NARUTO

Nox Noctis Ingredior

Foreboding

"Okay Naruto-kun… this might hurt a little…"

"I told you Hinata, I'm fiiiIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAIIIIINNNNNEEEEEeeee!" Naruto ended with a scream and almost keeled forward, tears streaming down his face, and teeth gritted.

That late afternoon when Team 7 returned home, and Tazuna's men assumed repairs of the bridge to the Land of Fire and checked it for other damage, everyone was all beat and deposited themselves around the house to heal and recover. Of course, when they did return home with Inari, they found to their surprise about a dozen of Gatou's men tied up out front, battered and bruised. The thugs had apparently tried to attack the home of the bridge builder's remaining family, but had failed miserably. Just like Gatou himself, they were now prisoners of Wave Country.

"… and all of them will be trialed tomorrow for a variety of crimes against our home island and town, with charges ranging from murder to petty theft," Tazuna finished explaining to Kurenai, who was wrapping bandages over her disinfected wounds on her right arm and shoulder. "Of course, assuming that his jailers don't kill him by morning, I'm sure Gatou will be getting exactly what he deserves…"

"Well, tough luck if he tries to escape his fate," Shino spoke up from his side of the bedroom, where he sat on the floor, allowing his bugs to help repair their 'hive'. It was his special way of healing wounds. "My insects practically sucked them dry of energy… he, and his lackeys, will be unable to move any further then a hundred meters for a week…"

Kurenai smiled at the boy. "Could have afforded to drain them even more?"

Shino grunted. "I'm not that cruel…"

"Easy Naruto-kun… you injured yourself a lot when you fell from that man's bird," Hinata said, smiling as she rubbed the herbal cream over the huge inflammation on the blonds' back, which was practically beaten into his flesh. It wasn't an ordinary wound; it was a deep, painful looking bruise, almost resembling a burn mark. "T-The fall… must have been from very high up…"

"It was over a hundred meters above sea level," Naruto exclaimed, wincing as he glanced over his shoulder at his teammate. "Unfortunately, I'm not the flying type…" Reaching over to his stuff he had removed off of his person, he began sorting through his material goods.

Apparently, whenever the young Genin went out on missions, he went out fully stocked up and prepared. He not only had his fur jacket, a scarf for particular cold treks, med-kit, food pack and water flask, he also carried a full arsenal of weaponry. Laid next to his kunai holster and shuriken pouch, he had a bandoleer he wore under his jacket, sheathed with a variety of throwing knives. These included the standard kunai and shuriken, his custom made kunai used by his father with linked seals drawn onto their handles, custom hira shuriken, kurai, two concealed ANBU blades, clasp knives, lock blades, silver wing throwing knives, two pure silver battle axes, and stainless steel with cord grip throwing knives, small enough for easy conceal purposes.

This bandoleer of weapons sat on top of his folded jacket, along with his duel wrist gauntlets usually concealed, a retractable crossbow with ammunition, and wire. Kurenai was a little shocked at the stuff the boy carried on him.

"Any more surprises, Naruto?" Kurenai asked.

The blond groaned as he straightened up, having made a grab for one of his kurai, and began looking it over, to see if it was still in good condition.

"I have to be ready for anything," the Genin stated. "I have another blade or two hidden on my body still, but I'm not going to say where…"

"A bit much, don't you think?" Zabuza asked.

"Maybe…"

"Well… if you feel comfortable on the battlefield…" the swordsman said, approaching the boy. Grinning, he raised a hand, and in one swift movement, slapped the boy on his back. The resounding clap was nothing, it was the scream from Naruto that followed, the boy's back almost snapping when he straightened and shook from the pain. "That's all that matters…"

"AAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGHHH! YOU SON OF A BITCH!" the usually composed Naruto shrieked at the top of his lungs, dropping his kurai as he dropped to his hands and knees, trembling.

Zabuza laughed and began walking out of the room, passing his student Haku who was sitting in the corner, tending to his wounds. His leg was covered in senbon needles to douse the pain as he bandaged his thigh, and he had a variety of bandages on his face and right arm; the blast he was caught in having scorched him quite a bit.

