A/N: Update Date: 7/1/10. Well, this chapter was HARD to write. I mean exhausting. By the end, I was just struggling to keep at it. I don't know why, but I kind of lost the enthusiasm that I had with previous chapters...don't fret, though, because the hard part's probably over.

A bit of forewarning: There are manga spoilers in this chapter. If you don't mind being spoiled about the next four anime episodes, then enjoy the chapter. Otherwise, I recommend skipping from when Naruto's second memory starts to the second to last scene. But honestly, there are plenty of spoilers as it is.

As I mentioned before, I'm making use of pharaoh-90's "Memory Room" story device from his two-shot of the same name, which you should read. Do it. I loved using it, but sometimes it gets really tedious basically putting canon events/pictures/dialogue into words, and then putting character reactions to them within. Chances are, I'll either skip over describing canon scenes (and just skip straight to the reactions) or I'll resort to old fashoined story telling. Or both.

Those of you who read the manga will note two things: One, there's a lot of canon material repeated in this chapter; please read it, because there's a REASON I put it in here, and there's my own stuff mixed in. The second thing you'll notice is that there are a few changes that I made to canon events; these are minor so don't worry about them.

I hope you guys like this chapter, because it was a b**** to write.

For those of you who may not specialize in subtlety, remember that Naruto and Co. are 17; NOT 16. In other words, one year older than current canon events. Meaning that Naruto's relationship with the Kyuubi has had plenty of time to change.

BIG NOTE: I've changed the perspective of the memories to first person; you'll see "I" used instead of "he" like with Kakashi's memory. Reasons: It's more fitting, and frees up the use of a very important word.

My reviewers from last chapter were:

yarra, ShamaLamaDingDong, I'm Smiley-chan, Ayase Reincarnated, Shi No T3nshi, Shinigami, wind dancer1981, HolyKnight5, empire14, luckycomet09, .Alpha, DrgnMstr, Frostius, elvesdragon, Taiki, Icecce, BKwriter.

Wow, thank you guys! I broke 100 reviews, which is WAAAAAY better than I ever expected when I began this fic.

Personal Responses:

HolyKnight5: Oh yes indeed. He will.

Shinigami: What the Kazekage/Karura saw was not the Kyuubi itself; that would be flat out impossible. No, they saw...you know what, go reread that part. Trust me, because you might find something very interesting in this chapter that's related to it. And as for your other worries...obviously, Itachi is going to have a childhood. Sasuke is going to make sure of that.

Without further ado,

Enjoy!


Chapter 11: The Answer

"Boo."

Kushina turned around and screamed in sheer terror. Unable to process her fear, she fell to her bottom, hands barely supporting her. Many were just as shocked by the giant, nine tailed fox standing right over their heads. The fox released a deep chuckle that sounded more like nails on a chalkboard than laughter.

"My, my, Naruto. You brought guests this time. And look at what we have here!" The beast prowled around the group, slinking its nose towards two specific people. "Kushina and the Yondaime Hokage himself! My, Minato, it's certainly been a long time, hasn't it? Well, I suppose for you, it hasn't been any time at all!" The fox chuckled malevolently. "How long has it been for me though? A year? Well, that is if you count those tragic moments where you were teased by illusion of seeing your parents, Naruto, only for them to vanish within minutes. I swear, you are so wrong when you call me emotionless. I cried at those moments! It's only natural that a demon's tears be made out of blood, but you seem to not be able to accept that fact. How tragic." The beast turned back to its original subjects. "Or shall we count that night you two tried to actually fight me as the last instance of our reunion? I must say, seeing you in such a panicked and helpless state is so…" It stuck its nose right in Kushina's face. "…exciting."

"Shut up, furball." The giant fox turned to look at its host. "They're scared beyond belief right now, and I don't need you making it worse. Really, this is a VERY bad time for you to amuse yourself at their expense."

The Kyuubi considered this for a moment before snorting and raising its head. "Hmph. You're no fun at all." The fox began prowling again, this time slightly farther back. "So what brings you to my…humble abode?"

