Hey, I'm back. Sorry I took long again. Med school's been kicking my ass. Barely survived through the second set of exams *curses*. I've got mixed feelings about this chapter. There's both happy moments and some upsetting ones, but I hope you'll be okay with it. Be patient. Things will get better.
Taira-keimei: Glad you're enjoying it. The Yondaime's my favorite character so I find it cool that you've grown to like him too, lol.
Cerulai: Thanks for the comments. I'll keep it in mind and try to improve on my characterization where I can. Some parts will have to stick, of course, but I appreciate your input. The plot's been taking a bit of a mind of its own and all I've been able to do is follow but hopefully, I'll be able to turn things back on track.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Just the story.
Chapter 30: Happiness Shattered
The next morning, Ino, Gaara and Jiraiya were greeted by the sight of an insanely happy-looking Naruto and a grouchy Minato arriving at the training grounds.
"I thought I told you to attempt synchronization," Jiraiya scolded, mostly focusing on Minato. Honestly, he was a former Hokage… he should understand the importance of obeying the orders of one's sensei. "You aren't even trying."
Minato glowered. "You try to do that when your partner is acting like that," he gestured to Naruto.
"How long has he been like this?" Ino asked, curious to know what had happened.
"Since last night," Minato explained. "Ever since that boy came to visit him."
Hearing the distaste in Minato's voice, Ino and Gaara could only discern that the Hokage was talking about Shikamaru. If it was any other boy, Naruto wouldn't look half as happy.
"What did he want?" the ever calm Gaara urged his new paternal figure to go on with his tale.
"We all want to hear this," Jiraiya stated as he tested Naruto's level of consciousness. The young blonde wasn't responding to very much. What had turned his godson into this lovesick fool?
"…He was asked out on a date," Minato admitted quite reluctantly. He was quick to wince as Ino let out a loud, excited squeal.
"Oh, I'm so happy for you, Naruto!" she cried out, glomping the boy and they broke out into enthusiastic chatter as Naruto finally broke out of his daze in the face of her affection.
Jiraiya scowled. "I should have got to the boy sooner," he mused aloud. He hadn't thought the lazy genius would have made a move this quickly. Minato gave him a sour look.
"You should have," he agreed. He was slowly accepting that Naruto was entering the stage where he sought out romantic companionship but he wasn't quite ready to let go of him yet. He wasn't used to needing to share his son with anyone. He was always Naruto's number one.
"You're not going to be valued any less by Naruto being with Shikamaru, you know," Gaara snapped through Minato's sulking.
"Hmm?" Minato acknowledged Gaara's words, gazing at the young boy curiously.
"You feel threatened by Shikamaru encroaching on what you perceive as your territory but that's not the case. Yes, he cares for Naruto and Naruto for him, but how is that any different from Jiraiya-sensei, Ino, and I? He just wants to be a part of Naruto's life. Can you really fault him for that?" Gaara inquired.
'He speaks wisely for one so young,' Kyuubi remarked as Minato was suitably chastised for his irrational jealousy.
'He does,' the Yondaime agreed readily. Seeing that Gaara looked uncertain over having spoke out the way he had, the blonde was quick to reassure him.
The elder man placed a hand on the Genin's head, ruffling his crimson locks. "Gaara, have you ever considered becoming a Kage? You would be a good one," he said genially, kneeling down to be level with his adopted son. "You certainly have a way with words. You put me in my place, after all."
"I wasn't trying to do that. I just wanted to help you see the other side of the story," Gaara commented shyly. "I've never considered becoming a Kage. No one in Suna would ever accept having me as their leader."
"Well… you'll just have to change that, won't you?" Minato smiled. "You're a brilliant young shinobi… with more potential than you can possibly imagine. People will see that with time."
"Do you really think so?" Gaara wondered.
"I know it," Minato confirmed with a bright smile. "I believe in you."
A hot rush of emotion ran through Gaara and the next thing the Yellow Flash knew, he was being embraced by the shy Genin.
Minato gazed upon the redhead with surprise, never expecting such a reaction, but then he smiled as he gave the affection-starved child exactly what he needed.
"Thank you…" Gaara murmured against his chest.
"You're welcome," the adult answered kindly, tightening his arms around the boy.
"We want in!" Naruto yelled loudly as he and Ino tackled the Hokage and Suna nin, knocking them off their feet and into a large heap on the ground.
