This chapter took longer to get out than I expected it to, so I apologize for that. The Second Exam is finally over *breathes sigh of relief* Naruto went through enough hell in there, didn't he? I hope you like the chapter. I have a little surprise in it.

Caime-chan: Don't worry, Gaara only has brotherly feelings for Naruto. I just find him being a sort of roadblock to romantic advances kind of amusing. I can see him being overprotective, can't you?

PuppetMaster55: I incorporated the flashback you wanted to see in this one (sort of). I hope it's to your liking.

Disclaimer: This is getting a little old, isn't it?

Chapter Nineteen: Talk with the Hokage

"Orochimaru did what?" Kakashi gaped, wide-eyed as the Sandaime reported the incident that had happened in the Forest of Death.

"He attacked your team," Sarutobi repeated gravely.

"Are they okay?" Kakashi demanded, heart filling with dread. If anything happened to them, he would never forgive himself. He didn't even want to think of what Iruka would do to him if he found out.

"They've come out in relatively good condition, given who they had been up against," the Sandaime stated and Kakashi let out a sigh of relief. They were alive. "However, we have reason to believe that Orochimaru has given Uchiha Sasuke the Cursed Seal."

Kakashi swore loudly. That would be trouble. Sasuke was screwed up enough as it was. With the Cursed Seal influencing him, he would be an even greater danger to his teammates.

"When Team Seven arrives at the Tower, I expect you to immediately go and seal away the effects of the Cursed Seal. We can't let him go around with it like that for much longer," the Hokage instructed Kakashi.

"Yes, sir," Kakashi stated solemnly, A worried expression still present in his eye.

"Don't beat yourself up, Kakashi," Sarutobi said. "It's not like you knew Orochimaru would do this…"

Kakashi averted his eyes. 'I may not have, but Sensei had…' he thought, thinking back to the warning Minato had tried to convey that one day. Kakashi had passed it off as Minato being too overprotective. He should have listened…

"What is Naruto to you?" Sasuke asked Gaara bluntly as they neared the Tower.

"He's my brother," Gaara responded, squashing any suspicion anyone had of the two Jinchuuriki being anything more.

"He never cared about us that much," Kankurou grumbled under his breath, only to get swatted by Temari. "Ow! It's the truth!"

"I'm sorry," Gaara apologized to them, looking away. He didn't see the shocked looks on his sibling's faces. "I will try to be better with time."

Temari and Kankurou gazed at each other in surprise. Gaara really was trying to make an effort to be more approachable.

"It's okay, Gaara," Temari replied gently. "Take as much time as you need." She was rewarded with a small, shy smile.

Sasuke scoffed. With that scene, Gaara just became more pathetic in his eyes. To everyone else, it just made Gaara more human.

They all got distracted when they heard Naruto groan as he regained consciousness.

"What happened?" Naruto asked groggily, opening his tired blue eyes.

"You tell us," Gaara responded, eyes boring into Naruto's. The boy in question's face instantly softened.

"Gaara…" he spoke out warmly. "So you saved me?"

"We found you," the redhead corrected. "You were alone when we got there."

Naruto's face scrunched up in confusion.

"What is it, Naruto?" Shikamaru inquired in concern, noticing the odd look on his face.

"Why did he leave me alive?" the blonde asked, mostly to himself.

"Who, Naruto?" Sakura questioned.

"Daichi…" the Jinchuuriki responded. Both Shikamaru and Sasuke reacted violently.

"Did he do anything to you?" they exclaimed simultaneously before glaring at each other.

'Do we look like that when we fight over Sasuke?' Ino and Sakura wondered.

"He just smacked me around a bit," Naruto admitted. "I managed to use my chakra to break free of the restraints they had me in but then I passed out."

Shikamaru frowned. Now he understood the blonde's confusion. He'd been completely vulnerable. The Iwa nin could have done anything they wanted to do to him but they hadn't. Nothing that ninja did made any sense.

"Maybe he likes you," Ino suggested cheekily, earning affronted looks from both Sasuke and Shikamaru.

Naruto shook his head. "That's not it," he denied. "Daichi already established that he hates my guts. I look too much like the Yondaime Hokage for his comfort."

"That's a stupid reason to want to kill you," Chouji remarked.

"Think about it, Chouji," Shikamaru spoke. "The Yondaime Hokage is to Iwa what the Kyuubi is to Konoha."

He was the only one who noticed how Naruto flinched at his statement. He frowned in a puzzled fashion. What had he said to bother the blonde? Why were Temari and Kankurou looking at Naruto sympathetically?

"We're here," Gaara broke the conversation.

"It looks like it's time to separate," Ino declared, sounding a little disappointed.

