I'm really sorry that it took so long with this chapter. I really thought that with that big pain-in-the-ass exam out of the way, I would have more time to write, when instead, an even more annoying obstacle came in my way. I hope this chapter meets expectations.

Dhh: … I really don't know how you've come up with your conclusions about the last chapter. I don't see any reason that there was a reason to rant on about the Third and how he's dislikable. And, how in the world did you come up with the idea that Naruto was scared of Sakura. There was nothing in the chapter that even hinted to that. He just told her to leave him alone for the time being.

: You don't have to worry about me stopping writing. It will be a long time before I do. This happens to be one of my favorite stories to write (hence why I've been focusing on it over my other stories *sheepish*). Sorry I took so long this time too (you can blame medical school applications if you like *bane of my existence, they are*). I'll try to update more frequently. And thanks for giving me your longest review. In return, I give you my longest response back, XD.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, Sasuke would be dead.

Chapter Sixteen: A Short-Lived Reunion

Kakashi watched fondly as Iruka played with Sakuya. It really was nice seeing a shinobi who expressed his emotions so freely. It was something Kakashi had lost the ability to do a long time ago…

"You really like Sakuya-chan, don't you?" Kakashi suddenly asked the brunette. Iruka smiled up at him from where he knelt.

"That I do," he agreed. "She reminds me a lot of Naruto. She's even as energetic as he is."

"I'm not too surprised," Kakashi remarked. "You know, she honestly thinks Naruto is her mother."

Iruka laughed loudly at that and Kakashi found that he loved it. He'd have to remember to make Iruka laugh more.

"It just figures that something like that would happen to Naruto," the Academy teacher mused. "The most interesting things always happen to that boy."

"There's no denying that," Kakashi agreed.

"So if Naruto's Sakuya's mother, I suppose that makes you her doting uncle," Iruka stated teasingly.

"I suppose so," Kakashi mused before giving Iruka a teasing smile. "And it would make you her oh-so-lovely aunt."

Iruka flushed and punched Kakashi playfully. "I'm a man, not a woman!" he protested against the designation.

"And Naruto's a boy, not a girl," Kakashi said. "That doesn't seem to matter to Sakuya-chan."

"You're impossible to argue against, you know that?" Iruka grumbled. "You have a counter for everything."

"That's a part of my charm," Kakashi joked, causing Iruka to chuckle once more.

They were distracted as they heard a low cough come from behind them. The two shinobi turned around to see an ANBU officer standing behind them.

"Can we help you?" Kakashi asked the other ninja curiously.

"Hokage-sama wishes to speak with you, Hatake-san," the ANBU's respectful tone spoke volumes.

"About what?" Kakashi asked, slightly confused.

"I believe he wishes to speak to you about one of your students… An Uzumaki Naruto?" the other ANBU responded.

"I'll come right away," Kakashi said, looking serious. He bid Iruka good bye and then quickly followed the ANBU to the Hokage's office.

He grew weary as he saw the solemn expression on the Sandaime's face.

"Is something wrong, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked once he was alone with the elder man.

"This is Naruto's test paper," Sarutobi spoke as he handed the paper to the masked Jounin.

"Naruto answered every question correctly. I don't see why I needed to be summoned for this," Kakashi said flatly.

"Look on the other side," the Hokage stated, rubbing his temples. He looked more stressed than normal.

'What did Naruto do?' Kakashi wondered to himself as he flipped the page. His eyes widened. 'Damn it, otouto! Why do you have to be so impulsive?'

"Tell me, Kakashi-san… how does Naruto know of his heritage? I didn't tell him and there is no way that Jiraiya could have. You are the only person left who could have told him," Sarutobi said.

'There's one more person… the boy's father who the Shinigami has prevented from moving on,' he thought to himself. He wouldn't tell the Hokage about Naruto and Minato's unique situation yet. That was Naruto's job. "I felt like he was ready for his birthright," he simply said. That didn't please Sarutobi.