"We're going to go look through some of our memories. Hope you don't mind."

"Looking for a way to defeat my past self? How amusing. Surely you could just repeat your earlier feat…right, Naruto?" It smiled, lowering its head towards its host.

"You and I both know that was only half of your chakra, and without the same killing intent the whole thing will have when the time comes."

"So you aren't a complete idiot after all. I was beginning to wonder…"

"We'll be going now. Have fun, furball." With a snap of his fingers, the surroundings dissolved into whiteness.

Hiruzen, though beyond scared, managed to keep his wits about him. He was astonished by Naruto's feat; such control over one's mindscape was unheard of outside of the Yamanaka clan…

Naruto noticed how shell-shocked everyone seemed to be, and gave them some time to cope.

Kushina was just barely coming to grips with what had just happened. After witnessing her family and village destroyed by that nightmarish demon, seeing the very same fox stick its face within mere feet of hers nearly gave her a heart attack. Few were faring any better, and it took almost a half hour for everyone to calm down enough to be lucid.

"Okay, I'm sorry, I probably should have stuck him back in his cage beforehand. I know he hates it, but I should have realized how scary it would be after seeing Kakashi-sensei's memory. Anyway…"

She stared her son, beyond bewildered. He ordered the KYUUBI around and called it a FURBALL! And he talks about it like it's no big deal!

Naruto struck his classic thinking pose. "How about we start with something that isn't super depressing…I could use a little break…ah, I've got just the thing."

The fog returned, but this time to a rather normal sight, Kushina noticed.

"Why is our Team 7 sensei so damn late! All the other teams went off with their sensei, and even Iruka-sensei left!" I yelled, pouting.

Sasuke just grunted, resuming his brooding, while Sakura stared at her crush, trying—and utterly failing—to be discrete.

I ran up to the chalk board, grabbed an eraser, and placed it at the top of the crack in the door.

"Hey Naruto, what are you doing?" she yelled.

"Hehe, that's what he gets for being late!"

Sasuke seemed mildly amused. "He's an elite jounin, Naruto, there's no way he'd fall for that."

A few moments later, a hand reached through the crack in the door. I clenched my hands in anticipation, and the door opened. A man with a mask and silver hair stuck his head in through the door, and the eraser plopped right onto his head. I erupted with laughter. "HAHAHA! YOU FELL FOR IT! YOU FELL FOR IT!"

Sakura tried to claim she was innocent, while Sasuke just raised an eyebrow.

The man just scratched his chin while looking at us. "How can I say this…my first impression of you guys…I don't like you. Meet me on the roof."

Taking seats on the roof, the man began with instructions. "Well, tell everyone about yourself. Your likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams for the future, that kind of thing…"

"Why don't you go first, sensei?" I asked.

He looked up in contemplation before speaking. "Sure. My name is Hatake Kakashi. My likes and dislikes…I don't feel like telling you that. My hobbies…I have many hobbies. Dreams for the future…hmm…" he trailed off, not continuing.

We looked at each other in disbelief. "So all we got…was his name?" asked Sakura.

Kakashi looked down at me. "Now it's your turn, start on the right."

I eagerly complied, fidgeting with my hitai-ate in excitement. "Yosh! My name is Uzumaki Naruto! What I like is cup ramen, but what I like even more is when Iruka-sensei pays for my ramen. What I dislike is waiting three minutes for the ramen to cook, and my dream…is to become the greatest Hokage, and have everyone in this village acknowledge my existence!"

I paused, my voice quieting down considerably. "Hobbies…pranks I guess."

Kakashi just scratched his head. "Next."

We turned to look at Sasuke, who was in his standard brooding pose. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are lots of things I dislike and I don't really like anything. And…I don't intend to leave it as merely a dream, but I have an ambition. The resurrection of my clan, and…to kill a certain man."

