I am so sorry for not putting up this chapter! I had writer's block, I was banned from my computer, and I was busy with a lot of things! Forgive me, please? Anyway, on with the fanfic! Enjoy! XD

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the related characters. I only own the OCs in here.

Chapter 3

Explanations

Naruto flopped down on a bed. It was a soft, queen sized bed. The covers were light green and the sheets and pillows were all white.

"Finally! Softness!" he cried. He then looked around at his surroundings. He was in a room of an inn. It had everything!

A nightstand, a window, three comfy chairs, a couch, a coffee table, and a bathroom included. The young blonde snuggled against the softness of the bed and took in its scent. It smelled like a sweet scented soap. He was enjoying his stay already. Two other people entered the room.

"Naruto-kun. Is it okay if…"

"Sure, Hina-chan! Hop on! It's really soft!"

Hinata didn't hesitate and jumped on the bed. Ojirou laughed warmly. "I see you're enjoying your stay here! May I join as well?" he asked. Naruto and Hinata shouted, "Yes!" and gave him some space on the bed. The Sand ninja flopped on the bed, making both kids bounce up and then back down on the bed. The threesome laughed, enjoying this very much.

After a while, they stopped laughing when Ojirou looked out the window.

"Alright," he said as he sat up. "It's getting late, we should be getting ready for bed now." That being said, he jumped off the bed, lifted up his knapsack, and headed into the bathroom.

"Don't forget to get ready yourselves!" He added before closing the bathroom door. This left Naruto and Hinata alone for a while. They both got off the bed and explored their new surroundings. They had been on the road for days now and had just entered a town. They might've left Konoha's border, but they weren't far away from it, yet.

Two days ago.

"Are we there yet?" asked an impatient Naruto. Ojirou shook his head.

"Not yet Naru-chan. We'll get there in a couple of days, I promise." he said.

Naruto groaned and slumped against the tree they had stopped at. It was right next to a clear spring, waterfall and all. Hinata was in the spring, bathing. Her clothes were in her bag that was currently with the guys right now.

"Now, now Naru-chan. Be patient. We will reach a town soon, I should know 'cause I've been there before." said Ojirou.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever you say." replied Naruto in an annoyed tone. The Sand ninja sighed, then decided to change the subject.

"So, you've been alone with no one to talk to up until now, right?"

"Yeah. What about you? What's your story?"

"My story?"

Naruto nodded. Ojirou sighed and took a deep breath in before exhaling.

"Well, when I was born, I was already an outcast. Never knew my parents either. Had to survive on my own. I can't exactly remember how I lived as an outcast all this time and survived. All I knew was that there was something about me that made people want to stay away from me. It's not the Shukaku spirit I told you about, but something else."

Naruto didn't look interested in the Shukaku spirit anyway, so the Sand nin continued.

"When I turned ten, I earned my ninja rank. I also earned my chuunin rank at that age, too."

Naruto stared at him in curiosity now.

"Chuunin?"

Ojirou nodded.

"You'll learn about that when you're older. Anyway, on with the rest of 'my life', okay?"

The blonde shrugged. He found it boring, but he listened anyway.

"Okay. Years pass and I was still an outcast. No matter what, I'm always going to be an outcast. Even if I'm a genin, chuunin, jounin, Kazekage; wouldn't make much of a difference either way, so I ran away when I turned twelve."

Naruto now stared at Ojirou in shock. He had been alone all of this time? And he didn't give a damn about it? It made Naruto's blood boil just hearing this stuff! He managed to restrain his anger and tried to relax.

"Well, you've got us now. Right?" he asked. Ojirou sighed, not sure what he should say to that. All he did was smile thoughtfully and close his eyes. Hinata came back soaking wet at this point. Her bare, shivering figure was visible to anyone who might've been around.

"Um, do y-you have a-a towel or my b-blanket with you guys?" she asked through chattering teeth. When Naruto saw Hinata, blood gushed out of his nose and he fell backwards, his body twitching all over. Ojirou on the other hand, was used to seeing this when he opened his eyes and saw Hinata's figure. He sighed, then reached into the Hyuuga girl's bag and pulled out her white blanket. He wrapped it around her, drying her off as he did so.

"Hinata-san, you really need to learn to not attract unwanted attention to yourself."

"Why Take-kun?"

The Sand ninja sighed and smiled at the same time.

"You'll only attract perverts and such over here."

Hinata tilted her head to the side.

"What's a pervert?"

"Well, you'll figure it out when you're older, but I will tell one thing about them. They're just a bunch of idiotic people whose noses bleed when they see a naked or sexy looking girl. For example, Naru-chan." He points to the unconscious Naruto, who then revived and shouted, "WHAT?! NO I'M NOT!"

Ojirou had to shush the loud blonde haired boy as he finished drying off Hinata.

"Listen closely; we really shouldn't attract unwanted attention. If we do, bad things will happen like getting separated, captured, tortured, raped, murdered, etc. A lot of these things will happen if we're not careful. Also we are nowhere near getting away from Konoha. We're still close to it, and yet we're so far from being free. With me so far?"

