finally got this one done. sorry for the wait. I had re-done this chapter about 3 or 4 times trying to get it right. Hopefully I made it good enough so please enjoy.

teme - bastard, -okasan - honorific for mother, wakatta - understood, ohayou - good morning, nanika - what is it?, Omedetou - congradulations, nani - what, sabishii - I missed you, kozou - kid, yakusoku - I promise

Chapter 13: One Man's Past

Everyone stared on in silence at the confused Naruto and the gloomy Yasu. Yasu stood there with an ever growing mournful look in his eye. 'Why did this guy say something so weird? Does he know me from somewhere?' Naruto thought to himself. Naruto had never seen this person before in his life so why would this situation make him begin to feel awkward.

"Um…What are you talking about? Do you have a problem with me or something?" Naruto asked trying to not sound like he was uncomfortable.

"It's just…" Yasu's gaze moved down then towards everyone else, "Kenta…Koki…We should be leaving."

"Okay Yasu," both of them replied.

Yasu motioned towards Kenta and Koki for them to head out. They quickly gathered their things and bowed their goodbyes to everyone. The rest of them sat still looking at the three wandering shinobi and back towards Naruto who was still standing in the same spot. Slowly an angered look came across his face. He was not going to let someone say something just out of the blue and not leave without giving an explanation. The three had only took a few steps from the fire when Naruto dashed in front of Yasu.

"Where the hell do you think you're going? I asked you a question?" Naruto raised his voice.

"You have the same spark in your eyes as your mother did," Yasu unknowingly blurted out.

Surprised by him speaking out what he was thinking Yasu placed his hand over his mouth to be sure he wouldn't just blurt anything else out. He looked straight at Naruto to notice that again there was a sudden change in his mood. That little uninhibited remark sent Naruto's mind on a tailspin. Everyone elses reaction was one of shock. This guy actually made a comment like he has familiar with Naruto's mother. Naruto slowly took a few steps towards Yasu and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"You talk like you know my mother. Explain!" he growled.

"Why should I?" Yasu coldly responded.

"Because I'm thinking you might know the whereabouts of my mother?! TELL ME!" Naruto screamed.

"So what if I do!?" Yasu pushed Naruto off of him, "What makes you think I would want to talk about it or even more want you to hear the truth?"

"Tell me teme!" Naruto howled as he threw a punch towards Yasu's face.

Naruto's fist popped into his face leaving a rough bruise on his cheek but still Yasu stood there somberly. Yasu's gaze shifted towards the ground now and he seemed to be shivering. The next thing that happened shocked Naruto even more. Droplets fell from Yasu's face onto the cold ground. Slowly raising his head up Naruto could see that the stranger's yellow eyes were full of tears.

"I swore to myself that I wouldn't cry about this ever again," Yasu sobbed, "On top of that I wasn't even man enough to face you and yet here you are."

Slowly he made his way over to the tree stump where Naruto first appeared an sat down on it. Everyone watched on as Naruto slowly walked to sit next to the fire which was directly in front of the tree stump. Even Yasu's two companions made their way back to the fire interested by the fact that they had never seen Yasu like this before.

"So what do you mean that you weren't man enough to face me?" Naruto said in a calm voice, "You were planning on telling me something about my mother?"

"Hai," he responded wiping tears off of his cheek, "I've been planning on telling you about her for six years now. I've just never had the courage to do so. Even now I don't but I also wasn't expecting to have you be summoned here…It can't be helped I guess."

"Where is my mother? What happened to her?" Naruto softly spoke.

"Well…she…she…," Yasu stumbled trying to gather his composure as best he could, "She…passed away six years ago."

It was like receiving a knife into his heart. Uncontrollably tears swelled up in Naruto's cerulean eyes and crept down his soft whisker cheeks. For years he had never known what became of his mother. In fact no one knew what happened to her. Jiraiya had told him that she had left the village shortly after his father's death but it was kept a secret as to where she went. Now he finally knew that she was dead but still he wanted to know everything that Yasu did.

"Could you please tell me everything?" Naruto politely asked.

"I've never been one to talk of my past or much else. It always hurt to just think about it," Yasu commented, "But you deserve to know everything more than anyone. I've just been such a coward that I never seeked you out to tell you. Well I should probably start from the very beginning."

Even though Yasu and Naruto knew everyone else was listening in they found no harm in it. Yasu knew it was a better time than anytime. His past was in fact tied in with Naruto's through a single special person.