I looked at him incredulously. He better not mean me…

"Okay, and lastly, the girl…"

"My name is Haruno Sakura. The thing I like is…well the person I like is…and um, my dream for the future…um…? OH YEAH! What I dislike is Naruto!"

Exasperated, my mouth opened in disbelief. What the hell did I do to deserve this?

"My hobby is…" she merely stared at Sasuke.

Kakashi decided to end it there. "Okay! So, with the introductions out of the way, tomorrow we'll start our duties as shinobi."

I threw up a salute, babbling off about what I thought we were going to do.

"First," Kakashi continued, "we are going to do something with just the four of us…survival training."

Kushina broke her concentration from the fog, smiling. Her son was so like her, down to his love for pranking and all things ramen. She looked over at her husband, who returned her gaze with a grin. She took his hand, and looked back into the fog.

I waited with my team at the designated training ground for HOURS. Kakashi-sensei FINALLY showed up.

"Hey guys, good morning!" he called out.

We yelled, "YOU'RE LATE!" in return.

"Sorry, there was an old lady trying to carry some groceries home, and I just had to stop and help her…anyway," he said, pulling out an alarm clock, "it's set for noon. Here are two bells. Your task is to take these from me before time's up.

"Those who don't get a bell by noon…get no lunch. I'll not only tie you to one of those stumps, but I'll also eat right in front of you."

So that's why he told us not to eat…I thought.

"You only have to get one bell. There are only two, so one of you will definitely be tied to the stump. And the person who doesn't take a bell fails, so at least one of you will be sent back to the academy."

All of Team Minato stared at each other, and then Kakashi-jisan, in stunned amazement. Since when was Kakashi late, and since when did he make the same excuses that he decried mere weeks ago?

Kushina watched her son with a mixture of pride and embarrassment as he struggled and failed to even make Kakashi drop his book and fight him seriously. It was adorable, she decided, and wanted to see more memories of her son's childhood.

"Look at the numerous names carved into this stone. These are ninjas who are recognized as heroes of the village."

I made a stupid boast about how I was going to get my name carved into that stone for sure, but Kakashi was quick to correct my folly.

"But they aren't just normal heroes…"

I was excited now. "Oh yeah? Then what kind are they?"

He didn't even look at me as he spoke. "They are all heroes who died while on duty."

My expression instantly darkened. "This is a memorial," he continued. "The names of my sensei, my teammates, and my best friend are all carved here…"

Minato looked at his future student, understanding the kind of pain that he was going through. He had truly lost everything.

Kushina was surprised at how her son's team actually ended up passing, but it was a heartwarming moment.

"..A ninja must see underneath the underneath. Those who break the rules and codes of the ninja world are called trash…but you know what? Those who don't take care of their comrades…are worse than trash."

Obito and Kakashi-kun stared at each other, flabbergasted. Kakashi-jisan had just used his exact words, telling them to his own genin team.

"That ends the training. All of you pass! Okay! Starting tomorrow, Team 7 will begin its duties!"

The fog lifted, revealing all members of Team 7 looking down with smiles on their faces. Naruto met his parents' eyes, who were grinning with pride.

"Kakashi was your sensei?" asked Minato.

Naruto nodded. "Fitting, isn't it?" He then stared at his feet, and Minato read his emotions perfectly: he was unhappy about something—nervous—but he wasn't sure how to proceed.

"What's wrong, Naruto?" he asked.

His son met his eyes. "I…" He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "…I'm not sure what to show you guys, exactly. I mean, there's a ton of stuff I could show you, but what I really want to show would bring up a lot of questions, and there's a whole bunch of context…"

"Why don't you start with the six and eight tailed transformations?" asked Sakura.

Everyone looked at her in surprise. "Eight tailed transformation?" asked Kushina.

Naruto was one of the few who caught Sakura's meaning. "Well, that's what I was thinking, but I mean, then there would be all those questions about Pain's invasion, and why I even transformed in the first place, and the destruction of Konoha, and—"

Hiruzen interrupted him immediately. "Destruction of Konoha? What are you talking about?"