"Damn it, Kakashi!" Sarutobi snapped. "The boy is only thirteen years old! How could you possibly think he was ready for something as big as this?"

"He deserves to know who his parents are! With all of the crap he's been put through in this village, I felt he needed something to tie him to this village. He has every right to know that people love him… that his parents didn't abandon him like the villagers make him believe. I'm sorry that I had to disobey your orders to do this but I just couldn't stand seeing my sensei's son so miserable!" Kakashi retorted vehemently. It may not have actually happened like that but Kakashi had long been debating telling Naruto of his heritage long before he had learned that Minato still lingered in the living plane.

The Sandaime Hokage was stunned by the level of emotion in Kakashi's voice. Seeing the normally stoic Jounin act this way gave the Hokage an idea of just how strongly Kakashi felt about the subject matter.

He sighed. He really couldn't fault the masked man for doing what he did. He only fought for his beliefs. However, it had still been a risky move.

"I can understand your sentiments, Kakashi-san but one must not let their emotions compromise the safety of anyone in this village. I'll let you go for now but if any harm befalls Naruto due to his knowledge of his family, you will be held responsible," the aged leader declared.

"I understand, Hokage-sama," the Copy Nin replied, bowing curtly. 'You better appreciate this, Naruto…'

Team Seven dashed through the Forest of Death, wary of potential assailants.

'It's time to do a little scouting,' Naruto thought to himself. "I have to go to the bathroom," he announced out loud. "I'll be back in a flash."

"Don't take too long," Sasuke said gruffly as Naruto scurried off.

Once Naruto was a good distance away, he produced a group of Kage Bunshin.

"You know what to do," he told the clones. They nodded and they separated, going in different directions.

He returned to his team just in time to see Sasuke skillfully fend off an Ame nin.

"What's going on?" he demanded as he walked out of the nearby trees.

"You took too long. That bastard disguised himself as you and tried to take our scroll," Sasuke scowled.

"Not that he could fool Sasuke's eyes," Sakura stated dreamily.

Naruto shook his head. Sakura may be doing her best to be nicer to him but her silly crush on Sasuke still remained strong.

"We should get moving," Naruto suggested. There would still be a little time before his Kage Bunshin collected any scrolls.

They walked in silence for a while, after discussing a lengthy password that they could use to know if somebody else had replaced their teammates after they had been separated.

Naruto was more than a little relieved when he got notice that some of his clones had struck gold and collected a few scrolls, a couple of each, just in case.

They had all gathered together and sealed them in a tree that awaited Naruto on their path towards the Tower.

'We're all set,' Naruto thought to himself, relieved, a small smile slipping onto his face.

"What's got you so happy dead-last?" Sasuke demanded.

"Nothing in particular," Naruto responded nonchalantly. "I just felt like smiling. You should try it sometimes." The sarcasm was heavy on his voice.

Sasuke just scoffed. That was a useless piece of advice. "I find it hard to believe that you can smile right now, given your situation," he sneered.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked, slightly puzzled.

Sasuke fixed him with a pointed look. "You're fighting with your guardian angel, aren't you?"

The smile was instantly wiped off Naruto's face, much to Sasuke's sadistic pleasure.

"That's not any of your business, teme," Naruto scowled, eyes narrowing. "It's between me and him."

Sasuke was about to press Naruto further when a massive blast of wind burst through the clearing they were standing in. Naruto was blown away from his team, having been unprepared and unable to brace himself properly thanks to his anger.

"What was that?" Sakura wondered once the wind had stopped. Scanning the area, she noticed something was amiss. "Where's Naruto gone this time?"

"Right here," 'Naruto' called out, climbing out of the bushes.

"Are you alright?" Sakura queried in concern.

"I'm fine," Naruto insisted, hiding a malicious smirk. 'Just wait, Sasuke-kun… I'll have you in my grasp soon enough…'

For a moment, his eyes seemed to take on a yellow gleam.

