A/N: Update date - 6/30/10. This chapter was pretty hard to write, but several parts were very enjoyable, and I can't wait to see what your reactions are.
To my reviewers: Thank you once again! I loved hearing from each and every one of you. I said before that this story is not outlined (aside from general ideas and eventual scenes), so your suggestions might very well end up in the story. I meant it; some of the stuff you'll see in this chapter are influenced by or appear as a result of your suggestions. As hard as it is to write a story without an outline, it can be really fun sometimes. If you guys want to hear more about that, let me know.
You'll also notice that I am largely disregarding recent manga revelations regarding the Kyuubi attack; there are several reasons for this. One, I can't wait another week to see what happens, and two, if I followed canon here, it wouldn't work out very well for my purposes. I have a specific scene in mind for that part, and I can't do it if I follow canon.
So, my reviewers for Chapter 8 were...
.Alpha, ShamaLamaDingDong, empire14, THE-complete-zelda-fan, TsubasaWitch, luckycomet09, BloodKitsune11, Jamie-LuvsFanfiction, Shinigami, wind dancer1981, the DragonBard. Thank you guys!
Now for personal responses:
ShamaLamaDingDong: The second to last scene is actually a result of your review. Just for you ;)
TsubasaWitch: Iwa didn't give up. It didn't surrender or even accept terms that were unfavorable to it, it just accepted peace instead of continuing the war. The biggest factor, really, is the morale; the Yellow Flash just owned a large advance force single handedly, there's rumored to be a SECOND Yellow Flash (confirmed when Naruto shows up to negotiate), Suna declares peace with Konoha (that's a BIG deal; Konoha can now focus all of its attention on Iwa, and with twice the forces), and then they hear reports of a whole supply cache being burned by BLACK flames.
Shinigami: The only reason Konoha actually went through with Kumo's demands is because they were weak and Kumo was strong. Here, the circumstances will be different. Plus Hinata would personally go and kick Kumo's ass if a repeat incident were to occur. And as for Kumo...you'll see.
Without further ado, enjoy!
Chapter 9: Revelations
-October 10th, 207-
Masaru, the Yondaime Kazekage, stood on his balcony with his wife, Karura, and their newest son, Gaara. Admiring the sight of his wife carrying his son, the new Ichibi jinchuuriki, he was reminded of the great debt he owed that time-traveling blond. Placing an arm around Karura's shoulders, he viewed the brilliant night sky from one of Suna's highest points, which he repeatedly boasted as the best view in the world.
The moment was broken when a bright whitish-red light shone on the horizon in the direction of the Land of Fire, startling even the Kazekage. "What's that?" his wife whispered, fearful.
"I have no idea…but it almost seems…demonic…"
00.000.00
-Present Time-
Naruto returned to a hero's welcome amidst a high-spirited festival. All of Team Kakashi was there to congratulate him, much to the blond's pleasure. He quickly diverted much of the attention to his two accompanying diplomats, saying that they were the true heroes for doing the hard and boring parts. Kakashi-jisan couldn't help but chuckle at his student's antics, and even the formerly stoic Sasuke enjoyed a few laughs.
Once he was clear of the immediate crowd, Naruto suddenly had two arms flung over his shoulders, scaring the teen out of his wits. He immediately assumed he had been ambushed by fangirls, but a quick look at his sides revealed none other his parents beaming at him.
"We really have to thank you, Naruto," said Kushina. "Well, aside from two peace treaties, I mean. You got us two extensions on our honeymoon. We're not the kind to let such an act go unreturned."
"And as my gift," said Minato, earning a glare from Kushina, "I'm going to teach you the Flying Thunder God technique." To prove this, he held up one of his famed special kunai.
Though Naruto felt immensely content, he felt a little guilty, deep down. "Umm…Minato? Kushina? Is there a place where we could talk in private?"
