A/N: You guys are awesome! I love reading through the reviews. You guys keep me thinking about this story.

Seriously, I'm floored. Thank you all =)

And by the way, ANBU shall NOT be treated as fodder in this story. Ever. The sole exception is if the person they're up against considers jounin-level shinobi fodder (duh).

Also, bonus points for whoever understands the whole meaning of this chapter title. And I mean the WHOLE meaning.

Enjoy!

Chapter 3: Let Us Not Talk Falsely Now

It took several moments for Naruto to figure out that he was, to his dismay, in a hospital. He couldn't immediately recall why he was there (he felt fine, after all), but the sight of "Sarutobi-jiji" refreshed his memory.

He had seen the purple barrier atop the stands. He remembered fearing that the man he thought of as a grandfather wouldn't survive the day.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was only briefly surprised when Naruto lunged at him for a hug. He accepted the embrace warmly, remembering that Naruto was the only one who hugged him these days. "I see that you're feeling better," he said with a small chuckle.

Naruto stepped back, smiling. "Is everyone...?"

"I don't think anyone you know was seriously hurt," Hiruzen said, quickly reassuring the boy. His lips pulled into a grin. "I heard about what happened, and how the genin of Konoha acted during the crisis." The surprised, almost hesitant look on Naruto's face seemed cute, oddly enough. "Shikamaru's actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of Konoha, as were Shino's and Sasuke's."

To Hiruzen, Naruto's joyful smile at the praise of others—even his friendly rival's—was both surprising and heartwarming. "But your actions yesterday were nothing short of remarkable. I am very proud of you."

In addition to looking extremely uncomfortable, Naruto actually blushed a deep red. Hiruzen knew the boy was unaccustomed to such praise, but such a strong reaction was unexpected. "However..." Naruto jerked back to attention, curious. "Your greatest achievements of yesterday were not from defeating your opponents, but from helping two people see a better path to live their lives."

Naruto seemed slightly confused, but he nodded. Experience told Hiruzen that the boy would work out the deeper meanings later. "There is one more thing I need to tell you. It is a very complicated matter, even for people like me." He paused, sighing at the inevitable mess (even if it was a great mess) that was about to start. "Do you remember what I told you about your parents, Naruto?"

Obviously caught off-guard by the unexpected topic, Naruto jerked his head back, face scrunched in confusion. "Erm, yeah. You told me that they were killed in the Kyuubi attack and that they loved me very much."

"Indeed," Hiruzen answered. "That is correct. And the other thing?"

Naruto knew that part extremely well. "That you couldn't tell me anything else. Just that there was a reason you couldn't tell me."

"Yes," Hiruzen continued, his tone becoming serious. "That part has changed."

Naruto's eyelids opened wide in surprise. And anticipation, Hiruzen realized. "Your mother's name is Kushina Uzumaki. You're actually quite like her."

Despite the lack of outward reaction, Naruto's mind was buzzing. He had always wondered...and now he had a name, at least. The similarity Hiruzen spoke of made his insides feel weird, though Naruto didn't consciously understand why.

"There is also something very important you need to know about her." The Third was dreading this part, because after this...there would be no going back. "She was the previous jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi."

That got a definite outward reaction. The mind-numbing shock would be clearly understood, even to a child. "But...but...what?"

All in all, Hiruzen thought Naruto was handling it rather well. "If things went according to plan, she still would be the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki. Unfortunately, something happened the night you were born."

To Hiruzen's satisfaction, the further explanation seemed to be clearing the fog of shock, so he continued. "Your mother was attacked when her seal was at its weakest, and the Kyuubi was released just outside Konoha.

"The attack nearly killed her, but she used the last of her strength to protect you, and to help seal the Kyuubi away." This time, the Third remained silent to allow Naruto to absorb the information. Talking to an orphan about his parents' deaths was never easy, for either party.

As Hiruzen expected, Naruto broke eye contact and stared at the floor, his shoulders slumped and his mouth closed. It would have been an oddly contemplative expression for someone who used to leap to action without consideration for the consequences, but Hiruzen had adjusted his expectations of the boy after yesterday's events.

"But..." Naruto's voice was shaky and soft, but remarkably steady if one considered the circumstances. "I still don't understand...why me?"