"Ugh…" Naruto groaned, rubbing his head. He'd bounced off a tree as he'd been swept away, leaving him feeling rather groggy.

It took him a moment before his vision had completely cleared but when it did, he came face to face with a rather large snake.

"Ah, shit…" he swore just as it swallowed him.

He groaned in disgust as he soon found himself in the slimy confines of the snake's digestive tract.

'How the hell do I get out of here?' he wondered to himself before an idea stuck him. He started channeling wind chakra, condensing it around his body before releasing it all in one focused instant, slicing the snake into pieces.

He landed hard on the ground, coughing and gagging from the nasty experience.

He jumped ever so slightly as he felt an arm wrap around him protectively as the other patted his back soothingly until he had stopped coughing.

He was pulled into a warm embrace, almost falling into a daze from feeling of safety that came over him, and from the hand that ran through his hair; slowly combing out all of the muck that had lodged there from Naruto's stay within the snake. Looking up, he met the worried eyes of his father.

"Are you alright?" Minato asked, eyes scanning Naruto for any sign of injuries. Naruto almost smirked at the familiar sight of Minato's overprotective tendencies. He doubted his father would ever rid himself of those habits.

"I'm fine," Naruto commented. "I'm just severely grossed out." He shuddered for good measure, making Minato chuckle in amusement.

"I can't blame you," he responded. "I'd feel the same if I'd just been swallowed by a snake."

"You wouldn't get eaten by a snake. You're way too fast for that," Naruto retorted.

"True," Minato admitted and they both ended up laughing.

However, once they had stopped, a rather awkward silence took its place.

The two just stared at each for a few moments before they spoke, simultaneously.

"I'm sorry!" they blurted

The father and son faltered and smiled sheepishly.

"I know I hurt you when I said you weren't ready for this Exam… but it wasn't the Genin I thought you weren't ready to face," Minato explained.

Naruto frowned in confusion. "But who else but the Genin would be here?" he questioned.

"Think back to what Gaara told us and about that snake that attacked you," the Hokage urged Naruto on.

The orange clad boy's eyes narrowed in thought before realization struck him. "Orochimaru! You thought he would attack us… That's why you tried to stop us from entering the Exams."

"As a shinobi, I knew you would be willing to take whatever risks come with this Exam, even with the risk of Orochimaru being there, but as a father… I couldn't stand to see you take that risk," Minato admitted. "Even if it wasn't guaranteed that Orochimaru would attack your team to begin with."

Naruto sighed, running a hand through his still wet hair. "I shouldn't have lost my temper so quickly, either. I helped blow the entire ordeal out of proportion. I apologize for that," he said.

"There's nothing to apologize for," Minato replied before turning serious. "If Orochimaru did all of this to separate you from your teammates, then there's bound to be trouble. We should get back to them as soon as possible."

Naruto nodded. "Let's go," he agreed and the two of them raced off.

Sasuke breathed heavily as he hid both himself and Sakura from the frightening Kusa nin that had attacked them soon after Naruto vanishing.

'We've got to move fast or she'll find us! But how do we avoid her?' the Uchiha thought to himself, trying to think of a strategy that wouldn't get them killed.

He was so caught up in his thoughts, he didn't notice the snake slowly sneaking up on them and Sakura couldn't say anything because of her covered mouth.

She finally managed to yank his hand off her mouth to warn him. "Sasuke, snake!" she snapped out.

He leapt away just in time to avoid the snake's strike. 'What the hell is wrong with me? I didn't even sense that!' he thought, distressed over how badly he'd been overwhelmed by their opponent. "Get lost!" he yelled as he sent a bunch of kunai at the snake's wide open mouth.

The snake fell with a loud thud and the Kusa nin slowly emerged from the corpse. "How disappointing… I would have expected better of you, Sasuke-kun… letting your guard down like that," she taunted. "You should be alert, like a good prey. It makes the chase all that more fun for the predator."

She started slithering up the tree towards Sasuke, dodging when a sudden group of kunai and shuriken appeared where she had been moments ago.

