Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 6

Friend?

Naruto was awake, sitting cross-legged on the balcony of his room, when the Hokage knocked on the door. He grinned to himself. He knew it was the Hokage; he could sense it.

Naruto had dressed in a fresh set of training clothes that morning, eaten a small meal made up of leftover rations from his pack, and carefully tied his hitai ite on his forehead. He had stared at himself in the mirror for a while after that, fingering the metal, hardly believing what he was seeing. Then he had carefully cleaned and oiled his katana and stored it in the seal on his left wrist. Now, he was waiting for his father before he went out for his morning training.

He jumped to his feet and ran to open the door. He bowed to the older blonde and stepped back to let him in. "Good morning, Hokage-sama."

"Is it?" the Hokage muttered. He walked in and immediately sprawled out on the couch. "Naruto, go get sensei would you?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama." The young blonde bowed and left the room.

He knocked on the door next to his. No answer. He was pretty sure the Toad Sage wouldn't be awake yet. He knocked again, somewhat louder. Nothing. He tried the knob. It was locked. So Ero-sennin had taken to locking his doors, huh? Naruto smirked and fished a small case from one of the pouches on his belt.

In less than a minute, Naruto picked the lock. He opened the door and walked in. As he had suspected, the white-haired man was sprawled on his futon, sleeping soundly. Now, what would be the best way to wake him?

Naruto grinned evilly. Yes, that would do.

One minute later...

"NNNAAARRRRUUUTTTTOOO!" The scream could be heard all around Konoha. "YOU BRAT!"

Naruto flung himself through his open balcony door, rushed into the sitting room and screeched to a halt in front of the Yondaime. He arranged his features into a blank-looking mask, bowed, and said, "Jiraiya-sensei will be here in a moment, Hokage-sama." He then sank down on a cushion on the floor near the couch.

Minato just stared at him, his lips twitching.

Two heartbeats later, Jiraiya flung open the door. "Uzumaki…" he growled. Minato couldn't hold it in; he burst into laughter.

The Toad Sage was soaked, his white hair plastered to his head, his pajama shirt stuck to his chest. He was glaring daggers at the young blonde, still seated serenely on the cushion.

"Hokage-sama requested your presence, Jiraiya-sensei," the blonde receiving the death look said in a perfectly neutral tone. "And you were still asleep."

"You. Are. Dead." The big man hissed and made a move towards his young student, but the Hokage's voice stopped him.

"Hold on, Jiraiya-sensei," he said, voice still laced with laughter. "As much as I would like to see you chase Naruto around, we have more important business. Go get dried off and come back here, please."

The big man grumbled, shot one last glare at Naruto, and complied.

The Hokage turned to his son, who had started grinning the second Jiraiya's back was turned. "Is this a common occurrence?" he asked.

Naruto shrugged. "Ero-sennin knows the consequences if he oversleeps. And he should know that locked doors aren't enough to keep me out."

The Hokage shook his head slightly. "I take that as a 'yes'," he muttered. "As amusing as it is, next time, just shake his shoulder or something, ok?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama," the young ninja replied cheerily, still grinning.

Jiraiya returned a few minutes later, dressed and somehow not soaking wet anymore. He sat next to his first student on the couch and gave him an appraising look. "You don't look so hot, Minato," he said.

The Hokage groaned. "I know, I barely slept and this damn headache will not go away." He sighed. "But, I have things to do." He turned to his sensei. "Sensei, I've cleared the morning to meet with you. Naruto," he turned to his son, "unfortunately, that means you are on your own. I have, however, arranged for someone to show you around the village. It's early, so he is probably still training, but afterwards–" He paused, his eyes taking in his son's attire and the way his eyes lit up at the word 'training'. "Were you going to train this morning?" Naruto nodded. "Well, perhaps you could join him then." He smirked, but Naruto didn't really notice it.

"Hai, Hokage-sama!" he said excitedly.

"Return to my office for lunch, and we'll discuss what I want you to do next, hmmm?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama!" Naruto leapt up, only to be waved back down by the blonde on the couch.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute," he said, chuckling at the boy's enthusiasm. "Before you go I have a few things to say." He took a breath and his voice turned serious. "The fact that Naruto is my son is officially an S-ranked secret of the Leaf. The events of yesterday and the truth about the rest of Naruto's heritage and…kekkei genkai are officially SS-ranked secrets. I assume you know what that means, Naruto?"

His son nodded, his serious expression mirroring his father's.

Jiraiya snorted. "Kakashi will know he's your son. The Nara kid too, from what you've told me. Actually, anyone with half a brain will take one look at him and see you are related."