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing to worry about. That part wasn't a big deal. Plus I got to see Tazuna and Inari again—"

"Not a big deal? How is the destruction of Konoha not a big deal?" Hiruzen was beyond bemused.

"Well they just rebuilt it, of course. But that's a whole other story. See, Sakura? I haven't even started the memory yet and I've got loads of questions to deal with!"

"Ugh, just start with when you arrived in Konoha. We'll be here all day if we worry about all of the context."

The fog returned once again, to a very, very different setting. The first thing everyone noticed was the strange feeling which Minato instantly recognized as Sage Mode. He could literally feel the natural energy around him, and everyone's chakra…

I looked around, seeing nothing but dust. I was very confused, but the dust began to clear, and Shima jumped through the smoke next to my feet.

"Kaa-chan, what's going on?" the other toad, Fukasaku, asked. "I told you to summon us to Konoha!"

She looked at him, her expression grave. "This IS Konoha…"

Shocked, I looked for proof…and saw the Hokage monument in the distance. The dust was almost all gone now, and I could see that we were in the middle of a giant crater…

Minato watched the memory, too stunned to say anything. His village, his home was reduced to a crater…to total destruction. It made the damage from the Kyuubi attack look minor by comparison. How could they have not been told about this first? Wasn't this a far greater catastrophe?

"This saves me the trouble of looking for you," said the orange-haired man.

A woman with long blond hair and a green coat jumped down to the six strange shinobi. "I am the Godaime Hokage…and I will never forgive you for trampling on the treasure, the dreams of those who came before me! As Hokage, I will put a stop to you here and now!"

Kushina couldn't believe what she was seeing. But what wracked her mind most was what that mysterious man had said…why was he looking for her son?

"It looks like you understand a little of my pain now. But…I have no use for you. The one I want…" One of the six shinobi flew at Tsunade, preparing to strike, when I flickered in, smashing it to bits with a Rasengan.

"IS ME, RIGHT?" I yelled, more than angry. I calmed down moments later. "There's no need for Konoh'as Hokage to deal with the likes of these guys. You just go enjoy a nice cup of tea or something…"

"Naruto…" said the blond Hokage.

Hiruzen was quite perplexed at the fact that Tsunade became Godaime Hokage. How had the same woman who went into self-imposed exile, cutting off all ties from Konoha, ended up as its Hokage?

"Maybe…this isn't the best time to ask…but now that I have natural energy, I can tell…I can feel everyone's chakra…did Kakashi-sensei and Shizune-nee-chan leave the village on a mission?"

Her silence was confirmation enough. The pain was overwhelming. "…I see…" I allowed myself a moment of silence before getting down to business. "…Go, Gamakichi…"

Everyone understood his meaning perfectly. Obito, Rin, Kakashi-kun, Minato, and Kushina all looked at Kakashi-jisan with wide eyes. But if he was standing there, alive, how was it possible that he could have died?

They continued watching, baffled by the stunning power Naruto displayed. He threw giant summons into the air with his bare hands, and then formed Rasengans several times his own size…only for the three giant toads to follow up by leaping into the air to swat the summons down. It was a fight of epic proportions, one that even Hiruzen and Minato felt humbled by.

Naruto beat down another one of the shinobi with a odd, invisible attack extending from his punch. Forming two shadow clones, he paused as Pain spoke in the middle of the fight.

"I see, so you've become a sage, just like Jiraiya-sensei."

What? "Jiraiya….sensei?" I asked.

"I studied under him, too. He was my old sensei. I'm your fellow pupil…we both studied under the same sensei. We should be able to understand each other…our sensei longed for peace."

Furious, I began forming a Rasenshuriken in my palm.

"Don't screw with me!" I yelled. "Look at what you've done…HOW CAN YOU CALL THIS PEACE!"

"You can't see the forest from the trees. You don't understand the meaning of peace. So…come quietly. Allow yourself to be captured. Your death will lead to pace."