"I've wanted to do that for a loooong time!" Zabuza exclaimed, looking back at the writhing Genin. "How does it…GAAAAHHH!" He ducked just in time to avoid the kurai thrown his way, which sliced through a few strands of his hair before impaling the wall.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" Naruto roared. He picked up a cluster of kunai from his bandoleer, and with deadly accuracy, tossed them at his target. Zabuza yelled and leapt out of the room, just barely avoiding the barrage. Sounds of footsteps dashing down the hall and the door slamming at the end meant that the missing nin was on the run from a very pissed Naruto.

"I'm not done yet!" Naruto growled. Forgetting his other clothes, he flung his bandoleer on him like a vest, and picked up his crossbow. Kurenai, Hinata, Shino, Tazuna and Haku watched with great amusement and interest as Naruto loaded a drum canister of arrows into his weapon, and using some of Hinata's dark cream, painted hunting marks under his eyes. Soon afterwards, he ran after the swordsman. "The hunt is on now, Zabuza!"

He slammed the door on his way out.

The rest of the team and onlookers stared after them, blinking in thought. Before long, they all returned to their business.

"He'll be fine," Haku said, finishing up on his bandage work.

"Naruto or Zabuza?" Tazuna asked.

The boy lifted his head for a moment, keeping quiet. A few seconds later, he smiled and stood up, using the wall for support.

"I'd rather not say…"

Most of that afternoon was spent nursing wounds, especially the ones Zabuza sustained when Naruto caught him and dragged him back into the house, wrapped in a large wire net, with his sword held by the blond as a trophy. When messing about, Naruto always one, but in terms of actual fighting, Zabuza was actually still the stronger of the two.

After a celebratory dinner made by Tsunami, Haku and Inari, they all hit the hay for a good night's rest, even Naruto. Hinata fell asleep curled up next to him, Kurenai slept separate, Haku cradled his blanket next to the window, and everybody seemed to keep well away from Shino when they noticed earlier that a number of centipedes, cockroaches and beetles were crawling in and out of sight of his sleeping bag. It was a relatively quiet night at Tazuna's home, the sloshing of the waves and the songs of crickets being the only sounds heard throughout the night once more. With the whole of the country returning to normal, nights like this grew more and more peaceful.

The next morning, Hinata woke up along with Naruto, both of them sitting up with ruffled up hair and disheveled clothing. Rubbing their eyes, they looked at one another, both of them reaching up and adjusting the other's hair to their likeness, before standing.

Side by side, they began walking out of the room, and noticed that Kurenai, who was sleeping flat out on her back in her undergarments, and snoring soundlessly, had a massive tarantula sitting on her forehead.

Moments passed as the two Genin registered to the sight, and both of them paled, hair rising off of them from seeing the dinner plate sized beast. Naruto had half a mind to tip-toe over and bat it off, but Hinata stopped him and shook her head.

Shrugging shoulders, the pair left, knowing that Shino was going to be getting a mouth full when Kurenai wakes up and doesn't kill herself in the process.

Of course, the tarantula wasn't the only strange sight they awoke to. Upon arriving at the kitchen, they saw a familiar person lying across the table.

With his sword propped up against the wall, Zabuza was sleeping quietly across the eating space, and due to his size, his legs dangled off the other end while his head was roosted on top of a pillow on the other end. This was one of the only times Naruto had ever seen the swordsman without his mask on and in the state he was in. It was quite pathetic, in all honesty.

"S-Should we wake him?" Hinata asked.

"Nah… to tell you the truth, I'm more worried about disturbing him then the tarantula…"

Zabuza murmured and turned over, nuzzling his pillow. "Hmm…hn…uh-huh yeah… a donut would be very nice…sweetie…"

"See; let's not wake him from his pleasant dream…"

Instead of setting up for breakfast, the two of them went outside, and although they were still bed-dressed, they sat out on the front porch and quietly stared out over the ocean channel. The pair sat close to one another and enjoyed the view, and felt the warmth of the morning sun coax them out of their sleepy states.

"You know, after that fight with that weird Iwa guy, and being so close to getting obliterated, really makes me miss home," Naruto exclaimed. Hinata nodded her head and looked at the boy she deeply admired and cared for. "When all of this is over, I just can't wait to see the village again! It's gonna be great!"

"W-We'll be back by the end of the week," the Hyuuga replied, tilting her head at him. "What else do you miss…b-besides the village?"