Both of the 4-year-olds nodded. Ojirou then fished out Hinata's pink kimono out of her bag and handed it to her.

"And another thing. When and only when we get to a town, we have to keep a low profile, meaning we can't raise suspicion for there might be people searching for two young kids like yourselves there. Also, there will be no running off to do your own thing. There will be no leaving without me. And there will be absolutely no talking to anyone whatsoever. Understand?"

More nodding. Hinata had her kimono on now and continued to listen to Ojirou.

"And another thing, you both need new clothes and a pair of shoes. I mean, how long have you been wearing these for?!"

"Hey! I packed some clothes!" Naruto objected.

"All of your clothes are the goddamn SAME!!" the Sand nin pointed out. Naruto grumbled in utter defeat and crossed his arms. It took a while for Ojirou to calm down. Hinata tugged on his sleeve, asking, "Do you… have enough money for clothes or food?"

Ojirou shook his head. "I only have enough for a one night's stay at an inn."

Hinata thought about this for a while, then said, "We could find work around in the town."

The Sand ninja looked surprised by this statement. He thought for a while, then he smiled and ruffled her raven hair.

"I'll be the one working, though. But until we get to a town, we do our part in not attracting attention, okay?"

Both of the kids nodded.

Now.

Naruto pushed a stool in front of a window, stood on it and looked out the glass. He saw some ninja, non-shinobi, children his and Hinata's age doing their daily duties and such outside. He also saw a lot of stores, inns, game areas, etc. He was as excited as a kid who had just opened his presents on his birthday. He had seriously been dying to get to civilization ever since… well… (A/N: I'm not repeating the flashback again, so… yeah, you get it by now. Sorry if I was sounding rude here.)

Hinata on the other hand, was admiring the room from the bed all the way to the couch. She climbed on the couch and used her hands to feel around the cushions, making sure it was comfortable for lying down on.

"Hina-chan?" said Naruto.

"Hm?" said Hinata.

"How are we gonna get enough money to stay here for a few more days?"

Hinata had to think about this one.

"Um, well… Take-kun did say he was going to work to keep staying here. But…"

"But?"

"But, where is he going to work in this town?"

Ojirou came out of the bathroom at this point. He was dressed in sand colored pajamas and all ready for sleep. He smiled.

'They are going to be in for a big surprise in the morning.' he thought to himself. After reminding the four-year-olds to get ready, he walked over to the couch and lay down on it. He fell asleep afterwards.

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The next morning, Naruto and Hinata woke up to see that Ojirou was gone. Naruto was furious because he thought that the Sand nin abandoned them. Hinata had to reassure him over and over that Ojirou wasn't that kind of person and he was probably just searching for a job somewhere. The blonde had his doubts, but he let it slide for now. Hinata jumped off of the bed and headed into the bathroom first; Naruto went in with her just in case (he did not see anything!).

After Naruto and Hinata finished getting ready for the day, they put on their clothes, draped a small black cloak over their bodies, and cautiously walked out of the room and down the stairs to get breakfast. Suddenly, Naruto was pushed to the side, causing him to fall. Hinata grabbed his wrist, but she unfortunately wasn't strong enough to pull him back on his feet and ended up falling with him down the stairs.

CRASH!!!

Fortunately for them, they were four steps away from the bottom of the staircase when that happened.

"Ouch. That… hurt!" yelled Naruto. Hinata just moaned a little and rubbed her bandaged leg.

"You okay, Hina-chan?" asked Naruto in a whispering tone. Hinata nodded and stood up. Naruto also stood up, then saw the person who pushed him.

A cleaning maid.

"Must've been in a hurry." he said to himself. He grabbed the hood of his cloak and put it over his head, his face partially covered in shadows. The only thing you could see was the lower half of his face. The same went for Hinata Hyuuga.

They looked around a corner to be sure there wasn't anyone they knew or who was looking for them. Naruto still thought that the search parties would come only for Hinata, since she was a Hyuuga and all. No one was there except for the innkeeper. Naruto walked out first followed by Hinata next.

The inn was nice and cozy with wooden floors and walls, which were decorated with old scrolls. Some of them talked about Konoha's history! There were also paintings of Konoha's landscape, the stone faces of the Hokage, the Leaf Village itself… and the last painting was a fox with nine tails.

Naruto walked up to the wall with that painting on it. It was an old painting that had probably been around for many years now; the edges looked rough, some of the colors on the fox were starting to wear off, and the lower left corner where the name of the artist was supposed to be was torn off. The blonde four-year-old couldn't help but stare at that painting for what seemed like forever. He had a feeling that he had seen that fox before, but he didn't know when or where it happened. He soon became lost in his thoughts, which were interrupted by Hinata, who came up from right behind him.

"Naruto-kun?" she whispered. Naruto gasped and turned to see the cloaked Hyuuga girl.

"Oh. Gomenasai Hina-chan." he whispered back. His attention turned back to the painting. "I was distracted is all."

Hinata nodded once in understanding, then looked at the painting with him.