The Hokage shrugged. "I know. That's why it's not SS-ranked too. It's the piece of information we have the least ability to control. But if I dangle it in front of my enemies, in the guise of an S-ranked secret, they won't dig around any further. At least, not for a while, I hope." Jiraiya nodded, approving the strategy. "And if I don't officially declare Naruto to be my son, that buys us some time. All they will have is rumor and speculation, and they won't try something against a Konoha nin without more proof than that. Naruto," he turned to his son once again. "It's not that I don't want to claim you as my son–I do. I want to shout it from the rooftops. But it will make you a target for anyone wanting to get to me. I want to put that off as long as possible."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," the young blonde replied. "I understand."

"The same with your powers. You are not to use them unless it's a life or death situation, or I give the ok. But I am not ashamed of them, or you in any way. And I don't think we can keep them a secret forever. You most likely will have to use them sometime. I just know that when the truth is discovered…" he trailed off.

"I know, Hokage-sama," Naruto replied, quietly. He knew all too well what happened when even half the truth was discovered. His father didn't need to remind him.

The Hokage placed a comforting hand on his son's shoulder. Naruto glanced at him gratefully, feeling his father's concern, but his expression changed to puzzlement when he saw the look on his father's face. "Hokage-sama?" he asked.

The Yondaime had a blank expression on his face and his eyes were glazed and unfocused. Suddenly, his face twisted in pain and he hissed, then clutched at his head. "Hokage-sama!" Naruto cried, a little panicked. He reached his own hand out, but Jiraiya's voice stopped him.

"Naruto, wait. Don't touch him."

"Why, sensei?"

"I think your touch makes it worse."

"What?!"

Jiraiya said nothing, but placed his own hand on his older student's shoulder. "Minato," he said, calmly.

"Y-yes, sensei?" the Hokage replied shakily, lifting his head from his hands. His eyes tried to focus on the man next to him, but they were bleary.

"What just happened?"

"I don't know, exactly. I've been getting these strange images in my head, but I don't recognize them. Some of them are fairly complete, but others are just flashes or snatches. You are in some of them, Jiraiya, but I don't remember ever having been with you in some of the places I see in the images. Anyway, when I touched Naruto, the images sort of…took over. They were all I could see, but they were coming so fast I couldn't really comprehend them. And I felt this intense sadness and loneliness…and pain…I thought my head might split open…" he trailed off and looked at Naruto.

Naruto was looking down. He understood now. "Gomen, Hokage-sama," he said, sadly. "It's my fault."

"Huh?" The Hokage was a little slow this morning.

"It's not your fault, Naruto," Jiraiya said. He turned to the older blonde on the couch. "It's the bond, Minato," he explained. "Remember? You can basically read Naruto's mind; you can pick up on his thoughts and feelings now. I think that is what those flashes are. You are seeing his memories and picking up his thoughts. Touch must enhance the connection."

The Yondaime blinked a few times and then rubbed his eyes. "Well, that would make sense," he muttered. "That explains why I didn't recognize anything." He opened his eyes again to look at his son. "Naruto, this is not your fault. If it's anyone's, it's mine because I obviously can't control this… connection we have."

"But, Hokage-sama–"

"But nothing," the older man said firmly. "I will not have you feeling guilty over this."

His son nodded, but didn't look convinced.

"Trying to shoulder blame that isn't yours isn't terribly constructive. You can help by telling us what you know about this connection and how I might control it."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Naruto said, looking a little less sad. He was happiest when he had a task to complete. "But, I don't know that much. I only know the way it's supposed to work. You can read my thoughts and emotions at any time. I can read yours if we are touching and you will me to do so."

"Which explains why you aren't having the same trouble as Minato," Jiraiya interjected.

"Yes, Jiraiya-sensei," Naruto said. "I don't know about controlling it, though. I didn't need that knowledge, so okaa-sama didn't give it to me. Maybe if you build a barrier around your mind…?"

"A barrier? How do I do that?"

"Uhhh…well, you go into your mindscape and just sort of picture a wall, you know? And then you work on making it bigger and stronger…" Naruto shrugged.

Minato sighed. His son's explanation left something to be desired. "Well, I'll try it I guess."

"You could always consult the Yamanaka," Jiraiya said. "They are the mind experts."

"Yes, well, the whole point of an SS-class secret is that hardly anyone knows about it," the Yondaime said drily. "I'd really rather not bring them into this."

Jiraiya shrugged. "You might not have a choice. Besides, you don't have to tell them the real reason you want their help."

"Fine, I'll think about it." The Hokage sighed again. "Enough chit-chat. Naruto." His son straightened, giving his undivided attention to his father. "The person I assigned to show you around is named Rock Lee. He will be outside the west gates sometime in the next half an hour or so, if you want to train with him. Don't forget; return to my office for lunch. Dismissed!"

"Hai, Hokage-sama!" Naruto exclaimed and dashed out, pausing only to grab his sandals from their place by the door. He totally missed the look his sensei was giving his father.

As soon as he was gone, Jiraiya burst out laughing. "Lee? You got Lee to show him around?"