The blond sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "My history with the villagers has been… unpleasant for most of my life, so there are a few faces I'm not looking forward to seeing. But…" he glanced down at the girl and grinned. "…now I have so many new reasons to be looking forward to home. My apartment, little Haru, Old Man Hokage and Jiraiya, Anko-sensei, the ramen stand, Teuchi and Ayame… you…" The ninja boy laughed lightly and looked back over at the ocean. "Of course… I enjoy spending my time with you Hinata-chan…"

Hinata giggled and shuffled over, resting her head against his arm. "W-What else?"

"Hmm… well… there is also Sakura-chan and all of our friends. Perhaps when we get back, we can spend a lot more time with them, arrange a get together, or just go exploring the village, what do you say?" Naruto asked nudging his companion lightly. Hinata shrugged her shoulders.

"Sounds fun, Naruto-kun."

The two of them watched as a flock of gulls flew over head and over the ocean, the sunlight breaking through the clouds creating an almost magical effect across the entire setting. It was a wonderful sight.

"What about Zabuza and Haku," Hinata asked, looking up at her teammate in question. "What's going to happen to them? W-Where will they go?"

The alliance with the two rogue ninja was a rather unexpected twist in their journey, and seemed to add another factor to the equation. So far in the history of Team 7, Naruto had had a very unusual habit of attracting a lot of strange travelers on their missions so far, ignoring the small D-rank missions where all he attracted were small animals and curious kids from the village. These were C-Rank missions and higher in the case of the four person squad. First adopting a child with legendary status eyes and Ryoko from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and now they had Zabuza and Haku on their platter.

Naruto had thought long and hard, considering whether he would be able to get the Hokage to approve the applications of Zabuza and Haku into their ninja forces in Konoha. Haku wouldn't be a problem, since he wasn't a registered ninja; it was Zabuza who was the most troublesome. Next to Kisame, Zabuza was ranked pretty high in the bingo book, and a lot of ninja from different countries were out for his head.

He prayed that he could pull off two straight flushes in the span of these few weeks, and help out his homeless friends.

"Well… I wouldn't call them homeless," Naruto mumbled.

"What was that, Naruto-kun?"

"Oh sorry, just breaking the forth wall there for a moment. Anyway… I think I have an idea for them…"

"Hmm?"

"I mean… it's another risk venture but…" Naruto looked down at Hinata and flashed her, his charming grin. The result, another blush arose on the girl, and she once again felt light headed. "When have I ever let anyone down?"

"N-Not once…"

"Believe it," the blond said with a wink.

"!" the piercing cry of terror came echoing out from the house, making Naruto and Hinata jump. The two of them wheeled around, and they both sighed in relief when the cries of terror were traced back to their sensei.

"T-There we go," Hinata exclaimed, a smile spreading across her cheeks. "Oh well… it won't be the worst thing she'll be waking up to i-in the future…" Naruto let out a laugh and turned to her.

"Why Hinata, are you developing a mischievous streak?" Naruto asked. The purple haired girl hid her neck behind her shoulders and she smirked back.

"Maybe…"

"SHINO! GET YOUR PET OFF OF ME!" Kurenai shrieked from the bedroom.

Zabuza was woken violently by the woman's outcry and threw himself off of the table. Grabbing his giant clever blade, and not even worrying about the fact that he was still wearing striped pajama bottoms, sprinted to her aid. When he got there, his opening words for this morning leapt out of his mouth before his mind even registered to what he was going to say.

"Alright! Calm down! I'm sure his cat doesn't have lice!" Zabuza said. Kurenai was clearly on her feet, and trying not to panic too much, with Shino sitting bolt upright on his side of the room. Haku was lying on his side staring at the wall, rather bothered by the commotion, and trying to ignore it.

Apparently, even ninjas weren't morning people, since they basically stayed up most nights and such.

"Not…a…cat," Kurenai growled, and turned, showing Zabuza the tarantula plastered to her face. The swordsman leapt back in shock.

"WHOA! What the hell is that?"

"Are…you…joking?" the Jonin hissed. "It's… a… freakin'…big…spider!"

"Alright…Alright! D-Don't move!" Zabuza said, trying to calm the woman. As he approached, he brought his sword up like he was about to swing a baseball bat. Furrowing his brow with sweat pouring down his face, he took careful aim. "Just… stay… where you are."

Kurenai's face paled when he saw the man approach her with his massive blade hanging in the air. She was so terrified at that point, she swore even the spider was scared.

"W-What are you…?"