Hiruzen could tell it was a driving question—one the boy had asked himself all the time after learning the truth about himself. "As far as I know, it was the only option." It was mostly true. In the years afterwards, he had thought of other possibilities, but in the chaos of that night...no one had much time to think things through. "Still," he added, "I do know that your parents hoped that the power of the Kyuubi would help you, despite the difficulties you would face as a result. Yesterday's events have proven that hope to be true, wouldn't you agree?"

Naruto could only nod, remembering both of his fights that day. The Demon Fox's power had carried him to victory twice, and allowed him to protect the people and the village that he loved. But was it worth it?

Was all of the pain, the hell of being alone and shunned worth it?

It was then that a rare moment of realization struck. If he couldn't protect the people he cared about, then they would die...and he would be alone anyway. It wasn't a matter of one or the other. It wasn't about life being fair or finding people to blame. His life was what it was, and he made the most of it. That was the difference between him and Neji.

They had both been born into a life of hardship, but he refused to let that stop him. He didn't care if the stupid fox had isolated him from almost everyone before. He had surpassed that. He had defied expectations. He had made friends and been acknowledged.

He wasn't alone. He wasn't shunned—the cheering crowds of the stadium had blasted that notion out of the water. He was stronger than the demons that plagued his past.

Blaming people wouldn't have achieved that. Spite, jealousy, hate—he had felt all of that in spades, but he rarely gave into those feelings. And now he stood, acknowledged by the Hokage, acknowledged by the village, and acknowledged by his toughest opponents.

A better path. Naruto truly understood that now, and what it meant. The road he was on was difficult, and he had to resist the temptation to lash out at everything that had wronged him. But in the end, it was completely worth it.

"They were right," he declared, voice steady and strong. "If it means that I can protect the people that I care about, it's worth all the pain." A confident, determined smile broke out on his face. "And if my mom could handle it, then, like, so can I!"

Hiruzen grinned at the declaration, pride and relief evident on his face. "You continue to impress—and dare I say, inspire—me. Your parents would be proud."

The reaction was noticeably less severe this time, to Hiruzen's pleasure. "I believe you are ready for the next piece of information about your parents: your father's name."

Naruto eagerly awaited this reveal with determined eyes and a smirk that usually preceded him thoroughly defeating his opponent.

Of course, it didn't last when the words, "Minato Namikaze," were spoken. He knew that name, for it was one of the few things he had committed to memory in the academy. It was the name of his hero, and the name of the person he would have to surpass.

But he never expected it to be the name of his father.

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Minato Namikaze stood on a small, familiar bridge that crossed a narrow stream. He'd never been there, but the place was well known in his son's memory.

Which was also now his, in a way. The idea came to him not long ago, after he had personally examined Naruto's seal and added the Hiraishin symbol to it. The chakra he and Kushina had placed into the seal were designed to watch over their son until the moment they were truly needed.

He'd never expected it to end up being used like this. As he now realized, it was both a blessing and a curse. He saw each of Naurto's triumphs and failures. He saw his son grow up...without him. Every memory of suffering and prejudice stung, like a needle through the heart, punctuating the undeniable statement: You weren't there for him.

And it was true, he knew. Not when Naruto needed him, or when he wished he could have been there in the way that most parents were.

He stared blankly into the water, lost in thought, caught between guilt and apprehension. Hiruzen would be telling Naruto the truth about his parentage right about now, along with the truth of what happened on the night he was born.

Minato couldn't fathom how meeting him would be like after that. Nothing would feel right. Even if he dropped down to his knees and begged Naruto for forgiveness, it wouldn't feel right either, because if he had the chance to face the choice of that dreadful night again, he would have made the same decision.

"You're moping."

He didn't have to turn around to know who it was. "So?"

She settled next to him, leaning her forearms against the railing. "It's neither what he would want nor what would make him feel better." She let that sentence hang, giving Minato time to think in his own way.

It wasn't regret he felt, but guilt. "How do I apologize for an act I would repeat if given a chance to choose again?" He stared out into the distance now, no longer finding the water interesting.

She turned her head to look at him, eyebrows quirked in equal parts confusion and amusement. "That's not what you have to apologize for," she said gently. "We weren't there for him when he needed us, but it's not like we were given much choice in the matter."

Kushina saw him involuntarily wince at the memory. She figured he still blamed himself for all that went wrong that night, however unjustified those feelings were. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for him, and I will apologize to him for that. But I'm not going to apologize for dying, Minato. And neither should you."