Minato grinned. "Yeah. I thought they would get along well. And Lee-kun is a very…friendly person. Just the sort to make Naruto feel welcome here, don't you think?"

Jiraiya just laughed harder, shaking his head. But his laughter died out as the Yondaime continued speaking.

"One of the more complete images I got from Naruto was you, with a nosebleed, pointing at him and saying something like 'You're just my type of girl'. Care to explain that?" he asked, in a pleasant voice, his eyes narrowed.

Jiraiya immediately felt his palms get sweaty. He'd heard that tone of voice before. Usually just before Minato killed someone. "Aahhhh…well, that was just…just a little misunderstanding…"

Naruto waited impatiently on the edge of the road outside the west gate. He had sped here from the Hokage Tower, only pausing when he had reached the gate itself. The guards on duty had been the same ones from the day before, and one had hailed him.

"Uzumaki-san!"

He hadn't actually been introduced to the two when he had arrived, so he headed over. He thought he should get to know them as they were, after all, fellow Leaf shinobi. He had grinned proudly at the thought.

They had introduced themselves as Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu. They seemed to be in their early twenties. Izumo had shaggy brown hair that fell over his right eye. His hitai ite was attached to a dark blue bandana that covered his head. Kotetsu had dark hair that was spiky like Naruto's, but longer. He had narrow, dark eyes, and one bandage across his nose. They were both dressed like typical Konoha ninja-dark pants and long sleeved shirts and a drab green vest with lots of pockets. A red swirl, like the one on Naruto's jacket but without the leaping flame, adorned the back of their vests and the shoulders of their shirts.

They had explained the protocol for a Leaf ninja leaving or entering the village–use the gate, but check in only if escorting someone not of the village–and congratulated him on being accepted into the Leaf as a chuunin.

"That's our rank!" Kotetsu had exclaimed. "I knew you wouldn't have any trouble, being Jiraiya-sama's student." Izumo had agreed, but he kept watching Naruto with a thoughtful look on his face. Naruto had inwardly sighed. This was what Ero-sennin had meant when he said that thing about 'anyone with half a brain'. Either Kotetsu didn't have half a brain, or he was hiding it better. Naruto had ignored it and asked if they had seen a ninja named Rock Lee.

At the name, both chuunin got funny looks on their faces. "He passed by here about ten minutes ago. Why do you want to know, Naruto-san?" Izumo had said guardedly.

"Hokage-sama said I could train with him this morning, then he would show me around the village," Naruto had replied, somewhat confused at the guards' reaction.

At his words, the funny looks had changed. Now they looked like they were trying hard not to laugh. "Aahh, well, in that case, Naruto-san, you can wait outside the gate there. He'll be back around in about twenty minutes or so."

He had thanked them and walked out to wait in the place Izumo had indicated. The guards waited until they thought he was out of earshot before they burst out laughing. But his hearing was a lot better than any normal human's, so of course, he still heard them. He didn't understand it though. What was so funny about him waiting for this Rock Lee person? He was a fellow nin, right? What did they know that he didn't? His father had set this up, even suggested he train with his guide, so surely...was his father playing a joke on him? Only one way to find out, he supposed.

So he was waiting. It had been about ten minutes, and he was getting impatient. He began to do some of his warm-up stretches and calisthenics. The way Izumo had talked, Lee had already started his work out and Naruto didn't want to be too far behind the other ninja. What had Izumo meant, anyway, 'back around in about twenty minutes'? Naruto pondered it for a while. Maybe Lee was running around the village. In half an hour! He chuckled. Yeah right...

Just then a rhythmic pounding caught his ears. He paused, cocking his head towards the sound. A heartbeat. No, not just a heartbeat. There was more to the sound than that. There were footfalls striking the ground and deep, even breaths being taken in perfect time with the beating heart. Someone was approaching. Approaching pretty fast, too, from the forest behind him. He stepped out into the road a little and faced the direction the person was coming from. Was this Rock Lee? If so, his thought about the ninja running around the village might not be so far off the mark.

"Excuse me," Naruto called, when he thought the unknown person was close enough to hear him, although he couldn't see them through all the trees yet. If it was Lee, Naruto didn't want him to pass by without stopping.

The person didn't slow down, but did alter their course, towards Naruto. Naruto fought the urge to step back. Suddenly, a blur appeared out of the forest and stopped abruptly in front of him. "Did you call me?" the person asked.

Naruto blinked. He had never seen anyone like this ninja before in his life. His first thought was green. His second was bushy. The ninja seemed to be around Naruto's own age and he was somewhat taller and slimmer than the blonde. He was wearing the most ridiculous, skin-tight, green jumpsuit Naruto had ever seen. He had some sort of light brown, striped legwarmers on his calves that almost covered his blue shinobi sandals and bandages wrapped around his forearms down to his fingers. His hitai ite was tied around his waist. He wore a dark green vest filled with pockets like the other nin. His hair was black and shiny and cut in a bowl-shape. His dark eyes were perfectly round and wide, and the whites seemed impossibly big. He had two absolutely enormous, bushy, black eyebrows. They were currently furrowed a little in confusion.