They were puzzled by the request at first, but quickly complied. A few minutes later, they arrived at the couple's suite. Taking seats across from each other, Naruto stared at the floor, wondering how to break the news to his unknowing parents. "What's wrong, Naruto? You look more depressed than I've ever seen you…" said Kushina.
"Well…it's not for no reason…I mean it's not every day you turn the worlds of people you care about upside down…"
Minato and Kushina were starting to get nervous. What is going on? Minato thought.
"I guess there's no good way of saying this…basically, what I'm going to tell you is completely true, and you can ask the Hokage if you don't believe me. Look, I want to apologize…I've been lying to both of you since the day I met you."
I don't understand, thought Kushina, he seems so genuine…what could he possibly be lying about?
"I'm not your cousin, Minato. The truth is…I'm not from this time. I'm from the future, and I arrived in this time by accident."
For once in his life, the Yellow Flash of Konoha couldn't think of anything to say. Huh? Okay, from the future? Is that even possible? Well…come to think of it, a lot of things would make sense…
"You're really…from the future?" asked Kushina. Naruto saw the worried expression on her face, causing him to frown. She considered him family even before she married Minato.
"Yes. I know it sounds crazy, and I know I must sound crazy, but it's the truth. So…like I said, I'm not your cousin…" He paused, knowing what he was about to say would change everything in ways he couldn't imagine. "…I'm your son."
The couple's eyes went wide and their mouths agape. For Minato, many random pieces of information began to fall into place. The Sage Mode, completing the Rasengan, his looks, his skill with seals, the way he acted like he knew me from the moment he saw me…woah…
Kushina's head was spinning. I just got married, and I have a son? But…there's no denying it…he has just as large an appetite for ramen as I do…and there's only one way to explain that.
Naruto fidgeted nervously under his parents' shocked expressions. He had assumed the worst, that his parents wouldn't be able to cope with the situation, or that they would never have a parent-son relationship. He wouldn't blame them, he had long since decided, because this situation was beyond surreal. How could he possibly expect them to treat him like a son when they hadn't met him until he was 17? But for a brief moment, an epiphany crossed his mind. I treated my parents like my parents since the minute I met them. Then again, a few minutes was all I ever had…
"Well, that explains how you could keep up with me in a ramen eating competition." The teen looked up to see his mother smiling. "Though I can't fathom how hard that must have been for you, spending time with us without being able to tell us who you really were."
Minato and Kushina walked over and hugged their son, who reveled in an experience he had never had in his life, yet always wanted. "You've already made us more proud than you could imagine," said his father. "And I bet you've got loads of awesome stories to tell us, right?"
Naruto's expression suddenly took a turn for the worse, much to the parents' confusion. "Sort of…" he said, his voice wrought with pain.
They gave him a little space, but the concern in their faces only deepened. "What do you mean, Naruto?" asked Kushina.
The blond teen stared at the floor once more, his voice barely above a whisper. "When I walked with you after that battle, Dad, and when I talked with you on the village walls, Mom, I was so happy…because I guess it was my first time really meeting you guys…"
The meaning of that admission wasn't lost on the couple, but Minato needed to know for certain. "Do you mean…that we both died when you were little?"
Their son's gaze never left the floor. "The day I was born."
For the newlywed couple, this was almost too much to bear. Not only had they both died, but they had left their son alone his entire life…
"But I swear, I'm not going to let that happen this time." They looked up to see a determined look in the teen's eye. "I have the power to stop it, and I'll be damned if I'm going to lose you again."
The declaration brought smiles to his parents' eyes. "I can see you've inherited your mother's determination," commented his father.
They all smiled; it was going to be a long and difficult road to recovery, but for the first time, they would do it as a family.
00.000.00
Hinata smiled as she watched her love walk with his parents, arm in arm. If there was anyone who deserved a second chance with his family, it was him.
"Don't tell me you've got an interest in him too?" said her father.
She knew exactly what he meant by 'interest,' and would have cracked up were it not for her years of emotional training. "I would certainly hope so, he's my boyfriend."
Her parents were taken aback at this. "You two started a relationship? When?" asked Hitomi.
