" asked Tsunade in exasperation.

"There's something that I want to ask you and him. So, get him here now."

Tsunade raised a brow before she shrugged and nodded to one of the ANBU hidden in the room. The ANBU appeared in a flash and nodded once before it disappeared in a Shunshin. Naruto grabbed a chair after seeing the ANBU leave and sat patiently with his elbows rested on his knees and his chin on his hands.

He wasn't going to kill anybody.

Yet.

Not five minutes later, the ANBU arrived again with Jiraiya in tow; literally. The Gama Sennin was bound in rope with a small frown on his face. "He was peeping on the women's side of the Hot Springs, Hokage-sama. Again."

"Thank you, Neko. Return to your position," ordered Tsunade while Neko complied.

"So, any reason why your ANBU dragged me here, Tsunade?"

"Ask him," she said pointing to Naruto who looked to the two of them with narrowed eyes.

"Oh, hey kid! Didn't see you there!" greeted Jiraiya with a smile though he was curious as to the blonde's look.

"I'm not gonna waste my time beating around the bush and get straight to the point," Naruto stated before he stood up and glared at them. "I want to know…was the Yondaime my father?"

The two Sannin tensed at the question making Naruto's eyes narrow even further. "What brought this on?" asked Jiraiya.

"Don't try and divert the question! Is he my father or not?! I'm in a very stabby mood right now, so I suggest you answer."

"…Yes," answered Tsunade with her eyes closed.

Naruto scowled at them and questioned, "Why wasn't I ever told that he was? You had months to tell me before I was held prisoner; months! But you never did and I had to find out from the damned fox!"

"You're speaking to the fox?!" asked Jiraiya in worry.

"Yes, and it's been much more forward with information about me than you two ever were! I know who my father and my mother are thanks to the Kyuubi! What I want to know is why did I have to find out one of the more important things about me from the reason I'm being hunted down? Why not from the people I trusted and cared for?"

"Naruto, your father had way too many people who hated him outside the village walls; Iwa being a prime example," explained Tsunade. "You were never told so that your identity as his son would remain a secret and you'd have a sense of 'normality' in your life. Sarutobi-sensei wanted to-"

"Wait! You mean that Jiji knew the whole time?!" he asked in anger before he punched the wall next to him in frustration. "Why can't the people I trust ever be straight with me?! Why do they expect me to trust them when they never give me a real reason to?! Am I really so untrustworthy? I never let the secret of what the fuck is sealed inside of me get out! So why couldn't I just have the solace of knowing that my parents didn't fucking abandon me?!"

"Naruto, calm down! What good would telling you who your parents were have done back then?"

"It would have made life more bearable! I wouldn't have constantly asked myself who my parents were, why they weren't there with me, or if they hated me or not! I could've been happier!"

"Yes, and you also could've let it slip that you were his son, making his enemies know that they could kill you in vengeance for your father's past deeds," explained Jiraiya.

"Please, I kept the secret of me holding Kyuubi a secret from practically everyone! What makes you think I couldn't do the same for that secret?"

Tsunade sighed in frustration. "Look Naruto, for what it's worth I'm sorry we never told you. We were doing it because we thought it'd be in your best interest and safety. Obviously, we were wrong and I apologize."

The whiskered blonde slowly calmed down and sighed. "I know that… I just…I just don't understand why I couldn't be trusted with it. I placed my trust in you two, Jiji, and many others here in Konoha. Why can't I be trusted back?"

The Sannin looked down in shame while Shizune, who had remained silent for the whole discussion, walked up to Naruto and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He looked to her to see a warm smile on her face, and he gave a small one back.

"Look kid, we're sorry; honest. We should've had more trust in you and told you, especially since it was about you in the first place," Jiraiya said in an apologetic tone.

Naruto sighed again and leaned against the wall behind him with his arms crossed. "I guess I can forgive you…with time, of course. I'm still pretty pissed off about the whole thing, but I'll get over it eventually." The two Sannin nodded and Shizune kept her smile at him. "I guess I should apologize too, since I nearly lost it earlier."