I moved to throw my technique. "I said…DON'T SCREW WITH ME!"

The few who had not seen the technique before were floored by its power. Suddenly, Naruto's dream of becoming the greatest Hokage didn't seem very far off…

The fight continued with each exchange becoming more impressive than the last. The one who did all the talking seemed to have the power to push and pull things at will. At one point, he blew all three giant toads out of Konoha in a single attack. Naruto himself was pulled in and pinned by the other remaining enemy, and his chakra was being drained.

Kushina marveled at her son's tenacity to never give up, seeing him somehow destroy the other Pain even while still pinned by him, but things quickly went downhill from there. Seeing her son pinned to the ground via impaling rods was like torture, but she would discover that his pain had only just begun.

"You asked me why I'm doing this…my answer won't change anything. But if we have a little chat…then maybe…. My goal is something not even Jiraiya-sensei could achieve. I told you before…through justice, I will bring peace."

"Peace…? Justice…? You've got to be kidding…you've got to be frickin' kidding me! My master! My teachers! My friends! My village! How can you say that…WHEN YOU DESTROYED THEM ALL?"

She looked at her son, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. This scenario was probably just as hard for him as seeing her family destroyed was for her.

"Then…what do you want?" he asked.

"I want to defeat you! And bring peace to this world!"

Pain walked over to his side. "I see…that's beautiful. That is justice. But…my family, my friends, and my village…were all destroyed too. Do you really think the ninjas of Konoha are the only ones who are allowed to talk about peace and justice?"

He continued to talk about Amegakure's history and suffering at the hands of the great nations, especially Konoha.

"We both want the same thing. We both want the peace Jiraiya spoke of. You and I are no different. We're both working for our own justice. The justice I have meted out against Konoha…is exactly the same as you are trying to mete out against me.

"Everyone feels the pain of loss the same. We both know that pain. You are working for your justice…and I for mine. We are just ordinary people driven to revenge in the name of justice. But if revenge is called justice, then that justice breeds yet more revenge…and becomes a cycle of hatred.

"Living within it, aware of the past, predicting the future…that is what I means to know history. We cannot help but know that people can never understand each other. This world of ninjas is ruled by hatred."

Sasuke listened to every word that was said. This…this was his inner turmoil, his former purpose in life, broken down to a single conversation.

"How would you face this hatred in order to build peace? Let me hear your answer."

I remained silent…I couldn't… "I don't know…I just don't know…"

"I created Akatsuki in order to break that cycle of hatred. I can do it…that's why I need the Kyuubi's power. With all of the tailed beasts, I will build a weapon far more powerful than what it took to destroy this village. It will be able to destroy an entire country in an instant. The world will know true pain, and fear of that pain will put an end to war…it will lead the world to stability and peace."

Hiruzen could scarcely believe what he was hearing. They were trying to prepare for the Kyuubi attack, and here was something that seemed to be far worse. The power of every tailed beast combined into a single weapon…

Hiashi watched with great pride as his daughter charged in to save Naruto. What shocked him—and everyone else—was that she confessed her love for him right there and then, much to Naruto's surprise. But that pride quickly turned into pain as he watched he struggle futilely against such a powerful opponent. She crawled towards him, obviously in great pain. Finally reaching him, she explained why she continued trying in the face of such hopelessness, revealing that she and Naruto shared the same nindo.

Kushina watched in pure horror as Hinata was suddenly thrown in to the air…and slammed back down into the ground, forming a crater from the impact. Pain procured another black rod, and lifted his eyes to meet Naruto's. What happened next…made her weep for her son.

"DON'T!" I begged. I couldn't lose her…

Immediately afterwards, he stabbed her prone, broken form. I saw the blood pool from her body, and everything went numb. I couldn't believe it. This wasn't happening. He…killed…her. The first person to ever say the words, 'I love you' to me…no…no…NO!

"This is just like…how my parents were murdered in front of my eyes by Konoha shinobi."