"Just like your mother, Kushina Uzumaki, I too had ties to the Whirlpool country. I was born a few months before you to a mother who had fled the former country with Kushina. My biological mother died giving birth to me right in the Konoha hospital. She had been good friends with your mother so a pregnant Kushina took me into her care as a promise to her dying friend," Yasu narrated, "A few months later the Kyuubi attack occurred resulting in your father's sacrifice and the sealing of the Kyuubi inside you. Before Minato had gone to fight the Kyuubi he had the Sandaime Hokage promise to watch over you and have the village see you as its hero."

"That last part ended up not happening," Naruto whispered to himself.

"But Minato had also asked something else of Kushina. Shortly before your birth Naruto, Kushina had fallen ill to a strange heart disease that would cause it to become weaker and weaker overtime eventually resulting in her death. She also would not have the strength that she use to as well. The medical ninja could find no cure for it but had heard of a special herb that could sustain her life for a certain time and ease the pain. So by Minato's request Kushina left to live in a peaceful and isolated cottage on the eastern coast of Hi no Kuni, the only place where the herbs would grew. The reason for the request was that the herbs wilted within a few hours once they were picked and Kushina needed to have them frequently," Yasu paused to take a deep breath, "Since I was just a few months old and she had made a promise, Kushina took me along with her."

"So why couldn't my mother take me as well?" asked Naruto.

"She wanted to take you but she and Minato had both agreed that you needed to grow up in Konoha as the symbol of their survival. They wanted you to have the opportunity to become a leaf shinobi and be the epitome of a hero. It would have hurt them to not see their boy become as great as either of them had ever been," everyone moved in closer as Yasu cleared his throat, "So now that leads us into my story…"

Ten years ago…

It was a lovely morning for the two-story brown cottage sitting near a tiny beach and vast forest. The waves splashed gently along the soft sand as the tide settled in. Several yards to the north rested a cliff over-looking the beautiful clear water.

"Wake up sleepy head or you won't have enough time to get ready," a woman shouted from downstairs.

Snuggled deep in dark blue sheets was an eight-year-old kid with a head full of messy dark brown hair. His body twitched at the sound of the woman's voice and the little boy knew if he didn't get up right know she would come bursting into the room causing a fuss. Slowly he raised his eye lids open revealing his tender yellow eyes. He looked around the room basking in the sunlight that gazed through the window. It was a nice and simple room with a twin-sized bed, clothes dresser and a small nightstand. Lazily he rolled over and flopped down onto the carpeted floor making a soft thud to make the woman aware that he was out of bed. He looked at the top of the nightstand to see two framed pictures. One was of him and a beautiful red-haired woman and the other was of that same red-haired woman cradling a newborn child with whisker marks on his cheeks.

He made his way over to the clothes dresser and pulled out a solid white shortsleeve shirt with the yin and yang symbol on the back and a pair of brown shorts. It was simple attire for the day but most of his other stuff had already been packed and left downstairs. Today was going to be his first day at the Konoha Ninja Academy. Even though he was eager to become a full-fledged ninja he did not want to leave the comforts of his home.

After getting dressed, the boy quickly made his way downstairs and straight into the kitchen where a red-haired woman was busy cooking a delicious smelling breakfest. She was a very beautiful woman wearing a homely brown dress with a green apron. Her long silky red hair flowed down to her waist and she had the warmest brown eyes anyone had ever seen. The little boy latched onto the woman's apron and gave her the biggest hug he could muster.

"Well hey there my little sleepy head," she rubbed her hand through his hair, "Looks like someone is being very loving today…Now sit down at the table so you can eat your breakfest."

Joyfully he did as he was told hopping over to the brown kitchen table and sitting down. Shortly afterwords the woman placed a plate filled with freshly scrambled eggs, toast, and fried ham. The little boy picked up his fork and began to chow down.

"Hey slow down Yasu," she commanded, "You don't want to have a stomach ache on your first day."

"Gomen Kushina-okasan," he spoke after swallowing down the food in his overfilled mouth.

A few minutes passed by when a soft knock came at the front door. Kushina had just finished cleaning up the dishes and made her way over to the door to answer it. Yasu quickly gobbled down the rest of his food to see who it was that was coming to take him to Konoha. Yasu slowly walked out of the kitchen to see Kushina speaking with an elderly man in red and white robes and a big hat that had the kanji for fire on it.

"Oh here he is," Kushina motioned to Yasu.

The man smoothly strolled over to him and kneeled down to be at his eye level. Yasu stared at him with somewhat of a mean look. He never really did like strangers, but the old man had such calm eyes like he had never seen before.

"Hello there," he greeted with a big smile, "I am the Hokage of Konoha and I'm going to be taking you to Konoha today."