Naruto realized he was staring. "Gomen, yes I did," he said, bowing slightly. "Are you Rock Lee?"

The ninja in front of him nodded. "Yes, I am Rock Lee!" He struck a pose with one hand stuck out in a thumbs-up sign and a huge smile on his face. His brilliantly white teeth actually sparkled. "Who might you be? I see you are wearing a Leaf hitai ite, but I have never seen you before."

Naruto was staring again. The guards' reactions were starting to make sense to him. "Uhhh…I am Uzumaki Naruto–" he started, but was interrupted by Lee.

"Ah! I know you now! You are the ninja newly accepted into the brotherhood of the Leaf!" Lee exclaimed, an excited look on his face. "Welcome to Konoha, Naruto-san!"

"Thank you, Lee-san…"

"I am to show you our fair Village! But, that was later in the day, was it not?" A look of panic filled the odd ninja's features. "Do not tell me I have misremembered the Hokage's orders and have failed in my mission–"

"No, no," Naruto interrupted. He didn't want Lee to think he had made a mistake. "I'm early. Hokage-sama told me where you'd be. I was hoping to join you for your training this morning. If that's ok with you, of course."

Lee's face broke out in a brilliant smile again. "Yosh!" he exclaimed. "I would be delighted if you would join me!" His smile changed into a smirk. "If you can keep up!" With that, he took off again, following the wall of the village. "Come on, Naruto-san!" he called back.

Naruto looked after him a moment longer and grinned. He liked this bushy-browed ninja. He took off after him.

They were on their final lap around the village. Lee had apparently already run most of the five laps he did every morning. The green-clad teen kept a steady, ground-eating pace. Naruto didn't find it hard to keep up, exactly. After all, he had more stamina than anyone, according to Jiraiya-sensei. But it wasn't easy either.

Actually, Naruto found it to be kind of…soothing. The pounding of Lee's heart next to him was like the sound of the surf on the sand of the distant ocean. Deep, comforting, eternal. The call of Lee's blood was simple, but steady and strong, a cadence beat out on a drum, the time set by his heartbeat. Combined with the sound of his breaths and the thumping of his footfalls, it was enough to lull Naruto into a sort of trance. His own footfalls naturally fell in time with Lee's and his own heartbeat took up a matching rhythm. There was nothing in the world but the running and the heartbeats.

A voice penetrated his mind. "-uto-san." Pause. "Naruto-san."

Lee was speaking to him.

"Huh? Sorry, I was kind of…off in my own world."

"Do not worry, Naruto-san. I often feel that way when training," Lee replied. "We have one more lap around the village, then I am going to one of the training grounds to practice my taijutsu. Would you like to accompany me?"

"Sounds good, Lee-san," Naruto replied.

"What rank did Yondaime-sama give you?"

"Chuunin."

"That is my rank as well! Well done, Naruto-san!"

"Thank you, Lee-san."

They ran in silence for a few moments, then Lee spoke again. "You look very much like Yondaime-sama," he said.

Naruto was prepared for this; he had already decided what he would say when people brought up that fact. "Yes, I do," he replied. It would be stupid to deny it. "I noticed that when I arrived yesterday."

Silence.

Lee nodded once, briefly, and said nothing more.

They arrived at the training ground Lee said he liked to use. It was a simple clearing in the trees of the forest set with numerous wooden dummies. One end was clear, for sparring, Naruto guessed. It made a good taijutsu space.

They started with simple exercises using the dummies, each surreptitiously watching the other, then moved on to more complicated forms. Finally, Lee called a halt.

"Naruto-san! I am warmed up now. If you are feeling adequately prepared, would you do me the honor of sparring with me?"

Naruto grinned. "Of course, Lee-san, I thought you'd never ask."

Lee grinned back. "Excellent! Your flames of youth burn bright, Naruto-san! I am most eager to fight you!"

Naruto shook his head slightly. He had only been in Lee's presence for a short time and he already knew the teen liked to spout things about 'flames of youth'. But Naruto didn't mind. It was nice to meet someone who seemed just as enthused about being a ninja as he himself was.

"Lee-san, how old are you?"

"Sixteen. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious, is all." Naruto shrugged. "I'm almost sixteen," he offered, in case Lee was curious too. "So, will this be a strict taijutsu fight? Or are we allowing other jutsu too?"

"I will only be using taijutsu. I cannot use nin- or genjutsu. You, however, may use whatever you like," the older boy replied, settling into a stance.

Naruto blinked at him. "Why can't you use nin- or genjutsu?" he asked.