"Sorry, Sasuke… I forgot the password," Naruto apologized as he arrived upon the scene, Minato standing behind him like a shadow.

"That was amazing, Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed, more than relieved to see her other teammate alive.

"You look just like your father," the disguised nin remarked, eyes raking over Naruto's form as he spoke of Minato with such disdain.

'It figures that that snake would know about Naruto's heritage…' Minato thought with a frown, bristling at the way Orochimaru eyed his son.

'I feel like the bastard's not seeing Naruto when he looks at him.' Kyuubi thought to herself. 'I have a bad feeling he's going to unleash all of his anger towards Minato on his son…'

'His father?' Sasuke and Sakura thought to themselves, confused. Naruto never spoke of his parents. How did this stranger know about him?

"I'll take that as a compliment," Naruto shot back proudly.

'So he knows of his parentage,' Orochimaru realized, seeing as how there had been no surprise in Naruto's voice as he made his comeback. 'I can use that to my advantage.'

"It's a real pity," Orochimaru drawled, sounding almost sympathetic.

"What's a pity?" Naruto questioned, frowning.

"It's a pity that your father's looks are the only good thing you could have inherited from him. "Your father was a weakling and he died a coward's death."

All Naruto needed to do was see the severely affronted look on Minato's face to go completely off the wall, chakra flaring. "Shut up! You're wrong! Tou-san was a hero… and he always will be one. You can't even hope to hold a kunai to him!"

'There's no contest!' Kyuubi growled, also angered at the slight against her chosen mate.

"Oh? Did I hit a nerve?" Orochimaru taunted the blonde, a malicious smirk on his face.

"Why you…" Naruto snarled, eyes turning red. The only thing keeping him from lunging at Orochimaru was the tight hold Minato had on his arm as the older man tried to keep his son from going and taking revenge for the insult.

"Back off, Naruto! He's too strong!" Sasuke called out, trying to prevent his dobe of a teammate from messing things up for them. 'I've got to get us out of this before we get killed.'

As much as he hated to do this, it was the only thing he could think of…

Sasuke took out the scroll and turned to Orochimaru. "If it's our scroll you want, come and get it! Take it and leave us alone!" he exclaimed, shocking Naruto.

"What the hell are you doing, Sasuke?" the Jinchuuriki cried out in complete disbelief. He hadn't thought Sasuke would be the one to turn coward. 'He doesn't care about the scroll!'

Orochimaru chuckled. "That's a smart move of yours… distracting your enemy with a more alluring prey."

"Take it!" Sasuke called out, tossing the scroll… only for Naruto to snatch it up before Orochimaru could collect it.

"Stay out of this!" Sasuke growled, lunging for the oddly silent Naruto, only to get punched hard in the face for his effort.

"Don't be such a fool, Sasuke… do you honestly think he would let us live even if we gave him our scroll?" Naruto snapped, glaring viciously at the black-haired nin. "I hadn't realized you were such a scaredy cat."

Sasuke snarled angrily at the insult. "You're such an idiot, dobe… you can't possibly think that we stand a chance against him."

"Maybe not," Naruto admitted. "But we can do our best to survive."

With that, he dismissed Sasuke and turned to face the amused Orochimaru.

"Oh Naruto, this is rich!" the snake exclaimed, a malicious gleam in his eye. "And you're right."

Sasuke was instantly silenced in shock as he realized that Naruto had been right.

"There's no need to bargain when I can just kill you to get what I want," the Sannin declared as he streaked blood on a tattoo on his arm.

'Damn it!' Naruto cursed, lunging forward in an attempt to stop him. He was too late to stop the more experienced nin from summoning a giant snake.

However, he was able to keep himself from getting hurt as the snake struck out at him as he used Minato as a spring board to send himself flying in the opposite direction to avoid the snake's attack.

"That's one big snake." Minato whistled as he hung upside down from the branch above the one that Naruto was standing on.