"Hmm," Yasu grunted as he ran over to stand by Kushina.

"Forgive him Sarutobi-sama. He is a little shy with new people," she commented.

"It is absolutely fine Kushina-hime. He is going to have a very eventful day," smiled the Hokage, "But don't worry Yasu-san everything will be alright."

The Hokage walked over towards the mantle above the fireplace. Like Yasu's room there were pictures of Kushina with and Yasu and a newborn baby, as well as a picture of her with a man wearing a white jacket with red flames. For a moment the Hokage picked up the framed picture taking a deep sigh.

"Minato was a very gifted shinobi. It feels like it was only yesterday that he was the Hokage of the village," he commented.

"So…how is he?" Kushina asked as she placed Yasu's bags next to the front door.

The Hokage placed the picture back down on the mantle, "Naruto will also have his first day at the academy. It has been pretty hard for him in the village. The people only see him as a demon and I've tried my best to change that."

"Sarutobi-sama I really want to go back to Konoha. I don't want to live with the fact that Naruto is being viewed as something destuctive and evil. He doesn't deserve it," Kushina sadly spoke.

"You and I both know that you would not have enough strength to make it to Konoha. You would…,"

"I know…You don't have to say it out loud," she looked towards Yasu who just stood there listening to the conversation, "I don't want Yasu to have to hear those words."

"Wakatta…well I guess me and the boy should be heading to Konoha. We don't want him to be late on his first day."

"Yeah we wouldn't want that now would we Yasu," she said to the little boy.

The Hokage went to the front door and picked up Yasu's bags and took a step outside so Yasu could say his goodbyes. Kushina just barely kneeled down when Yasu jumped into her arms giving her a huge hug. This would be the first time he would be away from her. He would have to stay in Konoha until he achieved the rank of genin.

"Kushina-okasan I kinda don't want to go. Why can't I stay and have you still teach me stuff?" he sobbed.

"Well my sweet boy you know my strength is running low. I've trained you for a good three years and while you're away I'm going to rest up for when you get back," she told him, "I have two very important rules that you must follow one hundred percent or you will get it when you get back."

"Hai," Yasu firmly nodded, "What are they?"

"The first is that I want you to graduate in only one year. The second will be the hardest one for you but this rule you must never break. You cannot have no interaction with your students or anyone for that matter. You have to be a ghost during your stay in Konoha."

"Why?!" an extremely confused Yasu asked.

"You will have to learn to understand that yourself," Kushina kissed him on the forehead, "You be a good boy and make me proud."

"I will," Yasu smiled.

Kushina watched as Yasu made his way out the door. He looked back waving goodbye to the person who had taken such good care of him. It would be a good while before he saw Kushina again but he swore to himself that he would not let her down. There was no room to slack off now. He would be the best he could be.

Kushina stood in the door while Yasu, who was holding his head up proudly, and the Third took off towards Konoha. It saddened her to see him go but she wasn't much of one to show it, this time however was different. It was like having to say goodbye to another son. It was hard enough knowing that Naruto was experiencing such loneliness. Feeling such thoughts Kushina started to feel dizzy. Gingerly she closed the door and made her way upstairs.

Once she reached her room she picked up a small cup with freshly brewed tea. Mixed into it were the herbs that she had to constantly take throughout the day to give her some feelings of strength. Sipping it down she wondered how much longer she had before the heart disease got the best of her. It was only a matter of time but she had to fight it for as long as she could. There were still a few things she needed to do before she died.

It was a pretty festive classroom that Yasu walked into. There were several kids talking loudly back and forth to each other. One kid was playing with his dog while another one with sunglasses was staring at a bug crawling on his finger. There were some unique looking kids in the classroom and it only made Yasu feel more out of place. Making sure that nobody noticed him walk by he made his way to the back of the classroom and sat down. A few more minutes passed by when a man with a scar across his nose came into the classroom causing the other children to quickly go to their seats.

"Ohayou everyone," the man greeted them cheerfully, "My name is Umino Iruka and welcome to the Ninja Academy…Okay so I'm going to start off by calling role so just say here or raise your hand when I call your name."

As the man went down the list calling out names Yasu paid no attention and began looking around again at all the kids in the class. It wasn't too big of a group of children probably about no more than twenty-five. His eyes bounced from kid to kid recoginizing certain traits in each of them. He had studied a lot with Kushina about the different clans in Konoha and could see some that fit the descriptions. The two he had noticed earlier were apparantly from the Inuzuka clan who had dog companions as fighting partners and the Aburame clan who used bugs. He saw a girl with white eyes meaning she was a Hyuuga. There was another kid in black who had the symbol of the Uchiha clan on his shirt. Despite feeling so out of place he felt a little more comfort at being familiar with the some of the clans there in Konoha.