"Don't miss me too badly, Ino-Pig," Sakura said teasingly, causing the blonde girl to glower.

"Like I would, Forehead," she scoffed with a flick of her hair. "Let's go, Shikamaru, Chouji."

"Troublesome…" the lazy nin grumbled as he helped Naruto get back on his feet. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"I'll be fine," Naruto insisted. "It will take a lot more than chakra exhaustion to get me down." He said with a small smile.

Squeezing Naruto's hand affectionately, Shikamaru returned to his teammates' sides, ignoring Sasuke's glare.

"Let's go," Sasuke told his teammates gruffly and they headed into their own room to address the two scrolls.

"Bye Gaara," Naruto exclaimed to his surrogate brother, hugging him tightly. Temari and Kankurou let out startled shouts. Their eyes widened further when Gaara returned the embrace.

Sasuke scowled before forcibly removing Naruto from the Suna nin and dragging him off. Naruto just kept waving at the Kazekage's children, the grin never leaving his face.

"What's your problem?" Naruto scowled as Sasuke finally put him down within their chosen room.

"You spend most of your time with the other teams. You should focus your attention on your own," Sasuke said hotly. "Or would you rather be worse than trash?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he bristled at the insult. "The last thing you'll need to worry about, Sasuke-teme, is me abandoning the team. You and Sakura are my teammates and I'll back you up no matter what. That's a promise and I never go back on my word," he declared.

'Got you,' Sasuke smirked, finding his way to trap Naruto to him with that one promise. "I'll hold you to that, Naruto."

"So what do we do now?" Sakura queried curiously.

"We open the scrolls as instructed," Sasuke replied simply and they did so.

There was a big burst of smoke and the figure who emerged from it was…

"Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka relaxed once he finished speaking with Team Seven.

The moment he had finished, Kakashi had appeared and took Sasuke away to deal with his new Cursed Seal, leaving Iruka with the other two exhausted Genin.

He was a little worried about Naruto. The boy was trying to hide it but Iruka knew something was bothering him. He wanted to address the issue with the somewhat pale boy, but he didn't have the time for it. The Sandaime Hokage wanted to speak with Naruto as soon as he was able, but for what, he did not know. Iruka had a feeling it had to do with what the Hokage had called Kakashi to his office for two days ago during the beginning of the Second Exam.

"How is Sakuya-chan doing?" Naruto asked Iruka on their way to talk with the old man.

"She's doing fine, but she misses you," Iruka stated.

Naruto smiled softly. "I miss her too," he admitted.

"I can bring her over if you like," Iruka offered, trying to cheer the unusually somber boy up.

"I'd like that," the blonde remarked as they arrived at the Hokage Office. "I'll see you later, Iruka-sensei."

"I'll hold you to that," the brunette smiled as he ruffled Naruto's hair. "Good luck."

Naruto entered the office to see the Sandaime waiting for him, looking very serious.

"You wanted to talk with me, ojii-san?" Naruto inquired.

"I did," Sarutobi agreed. "I wanted to discuss the message you gave me a couple of days ago."

"About my knowledge of my heritage, you mean," Naruto stated.

"How long has it been since you learned about it?" the aged Hokage questioned.

"Since after the Wave mission," Naruto lied. He couldn't very well tell him the truth.

"How did you feel about it" the Sandaime asked. He was concerned over Naruto's reaction to the knowledge that his father had sealed the Kyuubi into him.

Naruto looked thoughtful as he tried to draw up the initial feelings he had had when Minato had given him the full truth on his tenth birthday… the fifth Anniversary of when Minato had made his presence known to the boy.

(Flashback****)

Ten-year old Naruto woke up to the familiar sound of Minato calling his name.

Opening his bleary eyes, Naruto came face to face with the smiling elder blonde.

"Happy Birthday, Naru-chan," the guardian angel greeted his charge, ruffling his hair fondly. "How does it feel to be ten years old now?"

"I'll tell you once I actually get a feel for it," the Jinchuuriki responded. "I've only just woke up."

Minato had the grace to look sheepish. Naruto just laughed.

"For someone who's so smart, you sure are dumb," Minato's son teased his eternal companion.

"Bite your tongue," Minato shot back, sounding offended. Naruto just laughed harder, causing the former Hokage to pout. "I'll show you!"

Naruto yelped loudly as Minato tackled him back onto the bed and proceeded to tickle him, long and hard.

"Stop…" he pleaded between hysteric laughter. "Please!"

"Not until you take those words back," the mischievous adult shot back.

"I can't breathe…" Naruto choked out as tears of laughter streamed down his cheeks. "Please Tou-san!"

Minato's hands stilled instantly as he gazed at the boy in shock, how could he know? The older blonde had never told him… "What did you just call me?" he inquired, just to be sure.

