Hey guys, so here's the sixth chapter you've all been waiting for and sorry for the late update. Also I know that the Forest of Death arc is dragging on for too long, but there are some things that need to be done for the plot to progress. But don't worry, what I have in store for you in the preliminaries would be worth it. By the way, many-many thanks for the reviews & your encouragement. So here it begins-

Chapter-6-Meeting An Old Friend

'Looks like we'll be having two more girls in the harem', thought a smirking Kurenai as she glanced at a blushing Kin & a thoughtful looking Ino. Meanwhile it started to rain, getting heavier by each passing second.

"Wh-Why are you helping me?", asked Kin but Naruto simply smiled at her.

"Do I need a reason to help pretty ones like you", said Naruto with his trademark foxy grin, still oblivious to the fact that he was flirting with her. She blushed at his reply but started to shiver in cold when the rain started to pour heavily. Naruto, seeing her torn clothing covered Kin with his cape. He was about to stand when he heard Sasuke yell.

"Katon: Housenka No Jutsu(Fire Release: Mythical Fire Phoenix Technique)"

Kin's eyes widened when she saw numerous compressed fireballs coming their way.

'What a fool! Using fire jutsu when it's raining. Sometimes I question his sanity', thought Naruto as he picked up a blushing Kin bridal style and easily dodged the fireballs.

"Alright teme, it's time to end this. I've wasted enough time with you", growled Naruto as he created three shadow clones, Kin still in his arms who was unconsciously snuggling into his chest.

'Right now, I'd give anything to be in her position', thought Kurenai longingly.

"Shutup dobe! I'm an Uchiha, you should be honored that you're fighting me", spat Sasuke as his purple chakra flared.

"I would rather be honoured to kick that stick deeper into your stinking ass", said Naruto with a bored like expression on his face while everyone present except Sasuke & Sakura were struggling to control their laughter.

'That curse mark is getting out of control. I have to do something & quick. I should preserve my chakra, so sub-elemental jutsus are out of the question, but the basic ones, he'll just copy. No way I'm giving him anything on a silver platter. But wait! Yeah, that might work', thought Naruto as an idea popped into his mind.

"Why you loser-", growled the Uchiha before he was interrupted by Naruto.

"Look! Itachi, behind you!", yelled Naruto while pointing his finger behind Sasuke.

"What! Where is he? I'm gonna kill that traitor!", exclaimed Sasuke as he looked around frantically behind him. Meanwhile Naruto signalled his first shadow clone who went through a couple of hand signs at mid-chunin pace. On the other hand, Naruto & Kurenai were having trouble controlling their laughter, the Uchiha prodigy fell for a lame trick.

'Un-fucking-believable', both thought simultaneously.

"Magen: Narakumi No Jutsu(Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique)"

Sasuke's eyes widened when he saw Itachi shimmer into existence with the dead bodies of his clan laying at his feet.

"You'll always be weak otouto", said Itachi in a monotone voice.

Sasuke immediately became enraged and was about to attack Itachi when his Sharingan noticed the chakra fluctuations around his surroundings.

'A genjutsu!', thought Sasuke as he immediately dispelled it.

"Hehe, too late Sasuke-teme",said the real Naruto who was currently holding Kin while the shadow clone who casted the genjutsu had his palm opened to face Sasuke.

"Banshou Tenin(All Creation Attraction)", Sasuke's eyes widened when he felt an invisible attracting force on his body and was pulled towards the shadow clone at high speeds. Meanwhile the second shadow clone was already going through a short set of handseals.

"Suiton: Suijinheki(Water Release: Water Encampment Wall)", whispered the second shadow clone as he slammed both of his palms onto the ground, and using the water from rain, created a water wall in front of them while the third clone also went through a couple of handseals.

'Let's fry the teme!', thought the third shadow clone with a smirk.