"I cannot use chakra well enough for that. My coils are underdeveloped."

Naruto gaped at him. "Really? You were running that fast without using chakra?"

Lee nodded, seemingly pleased at Naruto's astonishment. "Aa. Although I can use chakra to enhance my speed or walk on water, I was not using it today. My goal in life has always been to prove that I could be a great ninja, even without using chakra."

Naruto didn't reply. The only thing that separated a ninja from a civilian was the ability to use chakra. Basically, Lee was a civilian that had decided to be a ninja anyway. And he had obviously succeeded, even though the odds were stacked against him. Naruto grinned again. He definitely liked this ninja.

"Well," he said, settling into his own stance. "Let's see how you are coming along with that goal, ne?"

The two ninja pushed off the ground at the exact same moment, as if by unspoken command, and attacked each other in a flurry of blows.

Naruto was good. He knew it. He was fast and he had a knack for surprising his opponents by combining moves that weren't normally used together. That meant they couldn't really predict what he was going to do next. He, however, could usually guess their next move. His sharp eyes could pick out their subtle movements before they made the strike.

But Lee was better. He was faster and simply better. Naruto supposed it was to be expected if he spent all his time on taijutsu. He knew several styles, so the younger teen had a hard time predicting his next move. All his moves were executed perfectly, efficiently, precisely, so he rarely left an opening to exploit. Naruto hadn't touched him at all, although Lee had landed a few blows on the blonde. The only thing that seemed to be saving Naruto–other than the fact that he could take hits that would fell an ox–was that he was using a style Lee hadn't seen before. However, Lee was already picking up on some of the basic stances and exploiting their weaknesses.

Damn it. Naruto'd have to do something quickly if he didn't want to be flattened. Well, Lee had said he could use whatever he wanted, right? Time for some ninjutsu, then. A small voice in the back of his head asked if that wouldn't be taking unfair advantage, but Naruto quickly quashed it. It was insulting to Lee to even think that. Besides, it's not as if enemies in the field would think twice about using ninjutsu against him. Naruto would help him prepare for that in any way he could.

The blonde blocked a kick and used Lee's leg to push off from the ground, springing backwards away from the now-slightly-off balance ninja. He brought his hands up in a simple seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he cried and three clones popped into existence. He thought three might be enough to at least land some hits on his opponent.

The instant their feet touched down, he and his clones raced forward again. They circled Lee and began the attack.

Naruto growled in frustration. Another set of clones, gone. That damn Konoha Whirlwind move of Lee's was desperately hard to beat. Attacking from the sides was out of the question. He'd tried coming in from the top, to no avail. Really, the only direction he hadn't tried…was...

Argh! He was so stupid! Berating himself, he made another set of clones.

Lee blocked the clones' attack from the sides simultaneously, while keeping an eye on the one in front of him. He thought the one behind him was Naruto, but he wasn't sure. It could also be another clone, while Naruto was hiding somewhere, plotting something. Lee had learned fairly quickly that Naruto was a very crafty opponent. Not strategic like Shikamaru, who plotted out his moves and his opponent's likely moves for the whole battle, but tricky, always doing the unexpected. It impressed the older ninja.

Lee blocked more hits thrown by the clones. Take his taijutsu style for instance. Lee had never seen it before. It was an interesting style, and suited Naruto perfectly. It was all about power and combo moves. Naruto was strong, and not terribly subtle. He liked to wade right in and start fighting, attacking his opponent head-on. Lee was the same way, so he could respect that. But the myriad ways the blonde had to combine his moves with this style was its real strength. With a crafty mind like Naruto's, he kept Lee guessing at what he was going to do next. Or what his clones would do next.

That also impressed Lee. Just because he couldn't use chakra didn't mean he didn't know anything about it. He had to, to be a ninja, since all his fellow nin, friend and foe alike, could use it. He knew the Kage Bunshin was a forbidden jutsu, mostly because it used so much chakra. Most ninja would run the risk of depleting their chakra to dangerously low levels if they used it, but Naruto was using it over and over without any sign of fatigue. He must have incredible chakra reserves. Lee knew of only two ninja in Konoha that used it at all–Yondaime-sama and Kakashi-sensei.

All four Narutos were attacking him now, at once. It looked like he would have to use the Whirlwind again. He started the attack. He just had time to register the fact that all four Narutos disappeared in a cloud of smoke–It was a clone! Where is the real one then?–when the ground beneath his feet trembled slightly. His eyes widened. Below! But he was still twirling. He couldn't get out of the Whirlwind stance in time to block. He tried, but he didn't quite make it. The earth erupted and Naruto sprang out, one hand raised in a fist. He squarely planted it on Lee's jaw, sending the older teen up in the air. Naruto landed lightly on his feet, to the side of the hole he had made, while Lee flipped in midair and landed somewhat farther away. Both teens were panting a little. Naruto was grinning and Lee was rubbing his jaw.