Naruto suddenly looked ashamed of himself. "I'm sorry, Minato-san. I didn't mean to call you that. It just came out. It's just that, sometimes…" he broke off.

"Sometimes what, Naruto?" Minato pressed, wanting to hear what his son had to say.

Naruto took a deep breath before answering. "Sometimes I wish you were my father."

If Minato had been fully alive, his breath would have caught in his throat. Instead, all that the specter could do was stare at his son with wide eyes.

Naruto quickly averted his eyes. "I won't do it again if it bothers you so much," he mumbled.

"No, that's not it," the Yondaime was quick to say. "You just surprised me. You have every right to call me that."

"What do you mean?" the whiskered child queried, cocking his head to the side.

Minato sighed and ran a hand through his vibrant golden hair. "I had wanted to tell you this when you were a little older but I suppose now is as good a time as any."

"Tell me what?" Naruto frowned in confusion.

"The truth," Minato replied seriously. "It would be best to do this elsewhere, though. There's a better place to talk."

"Where?" his inquisitive son asked.

"Just take my hand," the elder Namikaze urged and this time, Naruto didn't say a word. He just took Minato's hands. He trusted the older man more than he did anyone else… even the Sandaime Hokage.

There was a bright flash of light and then Naruto found himself standing in the middle of a sewer beside Minato.

"This is where you want to talk?" Naruto asked incredulously. "Where are we anyways?"

"Your mind," was the simple reply, causing the ten-year-old to look at his guardian angel in surprise.

"You can't be serious. This is my mind?" Naruto spoke out, not wanting to believe it. It wasn't exactly the most reassuring thought.

"What your mind looks like is completely up to you, Naruto. You can change it however you like," Minato said wisely.

"Good point," Naruto mused as he concentrated.

A second later, the scenery changed into a huge green field with a big cave on one side.

Naruto opened his eyes and smiled at Minato.

"Do you like it?" he asked, searching for approval.

"I love it," Minato replied with a wide smile. Naruto brightened instantly.

"So what is it that you wanted to talk about?" Naruto finally inquired.

Minato took a moment to gather his thoughts. This was going to be a long and hard discussion.

"Naruto… what do you know about the night that the Kyuubi attacked?" Minato questioned.

Wondering what this had to do with anything, Naruto was quick to answer. "Not much. Just that you killed the Kyuubi while sacrificing your life to do it. Oh, and it happened on my birthday."

The Hokage shook his head. "I didn't kill the Kyuubi," he corrected. "That's just a cover story. There is no way to kill a Bijuu."

Naruto frowned. "Then how did you defeat the Kyuubi?"

"The only way to subdue a Bijuu is to seal it… either in an object or a person. Now the Kyuubi was too powerful to be sealed away in an inanimate object. I was forced, instead, to rely on a human vessel. Unfortunately, the Kyuubi's power was too strong for me to be able to hold in my own body completely by myself. Instead, I split its chakra in half, sealing the Yin chakra into myself while sealing the Yang chakra into a newborn child, who was a better suited vessel as his chakra coils had yet to form," Minato continued his explanation.

Naruto was beginning to get an inkling of where this was going. It would explain why the village was so horrible to him… and why he couldn't go anywhere on his birthday.

"So they were right… I did kill you. I am a demon," Naruto declared sadly.

"No!" Minato exclaimed vehemently. "You're not a demon and you didn't kill me!" He exclaimed angrily.

Naruto stared at the older blonde with wide eyes. He had never seen the man get angry before, however there was still one question plaguing the boy's mind; One that he desperately needed to ask. "Why? Why me?"

Minato hated seeing the hurt in Naruto's eyes almost as much as he hated being the cause of it.

"It gave me no pleasure doing it, Naruto. I hated condemning you to the life of a Jinchuuriki knowing that I would escape it through death. I had no choice. Not only were you the only newborn brought into the world that day, but I couldn't ask anyone to give up what I, as the Hokage, wouldn't," Minato did his best to explain.

"Give up what/" Naruto pressed.

"My child…" Minato breathed out, causing Naruto's eyes to widen. "I chose you because you were my son… and the only one I could trust to handle such a burden. I did it to protect Konoha… to give you a future to live in… and I did it to grant you the power you would need to fight the real threat behind the attack."

It hurt to know the real reason behind the village's hatred towards him but Naruto trusted, even loved, the man in front of him. He could understand and forgive him for his role in it… given time.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" he finally asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Call me selfish, but I wanted you to get to know me first as a friend and someone who loves you… before your judgment was affected by the knowledge of your heritage… and your burden," Minato said remorsefully. "I'll understand if you want me to leave you alone, I'll respect your wishes."

"You promised me that you would never leave me." Naruto reminded his father, identical blue eyes meeting each other. "Are you going to go back on your word?"