I didn't even hear his words. I exploded in a rage and a sea of pain, willingly accepting every bit of the demon's power as it all flowed through me. Everything went red…

Minato's senses suddenly had to cope with a duality of memory, both from the viewpoint of Naruto's consciousness and the Kyuubi's.

It roared, six tails and a skeletal structure forming into existence. I knelt in black water, clutching my head in pain. There was so much pain…

It charged at Pain, who tried to repel it with another repulsion attack. It actually dug its tails into the ground and roared, sending Pain hurling into the crater wall. It advanced further, stopping a small distance away from its target. Balls of pure chakra emerged from the fox before forming into a tight ball in front of its mouth. Suddenly, a huge stone crashed into the fox, destabilizing the chakra ball. The resulting explosion was colossal; whitish red energy filled its vision. It chased after him, into the forest…

Pain threw something into the sky, and everything began erupting from the ground, combining into a giant ball in the sky. It was pulled into it, attempting and failing to break free.

It was too much, I couldn't deal with it. This pain…What do I do? What is the answer?

"Give yourself to me…I will save you from the pain." I looked up, in a trance, to see the Kyuubi standing behind its cage. I walked over, my feet sloshing in the black liquid getting higher and higher.

"Yes…that's it…"

It broke free of the Chibaku Tensei, eight huge tails flailing from the ball along with a muscled, bloody fox head. Its roar was sinister, pure hatred…

Just as I was about to rip off the seal, a hand snatched my wrist. I looked over to see blond hair and a white cloak before he grabbed me and pulled me away from the cage. I looked over at the man, recognizing him as my idol, as Konoha's greatest hero: the Yondaime Hokage.

"The seal is set so that if eight tails form, I'll emerge within your consciousness. I didn't want that to happen…I never wanted to see you again, Kyuubi. But…I looked forward to seeing how my son had grown, so I guess you could call it even."

"GRRRRAH! YONDAIME HOKAGE!" it yelled.

"COME HERE! I'LL RIP YOU TO SHREDS!"

Minato watched, seeing a glimmer of hope in the memory. Somehow, he had managed to place an imprint of himself in the seal, allowing Naruto to finally meet his father.

"Saying you're going to rip me to shreds isn't going to make me come closer. Just the opposite, right, Naruto?"

I looked at him, confused. "…Naruto…? That's my name…how…?"

The taller blond looked at me like I was stupid. "Huh? 'Cause I gave you the name, of course. You're my heir, after all."

"Heir? Then…you mean…?"

The Kyuubi let loose an ear-splitting roar, ruining the moment.

"Yeah! Just what I said. You're my son."

It was a touching moment, but everyone looked on, confused. Why didn't he know about his legendary parentage? How could he not know who his father was?

Their conversation was a mixture of guilt and relief. Minato and Kushina were very surprised by Naruto's reaction, both when he slugged his father in the gut, crying about how difficult his life had been because Minato had sealed the Kyuubi within him, and when he smiled, saying that he could deal with it because he was the son of the Yondaime Hokage.

"Pain is the one who killed Jiraiya. But the more I think about it, the more I believe he was really killed by the disorder that gave birth to Pain…ninjas fight that hatred. All ninjas fight that hatred. Jiraiya entrusted you with the answer to end this hatred."

I looked down, recalling the events of the past few days. "But I can't forgive Pain…I can't!"

"Yeah…"

"Tell me…what should I do?"

"You have to find the answer yourself. I don't know the answer."

I panicked at that. "But if you and that pervy sage couldn't do it, then how can I? That's not fair! I'm stupid! And I'm not a good ninja! And—"

I was cut off by a hand ruffling my hair. I flinched, unfamiliar with that type of contact.

"You will find the answer…I believe in you."

"…really…can I really…?"

"Parents always believe in their children."

I smiled at that…thinking about the idea of parents in the past always brought me nothing but pain and emptiness, but now…

"Now…I have to be going…my chakra is fading. I'll restore the seal, but this is the last time."

