Disclaimer — See Chapter One

A/N – I thank every reviewer and the people who added this story to their Favorites or Alerts. I'm also very sorry for the long wait. I lost interest for a while, but I will finish this tale. If anyone has any questions about the actions of the characters, or finds any mistakes, do tell me, ya?

A/N 2 – I will not be following a lot of the events after the Chuunin Exam, for various reasons. This is just to quell any responses of 'but it doesn't work like that.'

Chapter Three — A New Beginning

Knock-knock-knock.

Naruto's head popped up and hit the sticky underside of his table. He yelped and rubbed at the hurt, grimacing when his hand came away covered in goop.

"Eww…"

Knock-knock-KNOCK.

Naruto jumped again and crawled out from under his table. He started towards the door and froze at all the piles of dirty stuff everywhere. He gulped. 'If that's the old man, I'm dead! He told me to keep this place clean! Uh-oh…'

"U-Uh, just a minute!" The boy yelled, as he became a veritable whirlwind. Through a feat subconsciously using huge amounts of chakra, Naruto managed to make his apartment somewhat presentable in thirty seconds. He rushed to the door (he didn't know a dirty sock was clinging to the sticky stuff in his hair) and threw it open, expecting an annoyed and disappointed Hokage waiting for him on the other side.

Instead, he got a disdainful shinobi and a nervous foreigner. Naruto yelped again and fell on his butt. The motion caused the sock to dislodge and land on his nose. Naruto inhaled and made a face as he took the offensive sock and threw it into the closet by the door. The shinobi (a jounin, Naruto would later realize) sneered at him and disappeared, leaving the nervous lady—Yuna—behind. She bit repeatedly at her lip as Naruto stood. He gave her a curious look. Yuna decided to say something before he started questioning her.

"May I come in, Naruto?"

Naruto's jaw dropped and his eyes bugged out. His mouth tried and failed to work a few times as he found his voice again.

"You speak my language now!?"

Yuna winced at his loud question. The boy was loud enough to wake the dead—quite literally. She made a mental note to work on his volume.

"The Hokage taught me. He is very kind. May I come in?"

Naruto remembered his forgotten manners and stepped to the side, allowing her inside. Yuna walked in and wrinkled her nose as the stench of rotten food and unwashed clothing made itself known to her. Glancing at Naruto, she silently mouthed 'Esuna' and flicked her fingers. The putrid smell slowly dissipated, as if a breeze had taken it away. She sighed in relief while Naruto sniffed in confusion. He shrugged.

"I guess I just needed to open a window or something…"

Yuna found the main room and sat down on the moth-eaten couch. She frowned at the peeling wallpaper and yellowed ceiling. 'The Hokage was right. This is no place for a child.' Naruto splayed himself out on the floor across from her.

"So, Yuna-san, why are you here?"

Yuna looked at him for a moment and sighed heavily. How much could she tell him, a five-year-old boy? Bahamut had said nothing of what she should tell him should he question her reasons for being here, and though Naruto didn't mean the question in that respect, it still got her thinking. Bahamut had said her maternal instincts would be better than his intellect in these situations of sensitive nature, but she would have liked at least a suggestion.

Maybe she was taking this too seriously, but she would have to wing it.

"Well, Naruto, I am here to train and raise you."

His reaction was spectacular. His eyes lit up with hope and enthusiasm, and he grinned so wide she thought his head would split in two… for a second. Almost instantaneously, his expression blanked out. Naruto narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Why?"

His icy tone stabbed at Yuna's heart. What had this place done to him? 'No five-year-old should sound like that.'

"I Saw you."

The blonde arched his left eyebrow in confusion at the half-truth (though he didn't know that part).

"Saw? You mean when you saw me in the woods? Me hurting made you want me?"

"Even before that, Naruto. I can know the future under very certain circumstances. I know you are involved in my future. I know I supposed to train you in the forgotten art of summoning. Me meeting you in person only cemented that. I find you worthy of being a summoner."

Naruto looked at her intensely, as if trying to find the lie he knew was there. He glared at her harshly for a moment before he softened in desperation.

"Do you… Do you really mean it?"

Yuna smiled gently and nodded. Naruto stared at her for a while in amazement. Someone was there for him? Someone actually wanted to associate with him? Love him, even? It blew the child's mind. He decided then and there he would try. He would give this strange woman a chance. He launched himself at her and hugged her tight. He didn't want her to disappear, ever. He didn't want this to be a dream. Yuna vowed silently as she held him to keep Naruto as safe as she could until he could stand on his own.

Naruto pulled away after a moment, blushing in embarrassment. "Sorry." He said quietly. He mumbled something about going to bed before running off. Yuna sighed as she sat alone. She frowned. Naruto was much too light for his age. She had barely felt his weight when he leaned on her. She would have her work cut out for her to get him healthy so he could begin training.