"Well, that's where it gets complicated. You could say a year ago, or you could say 17 years in the future. Your choice, really."
Hitomi laughed. "It seems you are rather full of surprises, Hinata-san. He's from the future as well?"
"Yes. He's Namikaze Minato's son, actually. But as I'm sure you're aware, that's part of the S-rank secret."
They nodded, clearly impressed with the recent revelations. "I'm very curious about how he managed to secure peace treaties with both Suna and Iwa in such a short time. Seeing as the Hyuuga are often requested for diplomatic missions, we'll have to ask him for advice. He must be a master of negotiation."
Hinata couldn't hold her laughter in any longer. To her parent's utter confusion, she keeled over, paralyzed by the humor of that request.
00.000.00
"Let's do the water balloon toss!" yelled Itachi. Sasuke walked with his family throughout the festival, with Itachi sitting on his shoulders.
"Sure," replied Sasuke.
As the family walked over, the teen had a bad feeling nagging at him in the back of his mind. Before he could give it serious thought, the stall owner handed him a bucket of water balloons. Itachi turned out to have pretty good aim, and nailed several targets. On the last balloon, Sasuke suddenly found his head drenched in water, and looked up to see a greatly amused boy clapping his hands together while cracking up.
Even Mikoto and Fugaku couldn't mask their laughter, forcing Sasuke to join them. "Laugh it up, Itachi. But I'm going to get you back for this. Mark my words…I'll get my revenge," he said with a smile.
"What? You'll make my hair as weird as yours, Sasuke-nii-san?"
Such a reversal caused a surprised expression to appear on Sasuke's face, but he grinned after a moment. "It'll be so bad, you'll have to wear a hat for a month."
00.000.00
Several hours later, the Uchiha family headed for home. They walked in companionable silence, which was promptly broken by the blond force of nature Sasuke had come to know as 'Naruto.'
"Oi! Sasuke-teme!"
Fugaku and his family turned to see the blond hero approach them in a rather carefree manner. He also noticed, much to his surprise, the Yellow Flash and his wife walking alongside the teen. Sasuke-teme? What?
"Naruto? What…?" Sasuke didn't want to finish that question, knowing that it would at the very least arouse suspicion.
"Can we talk with Sasuke in private for a few minutes, Fugaku-san?" asked Minato. The clan head nodded, though the confused expression remained, much to Naruto's amusement.
"I'll meet you back at the house," Sasuke told his parents.
After the group moved to a secluded area, Naruto began the conversation. "I think it's time I removed those seals."
Sasuke looked at his friend, perplexed. His gaze shifted nervously between Naruto and his parents, and the blond teen understood the gesture.
"They know the full truth, Sasuke. And if the way you were walking with your family is any indication, you're back to your good-old, idiot bastard self. I'll remove the rest of the seals now, if you don't mind." While Naruto had removed one of the seals after he was satisfied Sasuke wasn't going to go berserk or run away, he hadn't fully regained his trust in the man until recently.
After awkwardly lifting up his shirt, Sasuke cringed in pain as his chakra surged throughout his body for the first time in weeks. He activated his Sharingan and smiled at his friend. "Thanks."
"You're welcome, teme. Oh, by the way, have you seen Hinata lately?"
"Huh? Yeah, she was with the crowd in your welcoming committee. It shouldn't be too hard for you to find her, you seemed to have no trouble finding me all the damn time."
"Hn."
Sasuke gasped. "Wait, did you just grunt?"
Naruto's eyes bulged as he realized what had just happened. "Oh SHI—Sasuke, let us never speak of this moment again."
"Agreed."
The Uchiha flickered away, and Naruto's parents laughed at their son. "So, who was that?"
"My old teammate. Now…" Naruto struck a thinking pose that Kushina and Minato found adorable. "Got it. Give me a minute." He then plopped a squat right on the spot, eyes closed. Kushina opened her mouth to ask something, but Minato quickly covered it with his hand.