"Geez, Minato… you've really built yourself a brood of you own. Are you sure you're up to the task of taking care of all of them?" Jiraiya asked.
Minato smiled from where he lay pinned beneath the three teenagers. "I once took care of the entirety of Konoha. I think I can take care of the three of them just fine."
"I hope so," Jiraiya answered. "They'll be a handful."
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Minato asserted.
"You better not, Tou-san," Naruto fixed his father with a look. "You're stuck with us for life. You're ours now and we're not giving you up." Both Ino and Gaara nodded in agreement.
Minato's lips quirked in amusement before he replaced it with a look of mock distress. "What have I done to deserve such possessive children?"
"By being a possessive father," all three Genin chorused before breaking out into laughter.
"Guilty as charged," the Yondaime agreed as he sat up and wrapped his long arms around them. "Mine."
"Are all of you done acting like the Uchihas now?" Jiraiya queried, instantly earning four fiery glares from the group.
"Here's a new training exercise for the lot of you," Minato began, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Get him."
"Hai!" the three Genin accepted their orders with glee as they launched themselves at the unprepared Sannin, starting up a fierce and exciting spar.
Minato watched in amusement as the four of them mock battled. He was glad to see how close they'd all become. They were good influences on each other, especially with Gaara.
They were helping the taciturn Jinchuuriki come out of his shell by showing him what it was like to have someone who cared for them. Minato couldn't ask for more.
He could only hope this bond between them would remain strong. He had a feeling it would be important in the future.
"What does a Sannin want with me?" Shikamaru frowned in confusion. He couldn't think of any reason for the summons. He was just a Genin… and not a particularly eye-catching one like Sasuke or Neji.
"It's about Naruto," Asuma explained, scratching at his beard. It would be difficult to tell Shikamaru of the true purpose of the meeting without getting into what was so special about Naruto. He wishes to speak to you about your relationship with him."
"Why should he care?" Shikamaru scowled. "How is it any of his business what goes on between us?"
"I'm not entirely sure…" Asuma admitted. He still didn't understand Jiraiya's reasoning. He didn't honestly believe that it had anything to do with Naruto being a Jinchuuriki. "Nevertheless, I'd advise you to go see him. Something tells me that if you don't… or if you fail to impress him… you will never see Naruto again." He hated putting that stricken look on Shikamaru's face but he had to make sure the young teenager was aware of the reality of the situation. He couldn't just pass it off as too troublesome this time.
"He can't do that!" Shikamaru argued with a scowl.
"He's a Sannin, Shikamaru. He can do anything he wants. If he feels it necessary, he could even take Naruto away from the village and he'd be well within his rights," Asuma said gravely. It would be a blow to Konoha if their resident Jinchuuriki was taken away, but it wasn't forbidden.
"He's not Naruto's guardian. How could he have such rights?" Shikamaru frowned.
"Naruto is my father's ward," Asuma told Shikamaru. "Nevertheless, I've always felt as if the Sandaime was only acting as a stand in for someone else. I have a feeling Jiraiya has more ties to having custody of Naruto then we really know."
"Great… another mystery that's tied with Naruto. Is there anything about him that is straightforward?" the genius pondered.
Naruto yelped as he and his father slipped off their respective trees.
"This shouldn't be hard," the younger blonde complained as he brushed himself off.
"Controlling your own chakra is one thing, controlling it and matching it to mine is another," Minato answered. "Maybe simply trying to have a basic feel for it isn't the right way to go about this… I'll be right back."
Naruto stared as his father sank back into the seal.
'What are you doing?' Kyuubi asked curiously.
'You'll see,' Minato replied as he headed straight for the core of Naruto's chakra. He observed the four threads of foreign chakra that were wrapped around it: two red, one gold, and one black. Of the two red threads, the thicker one belonged to Kyuubi and the other to Kushina. The black thread belonged to the Shinigami, resonating with only the minimum amount of energy needed to maintain the bond. His own golden thread was strong ad thick, a reflection of his bond with his son. He noted that the Shinigami's black thread and Kyuubi's red thread were wrapped around his own as well, representing his own role as Kyuubi's second Jinchuuriki and the Shinigami's champion.