"Raiton: Kaminari Kangekiha(Lightning Release: Thunder Inspiration Wave)", exclaimed the clone as he shot a concentrated wave of intense white electricity from his index finger into the water wall , the other hand holding the wrist of his attacking hand. He kept his finger in position to control the electricity so that it only flows through the water wall & doesnot electrocut anybody else.

When Sasuke collided with the wall, he could only scream from the intense pain he was feeling, his whole body twitching due to the shockwave while the others flinched at his condition. The curse mark receded back while Sasuke slipped into unconscious as he fell on the wet ground with a thud. Naruto dispelled his shadow clones while everyone's jaws were on the ground. He just pulled off a feat that not even chunins are capable of.

'He already knows chakra nature manipulation, and that too with two elements? What was that jutsu that pulled the Uchiha? And most of all- HOW IN THE NAME OF NINE HOLY FLAMING HELLS CAN HE DO A GENJUTSU', thought Kurenai as she rubbed her temples in frustration.

'He's on a whole other level than us', thought all the genins except Kin who was currently enjoying the warmth of Naruto's body.

At the same time, Neji & Tenten arrived to see the current scene. Tenten went over to wake up Lee while Neji landed in front of Naruto. He had seen the fight between the Uzumaki & the Uchiha from his Byakugan and was surprised to see Naruto's skill, but still, fate has decreed this genin a loser.

"Fate has decreed you a hindrance Uzumaki", said Neji in his cold tone as he glared at Naruto, his Byakugan blazing to add to the effect.

" And fate has decreed you a stuck up asshole Hyuuga", growled Naruto as he glared back while Kin restrained herself from laughing at the comment.

"Neji! Let's go, Lee's not waking up, we'll have to carry him", said Tenten but not before blushing when she saw Naruto.

"Know this that your fate has already been decided", said Neji as he left the area with his teammates.

"Phew! Well, that went well", said a grinning Naruto.

"Kin! What do you think you're doing laying in his arms, let's get outta here you weakling", spat Dosu. Naruto frowned at the way Dosu talked to her. He could tell she was not treated well by her teammates, if her shivering in fear was not any indication to go by. He looked at her when he felt her clutch him tightly to her and was surprised to see her eyes. They were pleading, almost begging him to not let her go, just like his were when he was with the Hokage after an attack from the villagers. Her face looked so pretty & cute, small glistening raindrops on her lips & her sparkling black eyes made him want to kiss her and he almost did.

"She'll not be going anywhere! We'll take her with us to the tower. You already have one injured teammate to deal with, I'll take care of her", said Naruto with authority while glaring at Dosu.

"B-But she's our teammate-", Dosu was interrupted was Naruto.

"And you don't treat her like one! Now get out of here before I kick your ass like the teme", said Naruto with a threatening glare. Dosu did not argue much, rather took an unconscious Zaku & got out of the area. Meanwhile, Kin was barely holding back tears of happiness. For the first time in her life, someone had helped her & treated her humanely, well except for her best friend-Tayuya.

"Th-Thank you so much", said a blushing Kin as she felt him clutch her to his chest tightly.

"Not a problem Kin-chan. By the way, my name is Uzumaki Naruto", said a grinning Naruto while Kin nodded with a smile & a pink tint on her cheeks. He then gazed towards Sasuke & sighed.

'Why wouldn't you learn Sasuke? I know you suffered at the hands of Itachi-sensei, but power isn't everything. I promised sensei that I would look out for you, but if I have to break every bone in your body for you to see the reality, then so be it', thought Naruto with sadness while eventually it stopped raining.

"Yo! Troublesome guy, got a minute there", said Shikamaru in a bored tone as he waved at Naruto. He turned his head and a smile graced his lips.

Him, Shikamaru, Chouji & Kiba were best friends in academy. Although, he & Kiba had a friendly rivalry, but Shikamaru & Chouji were in a sense, true friends for him. They played together in the academy, ate together & bunked classes together, but later went their separate ways. However, Shikamaru & Chouji were still best friends. But among the rookie nine, ones that Naruto trusted the most were Chouji, Shikamaru & Hinata.