"He's going into Sage Mode," whispered Minato. Less than half a minute later, Naruto stood up, revealing red silhouettes around his yellow, toad-like eyes.
"Found her. Why don't I introduce you guys? Follow me."
In a matter of minutes, the trio located the Hyuuga family near the Hyuuga compound. Naruto almost facepalmed at how obvious that should have been to him, but decided to hold off on self-castration. She sensed him immediately, and pointed him out to her parents.
"Hitomi-san, Hiashi-san, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend, Namikaze Naruto," she said with a huge grin.
"And I'd like you to meet Hinata-chan," Naruto said to his parents. He took her hint, and knew not to refer to Hinata's parents as such. "She's the best cook you'll ever find and one hell of a kunoichi."
Genuinely pleasant greetings were exchanged, but both Naruto and Hinata were stuck with a rather frustrating dilemma. For Hinata, she couldn't mention that Minato and Kushina were Naruto's parents because she wasn't sure if they already knew, and for Naruto, he couldn't mention that fact because he wasn't sure if Hinata's parents knew. Finally, they realized that they were thinking along the same lines nonverbally and nodded. "It's nice to meet the parents of this incredible man," said Hinata. "I've always wondered who could have produced such a strong willed, compassionate shinobi."
The parents in question were embarrassed by the flattery, but grinned all the same. "Thank you, Hinata," said Kushina, "but I believe Naruto here deserves most of the credit." She had been worrying the entire night, trying to imagine what her son's life must have been like. Without any parents (though Naruto never mentioned any siblings, either), it must have been hard. But she repeatedly tried to assure herself that it couldn't have been too bad, considering how well he had turned out, and that the entire village must have helped him every step of the way as the son of the Yellow Flash. Surely Rin, Obito, and Kakashi would have taken care of him and even trained him, right? Still, Naruto did deserve most of the credit. Aside from giving birth to him, she hadn't done a thing in his life, and neither had her husband.
"Why don't you join us for some tea?" asked Hitomi. "It would be an honor to invite potential family into our home."
Naruto paled. Tea? At the HYUUGA compound? Oh Kami—
"That would be wonderful, Hitomi-san." The blond teen glared at his mother, shocked by her betrayal.
00.000.00
"Come on Jisan, there's got to be SOME cool stories you can share with us," pleaded Obito.
Kakashi-jisan had walked with his team to a secluded clearing to enjoy the night sky. All three of his 'students' stared at him expectantly, eager to hear stories from the future.
"Well…hmm…" To be honest, Kakashi-jisan thought, there weren't many happy stories he could share without spawning a slew of questions or needing a ton of context. "Why don't I tell you about my own genin team? Surprisingly, they were a lot like you three." He grinned inwardly, they were hooked. "First, there was the cool, callous genius who cared about power and personal advancement. He," Kakashi pointed at his younger self, "was a lot like you and me. He initially looked at his teammates as nothing more than a burden, though he did grow out of that eventually. For a time, anyway…and then, there was the smart kunoichi, who suffered from an enormous crush over the team's genius despite receiving a cold shoulder each and every time." Kakashi-jisan took great pleasure at lookin at Rin the whole time, who was sweating under the attention of her teammates. "She never even noticed the true feelings of her other teammate, who held a crush of his own for her." Yes, Kakashi loved dropping hints whenever possible. "Perhaps not surprisingly, she went on to become a skilled medic-nin. And finally, we had Konoha's number-one-unpredictable-knucklehead ninja. He pulled pranks of epic scale in his academy days, and was just about as clueless and slow as you could possibly imagine. On our first day together, I had them do a teamwork test with the same bells I used in our practices. All teamwork disappeared on the spot when I lied to them, saying that whoever didn't get a bell by noon would get sent back to the academy."
"And they eventually learned the true purpose of the test, and put up a good fight?" asked Obito.