I grunted in pain as the seal rewove itself back into place.

"Konoha can be rebuilt…I'm counting on you, Naruto."

Thank you…Dad….

Naruto looked at his father and gave a warm smile. Minato, though unable to respond at first, quickly returned it. Several moments later, they caught on to the fact that everyone was looking at their exchange, and Naruto resorted to a nervous tic of his: rubbing the back of his head while looking down.

"Naruto…" whispered Kushina. She couldn't find words to describe her feelings, though she believed that Naruto could tell exactly what she was thinking.

"That was incredible," Minato finished. "But…what did you mean, when you said how much trouble the fox caused you?"

"That's a story for another time…" he said, quieter than usual. His parents took note of it, but decided to go along with his wishes.

Yumi spoke up expectantly. "Wait, but what happened next? And I don't get it, if Hinata died, then how is she here right now?"

Obito raised an eyebrow. "Or Kakashi-jisan, for that matter?"

Hiruzen was asking the same questions in his mind, but focused on another saddening revelation. His student, Jiraiya, was killed…

Sakura facepalmed. "Naruto, just show them the rest already so we can get these questions out of the way."

"Alright, alright! Jeez, saying 'please' couldn't hurt once in a while, could it?"

The fog returned, and the group watched the memory continue. Naruto's tactics were as whacky as they were incredible, and his final, desperate victory was inspiring, to say the least. But what puzzled them was that Naruto seemed to be convinced that there was someone behind those enemies, and they soon found out why.

He entered Pain's hideout, alone. Trembling with rage, he struggled with the prospect of killing Pain, but decided on a different path. In the end, he somehow managed to convince Pain that there was another way, another answer…and Pain's dying act resulted in the revival of everyone that he had killed, much to everyone's astonishment. Naruto returned to a hero's welcome, and the memory ended.

"Well, that was fun!" Naruto yelled as he stretched his arms. "Like I said, the destruction of the village itself wasn't a big deal. And there's really nothing to worry about, since definitely won't happen again. Alright then, what's next?"

Kushina blinked at her son's antics. How is he so carefree? He reminds me of…me…

Hiruzen cleared his throat. "I think we've had enough excitement for one day…"

Everyone but Naruto nodded profusely.

00.000.00

Hiruzen noticed that everyone walked home in close physical contact with their loved ones at all times. He couldn't blame them; he would have done the same if his wife were there. What he had witnessed had been deeply disturbing, even though he already knew what happened. Well, for the Kyuubi attack, anyway. That other memory…even if it would not happen in the future, seeing the village that he loved and cared for reduced to a giant crater hit him very close to home.

00.000.00

Minato walked home, hand in hand with his wife and an arm draped around his son's shoulder. Though they didn't say anything, the physical and emotional comfort of just being together meant so much to them. They reached the Namikaze home, and knowing they were alone, Minato turned to say something to his son.

"Naruto, I—"

They were suddenly caught in a tight embrace, and after the initial, surprise, they gladly returned the hug. Enjoying the moment, Kushina almost missed the quiet sniffling noises coming from her son, and rubbed his back in an attempt to comfort him. Several minutes passed like this, and eventually Naruto stepped back, wiping his eyes.

"All this time," he said, "I've wanted to talk with you…to walk with you. To know about you, to be a family, and now that my wish came true in a really weird way…I don't know what I'm supposed to do…I don't know what families are supposed to do…"

Minato placed his hand on top of his son's head and ruffled his hair. Naruto looked up at his father, recognizing the familiar gesture, only noting that this time, his father wouldn't disappear mere moments later…

"You just have to be yourself, Naruto. Just remember that your mother and I will always be there for you."


A/N: And so ends the chapter from hell. I'm sorry if I disappointed you guys, but I really tried to make this chapter work. Let me know what you think so I can improve upon my mistakes; I'm also looking for feedback on how well my usage of the Memory Room in this chapter worked.

Until next time!