"Defeating him won't be as easy as the other one. A pity that I couldn't teach you how to summon the toads… but Sensei has the contract."

'We'll just have to find another way to get rid of him,' Naruto responded.

"Allow me to be of service,~ Kyuubi offered. "I haven't got to have as much fun as the two of you have. Besides… I still have to get back at that bastard for insulting Minato."

Minato couldn't help but feel amused over Kyuubi's petulant tone. "What do you think, Naruto?"

Naruto smirked. 'Let's go wild,' he thought ferally and Kyuubi began to pour her chakra through her vessel's veins.

'So he's using that, is he?' Orochimaru thought with an intrigued look on his face. 'This will be interesting.'

As the snake lunged at Naruto again, he beat it down, the red chakra surrounding him enforcing his strength and sending the snake flying.

'Is this really Naruto?' Sakura thought to herself, shocked.

'How did Naruto get that power? That should be mine…' Sasuke thought greedily. It only made the idea of making Naruto his all the more enticing.

"Fuuton: Daitoppa!" Orochimaru called out, aiming to blow Naruto away again.

Minato foiled his plans, switching himself with Naruto, ending up getting separated from his son, much to his own surprise.

'I don't have a corporeal body… that shouldn't have worked on me,' Minato thought to himself. His materialized form was still, for the most part, intangible… or at least it had been. Eyes narrowing as a thought came to him, he placed a hand against the base of the tree he'd landed on. As he dragged it down, making sure to dig his nails into it, he was surprised to see four corresponding scratches appear. 'I'm becoming more solid…'

He pushed the odd discovery to the back of his mind for the time being. Right now, he had to help his son keep Orochimaru from killing him and his teammates.

While Minato had been marveling over the mystery of his solidifying body, Orochimaru had taken advantage of the sudden space between him and Naruto to make another go at the panicked Sasuke with the snake.

"Hyouton: Tsubame Fubuki!" Naruto exclaimed, utilizing an ice technique that Haku had taught him back in Nami no Kuni. The ice swallows burst out and peppered the snake, piercing straight through his scales. With the number of injuries earned from the attack, it wasn't that much of a surprise that the snake vanished.

Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with interest over the sight of the jutsu. "Impressive… you truly are surprising, Naruto-kun. If it wasn't for your passenger, I would have considered you to be a good choice…"

'A good choice for what?' Naruto wondered, baring his fangs as he faced off against the nuke-nin. Then a thought came to him. 'Tou-san is taking a long time to come back… where is he?'

While he was distracted, Orochimaru took advantage and grabbed Naruto with his long tongue.

"Hey, let go!" Naruto cried out, more than a little disgusted by the fact that he was being held up by the enemy's tongue.

Orochimaru's eyes gleamed maliciously as he began to go through a series of hand seals while his tongue raised Naruto's jacket and shirt to expose the glowing seal. "Gogyou Fuuin!"

Naruto screamed in pain as the Sannin jammed his glowing fingers into his stomach, disrupting his seal and making all of the red chakra disappear in a flash.

'What's this?' Orochimaru wondered when he discovered the Hiraishin kunai that was strung around Naruto's neck. He smirked. 'A little memento of your precious Tou-san, is it? You don't need this worthless piece of trash…'

He ripped the kunai off Naruto's neck and tossed it off into the surrounding shrubbery. With that last act, Orochimaru tossed the blonde child away like trash.

As he fought the welcoming darkness, the boy couldn't help but realize just what it was that his father had been afraid of. Orochimaru was really a formidable opponent, He'd barely stood a chance…

"Naruto!" he heard a voice call out and he opened his eyes just in time to see his dad diving for him.

'How could I have left him alone like this?' Minato cursed himself. He should have been there! Even as he moved, he could feel the hold he had on his materialized body lessening.

Naruto reached out a hand for Minato's outstretched one but just as their fingers were about to meet, Minato vanished completely.

'He's… gone… again…'was Naruto's last broken thought, eyes wide in disbelief before they closed as the rushing unconsciousness claimed him.