Yasu's gaze was suddenly attracted to a girl with a head of bright pink hair. She was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. She was dressed in a blue sleeveless shirt with a yellow long sleeve shirt under it and light purple high-water pants. Looking at her though Yasu could notice that she looked very sad. Most of her face was covered by her hair and her bright green eyes showed signs of sorrow.

"Yasu!" Iruka spoke louder like he had been repeating himself for awhile.

Yasu quickly snapped out of his day dream and shot his hand up indicating that he was here. Noticing the hand Iruka checked off his name and proceeded with the role-call.

"And finally Uzumaki Naruto…"

"Here," a boy softly spoke.

Noticing the familiar name Yasu stared across the aisle to see a very somber looking boy with spikey blond hair. Right away Yasu recognized the whisker marks on his cheeks like that of the baby in the picture with Kushina. This kid must be the one Kushina had told him so much about. It was the son that she had to leave behind. Observing his demeanor Yasu just could not help feeling how alone he was. It pained him knowing that he would have to do the same thing here but it was even worse knowing that Naruto's pain was far greater than his own. Yasu knew he had no right to ponder about how sad he would feel. He was insignificant to what Naruto must be going through. The only thing Yasu wished he could do right now was befriend Naruto but then it would mean breaking one of Kushina's rule. Why did things have to be like this? Why did Naruto have to suffer so much?

"You called for me Hokage-sama," Iruka said stepping into the Hokage's office.

"Yes I did Iruka," the Hokage waved him in, "Come tell me how your class has been going for the past month."

"It has been well for the most part. There are a lot of gifted children in this bunch and I wouldn't doubt that we will have some elites from this group," Iruka happily said, "The ones that have really shown skill have been Uchiha Sasuke and the quiet one of the class Yasu."

"And how has Naruto been doing?" the Hokage softly asked.

"Well he is turning into quite a prankster. He has low concentration and is always trying to be the class clown. So far he has been ranked last in the class…but," Iruka paused for a moment, "I can see such a huge heart in him."

"I can recall someone else being such a prankster in his days," the Hokage chuckled.

"Yeah…If only he wasn't treated so bad by the village. I feel like I could really help him," he sadly sighed.

"By the way you sound it looks that you're growing fond of the boy…That is good to hear that someone doesn't detest him."

"Hmm."

"So before you head to class I needed to ask something about your student Yasu?" the hokage suddenly brought up.

"Nanika?"

"From what you have seen so far do you think the boy will be able to graduate within a year," he spoke.

A little confused by the question Iruka thought for a moment, "He does have a surprisingly extensive knowledge of the country, foreign countries, and the ways of the shinobi as well as many other things. He even appears to already be decently skilled in the basic ninjutsu required to pass the test so I would say that it is a very definite chance that he could graduate then," Iruka stopped for a moment, "Why do you specifically ask about Naruto and Yasu though Hokage-sama?"

"I made a promise to watch over them," the hokage vaguely answered.

It was a calm and somber afternoon. Class was finally over bringing an always joyous overflow of children rushing out to play the rest of the afternoons away. Everyday Yasu would take a walk over to the little training ground that was part of the academy. This time was his special alone time in fact all the time was his alone time. He could not make any friends if he was suppose to follow Kushina's rules. On an honest note he did not mind it too much. There was a few times where he wished he had a friend but maybe it was for the best that he didn't. He would be leaving the village once he became a genin and attachments with people would only sadden him.

Once inside the humble training ground Yasu squared himself up and took a deep concentrated breath. Slowly and a little discretely a stream of ripples seemed to flow through the air and around his body. It was as if Yasu was releasing something through the gentle breeze that was blowing through the place. Reaching ever so slightly into a tiny pouch on his side Yasu pulled out three shurikens situationed in between his fingers. Still staying focused he hurled the shurikens in front of him. As the shurikens raced forward the ripples around Yasu suddenly came to a stop. Then with a swift raise of his arm a burst of chakra filled wind rushed out diverting the shurikens out of their initial direction and straight into the ground.

"Wow that was really cool. How did you do that?" came a voice from behind.

Startled by the foreign intrusion Yasu jumped clear from the ground and fell flat on his bottom. The person giggled at his reaction and right away from it Yasu could tell that it was a girl. He quickly jumped up and dusted his shorts off. A tiny tint of red was on his cheeks as he looked up to see a girl with pink hair and a red ribbon tied in it.

"I'm sorry I scared you," she giggled again.