"What is that thing?" she asked. Naruto shrugged.

"Who knows?" he replied.

"You interested in that?"

Both kids turned around to see the innkeeper. He was a man in his forties, wearing Japanese robes and sandals, had dark, messy brown hair, and a gentle look on his face. Hinata bowed, being careful not to let her hood fall off when she stood upright again. Naruto just answered the innkeeper's question by saying, "Yes."

The innkeeper sighed and walked up in front of the painting.

"I should really take that old thing down; it has way too many memories for me." He looked down at the children. "But, if you really are interested, then I'll tell you."

Naruto looked excited while Hinata just kept calm and listened. The innkeeper sat down in a soft chair and gestured for them to sit down. They did.

"Now listen closely, for what I'm about to tell you is something that has been forbidden to be talked about." When he saw that the kids were listening, he took a deep breath and told the story.

"Four years ago, the Kyuubi, or the nine tailed fox demon, went on a rampage near the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Konohagakure. Many shinobi, ninja, jounin, chuunin, and ANBU were either killed or badly injured trying to protect the Village. But they couldn't stop it. The demon killed anything it saw and destroyed everything it could lay its paws on." He looked at the painting. "That painting is of the Kyuubi. It's old, but it can only carry the sad memories of those that died because of the demon." He looked back at the kids. "When all hope seemed lost for Konoha, the Fourth Hokage came and defeated the demon. It wasn't killed, but sealed in the body of a newborn baby. And to this day, that's how it's always been."

When the innkeeper finished telling the story, Naruto looked shocked and Hinata looked horrified.

"W-What ever became of the Fourth, sir?" asked Hinata. The man turned his head away from her and replied, "He died."

Hinata and Naruto gasped softly.

"But he died to save the Village, right after he sealed Kyuubi." The innkeeper added. "The memory still lives on. Everyone was forbidden to talk about the Kyuubi after that, but they still fear it. So much that they fear the Kyuubi's container."

If the innkeeper could see her face, he would've seen Hinata on the verge of tears. Naruto was a bit upset; he didn't know who the nine tailed fox's container was, but the thought made his blood boil to the max! The innkeeper stood up and took down the Kyuubi painting. He handed it to Naruto. The blonde took it, rolled it up, and put it in a pocket that was sewn inside his cloak.

"Keep it for as long as you like, I no longer want that painting in my inn anymore." said the innkeeper. Naruto nodded, then he stood up and helped Hinata get on her feet. They then forgot about getting breakfast and started walking towards the stairs. Hinata stopped walking only to look back at the innkeeper and ask, "Did you lose someone to Kyuubi?"

He nodded as a few tears fell from his eyes.

"My wife and daughter. They were both part of the ANBU and left to defend Konoha. They were killed by that demon before…" He couldn't finish and started crying. Hinata felt sorry for the innkeeper, then walked towards the stairs and went up them.

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Naruto stood on Hinata's shoulders, trying not to fall off as he grabbed the doorknob. Hinata groaned under the pressure.

"Naruto-kun. We can uf! reach the doorknob… you know?"

Naruto turned the knob and opened the door, causing both he and Hinata to tumble into their inn room.

"I find this much easier to do Hina-chan." he replied. They stood up and rubbed their sore areas. The blonde then took off the hood, reached into his cloak and pulled out the rolled up painting of Kyuubi. He stared at it for a while before rolling it back up. Hinata took off her hood and closed the door.

"Hey Hina-chan." said Naruto. Hinata turned her head towards the blonde.

"Hai?" she said. Naruto took in a deep breath, then stared at the Hyuuga girl with worried eyes.

"If you where to guess who Kyuubi's container is… would you guess me first or someone else?"

Hinata wasn't so sure how to answer that question. Before she could come up with an answer, the door burst open and in walked the cleaning maid from earlier.

"CLEAN UP TIIIIIMMME!!!" she shouted. Naruto dropped the scroll and jumped backwards in shock, while Hinata fell over in surprise. Before anyone could say anything, the maid had placed a bucket of water next to her, soaked the cleaning cloth, and started running around the room, cleaning the floor and everything else in it! She was done by the time Naruto tackled her from behind.

"Okay lady! What's your problem?! You just barge in here and expect to-" He had turned her over so that he could yell in her face, but when he did; he saw that the cleaning maids' face looked very familiar.

"Ojirou?!" he shouted in surprise. Hinata gasped and ran over to see that the maid was indeed Ojirou Shitake.

"Take-kun? Why are you-?" she started, but was interrupted by the Sand nin, who finished her sentence by saying, "In a maids outfit? Weeeell… I had a talk with the innkeeper and he said that I could work here to keep the room, but there were no other positions left open so I took the maid position."

"Baka! Why the hell are you wearing the female's outfit?!" shouted Naruto. Ojirou sweat dropped and nervously laughed.

"Funny you should say that. You see, there are no male outfits when you work as a maid. I don't mind, though. My body pretty much looks feminine as it is."

Naruto backed away a little and saw that Ojirou was telling the truth! Hinata fainted and Naruto just socked the Sand ninja in the face.