He also saw what appeared to be some developing threads that were representative of the friendships Naruto was building with the people around him: Iruka, Kakashi, Jiraiya, Gaara, Ino and Shikamaru's threads stood out the most.
Minato marveled over the beauty of the chakra core. He never thought it would look quite like this.
He was about to do what he came to do when he noticed two blackish red threads. One was wrapped around his own thread and Minato felt a chill as he recognized Madara's own chakra coursing through it. He never realized that the Uchiha patriarch had forced a bond on him when he'd fed off his chakra all those years ago.
As the bond was already well-established, Minato couldn't do anything about it but he could do something about the second thread… Sasuke's thread.
Minato felt anger course through him. He'd never let the Uchiha establish a connection with his son.
He sealed the thread off so that it wouldn't be able to reach Naruto's core.
Now feeling more secure about Naruto's safety, Minato went to his own thread.
Concentrating, he pushed his thread so that it wasn't just wrapped around the core… he made it so that, slowly, it would fuse with the core.
'That should do it,' Minato thought with satisfaction as he left the seal.
"What did you do?" Naruto wondered. "I feel different."
"I just tweaked a few things here or there in our chakra," Minato explained. "Shall we try again?"
Naruto nodded and they started tree climbing again.
This time, the Genin was pleasantly surprised to see that synchronizing their chakra was much easier.
"Whatever you did, Tou-san, it's worked like a charm!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly, eyes bright with triumph.
"I knew it would," Minato smiled.
Fate snarled viciously as she observed the Namikaze duo. The accursed Yondaime had surprised her again.
"He wasn't supposed to fuse their cores. It's just not done!" she screamed in rage. "No two shinobi are meant to merge their chakra!"
"Well, those two have always been unconventional," the Shinigami drawled, not concerned at all over Minato's actions. He trusted that his chosen warrior knew what he was doing. He especially loved how they kept thwarting Fate's plans without even knowing it. It was very amusing.
Fate glared at him. "Don't you dare laugh at my expense, bastard! Just you wait and see… things can still go my way. I'll make sure of it!" she shrieked.
The Shinigami turned cold. "This isn't a game, Fate. The world is hanging in the balance. Don't make things worse. Let things run their course."
"Of course you would say that. You're winning!" Fate exclaimed rashly.
"If you do anything to endanger Naruto's chances of saving the world, I will end you," the Shinigami promised. "Goddess or not."
Fate wouldn't admit it openly but she actually felt fear at those words.
"Training went well today," Naruto vocalized happily as he headed towards his home.
"I have to agree," Minato commented. They had succeeded in synchronization of their chakra and their physical synchronization was coming along well. The mental synchronization would still take more time but that, too, didn't seem out of reach.
They felt it was tied to the two of them sharing the same feelings and focusing on the same goal, Minato had decided to nip that in the bud by starting Naruto up on a jutsu that had been the precursor to his Hiraishin… shunpo.
Minato wanted Naruto to understand every aspect of his infamous creation before he deemed his son ready to use it… the speed, the Fuuinjutsu, the applications, and the risks.
He would edge Naruto into the jutsu in such a way that when the boy learned it at long last, he would be able to bring the Hiraishin to entirely new lengths. Minato had faith that he would fulfill his every expectation.
After all, Naruto was to inherit everything that the Yondaime had to offer… his legacy. No other would be granted what gave Minato the title of being the most powerful shinobi to have ever graced the Shinobi Continent.
At that moment, Naruto arrived at his apartment and they both recognized a foreign chakra source within their home.
Grabbing a kunai, Naruto entered his apartment to investigate, only to get pinned by a bunch of vines, giving away the culprit.
Minato attempted to free Naruto but his son was quick to protest.
'You'll give yourself away,' he told his father mentally. 'He's the last one who can find out!'
'If you think I'm just going to stand back and leave you at his mercy, you've got another thing coming,' Minato growled. He would expose himself readily in order to protect his son.
Naruto knew that… which is why he did what he did. 'I'm sorry, Tou-san…' he apologized.
Minato looked confused before quickly becoming horrified when he realized Naruto's intentions.
'Don't…' he began to protest before he vanished as his son locked him away in the seal. The younger blonde felt a potent flash of regret. He told himself he wouldn't do that again… not since the last time. He'd been separated from his father too long to be able to bear another separation so soon… but he had to protect him. Regardless of Daichi's odd fixation on him, the boy would kill him in a second if he learned his despised enemy was sealed within him just for the sake of being rid of the Yellow Flash. Naruto couldn't let that happen.