Yuna lay down on the couch with another muttered 'Esuna' to clean it. Her makeshift bed was lumpy and uncomfortable, but Yuna enjoyed her first real night of sleep in a long time.

When Yuna woke the next morning, she panicked. Where was she? Where was Tidus, Rikku, everyone? Then she remembered; she was alive, in Konoha, and she had a little boy to train to fight against Sin. Yuna sat up slowly and sighed at her mussed hair and crumpled clothing. She got up and found the bathroom. She made herself presentable and made a mental note to get more clothing.

Yuna took the time to look around the apartment. 'It's in shambles. How could anyone live here, let alone a small boy?' She knew how though. Desperation would drive people to insane measures. She remembered her own search for Tidus. Before she lost herself completely in the memory her stomach growled, demanding food. Yuna chuckled and went to the kitchen to find something to make breakfast with.

What she found was excruciatingly disappointing.

The cabinets and little fridge were empty, save for four eggs, a carton of old milk, and what seemed to be an endless supply of ramen cups. 'How did I know they were ramen?' Yuna remembered the Hokage's spell, and chalked it up to that.

"Are you hungry, Yuna-san?"

Yuna whirled around in fright, one hand clutching her chest. She breathed a sigh in relief when it was only Naruto, fresh from bed with his hair even more chaotic than the day before. He seemed startled, staring at her with wide eyes. Did she not remember?

"Oh, Naruto, it's only you. I hadn't expected you to be so quiet when you woke up."

The scared look vanished, replaced by a proud yet sheepish expression. "Ano, I am going to be a ninja when I'm older. I have to be quiet, or I'll get caught."

'Ninja. That must be shinobi.'

Yuna and Naruto worked together to make breakfast; Yuna cooked the eggs after ensuring they were safe to eat, and Naruto heated up several cups of ramen. Yuna looked doubtfully at the steaming noodles for a moment before digging in. To her surprise, the noodles were delicious. Naruto grinned at the look on her face.

"A lot of people don't think it's good, but I know that ramen is the best food in the world!"

Yuna agreed with him wholeheartedly, causing the boy to smile. As the boy continued to eat, Yuna wondered why he was so trusting. Judging from the events in the forests, the majority of villagers harbored a great hatred for the boy; at least, what he represented. 'Perhaps the few bonds he has forged keep him innocent.'

"Yuna-san! Hey, are you listening?"

Yuna snapped from her thoughts and looked down at him. 'I'm still so used to time not mattering. I must learn to think on my feet again.'

"Yuna-san!"

"Yes, Naruto? I'm sorry, I was lost in thought."

Naruto pouted for a moment, and then brightened. "You said you were here to train me, Yuna-san. What were going to train me in?"

Yuna bit her lip as she tried to think of how to phrase it.

"Well, Naruto, I'm going to train you in the art of Summoning. It's a long forgotten art, and you will need to be healthy before we begin."

"But Yuna-san, I am healthy! And we already have summoning here! I've seen the old man summon monkeys before."

Naruto gesticulated wildly as he spoke, and Yuna shook her head with a smile before continuing, "You are not as healthy as you need to be, but a little time will fix that. The art of summoning that I will teach you is very different from the Hokage's technique. I'll show you some day soon; it's really too hard to explain."

Naruto pouted again, but quickly brightened. Yuna felt that the next years would be very… interesting.

Two days later, Naruto and Yuna moved out of the tiny apartment into one triple its size. There were several bedrooms, a large main area consisting of a living room, kitchenette and laundry cove, and two bathrooms. The owner of the building knew Naruto's secret, but he was also sensible; any way you put it, he thought, treat the kid right. If he were the demon, then he might be spared for his hospitality. If he were human, then he would one day have a happy shinobi in his building, as everyone knew the kid would be nothing but a ninja. A happy shinobi was good for security. With these thoughts in mind, he showed them one of the best apartments with a smile. Yuna had been glad that some of the villagers had seen past mob mentality.

If only the storeowners would be so intelligent. Most stores wouldn't allow Naruto in the premises, and those that did would overcharge him for unfit goods. Yuna grew sick of it after the third store and bought everything by herself and decided to make all the clothing Naruto would need. It would be a lengthy process, but it would be worth it, she thought.

The Hokage visited during those days and the ones after it. He questioned Yuna extensively about her world, summoners, and Sin. What he learned made him grim, but he always managed to smile when a little blond ball of energy came into the room. It saddened Sarutobi greatly to know that Naruto had to face Orochimaru, either as a creature of monumental power or as a Sannin. He had hoped his old student wouldn't bother with Konoha, but he knew inside that Orochimaru would want revenge for the slight of not being chosen as Yondaime.