"Shhh!" Zabuza hissed. He cranked the sword back, now within range. "Don't… move… a muscle…"

However, before any one of them could do anything, the spider suddenly leapt off of Kurenai and instead of sitting where it was, ran after Zabuza. The sword wearing man let out a shriek of terror and swung his sword down at the ground, intent on hitting the eight legged beast, but missed. Splitting the floorboards, he leapt back with his massive weapon and slashed at the spider's legs with deadly accuracy, only for the spider to hop over the swing and continue its pursuit.

Freaking out, Zabuza fled the room, the tarantula on his tale.

"Good God! HELP!" he screamed, breaking for the door and bursting out in, leaping right between Naruto and Hinata, who V-d out to give the man space. A second later, the spider leapt passed the two Genin as well, and continued its amusing chase of Zabuza across and around the clearing in front of them. Now it was just a plain out chase and futile attempts to kill each other that followed.

"DIE SPIDER!" Zabuza roared, swinging his sword barely above the ground at the tarantula as it jumped and hopped around, easily avoiding the sword. "GAAAH! STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

The chase would continue on for a good half an hour, and in that time, a disgruntled Kurenai, Shino, Haku, Tazuna, Inari and Tsunami joined Naruto and Hinata on the porch. The sight seemed to brighten all of them up, even making Shino smile, and with the past events sinking in to this morning; all of them knew that they could see a brighter future ahead of them all.

"You know, I don't usually say this to strangers or employees, but I'm really going to miss you lot when you're gone," Tazuna exclaimed, looking over at Kurenai, who smiled back at him. "Promise us you'll come visit us every once in a while."

"Heh… yeah," the Jonin replied. "We may be busy most of our lives, but that doesn't mean we don't have a social life…" The old man chuckled and knelt down between Naruto and Hinata, placing his hands on their shoulders, both of them looking up at him.

"Don't you two be strangers now," the bridge builders said. "Once Wave gets back on its feet, I want you to come on down with your friends to check out the place…heck… we'll be making you guys honorary citizens and heroes of this country for what you guys have done for us."

Naruto grinned and Hinata smiled.

"Sure thing old timer…" Tazuna grinned back at Naruto, and ruffled his hair.

They returned their eyes to Zabuza, who was now full blown running from the tarantula, running circles with it still in pursuit, trying to give it a really wide birth. Kurenai sighed and glanced down at Shino, who had now joined Naruto and Hinata in spectatorship.

"Maybe you should call your friend back," the raven haired woman exclaimed, still laughing on the inside. "I think Zabuza has had enough…"

"Oh… that's not my spider," Shino stated.

Everyone on the porch blinked and looked down at the boy, who continued to watch the sight with interest and a bit of a grin under the collar.

At the end of the week…

The people of the port-town village of Wave stood gathered at the entrance to the great bridge that now joined their land with the Land of Fire, a structure that had just undergone completion the day before, and now stood proudly across the channel. No longer divided from the rest of the world, the people of the island stood with new strength in their bodies and souls, as they awed at their creation.

Almost after that fateful battle, everyone turned up to help repair and complete the bridge, the young, the old and the homeless, all of them turned out to lend a helping hand. To add to it, a lot of the people also decorated the structure, and at the island entrance of the bridge built a monument as testament to their achievement today. A large stone belted with a small garden, commemorated those who had given their lives to ensure the bridge was completed, even the ones still alive.

Naruto and his friends were among those, whose names were carved into the rock.

Speaking of which, the group stood upon the completed bridge at Wave's end, smiling at the crowds who had turned out to see them off. Since the structure's completion, they would be the first to walk across it.

"Thanks to you guys, we've finished the bridge," Tazuna exclaimed, grinning at the group, now dressed and ready to march. "I hope that the reward for your efforts was enough?"

"It's fine, really," Kurenai exclaimed, holding up both her hands. "You and your family have done more then enough for us."

"Are you sure?" Tsunami asked, holding her son by his shoulders, also smiling brightly. "I mean, you've done so much for us. I'm sure there must be some other way…"

"No, no… please," Naruto said hastily. "Let's just call it even…"

Hinata nodded in agreement. "I-It's an equal trade."

"Alright then," Tazuna chuckled. "It's a shame you have to go though…"

"Ah! We'll see each other again!" Naruto declared, giving their old client and his family the thumbs up. "Don't go dying on us! I'll be back to check on you! And make sure you build some sort of resort once your island is up and running. I'll be booking as the first guest of honor!"