"I didn't know you were into Fuuinjutsu, Naruto. That was some excellent work you put into your traps," Daichi complimented him.
"Thanks. I suppose I should say welcome to my humble abode but I can see you've already made yourself comfortable," Naruto quipped. "Didn't they ever teach you any manners back in Iwa?"
"They did but I just don't feel like offering you that particular courtesy," Daichi stated simply as he smirked from where he sat on Naruto's couch. "You amuse me, Naruto… your sense of humor makes you quite likeable… too bad your blood dirties your appeal."
"I don't care if I'm in any way appealing to you at all," Naruto answered.
"Of course not," Daichi smirked derisively, eyes dark. "You only care about flirting with that lame ass loser, Shikamaru."
"Shikamaru isn't a loser," Naruto was quick to defend his object of affections.
"Your pathetic feelings blind you to the truth, Naruto… do you honestly think he has what it takes to handle you? He has no ambition or desire to do more than the bare minimum! It took that fat friend of his to even get him to put the effort into asking you out on a date! What makes you think he'll stay by you when he learns more about you? Your heritage alone marks your life as chaotic. Never mind the fact that you're a Jinchuuriki," Daichi stated coldly.
Naruto had been about to argue against the Iwa nin's claims about Shikamaru when he froze over the last statement.
"…You know?" he asked in shock.
"It wasn't that hard to figure out," Daichi said. "Even those of us in Iwa know that the Yondaime Hokage died sealing the Kyuubi into a child. Meeting you and seeing how you were treated in your own village was enough for me to figure it out. Who would that bastard seal a Bijuu into other than his own son? What I don't understand is how you can still be so loyal to him knowing that? He sacrificed you to create a weapon for Konoha!" Daichi exclaimed hotly.
"He didn't seal Kyuubi into me to create a weapon. He did it to protect Konoha. I would have done the very same thing in his place," Naruto said evenly.
Daichi scoffed. "Believe what you want," he stated. "You'll learn how much of a bastard your father is with time. He wasn't the one I wanted to talk about anyways."
"Then what did you want?" Naruto scowled.
"To give you an ultimatum," Daichi replied, eyes turning into ice. "Break things off with Shikamaru or not only will I spill all of your secrets but I will kill Shikamaru."
Naruto's eyes widened and he couldn't help but gape in shock. "Why?"
"The sight of the two of you together offends my eyes," Daichi responded. "It irritates me. I aim to see it ended. If you don't want me to end it for you, you'll do as I say. Do it tonight… when you go for your date."
"…And if I refuse?" Naruto tried to remain defiant. Daichi gave him a chilling look.
"Then instead of enjoying your nice sweet date, you'll spend it crying over his mangled corpse," the Iwa nin vowed.
"I won't let you!" Naruto exclaimed. "I'll stop you!"
"Go ahead and try, but keep in mind, both Michiru and Osamu are watching over your precious lover as we speak. All I have to do is give them the signal… and he's dead," Daichi said, gesturing to the communications device he had on his neck. "You can protect him, Naruto, but for how long? We'll get our hands on him eventually and then his death will be all on you."
Naruto gritted his teeth. He'd never felt such a strong hate for anyone before… he wanted to beat Daichi's ass right then and there, but he couldn't risk Shikamaru's life. He wouldn't have the Nara's blood on his hands…
He slumped forward in defeat and the look of heartbreak on his face was so strong that Daichi was forced to look away as it made something inside him twist unpleasantly.
"Bastard…" Naruto finally muttered, forced to concede.
"Be happy I'm even letting you have that date in the first place. I'm not that cruel as to not give you one last experience together," Daichi declared, acting as if he was doing Naruto a big favor. "Don't try to procrastinate on this, Naruto. I'll be watching."
With that, he released Naruto and walked out of the apartment, leaving a distressed Jinchuuriki behind.
"Did you do as I said?" Jin asked Daichi as the student approached him.
"I gave him the ultimatum," Daichi confirmed simply.
"Good boy," Jin grinned. "Bit by bit, I will take away everything the Namikaze loves… soon, he'll beg us to kill him so that he can escape the pain like the coward he is. We'll fulfill his request, of course. We're very generous, after all."