"No, you had every right to do that," Tsunade replied. "You have nothing to apologize for." Naruto gave her a small smile and nodded. "Now, since we've gotten that out of the way, I actually am glad you showed up this morning."

"Why's that?"

"I need to see your current skill set so that I can determine just what to do with you."

"What do you mean? I'm a Genin still, right? Just put me on a team and I'll take the next Chunin Exams. And murder everyone in it."

"You can't afford to stay a Genin, kid," Jiraiya informed him. "Akatsuki is after you and we need to have you at a high enough level to be able to face them. As a Genin, you won't be able to have access to much knowledge or be able to take part in various types of high ranking missions."

"Okay… I guess I can understand that. But how exactly do you plan to see my level?"

Tsunade smirked and answered, "I think a little field test will tell us everything we need to know. I'll have you face one of the Jonin and have them put you through the ringer so that you can show just how much you've improved."

"Will I be allowed to use the Nidaime's jutsu?"

"…Yes, but do not summon anyone too dangerous," Tsunade answered after some thought. "By the way, how many people can you summon anyway?"

Jiraiya's eyes widened in recognition as to the name of the technique while Shizune was still putting the pieces together. Naruto tilted his head in thought and mentally counted off the bodies he had at his disposal. "I have around…ten bodies that I can use. All of them are skilled in their own right; the two most recent should no doubt be my strongest."

"And I'm guessing you won't tell me the identities of the bodies you have?" asked the Godaime to which Naruto replied with a shake of the head. "Alright, we're all entitled to our own hidden aces. Just be sure to use this technique carefully, Naruto. Messing with the dead is always a serious matter."

"Yea yea, don't worry so much baa-chan," replied the Uzumaki making Tsunade's eye twitch.

"Anyway, your test will be held in two hours. Take the time to prepare accordingly."

Naruto nodded before he left the office. He had two hours to spare and he knew just how to spend them.

Eating at Ichiraku's Ramen.

One Hour Later (Ichiraku's)

Some things never change, no matter what happens.

Naruto was happily slurping down his tenth bowl of miso ramen while catching up with Teuchi and Ayame. The two were shocked, but incredibly happy, to see the blonde again and Naruto was happy to see them as well. These two were like family to him during his youth with Ayame being an older sister while Teuchi was like a kind uncle.

"I'm so glad that you're okay, Naruto-kun," Ayame said with a smile as she brought him another bowl.

"You've said that five times already, Ayame-nee. Give it a rest already," replied the blonde with a grin.

"Ah, give her a break Naruto. Can you blame her for missing you so much?" asked the ramen stand owner.

"No, I guess not. But still, she doesn't need to repeat the same thing every ten minutes."

Ayame playfully smacked him making the other two chuckle and the overall atmosphere be that of happiness.

"Oh, there you are Foxy!" came a voice that Naruto easily recognized as Anko's. He turned to see her behind him at the curtains surrounding the stand. "I was looking all over for ya."

"And what exactly did you need me for, Anko? Something sordid, dirty, and frowned upon by most of the known world?"

She took his arm and began to drag him out of the shop. "You and I are gonna run a few errands."

"But I still need to pay for my-" began the blonde before he realized that he was broke. 'Ah shit… How am I gonna pay for lunch?'

"Don't worry about it, Naruto! It's on the house! Think of it as a 'Welcome Back' present from us," Teuchi called out while Ayame waved bye to him and Anko continued to drag him away.

"Thanks, Pops!" Naruto called back with a grin before he began to follow Anko so she wouldn't tear his arm off. "So, where exactly are we going?"

"Oh, nowhere all that special," she answered with a shrug. "I just needed to get some shopping done is all."

Naruto raised a brow in confusion. "Then why did you drag me along? I'm not really the shopping type."

She smirked at him. "I just wanted to have you tag along. Is that a problem?"

Naruto shrugged. "Not really, but I do have something to do in about an hour."

"Oh, and what's that, Foxy?"

"Tsunade's making me spar with one of the Jonin so that she could determine what rank to place me in."