Over the weeks that passed, Naruto quickly grew healthy enough to begin training, and Yuna quickly grew very nervous. What if she couldn't teach him? It was different teaching her companions how to heal a wound, or banish a poison. She would be instructing a child in the most difficult profession of her world. She knew in her heart that all would be well in the end (Bahamut had said she would succeed if she believed, and she didn't doubt him anymore), but it was the journey there that made her stop and breathe before she panicked.

Another thing that made her jumpy was the demonstration of her abilities. Sandaime had asked her to show what a summoner could do. She had confidence in her abilities, to be sure, but she couldn't help being nervous. It had been too long since she had summoned an aeon.

The wind blew through the trees and rustled the leaves; it was the only noise in Training Area #21; a small field. Yuna sighed as a passing cloud covered the sun. 'This is it. I can do this.'

Yuna had already demonstrated her abilities in white magic, healing and curing many patients at the hospital. She proved her ability with buffs, managing to boost a talented genin's abilities to the point where he defeated his jounin sensei in a spar. She hid the abilities her companions taught her long ago, not sure if she still had the skills to pull them off.

All that was left was the Summoning.

Yuna stood up and grasped Nirvana determinedly. She walked to the middle of the area and allowed the staff to hang limp for a moment as she concentrated. Something inside told her she would need it. Then, she danced. Sandaime and Naruto watched in awe as she moved round and round, finding familiar steps with every motion. She twirled her staff in her fingers, and felt energy ball in her belly. Suddenly it all came flooding back, and Yuna moved the power through her veins up to her staff, her focus. A pattern, Valefor's pattern, formed at her feet, and Yuna finished her dance with a flourish. The pattern moved and flashed, multi-colored lights doming around Yuna's body. Four lights shot up into the sky, and for a moment, all was quiet as everyone in the clearing looked up.

An animalistic cry echoed over Konoha, and a large creature descended from the heavens. She, for it was so obviously a girl, landed next to Yuna heavily, stumbling a bit as if she had not flown in a long time. "Valefor." Yuna breathed, and the great bird looked up. Immense joy lit up Valefor's eyes as she moved towards Yuna with a soft croon. Yuna hugged her and patted her beak softly, reminiscing all of sudden about battles fought long ago.

"Very impressive, Yuna." The Hokage said, staring at the bird with a critical eye. "Naruto will certainly have a difficult road ahead of him, if he is to learn this art and the art of the ninja." Valefor shot into the air and glided towards the blond. Naruto was absolutely speechless. His jaw was on the ground, and his face seemed to twitch every few seconds. Valefor landed much more gracefully next to him, then bent her head to look at her new Summoner. He seemed to come alive all of a sudden, and stumbled back. The five-year-old tripped over a root and fell on his butt, staring with wide eyes. Valefor leaned very close, and sniffed his hair lightly. Her breath tickled Naruto, and he giggled very quietly. Valefor stood up again and crowed. She liked what she'd found in the boy. He would make a worthy Summoner.

"Wh-What's it doing?" Naruto said, the first thing he'd said since Yuna had started dancing.

"She is saying she likes you. Her name is Valefor." Yuna said quietly. She was tired; the Summoning had taken all of her remaining energy. 'I'm out of shape. I'll need to train myself.'

"It's a she? How can you tell?" Valefor crowed again as Yuna blushed very slightly; Tidus had asked that very same question once. "Well…"

"It's the way she acts, Naruto. A male wouldn't have acted as she did." Yuna sighed in relief and nodded along with the Hokage's words. Valefor took the time to start grooming Naruto's hair with her beak.

"Like what she's doing now with my hair?" Naruto asked. It felt nice, even if the big bird tugged too hard.

"Yes, like what she's doing with your hair." Yuna sat down very slowly on the ground and set Nirvana across her knees. The Hokage nodded again. "What is this Valefor capable of?"

"Well, she isn't elementally aligned, so she can't be taken down by any one element…"

Well, that's it. Not worth the wait, I bet, but it felt like a good place to stop.

Writer's block. I hadz it. Now I don't, though I do have few ideas I'd like to pass around.

First idea, I was thinking about having Sasuke coming to live with Yuna and Naruto. Seeing as I am using a Yuna who has learned many of her companions' augments, I figured I would have him learn another of the groups' path. What do you guys think? Should I do it?

The others are but embryos, so I won't say them yet.

Oh, the young time of Naruto shall pass quickly. The Academy should start in a few chapters. Fun fun fun.

Reviews for the poor writer? They make me feel all happy, and attack my writer's block.

I'm off to research. Cha!