Daichi tuned out his Sensei's mad ramblings, trying to push aside the out-of-place guilt that was coursing through him as he recalled Naruto's heart breaking.
"Please tell me what's wrong, Naruto," Minato pleaded. When he'd been released, he easily noticed that something was bothering Naruto. Unfortunately, Naruto wouldn't share with him what had happened nor did he allow Minato access to the memories of it.
The Yondaime was really worried. Naruto never hid anything from him before.
"Nothing's wrong, Tou-san… Daichi was just being a bastard," Naruto replied. "That's nothing new."
"He never upset you like this before," his father pressed.
"He just hit a few sore points. It's nothing you need to be concerned about," Naruto evaded the truth once more.
"If you would only tell me what you said, I could decide whether or not I should be concerned myself," Minato argued.
"Drop it, Tou-san, I'm not going to tell you," Naruto snapped, causing the former Hokage to recoil.
"I'll leave you alone," the elder blonde remarked, realizing Naruto was in no mood to share what happened. All he could do was give him some space.
"Shikamaru…" the lazy genius broke from his meditative state when he saw Naruto approaching where he sat on the top of the Yondaime's statue. A brilliant smile crossed his face.
"You're finally here," the brunette mused. "I was beginning to worry that you were turning into that Sensei of yours."
Naruto seemed vaguely amused over the joke as he sat down. "It will take a lot to turn me into that," he replied. "No one is quite like Kakashi-sensei."
"That's true," the lazy Genin agreed. "From what I hear, he's pursuing Iruka-sensei and the only one who doesn't know it is Iruka-sensei. Asuma-sensei was rather amused about it."
"I think they would be good together. Kakashi-sensei needs someone to ground him and Iruka-sensei needs someone to bring excitement into his normal routine," Naruto mused.
"When you put it like that, they seem to be made for each other," Shikamaru grinned. "But enough about them. Tonight is supposed to be all about us."
"About that…" Naruto began, looking pained as he balled his hands into fists.e "We need to talk…"
Feeling dread settle into his stomach, Shikamaru gave the blonde a concerned look. "What is it, Naruto?" he inquired.
"We… can't do this anymore…" the Namikaze heir stated after a few moments of silence. He didn't look at Shikamaru as he spoke.
"Can't do what?" Shikamaru wondered, hoping Naruto wasn't talking about what he thought he was talking about.
"We can't be together anymore," Naruto confirmed the Nara's fears.
Shikamaru frowned. "What did I do wrong, Naruto?"
"You didn't do anything wrong… you've been perfect," Naruto was quick to reassure the boy, still not looking at him.
"Then why?" the confused brunette asked.
Naruto looked conflicted, not knowing how to answer. "I'm just not ready for a relationship. I got swept away by the initial attraction but the honeymoon period is over and I'm seeing clearly now. This won't work… we're too different," he lied.
Trying to ignore the sting of those words, Shikamaru placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "We can make it work… so what if we're different? We were just talking about Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei, weren't we? They're as different as night and day! If they can make it work, why can't we?" he reasoned.
"You have no idea how different we are," Naruto stated dully. "You're better off without me."
"I don't want to be without you!" Shikamaru retorted vehemently.
"Too bad… because I want to be without you," the blonde said coldly, causing Shikamaru to recoil. "We're over." He began to leave.
Not accepting Naruto's reasoning, Shikamaru grabbed him and forced the blonde to face him. "Look me in the eye and tell me you don't want to be with me," he ordered. Not once had the other boy looked at him throughout that entire spiel.
Naruto gazed into Shikamaru's eyes, his own dull and lifeless. "I don't want you, Shikamaru. The sooner you accept it, the sooner you can move on," he declared resolutely before ripping himself out of Shikamaru's grasp and walking away, not looking to see the heartbroken look on the genius' face.
'I'm sorry, Shikamaru… but you're better off alive than with me,' he thought as he felt his heart shatter.
A/N: I know a lot of you are going to be outraged, given the ending, but I assure you, it will only be temporary. I hated having to do it but Fate seems to be really wanting to throw some curveballs in Naruto's direction. It'll get better, I promise! I nearly cried when I was writing it. Stupid Daichi… why are you so unpredictable? (I swear, even I don't know what goes on in his head. He's evolved a lot farther than I'd ever imagined).