"So, you're gonna duke it out with someone?" she asked with a grin and he nodded. "Then count me in!"

"Huh?"

"I'm gonna watch your fight! I want to see what you bring to the table, Foxy."

Naruto shook his head with a small grin. "Whatever you say… I can't stop you from watching after all."

"Great, so let's get my shopping done and then we'll head over to where your test is."

"What are you shopping for, anyway?" asked the blonde with a raised brow.

"Oh, I'm running low on sharp pointy things and I need to restock," she said nonchalantly.

"Right…" said the Uzumaki with a sweatdrop.

One Hour Later (Training Field 13)

The two walked out into the open area training field to see the two Sannin, Shizune, and Kakashi standing in the middle of it waiting for them. Kakashi and Jiraiya were discussing something in hushed tones with both men having slightly lecherous looks on their faces throughout it all while Tsunade and Shizune merely waited patiently.

When Naruto and Anko's presences were noticed, the two perverts stopped their discussion while Tsunade said, "Alright Naruto, I decided to have you face Kakashi for this test. He is the most well rounded of the Jonin, so he should be able to have you produce the best results."

"Sounds good to me," Naruto said with a smirk while Anko and the others moved to the side, leaving the Uzumaki and Kakashi in the center of the field. Naruto pulled his hood down, shadowing his eyes, and asked, "You ready for this, Kakashi? I don't plan on holding back."

The man eye-smiled and replied, "I think I'll be okay. Besides, no matter what I'll always be your sensei; and a teacher must be better than their student, right?"

Naruto smirked at the statement. "You'd think that… But it isn't always the case, sensei." He then pulled out a kunai and held it in his right hand while his left flexed in a 'come hither so I can stab you' motion.

Kakashi looked to Tsunade, who nodded, and rushed towards Naruto, pulling out a kunai during his advance and swung at Naruto, but the blonde easily blocked it with his own. Suddenly, a glowing chain shot out of the blonde's arm and flew at Kakashi who ducked to avoid but was greeted by Naruto's foot kissing his face for his effort.

The Jonin slid back a couple feet while Naruto's chain retracted back into his skin. "The thing about these chains, sensei, is that I can summon them from any part of my body. So, you might want to be careful," he advised with a fanged smirk appearing on his hooded face.

"I still remember when you were still mastering your chains and went to take a piss when that chain shot out of your-"

'NEVER MENTION THAT AGAIN!'

"I'll be sure to remember that," said Kakashi as he raised his headband and revealed his implanted Sharingan.

Naruto lost his smirk for a serious face and punched both of his fists forward, releasing three spike-tipped chains from each arm. They darted through the air towards the Copy Nin, and the man evaded thanks to his dojutsu. But, the chains were able to change course midflight and kept Kakashi on the move, bobbing and weaving to avoid an unwanted piercing.

With his old teacher distracted by the chains, Naruto quickly went through handseals before ending his sequence by clapping his hands together. A coffin slowly rose from the ground with the kanji for "Red" on it while Naruto's chains retracted back into his skin, allowing Kakashi to stop his evasion and look to his student.

The coffin lid fell revealing a woman with untamed red hair under a black hat that was wrapped in bandages around the sides. Covering her curvaceous body was a tan tunic with black shorts and standard black shinobi sandals. In her hands was a silver flute that was all too familiar.

Naruto stepped up to the woman and gently poked her forehead while sending out a sliver of the fox's youki into her summoned body. The body jerked before her eyes opened, revealing black sclera with purple eyes (1). She took a look at her surroundings and saw the hooded Jinchuriki standing next to her, making her smirk.

"So, shithead needs my help again, huh? What do you need this time?"

Naruto smirked back and pointed to Kakashi. "I was hoping that you'd be so kind as to play my friend here a melody of death, Tayuya-chan."

The redhead's smirk grew into a grin as she raised her flute up to her lips. "It would be my pleasure, shithead," she stated before she began to play a complicated series of notes.