Tazuna chuckled, as did a lot of the villagers. "We'll be sure to build one!" a random person from the crowd shouted, followed by other shouts of praise, thanks and promises. The three Genin of the team shuffled on the spot, smiling at the positive words flowing their way, and Kurenai just smiled happily, knowing that her students' didn't expect to receive such praise from strangers on a mission like this.

"Oh yeah, and Zabuza," Tazuna looked over at the swordsman, who looked over at the old man in kind. "If you manage to get your hands on some good wine or sake, send it on over. I want to hold onto it for the next time we all get together to celebrate, aye!"

The swordsman blinked in surprise, but then smiled in a similar way to Kakashi, nodding his head affirmatively.

"Sure thing, old man." Haku smiled and looked up at his master. Since changing sides, both he and his Jonin sensei had gone on and changed their appearances too. Now did they not only glow with the radiance of peace from the sacrifice they have made for these people, but they also dressed cool. Zabuza now wore a light brown Jonin vest, his headband now just a plain silver plate, and his pants now an awesome forest camo color. Haku also wore something different, an orange and red kimono robe, purple pants, and wooden sandals, and a dark green, long head band with a light brown scarf worn around his neck.

It was a big change for everyone.

Inari, on the verge of tears, broke away from his mother and dashed towards the group. He leapt at Naruto and hugged him tightly, surprising the young Genin, who returned the hug with one of his own. The boy sobbed as he held onto his friend.

"D-Do you promise you will visit us?"

Smiling, Naruto pushed Inari away from him and knelt down in front of him. Placing a hand on the boy's head, the blonde assured him with words that he knew the bridge builder's grandson would remember.

"Hey…I always keep my promises… don't you worry," Naruto whispered. "Grow up strong so you can protect your family and those precious to you, okay. If you promise me that, I will keep my promise, and visit you…"

Tears streamed down Inari's face when he heard this and after nodding his head to the boy with a big smile on his face, turned and sprinted back to his mother.

"Don't forget about us!" he shouted, flying into his mom's waiting arms and turning back, waving. Naruto stood up, and after waving with everybody else, turned and headed on home. Hinata waved with the same enthusiasm as Naruto, with Shino also sparing one, turning away quickly to join his teammates. Hands in their pockets, the team left with smiles on their faces, and hopes raised high.

"It's not everyday you encounter people like them," Tazuna exclaimed, stepping forward and wrapping his arm around his daughter, who smiled up at him. "That kid Naruto in particular… he changed Inari's heart, and reached out to the villagers in our time of need… and in turn, Inari helped change the hearts of all of us, and united us. That boy created a bridge of courage, which led to hope, and one that I hope, will lead to a happy, peaceful and prosperous future for us all. They all spurred on that motion of courage, and ensured our freedom."

"Hey…" Tsunami looked up at her father, her face beaming with excitement. "We haven't named the bridge yet."

"Oh, that's right!" Tazuna's friend exclaimed beside him, glancing at the family. "What should we call the bridge?"

A moment of pause was held between them all, as they gazed over the bridge towards the departing ninja. It was as they were watching the small group disappear into the distance, a smile spread across Tazuna's face, and he looked around at his family and friends.

"I know what we can name it," he said, looking back at the ninja. "A name that i know everyone will remember, The Great Naruto Bridge, "The Bridge that Courage built"." Tsunami giggled and nodded her head.

"That's a great name!"

Tazuna's friend chuckled and folded his arms. "It's perfect…"

The old bridge builder sighed and rubbed the back of his head, before placing his hands on his hips, smiling proudly. "I know it's a great name, because I know it will never crumble, and someday, I know it will be a name that will be famous world wide!"

Back with Team 7, Naruto couldn't help but smile to himself, as a wave of positive energy flooded through him. He knew that feeling well, and unbeknownst to him, a single tear fell from his eye. Hinata saw it and looked at him with concern in her eyes.

"N-Naruto-kun? A-Are you okay?"