"You pack quite a punch, Naurto-san."

"I have to. When I can only get one hit in, it has to be good."

Lee laughed. "Yosh! You are quite the opponent! I think you were holding back a little, though."

"Thank you. You are also quite the opponent. And you were also holding back. But we have to save some tricks for the next fight, ne?"

The teens smiled at each other.

"That was a most excellent display of youth!" A new voice broke in, deeper than Lee's, but just as enthusiastic. Both teens turned at the sound. A man stood at the edge of the clearing, smiling at them.

"Gai-sensei!" Lee cried. "How long have you been there?"

"About fifteen minutes," Naruto replied. He'd sensed the man crouched in the tree, but was concentrating on his fight, so hadn't said anything.

Lee looked at him. "How did you know he was there?" he asked.

Naruto shrugged. "I have keen senses," was all he said. He studied the man, now that he was in plain sight. He had thought there couldn't be another like Lee in the world, but he was wrong. Gai was dressed pretty much exactly like Lee, or maybe it was the other way around, except for the bandages. They even had the same haircut and the same crazy eyebrows. Gai's face was different; he had dark eyes too, but they weren't the same odd shape, and his nose was more prominent that Lee's. But really, they could be father and son…Naruto narrowed his eyes a little and looked from one to the other. Hmmmm...

His reverie was broken by Gai's booming voice.

"Lee-kun, introduce me to your sparring partner!" he called.

"Hai, Gai-sensei!" Lee sprang towards Naruto, grabbed him by the arm, and led him over to where the older ninja stood, smiling at them with the same blinding smile as Lee.

"Gai-sensei, this is Uzumaki Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto, this is Maito Gai, Green Beast of Konoha!" Gai struck the same exact pose Lee had earlier, down to the sparkle of his teeth.

Naruto bowed, trying to suppress his laughter. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Gai-san," he said, proud his voice was–mostly–steady.

"And you as well, young Naruto-kun! Tell me, are you the new ninja Lee-kun is showing the village to?"

"Hai, Gai-san, but I wanted to train a little this morning, and Lee-san generously allowed me to come with him."

"Ah! Your fires of youth burn as brightly as Lee's! That is most gratifying to see in the next generation! How long have you been a ninja of the Leaf?"

"Not even a day Gai-san."

The Green Beast clutched his hands to his chest as tears began to stream down his face. "Not even a fellow shinobi for a day and already eager to test your skills against your peers! And my own student eager to oblige! I am Moved! Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

Naruto glanced at his sparring partner and almost fell over. Lee was mimicking Gai's pose and tears were streaming down his face too. Really? Are they serious?

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

Naruto watched in morbid fascination. He wondered how long they would keep this up for. He hoped it wouldn't be too long.

Luckily, it wasn't.

Gai wiped his eyes, smiling and looked at Naruto again. He turned serious. "Naruto-kun, that was a most interesting style of taijutsu," he said. "I have never seen it before."

"Really Gai-sensei?" Lee asked. "But you know more taijutsu than anyone else in the village!"

Ahhh…so Gai was Konoha's Taijutsu specialist. It made sense that he was Lee's teacher. Jiraiya had told Naruto about him, but never his name. He had said the man had forgotten more about taijutsu than Naruto could ever hope to know. He had also said the man was...interesting. Naruto thought that was an understatement. Not that Jiraiya had room to talk.

Gai was laughing. "I do know quite a bit, Lee-kun, but I don't know everything. I am always interested in learning new things. Remember that everyone you meet has the potential to teach you something."

"Hai, Gai-sensei!"

Gai turned back to Naruto. "Where did you learn such a technique, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto answered honestly, but a little hesitantly. "From my mother," he said.

"And where was she from?"

Naruto blinked. What had his father said? "Ummm…the former Whirlpool Country."

Gai looked thoughtful. "I have never been in that part of the world," he mused. "Tell me, do you know of any scrolls containing this taijutsu?"

"No, Gai-san." Demons didn't make scrolls of their fighting techniques. Ever.

"Would you be willing to make one? I'd help you of course."

"Ummm…I'd have to ask the Hokage if that's alright," Naruto said. He wasn't sure if his father would want that or not. He may have already said too much.

"Of course, Naruto-kun. I eagerly await his decision! I have one last question for you. Who taught you Kage Bunshin?"

"Oh, Jiraiya-sensei."

The two green-clad ninja stared at him. Lee broke the silence. "You were taught by one of the Legendary Sannin?"

"Hai. I've been with him for the past seven years. He's the one that brought me to Konoha." It was the truth. It was just misleading. But it was better to make it sound like it had been Jiraiya's idea rather than his own.

Gai was nodding, looking thoughtful. Ugh. Naruto knew he was going to get sick of that look in the next couple days.