"Hey there lazy ass", said Naruto with a goofy grin.

"Ramen", greeted Chouji with a smirk, "Ah Barbeque! I see you still managed to sneak some food from the proctors, eh?", said Naruto as he glanced at the potato chips packet in Chouji's hands.

"So Naruto, no offence but tell me one thing, are you the strong, genius & a prodigy one we saw a moment ago or the weak, idiot & a deadlast we've seen in the academy?", asked Shikamaru with rare curiosity in his voice.

"Oh ho! So I've confused the Shougi genius, that counts for a party, hehe... Well, for your question, mix both the personalities, what do you get?", asked a grinning Naruto.

"An enigma", said a bored Shikamaru.

"That's what I am Shika, that's what I am", said Naruto while Kin could only blink at the awkward conversation going between them. This was the Chunin exams dammit, every team for itself and they were acting like nothing was going on. But she could tell that Naruto was on his guard if they tried to attack him.

"So Naruto, care to tell us about your...changes?", asked Chouji.

"That, you'll have to ask the Hokage. But that aside, you aren't going to try anything funny are you? Cause I don't want to hurt my long time friends", said Naruto in a serious tone.

"We aren't that low to attack a fellow squad who's already crippled. Besides, if we would've wanted your scroll, we wouldn't have intervened. So yeah, you can keep the scrolls", said Shikamaru in a lazy tone while Naruto nodded with his reason as he found no deception in his words, but still wasn't going to relax until they left. He knew Shikamaru was a genius and wasn't going to underestimate him.

"Um, hey Naruto", said a meek voice. Naruto tilted his head to see Ino standing behind her teammates. Instead of greeting her like he always did because of his mask, a deep frown etched on his face.

"What are you planning Ino? If you think that your 'nice scroll' act would get you the scrolls, then you're dead wrong", said Naruto seriously while team 10's & Kin's eyes widened at his hostility.

"What are you talking about Naruto? We told you-", spoke Chouji but he was interrupted.

"I don't care! I trust you & Chouji but not her, NEVER!", spat Naruto, his insecurities rising to the surface. He could accept Sakura's sudden change in behaviour due to the trauma of fighting a Sannin and that she was his teammate, but here Ino who wasn't even his teammate, just coming out of the blue & greeting him like that, he couldn't trust her. After all, she too treated him like trash though not to Sakura's extent, but still, this might be a plot to steal their scrolls & impress her oh so 'Sasuke-kun'.

"B-But I don't want the scrolls Naruto. I was just greeting you", said Ino in a sad tone.

"Stop your bullshit Ino! You mean to tell me that after all these years you're properly greeting me now? When the Chunin exams are going on? I don't believe that crap! Why shouldn't I think that you're trying another lame trick to impress Sasuke? ", said Naruto angrily. Tears threatened to fall from Ino's eyes and they did, but weren't noticeable as they mixed with water droplets on her face due to the rain while Shikamaru & Chouji could understand Naruto's logic, she did treat him badly so they can't except him to even treat her as a peer so quickly.

"We should be going. See you at the tower Shika, Chouji", said Naruto as he went past them with Kin in his arms towards Sakura who was currently tending to Sasuke whereas team 10 went their separate way with a silently sobbing Ino. Kin was confused as to why he behaved that way, but she knew better than to interfere into someone's personal matters.

'Great! Now Sakura's gonna revert back to her fan girl mode. To think that I thought she could change', thought Naruto with frustration evident on his face, he sighed while Kin watched him with confusion.

"How is his condition Sakura?", asked Naruto while expecting a banshee screech of- 'NARUTO-BAKA! LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO MY SASUKE-KUN!', but he was really, really flabbergasted when she instead smiled at him.