The boy sniffed and wiped his eyes, before gazing over at the purple haired girl. "I-I'm fine, Hinata-chan…"

Haku, sensing Naruto's mood and spotting the tear, smiled at him happily, joy filling the teen's face. "Love is the most powerful force on this planet," the boy exclaimed. "The fire that will never die; a warm glow that envelopes even the darkest of hearts, happiness, joy and everything good ascends from it. For someone who has experienced great pain, it is an even greater gift…"

Naruto smiled up at Haku, before the boy was then enveloped in a hug by Hinata as they continued walking. The young Genin accepted her hug, and returned it. Kurenai smiled at him and wiped her eye as well, clearing a few tears that have also fallen. Zabuza smiled joyfully at the kids, the same light that was coming from them being received by him. He had to admit, it was a good feeling. Shino of course, couldn't bare it anymore, and started bawling with happiness.

"Oh… stop it! You're making me cry!" the boy exclaimed, shocking everyone in the area. Reaching under his glasses, he wiped away more tears, sniffing. "I'm NOT crying! There's something in my eye!"

"God, I wish I had my camera right now," Naruto exclaimed, a grin forming on his face, before followed by full blown laughter. Hinata joined him, and soon afterwards, was joined by Haku and Kurenai.

The group made it off of the bridge, and was on route for Konohagakure. All of them were looking forward to home, but the new pair who had joined their column was still at a loss. While heading on up hill and further inland, away from the low lands, Zabuza and Haku dropped out of their smiles and feelings of ease, and began to worry a bit. However, being ninja, they refused to show it outwardly, and instead, kept it bottled up. It was until they were out of sight of the channel and the great bridge that either of them decided to voice their concern.

"So… what should we do now?" Zabuza asked, stopping in his tracks with Haku. Team 7, sensing them stop, turned around, seeing the swordsman and his apprentice standing side by side with each other. "We got our pay and bonus for this joint assignment, so our share in this venture is over. The question for us now though, is what to do with ourselves, now that this mission is over?"

"W-What?" Hinata began. "Y-You don't know what you're going to do next?"

"Zabuza-sama and I have no where to turn to, and no home. We relocate every day to avoid capture from Hunter Ninja, and so life is really hard for us, day in and day out," Haku stated. "Since we are no longer partners, we are rogue ninja again. We cannot risk your safety because of us, so we have to go…"

"Not necessarily," Naruto said, turning to his old friends. "If you are willing to leave this life behind you, perhaps I can offer you better alternative…"

Zabuza and Haku looked at each other, before glancing back down at the Genin.

"What exactly do you have in mind?" Zabuza asked.

"If you are interested, I can help make you a member of our ninja forces in Konoha," Naruto said, folding his arms. "I mean, we have a lot of weirdoes walking around, one more wouldn't hurt. Plus, you'll be safe in Konoha, and you will get immunity from the Hidden Mist Village." Kurenai sighed and shook her head, knowing that she would be the one catching hell for this at the end of the day. At the same time, she was thinking how Anko managed to put up with him.

"Do you think that's wise?" Shino asked Naruto, now back to his usual persona, and looking at Naruto from under the shadow of his glasses. "Can you really push your luck so far?"

"If there is hope, there is always a chance," Naruto said, smirking, and placing his hands on his hips. "So… what do you say Zabuza… we can always use an extra hand to help around the village. You'll be great!"

Zabuza thought for a moment, and looked back down at Haku, who also exchanged a thoughtful look with his master. After receiving a nod from his student, the masked warrior chuckled and looked back towards the blond student, grinning behind his mask.

"Sure… why not…" Zabuza stated, slipping his hands into his pockets. "So long as I get to keep my rank then I won't have any complaints."

"That's fine," Naruto grinned. "You guys can stay with me until you can find a place of your own…"

It didn't take much of an argument to get Zabuza and Haku moving again, and soon enough, after a prolonged discussion and supplies, then continued on for Konoha. Allowing the pair to get ahead of them, Naruto and Hinata fell to the back of the formation, with the Hyuuga girl raising a small issue with her teammate.

"I-Isn't your apartment only suitable for two people?"

"Yeah," Naruto said with a sigh, looking up towards the sky in doubt. "I'm already sleeping on the floor, and my last futon was taken by you and Sakura. Haru's got the bed, and Ryoko, when she moves out of my bathroom, gets the couch." The boy rubbed the back of his head and groaned. "Man… this is going to be a long haul…"

Hinata smiled at him, and shrugged. "Maybe it's time t-to find a new place?"