The older Kakashi merely chuckled in response. "Not at all. The so called genius went it alone and failed, the kunoichi fawned over her crush and embarrassed herself, and the knucklehead…" He laughed again before continuing. "Fell for every trick in the book. Right from the start of the test, he walked up to me, demanding a 'fair and square' fight, right there, right then. He got his butt handed to him so badly, I don't think he even realized how it happened. Then I used a genjutsu to make it seem as if I had dropped the bells by a tree, and the idiot made a beeline for them. Naturally, his foot got caught in a simple rope loop trap. He cut himself free, only to fall into yet another trap. They all failed miserably."
Kakashi-kun's eye stared at him in disbelief. "What? But I thought you said that this was your genin team? If you failed them, then how did they stay?"
"Well, I decided to give them one last chance. I tied the knucklehead to a stump, telling the genius and the kunoichi that Naruto would not be allowed to eat for trying to steal the lunches—which he actually tried to do—and that they'd get a second chance after lunch. Against my instructions, they both offered part of their lunches to the knucklehead, and when I confronted them, they claimed that they were a team and all needed their strength for their second chance. After that, I passed them."
Rin laughed at the irony. "Wow, sounds like a bunch of misfits and egotistical idiots if you ask me. What happened to them?" she asked, suddenly wary of yet another story about death.
Kakashi-jisan actually grinned in response. "Actually, you're spot on. They were a bunch of misfits and egotistical idiots. Of course, as you would probably expect, they were an utter failure of a team later on."
It was Obito's turn to laught now, he almost expected his 'sensei' to say that his team became legendary ninjas.
"But here's the funny part," said Kakashi-jisan, interrupting the thoughts of his team. "You see, their ultimate act of failure as a team is the very reason why I'm here telling this story to you right now. My genin team members' names are Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Namikaze Naruto. And you owe them your lives."
What? they all thought in unison.
"You mean that same pink-haired, master medic, student-of-Tsunade-of-the-Sannin Sakura is that egotistical, idiotic kunoichi from your story?" asked Rin.
"And that guy who just struck two peace treaties with Iwa and Suna is that arrogant knucklehead?" asked Obito.
"And that guy I've never heard of was the genius?" asked Kakashi-kun.
All three turned to stare at Kakashi-kun in disbelief. "Did you just make a joke, Kakashi?" asked the Uchiha.
"What?" the teen in question asked. He looked at each of his teammates, confused. "Why is that such a big deal?"
00.000.00
Mikoto was very surprised when she walked into Sasuke's room to find him already asleep. It wasn't that late, she thought, so he must have had a tiring day. Then again, he had been playing with Itachi all night. She quietly placed his clean clothes near his bead, and turned to leave when a voice stopped her dead in her tracks.
"Nii-san…why…"
It was faint, almost dreamy, but distressed. Mikoto didn't want to intrude, but her curiosity got the better of her. Sasuke started thrashing in his sleep; she deduced that he was either going through a terrible nightmare, or he was reliving a horrible memory…she hoped it was the former.
"…just for that…you killed everyone?"
She froze, terrified at what she was hearing. This teen was from the future, and she and her husband had discussed the hints that the Hokage had dropped when they were told the secret. Whatever had happened to the Uchiha clan in the future, it was bad.
"…scared…no…Nii-san…don't kill me…"
Unable to hold her shock in, she gasped. What in Kami's name happened to this child?
"…wait…"
Mikoto couldn't take it anymore, and shook the teen out of his sleep. She flinched when he awoke with an absolutely terrified expression on his face, but was confused when his expression turned to shock as he continued to stare at her.
"Kaa-s…" Sasuke's eyes bulged even wider, right along with Mikoto's.
Kaa-san? she thought, what does he…oh Kami! Neither said anything for a while as the two continued to stare at each other, each wondering if their suspicions were correct. Finally, she broke the silence. "Sasuke…I know that you're from the future, but…was I…am I…y-your m-mother?"