"Um it's ok," Yasu quietly responded.

"So what was that you just did?" she asked.

"I was practicing my chakra control," he quickly answered still somewhat embarrassed.

"But that looked really weird. It was like you used the wind and stuff."

"Uh well what I did was concentrate on the flow of the wind and harmonize it with my chakra. Once I had done that I can shape the wind flow and chakra together releasing a controlled amount of it out. So I used that to knock down my shurikens," Yasu happily explained, "I've always been able to feel the air and wind around me like I could see it."

"You explain things very well for being eight," she commented, "Oh by the way my name is Haruno Sakura."

She raised her hand out towards Yasu. Slowly he began to raise his to shake it in greeting only to stop a few inches away from it. For that moment he had completely forgotten what he had been told. So apprehensively he pulled his hand back to his side causing Sakura to look at him a little confused by his reaction.

"Please forgive me," Yasu spoke just before quickly walking away from her.

No matter how badly he would have liked to introduce himself, there was no way he could break the rule. As he rushed away a feeling of sadness came over him. It was hard enough trying to isolate yourself from everyone and even worse not being able to meet people.

Wanting to get the feeling out of him, Yasu decided to go for a walk through the village. Slowly but surely the feeling flooded out of him as he strolled from place to place. Finally Yasu came along a walkway that ran next to a gentle river. It was a serene sight to behold. The setting sun reflected rays of orange and pink along the horizon and river creating a gorgeous portrait.

Making his way up the path Yasu came to a point where a single pier reached out into the river. Sitting at the pier's edge appeared to be a raven haired boy dressed in black. Yasu stopped to stare down at what he knew was Uchiha Sasuke. It had just been a few days that his whole clan had just been massacred, by his own brother nonetheless. To Yasu it was yet another person left all alone in the world. Sasuke did not budge a muscle or take a glance back as Yasu stood there staring at him from the road.

Standing there Yasu noticed the arrival of another person coming from the opposite direction. Quickly noticing that Naruto was walking towards his direction but was staring down at Sasuke, he wasted no time and ran off in the direction he came from. He did not want Naruto to ever notice him. Sometimes things are better off left alone.

Today is the day. It's been one year already and the time has finally come. No more of the take-out food and one room apartment. Today was Yasu's graduation day. He quietly stepped into the Sandaime's office. Softly he shut the door behind him and stood still in front of his desk. The Hokage finished filling out some papers before giving his attention to Yasu.

"Omedetou Yasu," smiled the elderly Hokage.

"Arigato," he sighed under his breath.

"All the examiners felt that you were very knowledgeable in the ways of the shinobi and the required jutsus were performed very well. So from her on out you are now a genin of Konoha."

Yasu was very silent while the Hokage handed him his headband. For a moment he admired it feeling like he was a real shinobi now. At the same time however Yasu felt that he had accomplished nothing during all this time.

"Is everything alright Yasu?" the Hokage concerningly asked.

"I'm fine," he half-heartedly said, "Do you know when I'll be going back home?"

"I shall take you back to Kushina-hime tomorrow morning but in the meantime you should pack your things and get a good night sleep," he suggested.

"Hmm," Yasu sadly nodded his head before walking towards the door.

"Yasu-san," the Hokage spoke out just as Yasu's hand was placed on the doorknob.

"Nani?"

"It's been pretty hard hasn't it…Not being allowed to gain any friendships here," he said noticing that was what was on Yasu's mind, "Do you understand why she had you follow that rule."

"I think I do. It took me until today to kinda figure it out," Yasu paused for a moment to to gather his thoughts into a cohesive conclusion, "It was to make sure that my stay here was left unnoticed."

"You don't think it was something more? Could it be she wanted you to learn something from the experience?" the Hokage inquired.

"I do…I think it was to have me realize how important it is to have someone to care for. To have a friend that will always be there for you. That having bonds with people is what truly makes you strong…and…to care for my fellow companions," Yasu firmly spoke, "I think it was also a test to teach me that sometimes certain rules are meant to be broken but I guess I failed."

"I think she will be very happen at how you've grown here in Konoha," he said with a big smile.

A heave of happiness breathed out of the little lips of Yasu. Finally he was back home where he felt the most at ease. He stood there with his bags as he joyfully admired the house he had spent so much time away from. He could not wait to have Kushina greet him with open arms.

Not before taking a few steps to the front door did Yasu notice the door fling open and a kunai hurling towards his direction. Acting quickly he side-stepped the sharp metal object only to see a swift kick going towards his face. Reaching up he latched onto the leg and flipped over it. Taking a few steps back he wondered if someone had broken into the house. He became very worried as he looked up at the possible assailant. Just at the moment he prepared to strike Yasu recogized his attacker who held a jubilant grin on her face.