"I think you're right…"

Just as they continued to walk through the forest, Naruto felt a pain in his stomach and he stopped, clutching his gut where his eight trigrams seal was. Hinata also stopped and looked at him with concern, the rest of Team 7 moving on with Zabuza and Haku. Naruto staggered, and was then supported by Hinata, the girl looking even more worried when she saw the pained expression on his face, the boy panting slightly and sweat trickling down his face.

"N-Naruto-kun! W-What…"

"I-It's nothing. Go on ahead… I'll catch up…" He looked up at Hinata and grinned. "Go on…trust me…" Still a bit uncertain, the girl nodded to him and detached from the boy, leaving him in the middle of the clearing.

When Hinata was nearly out of his sight Naruto let out a sigh and stood to his full height. Feeling a pinch of chakra escape him, he looked into the forest to his right. When he did, he saw a ray of light hit a clearing beyond the path and through the trees, and within it, he spotted two figures standing there, ones he distinctly recognized.

A tall, blond haired man wearing the Konoha Jonin outfit, with a white trench coat with red flames, and a woman with long flowing red hair, wearing dark blue robes with a dark red apron, and the man's arm wrapped around her shoulders. Both of them were smiling at him, the Naruto knew that he was really going to get something his way in the future. With a gulp he turned and approached the pair in the clearing. Pushing his way through the branches, he stopped right in front of them, slipping his hands into his pockets, and smiling.

"I know you two…" Naruto said, smiling slightly. "Ero-Sennin told me…"

The two figures nodded towards him, with the older man giving him one of his most recognized smiles.

"Master always knew what to say to you when you were down, and even when you weren't, he always knew the appropriate things to say. It was one of his best traits, which was what he passed on in his teachings to you…son," Minato exclaimed.

Naruto sniffed and wiped his eyes on the back of his sleeve. "B-But… why now?"

"We had some time, so we came to see how our boy was doing," Kushina said, stepping forward and leaning over to look her son eye to eye. The young woman grinned and reached out, patting him on the head. Naruto felt a little surprised by the touch, but when he expected to feel nothing, he felt warmth spread through him, which made him smile in return. "You've grown so much… we've been watching, both your dad and me…"

Naruto grinned at them and smiled, blinking tears away. "Since you're here, you have something important you need to tell me."

"Pretty much…" Minato said, stepping forward and taking his wife by the shoulder again. Kushina sniffed and stood back upright, taking her husband's hand in hers and beaming down at their son. "We only have a minute or so for this projection, so we'll make it quick. You know your teacher, Anko… right?"

"Yeah,"Naruto nodded.

"Well, she needs help," Kushina said firmly, lacing her hands together. "The mark on her neck pains her still, the poison Orochimaru gave her remains, and leaves her vulnerable…"

"What should I do then?" Naruto asked.

"Return to your mother's homeland… there, you will find a solution," Minato said, giving his son a serious gaze. "You will know what it is when you find it; the Uzumaki Clan still has a lot of secrets hidden, and it is up to you to find them. But there are a lot of dangers ahead of you, and you will have to overcome them when they appear."

"Dangers?"

"I have planned this out from the beginning, but you still have to be careful," Minato stated. "What you find in Uzushiogakure may be more then just a solution to saving the village from destruction, but also the world…"

"So basically I will be walking into a trap?" Naruto said, deducing from his father's words. He was warned by Jiraiya that his father did love to talk in riddles as a means of deception, and being his son who had just met the man now, he knew his own words when he heard them.

Kushina giggled. "Yeah… I guess so. But hey… it's more fun that way." The mother and son shared a grin, and Minato smiled, looking down at his head to see it begin to fade away.

"Time's almost up," he said, looking up towards his son. "There are great trials ahead, son… so be careful."

Naruto nodded his head affirmatively. "Right… dad…" He let out a sigh and groaned, giving his dad an odd look. "Man… never thought I'd hear myself say that…"

Minato chuckled, his voice now fading as well. Kushina shook her head, and gave her son a loving smile, just as her image began to fade away. "It's so good to see you for the first time in years, Naruto. Just remember what we told you, and you will be fine. We're counting on you, son. We believe in you." Naruto quietly nodded, and watched as his parents' transparent images added away, and dissipated into the wind.

"Great trials ahead, huh?" Naruto looked down and pressed his hand against his stomach, feeling it twitch. "My parents are still with me. And they're telling me something…"

Turning on his heel, he headed back to the dirt road that would take him back to his friends and to Konohagakure.

TO BE CONTINUED…