Before the eyes of the spectators, Tayuya and Naruto faded from their view. Kakashi pumped a little more chakra into his Sharingan but it was unable to locate them. 'Clever… This genjutsu is sound based so even a dojutsu can't cancel it. I'll have to break it somehow…'

He was brought out of his planning by the feeling of a sharp blade next to his throat. He looked down and saw a skeletal hand holding a kunai before he looked behind him and saw a figure cloaked in a moving shadow. Through the shadows, a lone red eye with a black slitted pupil stared right into Kakashi's, making him involuntarily shudder.

"Hatake Kakashi… It is time… Time for your death at the hands of Shi no Naruto!" cried out the figure before the kunai cut into Kakashi's throat, spurting his crimson essence onto the ground in a gory waterfall.

Through the pain, Kakashi bit his tongue and made it bleed before the sight of Naruto and Tayuya came to him and the feeling of a sliced jugular faded. Both the blonde and the redhead had smirks on their faces before the blonde disappeared in a poof of smoke. Kakashi then felt chains wrap around his ankles and wrists while a kunai was held at his throat again; only it was real.

'Well, shit.'

"You lose, Kakashi," said Naruto from behind the silver haired Jonin.

Kakashi sighed and nodded. "It looks like you won, Naruto," he said, admitting defeat.

The chains holding Kakashi released him and the Uzumaki put away his kunai before he walked over to the redhead. "Thanks for the help, Tayuya-chan."

"No problem. It was actually kind of fun. But, before I go…" She then slammed a fist into his head, making him eat dirt. "THE FUCK DID I TELL YOU ABOUT ADDING 'CHAN' TO MY NAME?!"

"Geez… So cruel," mumbled Naruto as he slowly stood back up. He cracked his neck before he nodded to Tayuya and she disappeared into ash against a small breeze. "So," began the blonde as he turned to the others, "how'd I do?"

"Not bad… However, I'd recommend that you get some ninjutsu under your belt. Your chains and Edo Tensei will only get you so far," commented Tsunade to which Naruto nodded to.

"It was a good strategy, having the chains distract me while you performed the jutsu, but I agree with Tsunade-sama's statement. You need more variety in your attack pattern," Kakashi added.

"You've obviously got a good head for battle strategies, plus having the sound genjutsu for dojutsu users was a nice touch," Jiraiya said with a grin.

Shizune just nodded to Naruto with a smile while Anko wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Not bad, Foxy. It was fun to watch; and nice name for yourself, Shi no Naruto," she said with a grin.

"Thanks, I figured someone as badass as I am needed a kickass name," said Naruto with his own grin while the others chuckled. "So, what do you have in mind, Tsunade?"

"Hmm… I'll need a few days to think this over. In the meantime, I can honestly say that you are easily Chunin level, so I'm promoting you to that rank. Congrats, brat."

Naruto nodded in thanks. "Well, I'm going to see if there are any easy missions I can take. I need some money in my pocket," he said while mumbling the last part. He walked away from the field and threw a lazy wave of the hand in farewell behind him.

"Hey, wait up Foxy! I think I have just the mission for ya!" Anko called out with a smirk.

"Oh? And what, pray tell, is that?"

She leaned in and whispered into his ear, making him grin deviously.

"I like it… Starting now?"

She nodded with her own grin.

"Get ready to pay up, Anko-chan!" he called out as he left in a blur of speed.

"What exactly did you tell him, Anko?" asked Tsunade with a stern look.

"Oh, nothing major. Although, don't be surprised if you get any extra paperwork when he's done!" she said with a grin before she left in a swirl of leaves.

Tsunade's brow twitched while the others took a couple of steps back. "Anko, IF THERE'S EVEN A SINGLE EXTRA SHEET OF PAPERWORK, YOU ARE DEAD!" yelled out the Godaime before she ran off to find the Snake Mistress.

Kakashi chuckled at the antics and commented, "Yep… Naruto is definitely back in Konoha."

He still couldn't figure out if that was a good or bad thing.

(End)

A little action for you guys and more to come in the next chapter, I hope you all enjoyed it. See you later bro's.