Disclaimer: I Do have a maid it seems but that doesn't mean I own Naruto or his friends.

Hubby: What do you mean by that? We don't have either a maid or the copy-rights.

Disclaimer: If I don't have a maid then tell me who started the washer?

Hubby: ...(Someone has to wash the clothes)

Chapter Four: Exposed

Kakashi was beginning to think they'd never get him back the way he had been. They'd been caring for him for more than a month now and he was still the same as he had been when Kakashi had found him outside the gates. He didn't understand why he'd even gone and gotten the Hokage. He should have left him there living in the wild. It was clear to him that the boy they'd known didn't exist any more. He didn't understand what had happened to make him like this. He had hoped the boy would recover and come home just to show them he was stronger than they thought. But not like this. This wasn't showing strength in any way shape or form. This was weak. It just confirmed what Kakashi had always known about the boy. He was weak. If it wasn't for his big talk he had nothing at all to offer.

He did try to find out what Naruto remembered from that last mission but the boy said nothing and he convinced himself he didn't remember anything. So he just helped take care of him, waiting for both Tsunade and Jiraiya to give up and lock the boy away in the Home for Mentally Deranged Nins, though he wasn't sure the boy even qualified as a ninja at all. His ability had always been less than adequate. If it hadn't been for the Demon sealed inside of him, he'd have never made it to genin status. So even if Tsunade and Jiraiya did give up on him that didn't mean he'd have a place at the home. That place had it's own board that determined who qualified to be there and who didn't.

But he didn't believe there was anything left of the old Naruto once he'd been cleaned up and his rags replaced with fresh clean clothes. It had been surprising to see the headband still firmly tied around the golden head of tangled hair. Sure the eyes were the same color but Naruto wasn't in them any more. He no longer seemed to care what people thought about him. He no longer seemed to want to prove himself worthy.

When it wasn't his turn to guard the boy, he met with his other students and told them what he saw. Sasuke, his pride and joy, was furious but Kakashi didn't understand what was making him so angry. Both of them wanted to see for themselves who he'd become. Sasuke wanted to challenge him in order to prove himself better. Kakashi told him he'd have to wait since there is no honor in fighting the deranged and mentally ill. Sasuke would glare at him and storm off to go demolish some wooden posts for a few hours. He was costing the team money with his temper tantrums but Kakashi didn't mind because every practice session made the Uchiha stronger.

Sakura only called him a traitor. She didn't care why he'd left them. She wanted to get even for the damage he'd caused the last time she'd seen him. Naruto was unaware that when she'd visited the cave he'd left her unable to hear for a month. It had taken that long for Tsunade to rebuild her eardrums for her, all the while questioning how she had been that hurt while others had suffered no such damage. She remembered all too well what it was like to be locked in a world where everything was quiet and she wanted vengeance for it. Kakashi told her the same thing he told Sasuke. There was no point in confronting Naruto now. He didn't and wouldn't remember why she was beating him up. Her fellow nins would just see her as a bully if she went after him now.

But everything was about to change. Kakashi knew it when Jiraiya told him about the visitor. He bit his lip and spent as much time hanging around the cabin as he could. He hoped he'd be the only one there when the boy woke up. Maybe he'd get a chance to warn him not to say anything to cause trouble. He'd threaten to have Sasuke and Sakura double team him if he didn't keep his mouth shut. Those two would get what they wanted and he'd be safe in the ninja community so he'd be getting what he wanted also. But Jiraiya rarely ever left the brat's side these days. Even when it was Kakashi's turn or Tsunade's Jiraiya was usually there also.

After his week long slumber, Naruto woke and stretched. He didn't remember going to sleep in the bed and it puzzled him for a minute. Then he realized he didn't know where he was. There was a ceiling over his head when he could have sworn he'd fallen asleep under the sky. He rose from his bed and stumbled out the window. Once outside in the fresh air he breathed a sigh of relief and sat under the spreading branches of a cherry blossom tree. He closed his eyes and just listened as the birds sang to him of their fight to build their nests and find food for the day. Squirrels chattered to him telling of their hunt for seeds and nuts. Rabbits hopped close and brought him bits of leaves and grass. He pet their soft fur while accepting their offerings before they scampered away again. He was unaware of the humans observing him. Deer ambled close showing no fear of his presence. He gave them the leaves and grass the rabbits had brought him and they'd wander off again. Naruto just sat and watched as the animals went about their daily lives. Finally Tsunade walked over and sat down in front of him.