Minato's expression softened slightly, but he was still rather distant. His gaze fell back to the water as he leaned forward onto his arms, slumping. "Even if I made the right decision, I still failed him as a father."

"No, you didn't."

Finally, he turned to look at her, surprise evident on his face. "You had an unforeseeable situation thrown at you. You took a horrible set of circumstances and made the best decision you could." She reached out, cupping his chin with one of her hands. "And despite the terrible things that have happened to Naruto, he may not be alive today if you had chosen differently. We'll never know. We just have to apologize and move on. Make the best of what we have."

She gave him a few moments to think it over (she always did find it cute how comprehension visibly progressed on his face) before giving him a light kiss.

"I love you," he whispered.

"You better."

The chuckle he gave in response was quiet and small, but it was there. She knew he was finally getting out of his irrationally dismal mood. "And besides," she added, smiling, "what better way to apologize than by being the best parents we can, starting now?"

He sighed lightly, his pose loosening into acceptance. "You're right." And then, as if the thought occurred to him for the first time, "Again."

"Like, damn right I am," she said.

His mood brightening, he snickered at her. "You two have the same verbal ticks. It's adorable." He followed that up with a brilliant smile as Kushina playfully hit him in the arm.

"I was, like, hoping he wouldn't!" Realizing that she was digging herself deeper, she settled for a less verbal comeback.

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Hiruzen was surprised that Naruto was only shocked for a few moments before becoming pensive.

He was blown away when the boy smiled shortly after, laughing to himself. Of all the reactions he had anticipated, this most definitely had not been one of them.

"That's so, like...what was that word Sakura-chan used? The opposite of what you expect?"

"Ironic?" Hiruzen offered, perplexed.

"Yeah! Ironic," Naruto said, his enthusiasm waning noticeably. "Who would have thought...?" Naruto's voice quieted as he said it, his shoulders slumping and his eyes drifting to the floor.

Hiruzen now understood that the boy was just trying to cope with the many different feelings about the revelation. If he had to guess, he would say that Naruto wasn't angry at his father, but more upset about the stark contrast between the village's attitude towards him and his father.

"Konoha has started to see you for what you truly are," the Third explained, "and that is all due to your efforts. People are already praising you for defending Konoha against Suna's jinchuuriki."

Naruto looked up, obviously surprised. "They are?"

"Indeed," Hiruzen said, smiling. "That was no small feat you accomplished, and many of Konoha's shinobi witnessed part of the fight. The story has spread very quickly." He paused, letting that sink in before continuing to his point. "Several ANBU have reported that you are a major topic of discussion amongst the villagers...and many of them expressed remorse for thinking badly of you."

He could tell that Naruto understood, but was too shocked to figure out something to say. "Your hard work has paid off, at long last."

Putting it in those terms resulted in the boy closing his gaping mouth and refocusing his eyes.

"I'm afraid I have one last thing to tell you, though it is good news." Naruto perked up, interested. "When the invasion started, I was forced to fight Orochimaru alone." Hiruzen had to stifle a laugh at the boy's widened eyebrows and fearful expression—it was as cute as it was predictable.

"At the beginning of the fight, he used a dangerous, forbidden technique. One that requires a living human sacrifice to even have a chance at success." To his satisfaction, Naruto's expression hardened, as if the very idea of a living human sacrifice repulsed him. "The technique is designed to bring back the dead as slaves, forced to fight according to their summoner's will."

If he was repulsed before, Naruto was furious now. There was no greater disrespect to the dead in his mind. "I know, and I feel the same way," Hiruzen said, seeing Naruto's expression. "Orochimaru used the technique to bring back the other three Hokages, as well as your mother."

Naruto looked as if he had been slapped in the face, and was too shocked to be angry. Seeing his opportunity to curtail unnecessary anger, Hiruzen continued. "However, the technique did not work as planned. Two of the summons—your parents—were not brought back as slaves, nor were they chakra-based constructs like the others."

Hiruzen's heart sped up in anticipation and apprehension. This was it. "I assume that happened because of the unique circumstances of their deaths. You remember that they used a special technique to seal the Kyuubi away, into you?"

Naruto, who had taken a seat at the edge of his bed, looked caught between confusion and eagerness. "Yeah?"

"It is a powerful sealing technique which costs the user his or her life. Minato—and by extension, Kushina—used it, as I said, to seal the Kyuubi into you. But they also used it to put their last remaining chakra into you as well. In doing so, they would watch over you until the time when you needed them most. Do you understand, so far?"