"Oh, he's much better now. He only has a mild fever. The beating that you gave him must have pushed those black markings back SHANNARO!", said Sakura while playfully screaming the last part as she waved her fist in air.

A large sweatdrop formed on Kin's head, 'This team is rather...wierd. I can see why Orochimaru had an interest in this squad, the teme always had a fetish for wierd things after all', she thought afterwards while Naruto was just gobsmacked.

"Hehe, sorry just joking. But yeah, he's gonna be fine now. It was all thanks to you Naruto, that he was brought back. I could see that the foul chakra was interfering with his mind. The use of electricity to stop that mark from spreading & stun him was an ingenious idea indeed", said Sakura seriously, not at all surprised that Naruto knew chakra nature manipulation as he did warned her before while Kin nodded with her.

"Wh-Who are you? There's no way that you're the Sakura who I know", said Naruto shakily, not able to contain his shock.

"I told you Naruto, I wouldn't blame you over something so trivial. You're the strongest member of our team, so it was natural you had to stop him", she said with conviction in her voice while Kin could only wonder about what was going on between these two.

Naruto could only nod dumbly. Was this a 'Surprise Naruto' day? First that proctor says that she knows about his mask, then that snake freak attacks them, then a good Itachi comes to save the day, who was supposed to be a psycho killer lusting for power, then he comes to know about his doujutsu, Uchiha clan & what not, then he learns that Sakura was willing to change which was in a sense a rigid metal trying to bend it's shape. Then the biggest shocker, the Kyuubi No Kitsune, the supposed almighty demon so fearsome that even the kage level shinobi piss their pants in its presence was a female, a damn HOT female and if that was not enough, she was attracted to him. Oh no doubt, he would always remember this day, the day that changed his life drastically- the Chunin Exams Day. He could only describe this day in only one word- troublesome.

'I NEED MY RAMEN DAMMIT!', thought Naruto as he inwardly cried anime tears. The other shinobi may find it funny, but Ramen was his stress buster, his way of coping with so much stress and depression in his life, along with training of course. That aside, he was brought out of his musings when he felt a soft hand on his cheek, whisker marks to be specific.

"Naruto-kun, ...are you alright?".

"NARUTO!"

"Wh-What?", asked a blushing Naruto when he felt Kin's soft touch & heard her soft voice followed by a shout from Sakura.

"Sheesh! What's wrong with you? I was asking you about what should we do next?", asked Sakura with an annoyed expression while Naruto laughed sheepishly. Meanwhile Kin was as red as a tomato.

'What's wrong with me? We've just met, and I'm already calling him Naruto-kun'. Seeing his tired expression, she couldn't help but worry for him. Seeing his cute whisker marks, she couldn't resist but touch them, seeing his sheepish smile, her heart fluttered. What was this strange feeling, emanating from the pit of her stomach which spreads through her body like a wild fire.

"Ehehe, sorry. But, I think we should get to the tower as fast as possible seeing as we already have both scrolls. There's no need to rest here or the other teams might attack us. We have three days to reach there, so we can head there at a steady pace", he explained while Sakura nodded.

"But what about her? She's our enemy and attacked us. She tried to kill me even though I offered our scroll", said Sakura while glaring at Kin.

"I-I'm really sorry, but I had no choice. If you didn't notice, I was constantly holding back against you & fought you myself so that my teammates couldn't injure you badly. I was trying to stall time as much as I could. When your fellow team came to assist you, I advised my team to leave in hopes that they would agree but... but they only treat me like some useless pile of trash", said Kin as she sobbed at the last part while clutching Naruto's cape to her chest tightly which was currently acting as a blanket for her. Sakura looked at her with pity & sadness, she could only wonder what would happen if Naruto & Sasuke treated her like that.

'She's just like me. I'll make sure to atleast protect her from those idiots', thought Naruto as he clutched Kin to his chest tightly while she snuggled into it & started crying louder.

"Shh, Kin-chan, don't cry. I'll make sure that they wouldn't lay a single finger on you", whispered Naruto in her ear.

"Really?", asked Kin with teary eyes and a cute expression on her face. Naruto couldn't resist & kissed her on her petty nose leading to a burning red face of Kin.

"Absolutely!", exclaimed a grinning Naruto who created two shadow clones but with a little difficulty as Kin was still in his arms.

'At times like these I wish I could do seal-less jutsus. Oh well, I guess I have to improve my chakra control or wait for the ascension of Rinnegan', he pondered.

"Naruto, I think I should carry her or else you wouldn't be able to fight if another team attacks us", spoke Sakura while Naruto shook his head.

"Can't do that Sakura. I'm providing Kin-chan my chakra constantly, which is in a sense acting as a painkiller. Several of her ribs are broken & needs to be treated as fast as possible. Besides, you're already injured and low on chakra, you wouldn't be able to carry her for long. My shadow clone here will carry Sasuke while the other will keep a watch for any backside attacks", explained Naruto while Sakura was surprised that he formulated a plan. As far as she knew, he never bothered for any plans or strategies, but maybe that too was a part of his mask.

"You take a foodpill. I'll carry Kin and remain in front, you would stay behind me followed by my shadow clones", said Naruto.

"That sounds like a plan. But wait, how can your chakra reduce her pain. That's not possible unless you know medical jutsus", said Sakura while Naruto glared at her.

"Oh right, no questions", said Sakura as she put a finger on her lips while the shadow clone slunged Sasuke on his shoulder.

"If we move steadily, we can reach there in a couple of hours excluding any attacks or hindrances", said Naruto but noticed that Kin had fallen asleep in his arms resulting in him smiling warmly at her peaceful face whereas Sakura ate a foodpill.

"Alright, let's go", said Naruto as they all left the clearing. All the while, Kurenai was listening to their conversation as she had moved closer to their position under a powerful genjutsu. She pitied the Yamanaka's condition, but the girl had it coming. On the other hand, she was saddened after hearing about Kin's insecurities. She was also surprised by Sakura's behaviour and the level of maturity shown by her. But most importantly, she was proud of her Naruto for the way he handled the situation. He definitely deserved a kiss from her or maybe...more. She blushed while thinking about the kissing part. Kurenai had never kissed anyone, she could only wonder how a kiss with Naruto would feel like.

She was brought out of her day dreaming when team 7 along with Kin moved out of the area and hence began following them at a safe distance.

Team-7-After several hours of travelling:

"Mooh, Naruto. I'm tired, we should rest up a bit", whined Sakura for 'who-know-how-many' times while Naruto sighed.

'She really has low stamina', thought Naruto while Kin was still asleep in his arms & Sasuke was unconscious.

"Take another foodpill Sakura, we're not stopping until we reach the tower. It is only an hour away now", said Naruto who had his Rinnegan activated but Sakura couldn't see it as she was behind him.

"We could've reached the tower earlier if it weren't for your stupid detours. And you should know that taking another food pill would cause me exhaustion later on", said Sakura in irritation.

During their travelling, Naruto & the shadow clone at the last constantly had their Rinnegan activated. With his doujutsu's ability to see chakra & heightened senses due to Ayumi, he was constantly changing routes to avoid traps or confrontations with any team.

"You can rest for three days when we reach there. Now stop your whining & take a foodpill ", spoke Naruto while Sakura huffed as she ate a foodpill, muttering words like 'meanie' in her breath.

'Someone's been following us since we started moving, I should check it out', thought Naruto as he gave a mental command to the shadow clone at last to confront their follower.

Meanwhile, Kurenai was following them for two hours and wasn't winded at all, she was a jounin after all. Right now, she was only using a B-rank genjutsu, enough to hide from a chunin. But she was surprised when the shadow clone at the last of the group suddenly started moving backwards in her direction.

'Did he notice me? Damn! Should have used a higher level genjutsu, but could it be that the Rinnegan can see chakra too, like the Sharingan & Byakugan?', she thought while her heart started beating a little faster at the prospect of meeting Naruto, even if it was a shadow clone. Although, she had met him a couple of times before, but then she only acted like a sensei and her attitude had remained professional. But now, she could open herself to him, she could melt the ice she had created around her. Kurenai was brought out of her musings when she heard Naruto's voice.

"Come out whoever you are. I know you're there", said the clone Naruto who abruptly spiked his chakra to jounin levels for a second leading to the genjutsu getting dispelled.

'Damn! This was a high level jutsu, meaning whoever is here is definitely a chunin or above. I would have to stall as much time as I can so that the boss's team can get a safe distance from whoever this is. But could it be Orochimaru?, thought the clone as he readied himself for an attack, his Rinnegan activated.

But he was surprised, when suddenly he was lifted in air while wooden branches wrapped around his black jounin-like vest. He turned his head to see a large tree behind him while cherry petals were flowing in mid-air around him.

'Another genjutsu!', thought the clone before he felt the cold metal of a kunai against his neck.

"My my, cautious aren't we Naruto-kun?", whispered Kurenai in a changed childish-like feminine voice in his ear while she licked his ear lobe. He blushed when he felt her warm & soft tongue on his skin.

'I think I've heard that voice before', thought Naruto before his eyes widened in realisation. Could it be her? Of course! How could he ever forget that voice?

"B-Benihime-chan", whispered Naruto in shock.

"Hehe, you finally remembered me, eh Naruto-kun. I'm surprised, it's been 6 years after all", whispered Kurenai.

Flashback- 6 Years Ago

A young six years old gloomy Naruto was sitting on a swing in the park while he watched other children play. He had tried so many times to play with them, but they would only beat him, bully him or call him monster while their parents glared at him. He was idly swinging with his head down when someone shadowed his face. He lifted his head to see three beautiful girls of his age standing in front of him. One had curly long black hair with crimson eyes, the other had brownish hair tied in a ponytail with the fairest skin tone & the last one had long flowing purple hair.

"Do you want play with us?", asked the crimson eyed(Kurenai) one while Naruto's eyes widened.

"You...play with me?", asked young Naruto with a cute expression. Kurenai, Hana & Yugao had to resist the urge to just glomp him.

"Sure! My name is Tsume and these are my friends- Benihime & Yugi", said Hana while Kurenai & Yugao smiled at him.

"My name... Naruto. But... they call me demon. You... shouldn't play with demons", said Naruto as he gazed sadly towards the ground.

"The villagers are idiots Naruto. They just can't see that you're not a demon. You should just ignore them", said Kurenai with a hint of anger in her voice.

"Me... no demon?", asked Naruto with hope. "Nope! You're just like us Naruto", said Yugao as she dragged him to his feet by holding his hand.

"Really? I'm like you?", asked Naruto with teary eyes. He thought that he was a monster, that's why the other kids didn't play with him. But he became ecstatic & happy when Hana shook her head.

"Yay! I knew 'dattebayo! Thank you, you three... very beautiful...like angels", said young Naruto in a thinking pose leading to the transformed kunoichis sporting a blush before they snapped out of their embarrassment.

"C'mon, let's play together. From now on, we'll be friends", said Kurenai while she dragged him with her.

After sometime, they said their goodbyes to him and went their own way. For months, they continued to play with him, often coming to his apartment and helping him with small chores. Over the months, they taught him how to speak, write & read properly, cooking etc. They couldn't do much as they were thirteen years old only right then, but they made sure to help him as much as possible. Over time, they fell in love with him but were ashamed to admit it because of the age gap while Naruto too became fond of them. But eventually, Hiruzen caught just of it & prohibited them from meeting him again. Naruto waited for his friends in the park or asked the villagers about it, nobody knew them or rather didn't bother to answer him as they were interested in beating him to an inch of his life.

He couldn't ask his jiji as they had told him them not to tell about their friendship to anybody, even the Hokage. Meanwhile, Hiruzen didn't believe Hana, Yugao & Kurenai as they were only thirteen years old and somebody may have tricked them in befriending Naruto & then attacking him. This had already happened several times with some children befriending Naruto because of their parent's persuasion and when he went to their homes to play, they would poison the food & planned several other methods to get rid of the demon spawn. So the Hokage had to be absolutely sure that Naruto stayed in trusted company. There were only three people that he trusted Naruto with right then- Kakashi, Jiraiya & Mikoto. Jiraiya had a spy network to maintain, Mikoto wanted to but Fugaku didn't allow her & Kakashi had drowned himself in Anbu missions & despair because of his sensei's death.

Flashback End

"Ofcourse I remember you! But where did you go? I searched for you everywhere. Why did you leave me?", asked Naruto while tears leaked out of his eyes while his eyes turned to normal oceanic blue color.

"And where's Tsume-chan and Yugi-chan? Are they here too 'dattebayo", said Naruto frantically while he tried to free himself. Warmness flushed Kurenai's heart when she came to know that he still remembered them & was worried for them. She released the genjutsu as Naruto snapped out of it to find Kurenai standing in front of him while his eyes widened in surprise.

"K-Kurenai-sensei? What are you doing here & ...where's Benihime-chan?", asked a blushing Naruto while he pinched his nose to stop the blood from coming out. Due to rain, Kurenai was wet and her clothes were tightly hugging her body showing her curves & luscious D-cups. Even her nipples were noticeable due to the coldness.

But on the other hand, he was also afraid of her a bit. He'd heard about the famous ice-queens of Konoha, but among them, had only met Kurenai until now. He had seen the way she treated men who looked at her in any indecent way. Even those who behaved properly, she was usually cold to them like she was assuming they would ask her out or something. But he knew that it was all an act, she too wore a mask like him, so naturally she noticed it, him being experienced in the art of deception after all. Inside this cold sheet of glacial ice, he knew there existed a vulnerable & a lonely soul, eyes were the windows of one's soul after all.

"Were you checking me out young man?", asked Kurenai as she fakely narrowed her eyes while Naruto's eyes widened.

"N-No! Of course not! Why would I even dare think about you like that!", said Naruto while he waved his hands defensively.

"Are you saying that I'm not good enough for you?", asked Kurenai threateningly, still continuing her charade.

"W-What?", he exclaimed with surprise evident on his face while she slowly advanced towards him.

"You head me right, am I not good enough for you?", asked Kurenai as her heart sped up a bit while waiting for his answer.

"Ofcourse sensei! You're very beautiful like a goddess. I mean, any guy in his right mind can't ignore your unearthly beauty", said the clone Naruto honestly while she blushed furiously, and Naruto still as oblivious as ever even with his changed personality, glanced at her in confusion.

"Ne sensei, your face is all red. I think you'll catch a fever if you remain wet", said Naruto before Kurenai vanished completely from his sight to appear behind him. She circled her slender arms around his waist, her body tightly pressed against his while her head rested on her shoulders.

"There, this is much more comfortable Naruto-kun", said Kurenai in Benihime's voice while his eyes widened as he saw Kurenai from the corner of his eyes.

"D-Don't tell me that... that you're Benihime-chan", whispered Naruto in pure shock.

"I've been waiting for this day Kitsune-chan", whispered Kurenai while Naruto's eyes widened at the name. The only ones to ever call him that, were Benihime, Tsume & Yugi, often to tease him because of his foxy grin & whisker marks.

"Why?", whispered Naruto after coming over his initial shock while Kurenai blinked in confusion.

"Why did you leave me? Why lie to me? ...Why didn't you show me your true self", asked Naruto while his spiky hair shadowed his eyes.

"It's a long story Naruto-kun", said Kurenai.