"Kushina-okasan!!" he leaped towards her in excitement.

"Umph," she grunted as he jumped into her arms, "I'm glad to see you too little Yasu."

"Sabishii," he softly spoke.

"I did too," a smile still on her face.

Yasu let go of her, "But why did you attack me like that?"

"Well of course I gotta make sure that they taught you well and that you stay sharp," she patted him on the head, "Now let me take your bags in while you stay out here. I have something for you."

For a moment an excited smile grew on his lips but suddenly receded when he noticed how frazzled Kushina looked. Sweat was beading down her face a little abnormally and she seemed to be taking deep slightly gasping breaths. There was even color missing from her face. He could tell that she was not feeling her best but was trying to hide it.

"It's fine okasan you can show me what you got for me inside…You look very tired so you should rest for awhile," he said with such high concern.

"Not today kozou," she said very firmly, "Today I'm going to teach you a special technique that shinobi of the Whirlpool Country use to learn. We should keep the tradition going now that our country is gone."

"B-but," he stuttered before Kushina raised a stiff hand up.

"I've already made up my mind. I'm going to teach you this starting today. So I don't want to hear any 'buts' about it," she powerfully remarked, "Now when I get back be prepared to go through some very rigorous training."

Yasu stood there solemnly as Kushina slowly took his bags inside. This lady was something else. She had always been something else. Despite her being very ill she would just push it aside and fight through. There was such determination in her soul that Yasu wondered how she had held on to it after everything she had been through. It amazed him even more that he sensed a lot of that in Naruto during his stay in Konoha. Of course there was an aura of depression and loneliness around him the kid always managed to keep it down and push on. Yasu felt that Naruto would be even more skilled than Kushina and she was a feisty and fierce fighter. He only hoped that Konoha will realize what greatness was held in that blond-haired kid.

The black night began to fill the sky as a thirteen-year-old Yasu made his way back to the house. He had gone out earlier to gather the medicinal herbs that Kushina needed for her heart disease. Lately the herbs had been doing real good for her. She was more up-and-about than usual. There was more energy to her and even more color had returned to her face. After spending so many years with her had Yasu not seen her look so healthy. Indeed it was very heartwarming to him.

Not bothering to go to the front door Yasu flung himself through the open kitchen window and onto the wooden floor. Noticing that Kushina was sitting at the table doing something he began to make some tea with the herbs for her. Yasu waited for the tea kettle to spew stem from the nozzle and then quickly placed it onto a tray with a tiny brown cup on it. Making his way over to Kushina he placed the tray in front of her and poured her a cup of tea. Finally able to rest he sat down at the table directly across from her seat to realize that she had been reading some sort of letter. There was a faint but distinct smile on her face.

"Okasan what is that?" Yasu asked quite interested.

"It's a letter from the Hokage indicating that Naruto will be taking his test to become a genin tomorrow," she answered not looking up from the letter.

"That sounds wonderful," he happily blurted, "I'm sure he will pass it with ease."

For a moment Kushina was quiet while she placed the letter on the kitchen table. With a sincere smile on her face she took a sip of her tea, "You know what kiddo I've got an idea."

"What is it?" he asked compelled by the happy aura growing around her.

"What would you think if we headed off to Konoha tomorrow to see Naruto graduate from the Ninja Academy?"

A spark lit in Yasu's yellow eyes at the suggestion, "Really!? I think that would be a great idea. I'm sure Naruto would be excited to know that his mother is alive and has come to see him…but are you sure you feel well enough to make the trip?"

"I've never felt better kiddo. In fact this is the best I've felt in a long time," she said finishing up her tea, "Besides you're coming too so it will be even easier for me to travel to Konoha."

"So we leave early in the morning then?" he asked.

"Hai! So be ready," she spoke rising up from the table, "I'm going to go to bed right now so clean up and get some good rest. We will be having a very good day tomorrow.

Kushina walked to Yasu placing a kiss on his head and bidding him goodnight. Quickly Yasu cleaned up the kitchen so he could make his way to bed. Similar to his younger days he joyfully hopped into his cozy bed and burrowed into his sheets. Then in no time Yasu fell fast asleep.

…………………………

Hints of morning light shined on the dark brown haired boy. His eyes quickly shot open at the first sight of light. Such excitement was held in his piercing yellow eyes. There wasn't any time to waste if he wanted to get to Konoha sooner. Yasu leaped out of bed and quickly threw on some pants and a shirt. After making his way down the stairs Yasu could see that he was the first one to get up. So very patiently he waited for awhile for Kushina to come down. He swore she said they would be leaving very early so he had already expected her to be downstairs. It was an exciting day afterall. She would finally be able to see her son that she had to leave behind so long ago.