"I, uh...I think so," Naruto answered.

Hiruzen decided that that was the best he was going to get, and dropped the bombshell. "I believe it is because of those circumstances that Orochimaru's technique worked very differently, and brought them back to life, at the age in which they died."

Naruto squinted, trying to understand. "So...you mean...?" Then his eyes widened, as comprehension dawned and a fearful hope dominated his very being.

"Yes, Naruto," Hiruzen confirmed, as he had for the entire village recently, "your parents are, as of yesterday, alive once more."

This time, Naruto reacted as expected: facial muscles numb and blank, eyes staring at the floor. It wasn't that he was upset or confused, Hiruzen knew. The boy just needed time to cope with such paradigm-shifting information. But it was important that Naruto understood, both on an intellectual and an emotional level.

"They're..." Naruto's voice was quiet and hesitant, but the words were clear. "They're...really alive?" He was still gazing at the floor, expression unchanged.

"Yes," Hiruzen answered. Blue eyes finally met his own as he spoke. "They've been through quite a shock, suddenly ending up 12 years into the future. But considering the alternative of staying dead, they are extremely glad that they can be with you from now on."

Slowly, a smile began to form on the blonde's lips. "I must also say," Hiruzen continued, "that both you and your parents have been given a tremendous gift that few, if any, ever receive." His voice became even more serious. "Do not waste this. I'm sure you, of all people, understand."

Naruto didn't even bother to wipe the tears away. "I do."

"Good," the old man replied. He stood up from his chair, bringing his unlit pipe—the hospital staff would have his head for smoking in here—to his mouth. "Then I believe it is time for the three of you to see each other once more." Naruto's excitement was subtle, but strong. "I will bring them here."

The Hokage turned to leave, but stopped short of the door. "Oh, I almost forgot. Remember what I told you, about how your parents sealed some of their chakra into you, to watch over you?" He received a nod in reply. "Your parents were able to reconnect with that chakra, and thus regain those memories. That means they know all about you, and that they can't wait to meet you."

Naruto was nervous about the idea of having his parents know everything about him, but he obviously thought it was a small price to pay for the connection it would bring, because he showed even more excitement now than before.

With a respectful nod and a caring smile, Hiruzen walked out of the room and closed the door, relieved. It had gone much better than he had expected. He nodded to the ANBU stationed at the door, and headed for the lobby area of the hospital.

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He found them easily, laughing to himself about their chosen meeting place. They stood leaning over the railing, Kushina's head leaning on Minato's shoulder.

"—ainting the entire Hokage Monument before getting caught? Without any ninjutsu? I wonder how he got away with that?"

Kushina snorted in reply. "You're just upset that he made your likeness look like a clown rather than a badass."

"The ANBU and chunin partrols must have been too shocked by the act to actually do something," Minato continued, as if he hadn't heard Kushina's remark. The slight smirk on his face said otherwise.

"When the ANBU first told me about the act, they were rather surprised that I just laughed rather than give an order right away," Hiruzen said, bringing his presence to their attention.

They turned to face him, laughter evaporating from their features. He couldn't blame them for being nervous; they had no idea how his talk with Naruto would go.

"He took it better than I thought he would, but he's had a lot of shocking information dumped on him. He's eager to meet you, regardless," Hiruzen reported, adding a smile at the end for emphasis. "Shall we?"

A/N: Ayup. I "skipped" ahead to this. I know you were probably awaiting Sasuke's reaction to the explanation, but rest assured: the effects of what have happened will not be ignored.

Oh, by the way: anyone who says that Naruto isn't angry enough about it all should remember about Naruto's personality, as well as the circumstances of the revelations.

Also remember that, when Minato sealed the Kyuubi into Naruto, he stated that doing so was the only way to prevent the Kyuubi from being revived again by someone/something else. Considering what had just happened that night, the possibility of Tobi acquiring the Kyuubi and using it to wipe Konoha off the map without warning was very real and very scary. He might have saved Naruto's life by doing what he did. We'll never know, obviously.

Please review! You guys make me feel guilty for not writing all the time. And I love that =)

Some questions to answer, if you want to:

1) How were the characterizations of Minato and Kushina?

2) Did you like how Naruto handled the revelations?

3) Favorite part(s) of the chapter?

4) Least favorite parts of the chapter?

5) What would you like to see next/soon?