Sasuke was frozen in shock, but after a few moments he brought himself to give a slight nod, his expression never changing. Mikoto's mind was reeling; this teen was her son all along? She fell backwards, supporting her weight by placing an arm behind her. All of the information she'd learned about him up until now slowly began to form a picture in her mind's eye. The teen had been very shy at first, yet looked at her—his—family with wonder, as if he were looking at ghosts. His time around Itachi in particular seemed to bring out far-off looks and complicated expressions. "S-sasuke? Y-you're my s-son?" She needed confirmation, first and foremost.
Once again, he nodded. Unable to contain her emotion any longer, she embraced him, tears spilling out of her eyes. Whatever his early life had been like, she knew, it had not been happy. Sasuke could scarcely remember the last time he had had physical contact like this, let alone from his family. As tears stung his eyes, he decided to let go of the countless emotional barriers he had placed around himself throughout his life and returned his mother's gesture.
00.000.00
Kakashi-jisan grinned at the three kids before him. They had all grown very close in the past few weeks, and Kakashi of all people knew how drastic a change that was. Sharing stories of the future with his team—and now, he supposed, students—had done wonders for all of them, especially the older Kakashi. Whereas he once looked back upon his life with regret, guilt, and pain, none of that was present now. He could even recall the tragic memories and figuratively replace them with the pleasant memories he was now gaining.
"Jisan?" All eyes diverted to Rin, who asked the question with noticeable distress.
"Hm?"
"You told me about the Kyuubi attack on Konoha, and how Minato-sensei stopped it, but…how is this time going to be any different? From what you told me, the Kyuubi's power is beyond our imagination, and even Minato-sensei had to sacrifice himself to seal it away…"
This information was news to Obito and the younger Kakashi, who stared at in with confusion and fear in their eyes. "Jisan?" Obito asked. "What's Rin talking about?"
Kakashi-jisan sighed before answering. Even these memories are still painful to think about. "When I was fourteen, Konoha was attacked by the Kyuubi no Youko, without warning. The Kyuubi is a bijuu; a beast made up entirely of demonic chakra. It is the most powerful of the nine tailed beasts, and only one person in Konoha had any hope of stopping it. Minato-sensei, who was the Yondaime Hokage, went to combat the beast, but its power was even beyond him. What was truly tragic about the situation is that Kushina-nee-san had just given birth to their son. She never even got to hold him…" Kakashi tried to stifle the pain, but it was too overwhelming. "The village was under attack, and Minato only had one option, once chance at saving the village. He would have to seal the Kyuubi away within a child, at the cost of his life. He took his son within the same minute he was born, quickly explained his plan, kissed his wife goodbye, and went to his death. Shinobi were dying by the second, trying to hold off the beast until Minato-sensei could arrive.
"But even with the most powerful sealing technique known to man, the Kyuubi was too powerful. Knowing this, Kushina-nee-san, who was in absolutely no condition to fight after just giving birth, went out to join her family on the battlefield. Her chakra is special, you see, and she has a ton of it. It has inherent sealing properties, much like people have nature affinities, and she used the last of her strength and chakra to hold down the Kyuubi while the sealing process occurred and completed the seal with Minato-sensei. They both died within minutes of each other, and their son was left alone from the day he was born, a jinchuuriki of the beast that had destroyed so many lives in Konoha. As you could imagine, that boy grew up shunned and hated by nearly all of the villagers, who viewed him as the reincarnation of the Kyuubi, or something like that. Because Minato-sensei and Kushina-nee-san never got married, and because the baby itself was a secret, few people ever knew of the boy's heritage, and the boy himself didn't find out until he was 16. Because Minato-sensei had many enemies from the war, everything about the boy's past was kept a secret, even from him."
Rin hadn't heard that part; her knowledge consisted of only basic information of the Kyuubi attack. "That's…horrible…"
"Indeed. But against all odds, he grew up to be a happy man, and won the admiration of every villager in Konoha. He ended up saving the village twice before he was 17. Rin, you asked how it's going to be different this time?" He had their full attention now. "It's going to be different because he is going to make sure of it. That boy is Minato-sensei's son, Namikaze Naruto, the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki of the future."