Minato stared at his beloved son long and hard before smiling softly. He took Naruto's small hands into his large ones and squeezed affectionately. "I never go back on my word. That's not my nindo."

(End Flashback****)

'What happened to your nindo, Tou-san?' Naruto thought to himself sadly. It wasn't Minato's fault but he had left Naruto's side.

"Naruto?" Sarutobi called out in concern as he saw pain flash across his adopted grandson's face.

Naruto quickly snapped out of his reverie. "Sorry, oji-san, I got lost in thought," he apologized. "And as for your question…. I initially felt confused and even a little bit angry, but I forgave him. He had his reasons. If I had been in Tou-san's place, I would have done the same thing."

Sarutobi smiled. Naruto had matured a lot. He was proud of him for understanding and for doing all that he has so far. The heir to the Namikaze and Uzumaki clans would become a fine shinobi; worthy of becoming Hokage.

"Have you told anyone of your heritage?" the Hokage inquired, looking serious.

"Only one person," the young kaze nin admitted, although it had really been Minato who had revealed himself to Gaara.

"Who did you tell?" Sarutobi pressed. He hoped it was someone trustworthy.

"Subaku no Gaara, a Suna nin," the blonde explained.

"The Kazekage's child?" the Sandaime Hokage queried with a raised eyebrow. "Why?"

"I trust him. He's like me," Naruto defended his friend.

The Sandaime Hokage couldn't argue against that. It was true that there was a lot that the two boys had in common: they were both mistreated Jinchuuriki and both were children of Kages. In that context, the Sandaime couldn't begrudge Naruto for telling Gaara.

"As long as he keeps it to himself," the aged nin finally conceded. "Does anyone else know?"

That's when Naruto looked a little unsettled.

"What is it?" the 'Professor' asked, looking concerned.

"The Iwa team figured it out. They confronted me in the forest," Naruto admitted much to Sarutobi's chagrin. What he had feared was coming to pass. He couldn't let them pass the information back to Iwa but he also couldn't do anything to stop them. It could lead to a problem between the two countries again and Konoha really couldn't afford another war at the moment.

"They didn't harm you?" the Hokage queried, scanning the worn out Genin anxiously for any serious injury.

"Surprisingly no… although they made it clear that they intend to see me dead." Naruto remarked.

"I'll have them watched." Sarutobi said solemnly.

"I can take care of myself, you know." Naruto commented.

"I know but I don't want to take any chances." the Sandaime declared.

"Have it your way then." Naruto sighed.

The Sandaime Hokage chose then to move onto the next topic. "When Orochimaru attacked your team… did he do anything to you?" He already knew about Sasuke, of course, but he was worried about what his former student could have done to the son of the person Orochimaru bore such a strong grudge against.

"You mean other than insult Tou-san every chance he got?" Naruto inquired for clarification.

The old man nodded.

"He messed with Kyuubi's seal." Naruto said, lifting up his shirt and jacket to show what the Sannin had done.

"A Five-Prong seal… that must be causing you many problems." Sarutobi realized.

"You have no idea," Naruto replied, thinking of how it had cut off his connection with his father and the Bijuu. "Can you fix it?"

"Unfortunately, I'm not exactly adept as a Seal Master. I wouldn't want to risk making a mistake with your seal and weakening it," Sarutobi replied. "It would be better if I called on Jiraiya to come resolve the matter."

Naruto blinked in surprise. Had he heard right? "Jiraiya? As in Tou-san's sensei?" he questioned.

The Hokage nodded. "He's also your…"

"Godfather, I know," Naruto admitted, earning a surprised look from his surrogate grandfather. "Kakashi-sensei told me."

"He's told you just about everything, hasn't he?" the Sandaime asked wryly.

"Pretty much," Naruto responded with a shrug. "How long do you reckon it would take for Jiraiya to make it here?"
"It depends on just where he is. It could range from a couple of days to nearly a week." the teacher of the Sannin declared.

"Not in time for the next part of the Chuunin Exams." the blonde realized with chagrin.

"Unfortunately." the Hokage commented. "Do you think you'll be able to manage, Naruto?"

"I'll find a way." Naruto assured the older man. Sarutobi smiled in approval. Naruto's will was amazing.

'Just wait a little longer, Tou-san… I'll free you soon.'

A/N: I'm beginning to think perhaps I should make a little spin off thing to show scenes in Guardian Angel that I haven't been able to show in the story yet (like Naruto and Minato's past together, and various other scenes you guys may like to see that don't just have to be past scenes, could just be on-the-side amusing scenes if you like). This way, I could help clear up some mysteries without having to worry about where to incorporate it in the story structure. Tell me what you guys think.