"Naruto, I'm glad you came back home to us. I wish I knew how to help you now." She sighed.

"She told me to come," was the quiet response. Tsunade almost missed it.

"She did? Who is she?"

"Mother."

"Mother? You mean your mother? But no one knows who your mother is or was Naruto."

"She is Mother." He was adamant about it. "She said come here. Obeyed Mother."

"Can you tell me who she is so I can thank her? I missed you so much."

"She is Mother." He pointed to a small statue nearly hidden from view in a niche of the garden wall. "Mother," he said again. Tsunade's eyes widened when she saw the statue of Kami in her mother form.

"You mean Kami told you to come home? Kami brought you back to me?"

"Home?" Naruto questioned. "Not home." He shook his head. "Here."

"Oh Naruto. This is your home. You were born here. Grew up here. This is where you belong. These are your people. Your precious ones. The ones you fight for."

"No. Not home. Not my people." He sighed and gave her a look full of sadness. There was no anger in his gaze but the sadness she saw nearly broke her. "Will fight. For her. For you. Not them." He waved a hand to encompass the village beyond the cabin grounds.

"But what changed Naruto? Why did you go away?" Tsunade was choking back tears as she listened and tried to understand. She hadn't noticed Jiraiya and Kakashi came into the yard but Naruto had.

"Was hurt. Fought hard." His voice faded to a mere whisper. "Pain. Death." He pointed at Kakashi who was walking by. "Scum. Left me."

Kakashi was floored. He had assumed Naruto would follow them back to the village. He hadn't realized he wasn't for hours and by then he was too tired to go back for him. Everyone was injured and tired and sore. He needed to get everyone back to the village. He couldn't go back for just one person. Besides there was Sasuke to consider. The village elders had wanted him back as soon as they had found him so he had to head straight back. He told himself he'd had no choice but to leave Naruto behind.

But now looking at Tsunade's angry face he had no doubt he would live to regret that decision. He never even felt the blow that sent him flying across the village only to be caught by an equally angry toad and tossed back. He was caught again as Tsunade sent him flying towards Jiraiya who punted him back to Gamabunta who sent him back to Tsunade. They continued to play ping pong three ways with the hapless Kakashi until Naruto interfered and rescued him.

He set the battered man on the ground and walked away. He didn't stop the game because he liked Kakashi or because they were treating him too roughly. He just stopped it because he could. He sat back down under his tree and watched as Kami took care of the world.

Jiraiya and Tsunade joined him under the tree and Kakashi limped away to go get treatment. He knew neither of them were finished with him yet and if he wanted to survive the rest of their punishment he needed to be whole and healthy. Right now he felt as if his spine was a pin cushion for some old lady's sewing project of the month.

"Why did you stop us? He abandoned you."

Naruto shrugged. He didn't want to tell them the truth. He didn't want to tell them he had died there. He didn't want to tell them Kakashi had abandoned the Fox in his form. So he just sat silent and said nothing at all. His eyes spoke of his sadness and the pain he'd felt but his voice stayed still. He couldn't hide his eyes, as the fight with his father and his heros played again in his mind, they watched his emotions through them. He couldn't hide the hurt as he saw his sensei watching but not trying to help. He couldn't hide the pain when the swipe had ended his life. He couldn't hide the fear when the Beast got free. Or the disgust when it was over. All the ninja's dead and in pieces on the ground around him. Because they followed the wrong leader. Tattered remnants of what used to be people. Now just fodder for the grist mill of evolution. Because they stood between him and his goal. His goal of returning the spoilt orphan prince. His goal of gaining recognition. Recognition he finally knew he'd never be given. He couldn't stop the tears as he watched them walk away, knowing they'd never cared for him at all. Knowing they didn't care that he was dead. Knowing he had no place to go back to. Tsunade adn Jiraiya watched as all the pain he'd felt filled his eyes as he remembered the day his dreams died in blood and destruction.

Finally he spoke the words, in the breath of a whisper, that chilled his listeners to the bone. "Was dead. Nothing left. Just the Fox." He stood up and moved away into the forest following the trail left by the deer as they sat stunned. Unsure what he meant they looked at each other and let him go. Finally, Tsunade decided she needed to find out what had happened during that battle. Somehow she had a feeling she didn't know the truth. She shuishined back to her office and called for all the members of that old rescue group to come see her except for Naruto. She wouldn't subject him to them again just yet. Not until she knew the truth anyway.