Kakashi-kun's single visible eye widened. "You mean that Naruto, the guy who brokered the peace treaties, and the guy who walked with us after the mission at Kannabi Bridge, is not only Sensei's son, but the Kyuubi jinchuuriki as well?"
"Yes. He's the most powerful shinobi I've ever seen, and he'd give up his life before he'd let anything happen to those he cares about. And, well…I'm here too."
00.000.00
"So, Naruto-san, I've heard of your legendary diplomatic exploits in the recent weeks, and I'm very curious…how did you manage to succeed? For you to have made peace settlements with two countries that we were at war with within two weeks shows that you are a master of skills that I can't even fathom," said Hiashi.
Minato turned to his son with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, I'm very curious to hear about that as well, Naruto."
Kushina, seeing the opportunity, added her own pressure. "I want to hear all about how my son became such a master negotiator."
Naruto calmly took a sip of tea as his mind tried to stifle the panic rising from his chest. He could clearly see Hinata trying to stifle her giggles. "Hmm…well…I'm not sure really. I kinda just asked them, you know?"
Hinata didn't even try to hold back her laughter at the sight of everyone staring at Naruto in disbelief. This was too funny to be possible.
"What?" he asked, confused.
"You just asked them, and they signed peace agreements in the middle of a war?" Kushina, known for her bluntness, didn't hesitate to ask the obvious question.
Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Erm…yeah. I said that war just didn't make any sense for them, and that peace was helpful to everyone, and that I could level their village in a day if I wanted to, and—"
"What?" Kushina, yet again, asked the obvious (and somewhat rude) questions. "You threatened to level their village in a day? And they believed you?"
"Well, I could have, I mean, it wouldn't be that hard…" Naruto completely misinterpreted the agape mouths and revised his claim, swinging his hands back and forth in front of him in a defensive gesture. "N-n-not that I would ever do that, of course! N-no, I wouldn't want to kill all those people, I don't want to kill anybody, that would just be horri—"
"Naruto-kun." Hinata's soft whisper stopped the blond's clueless ramblings immediately, much to everyone's surprise. "No one believes that you would have done that, they are merely surprised at the fact that you could do it."
Naruto calmed down after a few moments, visibly deflating. "Oh."
00.000.00
After wishing the Namikaze family farewell and saying goodnight to Hinata, Hitomi and Hiashi retired to their bedroom. Laying in bed, Hitomi began processing the information she had gleaned in the past day. She had an odd feeling, like as she started thinking about all the facts and events of the day, the random bits of information began forming something consistent, yet she couldn't figure out what it was…
Hiashi turned to his wife, immediately alert and concerned when her heard her gasp. "Hitomi-koi, what's wrong?"
She returned his gaze, a worried and distressed expression plastered all over her features. "I think…I think Hinata may be our daughter…"
A/N: Yeah, I used "Kaa-san" instead of "Mother," I know. I might start just going with that, considering how I've been using other honorifics too.
Anyway, my version of the Kyuubi attack is different from canon, but I've tried to do justice to all characters involved.
I apologize in advance if you find Naruto's/Sasuke's parents' reactions to be underwhelming or not what you expected. Those were by far the hardest parts to write, and you have to keep in mind that many, many interactions between them occurred off-page (as in, not covered in my chapters), so they would all be closer than you might think. Don't worry, you'll see plenty more interaction between them all, trust me. PLENTY more.
Sasuke talked in his sleep because he was reliving the worst memory of his life; that nightmare was a direct result of spending so much time with Itachi, coming to certain personal realizations in that regard, and seeing the boy right before going to sleep. You'll notice that everything Sasuke said in his sleep was actually said (or in one case thought) during the Uchiha Massacre, in that order.
Please review, and PLEASE let me know what you think. Taking a minute or two to type out detailed responses really makes my day, and you guys get longer chapters with less wait in between them as a result. Like I said before, suggestions CAN end up in this story, and already have many times.
Until next time!