"No wonder your flame of youth burns bright!" Lee exclaimed. "Why did he teach it to you?"

"'Cause I'm terrible at regular Bunshin." Naruto laughed at the memory of some of the first clones he had tried to make. "They require very little chakra, relatively speaking, and it's hard for me to manipulate such small amounts. Plus, I have plenty of chakra, so it's not really dangerous for me to use."

"You are indeed a most worthy opponent!" Lee said. "I look forward to our next match!"

"Thanks, Lee-san," Naruto laughed. "Me too."

Gai was smiling broadly at them. "Speaking of that," he turned to Lee. "Is it true that that last punch was the only blow Naruto-kun was able to land?"

"Hai, Gai-sensei!" Lee was looking intently at his teacher.

"Then you did very well, Lee-kun. However, sometimes all it takes is one blow to incapacitate or even kill an opponent. So I want you to think about how Naruto-kun managed to land that blow on you."

"Hai, Gai-sensei!"

"Well then, I must go! Farewell, Lee-kun, Naruto-kun!" And he was gone in a swirl of very green leaves.

Naruto blinked a few times and looked over at Lee. He was frowning slightly, obviously thinking. Probably about what Gai had just told him to think about.

"Oy, Lee-san!" Naruto called.

Lee snapped out of his reverie. "Huh?"

"How about that tour now? I've got to be in the Hokage's office by lunch time."

"Oh, right, Naruto-san!"

Naruto's stomach growled, loudly. He sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Uhhh…maybe we could get some food too?" he asked.

Lee laughed "Of course, Naruto-san!"

They stopped at a small food stand first. Naruto ordered a huge, but simple bowl of rice, chicken, and vegetables. He turned to Lee.

"What do you want?"

"I am fine, Naruto-san."

"Oh, come on, you must want something. Something to drink?"

Lee eventually gave in to Naruto's urging and ordered a chicken skewer and an iced fruit drink. He reasoned that protein and vitamins were good things to have after a workout.

Naruto also insisted on paying for it. "Call it a thank-you for letting me train with you," he said, pulling out the oddest wallet Lee had ever seen. It was in the shape of a green frog.

"No, it was my pleasure," Lee said. "My fellow chuunin don't often train with me," he added, a little more quietly.

"Well, I can see why!" Naruto chirped. He missed the startled look on Lee's face, and the dejected look that followed it because he was busy paying for their food. He plowed right on. "I mean, I bet none of them come close to you in taijutsu! They probably don't want to be beaten into the ground all the time!" He laughed and turned to Lee, whose face was now sporting a smile. A real smile, not one of those blinding ones.

"Thank you for the food, Naruto-san," was all he said.

They ate quickly, Lee watching in amazement as Naruto proceeded to demolish the substantial amount of food he had ordered in less time than it took Lee to eat his few pieces of chicken. The blonde practically inhaled his meal. He looked up at the dark-haired teen in front of him. "What?"

"Errr…nothing," Lee replied, smiling brightly. Naruto shrugged and continued eating.

Afterwards, Lee showed Naruto Konohagakure. He started by taking Naruto up to the top of the Hokage Monument. Naruto was entranced by the spot on top of the Yondaime's stone head. It had a perfect view of the village. Lee proceeded to point out all the important landmarks in the village, then told him about the tunnels and rooms inside the monument, which were used to house civilians if the village ever came under unexpected attack. Naruto listened very closely to Lee's explanation of the emergency plan the ninja used in such a situation.

They then went back into the village and carefully crossed it from east to west, leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Lee pointed out the shopping districts, with special emphasis on the best places for ninja supplies, and the clan compounds, including a brief description of each clan's abilities and the members Lee knew. Naruto had heard of most of the clans from Jiraiya, but was surprised to learn that almost all of them had a representative around his and Lee's own age.

"Are they all chuunins?" he asked.

"Aa, but it is rumored that Neji-kun and Sasuke-kun will be promoted to jonin soon."

They had finished with a very thorough tour of various training grounds, although in the interest of time, Lee had stuck to the main ones. There were still a lot of them. Naruto was most intrigued by #44, the Forest of Death.

"No one is allowed in there without special permission from the Hokage," Lee said. "It is only used for special purposes, like chuunin exams, or jonin tests."

"Why?"

"It is dangerous. There are lots of strange animals, poisonous plants, and that sort of thing."

Naruto grinned. It sounded perfect.

Now, though, it was time to return. The two young ninja took off in the direction of the Hokage Tower.

Minato rubbed his eyes. His headache hadn't gone away, though he had kept the flashes of Naruto's thoughts at bay most of the morning by concentrating on other things. When he kept his mind occupied, they didn't come as often. And he'd had plenty to keep his mind occupied during his meeting with Jiraiya.

They had talked about Naruto, a lot, including when and how Jiraiya had taught him the Rasengan.