The minutes tolled away while Yasu waited in the livingroom for Kushina. More sunlight started to filter through the windows. He only figured she had slept in a little late so eventualy Yasu went back up the stairs to go wake her up. Quietly he walked up the hall past his room and came to a stop at Kushina's door. Calmly he tapped on it to ease her awake. He didn't want to start the day with a pounding from her for waking her up so loudly. However there was no response from the inside of the room after all the tapping.

Not wanting to wait any longer Yasu decided to go in. He slowly and silently cracked the door open and walked inside. The room was slightly darker than the rest of the house. The curtains were closed over the single window that peered across the room. Stepping up to the curtains Yasu pulled them open to let the light in.

"Wake up okasan," he spoke while walking towards the bed, "We don't wanna be late do we?"

There was still no response.

"Kushina-okasan wake up," Yasu raised his voice a little.

Again there was no kind of response from her. Finally Yasu leaned over the bed and tapped Kushina on the shoulder. She can be a heavy sleeper sometimes.

"Come on sleepy," he said as he softly nudged her side a few times.

Despite all of his attempts to wake her, Kushina had not moved a muscle or indicated a sign of getting up. The dead silent room was filling with worry as Yasu continuously tried to awaken her. Slowly Yasu placed his hand on her stolid face only to feel how cold it was. Feeling the coldness caused Yasu to have a grave stricken look shroud his face. Very hesitantly he reached down and put two fingers on her wrist. His body began to tremble as his mind processed what was laid before him. Tears began to slide down his face as he realized why Kushina would not wake up. She was gone…

…………………………

Yasu patted down the mound of dirt with the shovel after he had finished burying the only person who had ever cared for him. Yasu was all alone now. He stood there still in a state of complete and utter shock. Today was going to be such a special day for her and now she would never get to see her son now. Why did it have to be her time now? It was completely unfair.

Rain began to pitter-patter down onto the earth. Not caring that he was getting drenched from the increasingly pouring rain Yasu kneeled down and ran his hand through the now muddy grave he made for Kushina. What would he do now that he was all alone?Only one thing drilled into his mind while he kneeled there in the somber rainfall. He felt that Naruto deserved to hear about this horrible news. He needed to know everything. Still Yasu could not help but feel like a coward. How could he tell someone who has been alone their whole life that their mother had still been around but was now dead? Yasu knew he wasn't man enough to face Naruto and wondered if he would ever even be able to.

In anger he hurled the shovel to the side bouncing it off the house and hearing it make a watery thud as it slapped onto the wet ground. Slowly getting up Yasu knew he could no longer stay there. Placing his hand on the cross he had made Yasu bid goodbye to the only parent he had ever had. The only person he ever cared about. Now there was only one thing left to do but Yasu did not have the courage. The one thing he could think of was to pack a few things and leave. It did not matter where he went just as long as he didn't have to feel the pain. It wasn't safe for a thirteen-year-old kid to have to wander aimlessly through the world; however, it was all Yasu could think of to do. There was no longer anything here for him. Just a lonely boy with no where to go.

"It's been two years already," a fifteen-year-old Yasu mumbled to himself.

The past two years had seemed like an eternity. Yasu had spent most of his time wandering from country to country and town to town. Many times Yasu had resorted to thievery to get food so that he could survive or to get money so he could pay for a place to stay. He did not feel proud about it one bit but he also did not ever hurt anyone in the process. In fact Yasu was disgusted with himself but he felt he had no other choice. It was the only way he could think of to survive all by himself.

After wandering around for so long Yasu had stumbled into Tsuchi no Kuni for the first time. It was quite a hike for him. The land was filled with steep mountains and hilly forests. Even worse it had been raining for several hours now making it more difficult for Yasu to travel through the place. The woods were vastly muddy and sticky so for once Yasu decide to travel on the dirt roads that ran through Tsuchi no Kuni.

His cloak was drenched in water and his hood didn't help that much with the rain. Even his backpack grew heavier with each drop that splashed onto it. He would need to get out of this rain soon and find some shelter. It would have probably been easier to set up a tent really quickly but the wind was blowing too heavily to give him any time. The other bad thing was the weather was so terrible and it was so dark Yasu could not really see things clearly. It was very vexing to him.

Minutes passed by and the weather was not getting any better. Yasu continued on only hoping that he would reach a town very soon. He could feel that he was catching a cold as he let out a hard sneeze. 'This sucks' he thought to himself when all off a sudden he felt his leg unexpectedly dip into the muddy road. Crashing down onto the road Yasu could tell that his leg had broken. Examining the hole that he fell into Yasu realized that it wasn't just some random pothole. After tripping in it the mud poured in revealing a good sized hole that looked like it was man made.

Struggling to get back up Yasu scanned the surroundings around him. Someone had put a trap here and luckily Yasu had not fallen into it but still some damage had been done. Viewing the area he finally came to the shapes of six distinct figures wearing conical hats. The men slowly approached him all with devious grins plastered on their faces.

"Looks like we got the boy after all," one of them cackled, "This kid didn't even know we were following him…so hand over everything you got."

Yasu did not budge a muscle and made no indication of him giving up his belongings.

"Didn't you here what he said!? Hand over your stuff or we will take it by force!" another one roared.

There was no way he was going to give up his stuff to a bunch of heartless thieves. It was not in Yasu's nature to roll over and let people have their way with him. Despite having a broken leg he was going to stand his ground.

"Your choice fool!" one of them shouted as he charged forward with a sleak dagger in hand.

Knowing that he would not be as mobile now Yasu stood his ground and launched the attacker backwards with a burst of chakra forced wind. Another appeared behind him attempting a strike while Yasu ducked down digging his hands into the muddy ground and kicking him with his usuable leg. As the man flew back he flung several lines of tough wire that swung around Yasu's body dragging him down into the mud. Quickly pulling the wires off of him Yasu stumbled back up. Just as he got back to his feet there was a sharp pain that rang through his broken leg as one of them jarred a kick into it. Yasu yelled in agony but before he could fall down to the ground he felt three daggers dig into his body. Yasu coughed up blood as three of the attackers held him up with their impaling weapons.

The other three thieves surrounded the group of four prepared for Yasu to make another move. Quickly one of them pulled out their dagger only to dig it into the ribs of Yasu. Yasu angrily stared into the eyes of one of the thieves as he made no sounds of pain. Blood trickled down the ends of his lips as he tried to think of what to do next. Then almost on instinct Yasu hurriedly peformed some hand signs.

"Fuuton: Kibaku Kazejinpuu!"

Instantly wind circulated around Yasu and exploded out knocking the three dagger digging thieves away from him. The other three then jumped forward drilling their own weapons into the body of Yasu. Yasu let out a slight grunt from the pain and before he could even try to use another jutsu the three let go of their weapons and all at the same time drilled a kick into Yasu's broken leg. The pain was finally too much and Yasu collapsed onto the grimy ground. Yasu layed their motionless while all six of them stood around his limp body. He tried his hardest to lift his body up and continue fighting but it had grown too heavy. Yasu could feel himself slowly fading out.

"Let's teach this kid what happens when he messes with us."

Two young brute-looking teenagers made their way down the long muddy trail. The rain splashed against their frazzled looking faces. It appeared they were in a hurry to get away from somewhere and did not have any time to waste. As they walked on one of the men abruptly raised his arm up signaling the other to stop.

"Yo bro do you see that?" he said.

"I do Koki," he responded, "Should we help him?"

"Well of course Kenta!" Koki remarked, "The guy looks like he was beat up pretty badly."

The two calmly approached the inmobile bloodied body. By the looks of it he had been lying there for no more than an hour. His face was a bloody mess and his body was covered in many stab wounds. Some of the blood around him had even mixed in with the mud so there was no telling how much blood he had already lost. Very carefully Koki lifted up the listless still-breathing body and placed him over his shoulder. Then the two guys continued on down the road to get the bloody body some help. There was still time to save him.

"Well we should get going," Yasu commented.

"Are you sure?" a quiet Naruto spoke, "You three could come back to Konoha with us."

"We would like that, it's just that I realize I need to go get something," Yasu responded, "But once I do Koki, Kenta, and I will be sure to stop by Konoha."

"That sounds good," Sakura blurted in, "You three have a safe trip to wherever your going."

"Will do," all three of them smiled.

"Oh and Naruto," Yasu turned back to him," Please forgive me."

"Hey don't sweat it," he said with his toothy grin, "I understand how you feel. It makes me feel sad to hear about it but at least now I know everything…arigato."

Yasu bowed to Naruto, "I'm going to make it up to you Naruto-kun. Yakusoku."

hope this one was a good read. R&R. Oh and I won't take as long with the next chapter I've already written most of it.

Fuuton: Kibaku Kazejinpuu - Wind Release: Exploding Wind Gust