"I've plenty of time. I'm only a shadow clone after all", said Naruto while Kurenai nodded. She then started explaining about why they had to transform themselves because of the villagers & Hokage and reasons behind them leaving suddenly because of the Hokage. Meanwhile, Naruto was getting angrier & enraged by the second.

"You mean to tell me that... jiji stole from me something that was possibly the only source of love, friendship & happiness I had in my life", asked Naruto while white chakra with a red hue started to pour out of his body.

"Calm down Naruto-kun. I know what he did was wrong, we tried to reason with him. But atleast, from now on we can be together as he allowed us today to reveal ourselves", said Kurenai while rubbing his cheek with one hand & his hair with the other. He inhaled deeply to calm himself down, also noticing that she smelled of red roses & white lilly while gradually his chakra receded back. He blushed when he noticed how tightly her impressive bust was pressed to his back while she smirked at seeing his red face.

"Like what you feel Naruto-kun", she said while rubbing her breasts against his back while his blush got darker in shade.

"W-Where is Tsume-chan & Yugi-chan? Who are they in real?", asked Naruto to escape the embarrassing situation while he eagerly waited for her answer to know who his childhood friends really were.

"That is a surprise Naruto-kun", said Kurenai as she kissed the back of his neck. She was now really resisting the urge to kiss him. But she also didn't want her first kiss to be with a shadow clone, so she controlled herself for now.

"But tell me, how were you able to sense me? Was it because of your doujutsu?", asked Kurenai while she could feel Naruto's body become stiff.

"H-How did you...", he trailed while his mouth was open in shock.

"Hokage-sama told us about your Rinnegan, and don't worry, we wouldn't tell anyone about it. It's up to you when you decide to reveal it", Naruto nodded hesitantly.

"But we don't know it's abilities, until a few hours ago, it was supposed to be a myth after all. And we also know about Itachi and his partner. So I'm looking forward to how much stronger you have become Naruto-kun"

"But I've always wanted to ask you something Beni..Kurenai-chan", said Naruto while Kurenai blushed at the addition of '-chan'. Oh, how much she had dreamed of this moment, him calling her 'Kurenai-chan' or any other nickname he wanted to.

"Why did you, Tsume-chan & Yugi-chan helped me? All the villagers hated me, children of my age bullied me and the whole ninja populace except a few were indifferent to me".

"Did you know Naruto-kun, your mother was a role model for us. You have Konohamaru, Udon & Moegi who look up to you, the same way we practically worshipped her. Her beauty, elegance, courage, determination, never say die attitude enthralled & motivated us to no end. She was the major driving force in our shinobi careers. Like you, her personality was bright as a sunny day for her friends but for her enemies, as dark as a thunderstorm. All the villagers liked her. However, they didn't know that she ever had a baby or if she was even married", silence reigned upon the area before she continued.

"We were the ones that took care of her during pregnancy, although we were a bunch of brats at that time but she too always welcomed us with open arms. But that aside, we couldn't see her son get treated like that, so we decided to help you as much as we could. I know that you want to know more about her & your father, but you'll have to ask Hokage-sama about your parents, it's a highly classified secret", finished Kurenai with sadness at being able to tell Naruto about his mother anymore.

"But can you atleast show me how she looked", he said with a hint of hope while she blinked.

"I guess I can. The law included about not telling you about your mother, but it didn't said anything about showing her to you. Sometimes it's better to bend the rules", said Kurenai as she released Naruto from her hold.

"Henge(Transform)", Naruto turned around to see what was the most beautiful existence his eyes had even shown to him. His face immediately went blood red while steam protruded out his nose & ears.

"T-This... m-my ... mother?", he stuttered while pointing a shaky finger at the transformed Kurenai.

So, how was it? Did you like it? Please review and tell me your opinion. Your suggestions & opinions are constantly helping me in improving my writing skills, so continue the review barrage! Also, next chapter, preliminaries begin! Well, until next time. Ja Ne!