"He was thirteen."

"Thirteen? Really?"

"Yeah, he learned it in two months."

"What?!" It had taken Minato three years to develop that jutsu. And, technically, it still wasn't complete. Granted, it was easier to learn something than to make it up from scratch, but still.

Jiraiya had laughed at the Yondaime's shock. "You'll learn, when Naruto is determined to do something, he does it. No matter how impossible it may seem to be."

Minato had been deeply impressed and very proud.

They had also talked about the information Jiraiya had gathered concerning Orochimaru and the Akatsuki group he had briefly joined. None of it was good. Minato was worried.

Now, Jiraiya had gone to run some errands, leaving the Yondaime to eat with Naruto alone. He was grateful for the chance, but with nothing to distract him while he waited for his son, and paperwork didn't count, his headache was getting worse.

He took a few deep breaths and decided to try a little meditation. Maybe he could get to his mindscape and start building a wall. How exactly he would do that, he had no idea.

He sat in a lotus position on his floor, took a couple more deep breaths, and began. He cleared his mind of all distractions. At least he tried. Usually, when he meditated, it helped to think of a blank void, an empty space he was floating in. Not this time. The second he pictured the blankness, he was assailed by images, thoughts, feelings. They were coming so fast, he couldn't recognize most of what he was seeing. The pain in his head increased. He groaned and snapped his eyes open. Well, that didn't work. He sighed. He didn't want to, but it seemed he'd have to send for the Yamanaka.

He got off the floor, just as a knock sounded. "Yes?" he called.

Hisa stuck her head in the door. "Naruto-kun and Lee-kun are here, Yondaime-sama."

"Good, send them in. And Hisa-san, send for Yamanaka Inoichi. I want to see him after lunch."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

She retreated and Minato leaned against his desk.

The two young ninja entered a moment later and bowed to the Yondaime.

He grinned. Both young men were smiling. So, it had gone well.

"Rock Lee, report," he ordered, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Hai, Hokage-sama! Do you wish to hear about our training this morning as well?"

"By all means, Lee-kun."

"Hai, Hokage-sama!"

Minato resisted the urge to laugh as he listened to Lee's description of his training time with Naruto. It was full of the words 'fire' and 'youth'. Still, he was glad his son had impressed the green-clad ninja. He was glad his idea had been a good one, for both Naruto and Lee. Not many shinobi could, or would, keep up with Gai's protege.

Lee finished his report and Minato nodded. "Very good, Lee-kun. Thank you." He turned and riffled through the various papers scattered on his desk. He pulled one out and stamped it, then handed it to the young ninja. "Here is your completed mission receipt." Lee would have shown Naruto around as a favor to the Hokage, but, by making it an official mission, Minato could give the young ninja a little money for his time. Even if it was just D-ranked.

Lee bowed and accepted the receipt. "Arigatou, Hokage-sama!"

"Lee-kun, please return here in an hour. I have another task for you. Bring Gai-san. Dismissed!"

"Hai, Hokage-sama!" Lee bowed again. "Good bye, Naruto-san!"

The blonde waved and the other young ninja left.

Minato turned to his son. "What do you think of Lee-kun?"

Naruto laughed. "I like him. I'm going to train with him again tomorrow, if that is alright with you, Hokage-sama."

"Of course. I think it's great." He cocked his head at his son. "It sounds like you have made a friend."

Naruto blinked a few times, all traces of his smile gone. "Friend?" he whispered, his eyes wide. It clearly had not occurred to him.

"Naruto," his father said. "I know the feelings this morning, the…pain and loneliness…I know that was yours." Naruto looked down. "I hate the fact that you ever felt that way, and I am more sorry then I can say. I will do everything in my power to make sure you never feel that again. But, I can't do it all. Friends your own age…will help."

Silence. Finally… "Hai, Hokage-sama," Naruto said, softly. He didn't sound convinced.

Minato sighed. It made his chest ache to know his son was almost sixteen and had never had a friend. It hurt worse to know his son didn't think anyone wanted to be his friend. Minato didn't need to hear his thoughts to pick up on that. But the Hokage knew better. He was certain the young ninja of Konoha would accept Naruto. Still, it wouldn't happen overnight. Trust takes a while to build.

"All right, Naruto," he clapped his hands together and his son's head shot up. "It's time for lunch. How about I take you to my favorite place?"

The younger blonde smiled, and it was like he had never been sad at all. "Hai, Hokage-sama!"

Author's Note:

Sorry this is so late, everyone. I have a major case of writer's block, so the next couple chapters might be sort of late too. I apologize in advance.

The next several chapters are going to be like this one-Naruto meeting his peers, getting in a few fights, forming bonds, etc. A little Naru/Hina fluff will most definitely make it in for all the fluff fans. There won't be any major action for a little while. But hang in there! It's coming, I promise.

Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoy!