DISCLAIMER: No matter how much I want it, I do not own Naruto. I am still only borrowing the characters and promise to return them in good condition – well, maybe slightly battered!

AN:

Warning: This is a filler chapter, sorry for those of you that don't like them! I absolutely swear it's the last! One of my reader's - Lightningscar either suggested it or inspired me on this chapter (probably both!). Oh, and Nighttheraven - I put in a little something for your sick, twisted little mind to enjoy!

The next chapter will start the chunin exams... and after that - the conclusion of this story!

Chapter Forty-One:

Things aren't the way they were before

You wouldn't even recognize me anymore
Not that you knew me back then
But it all comes back to me
In the end

~Linkin Park~

Warmth and comfort enveloped Kakashi and Naruto as they finally walked into their home. They had just spent a hellish week in the Forest of Death, training for the chunin exams. Naruto had been burned, half-drowned, and buried alive… not exactly the most wonderful way to spend his last week at home.

Naruto almost couldn't believe it - they would be leaving in three days for the Village Hidden in the Mist, where his exams would take place. Of all the places he had always wanted to go! And, of course, the opportunity to see Zabuza and Haku again…

Their entrance was so quiet, Ayame didn't hear them. She was sitting at the table with her back to them, feeding Sakumo. His face lit up at the sight of his father and brother. He lifted one chubby hand and waved.

Ayame, hearing someone chuckle, turned around and squealed, "Oh, you're both back!" She leapt off her chair and launched herself at Kakashi.

Naruto gagged and yelled, "Oi, get a room!"

Kakashi broke off his rather passionate kiss with Ayame and grinned. He picked up Sakumo, gave him a raspberry on his neck and handed him to his son. "Good idea pup! Why don't you be a great big brother and mind the little guy here while I take your mother to our room."

Naruto's jaw dropped as the two practically disappeared up the stairs. He absentmindedly pulled the baby's hand out of his kunai pouch and yelled, "But it's in the middle of the day, you pervs!"

He looked at Sakumo and frowned. "We are not staying around here, that's for sure. You're way too cute and innocent to be corrupted like that." He gave a shudder as he remembered the incident.

That was the last time he would ever walk into Kakashi and Ayame's room without knocking.

~o~O~o~

Naruto had just walked up to the door when it burst open and Sai came rushing out with a slightly nauseated look on his face. He was carrying what Naruto immediately recognized as a weapon of mass destruction… a dirty diaper.

"Ugh, been there…" commiserated the blonde with a sad shake of his head. He walked into Sai's apartment, set his brother down next to the freshly changed Ai, and made himself at home.

When Sai came back in, he found Naruto in the kitchen suspiciously poking a cake with a large knife.

"Did your mom make this?" he asked with a frown.

"No, my father did."

"Oh good," he replied and cut out two huge slabs. "Do you want some too?"

"No, it is a little early for sweets."

"It is never too early for sweets," said Naruto with a mouth full of cake.

"Why are you here? We just got home. Why are you not spending time with your parents?"

"Ugh, because they're doing it."

"Doing what?"

"IT."

"It what?"

"IT! You know…they're playing hide the sausage."

"Why would one want to hide a sausage? They belong in the refrigerator."

"No… it! You know, punching the monkey…"

"Naruto, you are not making sense. Why would one want to punch a monkey? Did the monkey do something terrible?"

Naruto gave Sai an exasperated look. "Honestly, sometimes I think you live in a cave. They are doing the mattress mambo, bumping uglies, the wild thing… any of that ringing a bell? I mean, you've got a sister now so I know your parents do the slap and tickle once in a while too."

"Well," Sai shook his head and answered slowly, "My mother only slaps my father when he gets her mad. I also do not believe either one is ticklish or that they have ever danced on a mattress. That is undignified."

Naruto pulled at his hair in frustration. "Sex," he started to yell and then caught sight of the children. He lowered his voice and spelled, "S. E. X. They're at home having S. E. X."

"Why are you spelling it?"

Naruto jabbed his finger at the babies playing on the floor. "Because of them. They don't need to hear about that kind of stuff."

"They do not understand what you are saying. They are dumb."

Naruto drew back in outrage. "My brother is not dumb!"

"He soils his self. Need I say more?"

Naruto just rolled his eyes in exasperation at Sai's logic. "Whatever. So can we stay here for a while? I hate having to hear them go at it."

"That is acceptable to me. I am curious; does your mother tell Kakashi Sensei to whip her like the bad girl she is? I have heard my mother say that to my father before."

"Uhh… no… I can't say as I've ever heard her say that."

"Oh… so does your father…"

"Please, for the love of all that's holy – please don't finish that sentence. As it is, I don't think I'll ever be able to look at Anko the same way again. That's disturbing on so many levels. You know, people my parent's age shouldn't be having sex."

"My father engages in coitus quite frequently with my mother and he is much older than your father."

"Coi-what?"

"Coitus, fornication, sexual relations, copulation, intercourse, procreation…"

"I get it, I get it! Please don't start that now."

"Alright. So what do you want to do?"

"I'm bored. My brother is scooting on the floor now. You want to have a baby race to see which kid is the fastest?"

Sai raised his eyebrow. "That does sound as though it could be quite entertaining; however, Ai just lays there on the floor. She really is quite useless at the moment." He tapped his chin and then added, "You know she does have this vile white substance that spews from her mouth occasionally. I find that it will occur if you feed her and then immediately afterwards, move around very quickly. We could see which baby has the fastest projectile vomit."

"Umm, no I really don't think that's a good idea. My dad freaked out when I was jumping up and down on my bed with Sakumo in my arms." He scratched his head, deep in thought. "Hmm, looks like your sister is pretty gooey. We could line them up side to side and see which one gets the longest line of drool."

"Boring… and unsanitary." Sai walked back into the living room and sat down on the floor where a massive scroll laid spread out. Naruto came up behind him, studying the artistry.

"It's amazing Sai. Is it what I think it is?"

"Yes, I've been working on it since we returned to Konoha."

"Even with that thing on your face, are you sure you'll have enough chakra to do a jutsu this big?"

"It is a rhombus and Lady Tsunade implied that it would as long as I am able to store enough chakra before the exam."

"Well it's a pretty risky gamble if you ask me."

"Participating in the chunin exams is a risky gamble. A lot could happen."

An interesting figure on the scroll caught his eye and then another. "Hey, is that the creature from UshiVillage? Some of those are really creepy. And wait… is that my dad?"

"You all are in here."

Naruto stepped closer and was about to touch the paper when Sai threw his arm out. "Careful," he warned, "Not all of the ink is dry yet."

"I won't smudge it."

"That is not what worries me… the ink is poisoned."

"Ooooh nice."

Naruto suddenly shouted, "Hey Aho, what the hell!" he pointed at one of the creatures. "Why am I naked?"

"I haven't finished it yet. I thought maybe you could help me."

"You better put clothes on me first."

Sai bent over and quickly added a few strokes of his brush.

"A loin cloth? No-no-no! I don't think so."

"But I need the room on your body to put the seals."

"Well, at least puts shorts on it. I can't be seen at the chunin exams in a loin cloth. It'll be humiliating."

"Fine," huffed Sai as he added more ink to the paper.

Naruto was about to argue some more when he saw the front door open. Anko and Ibiki walked in, their heads close together. Anko was giggling and Ibiki chuckled lowly. Naruto had heard that sound many times before. He ripped his fingers through his hair and mumbled, "What the hell? Is it mating season in Konoha or what?"

"It looks as though their date is complete."

Naruto shook his head. "Nuh uh, I don't think so."

"Yes it is; a date is when you go out somewhere with someone. They are home now, therefore their date is complete."

"Never mind, it'd take too long to explain. Grab your sister and a couple of bottles. We're leaving."

"Where are we going?"

"Anywhere but here. I'll definitely puke if I have to hear your parents doing it."

Sai resisted the tug on his arm and informed Naruto, "Sexual relations between married couples are used for physical or emotional pleasure and commonly contribute to human bonding. Plus – it seems to put them in a happy mood."

"Hey, I'm all for them being happy and all," he tugged on Sai's arm frantically, "but I never want to hear it or see it."

"If you insist." He grabbed a bag, loaded it with the baby's things and then walked over to the bedroom. Tapping lightly on the door, he announced, "I am leaving for a while. I have Ai. Please do me a favor and try not to procreate again."

Naruto rolled his eyes. When Sai joined him, he asked, "Really? Don't procreate?"

"Well… all she does is cry all night, sleep all day, and poop."

"Jealous much?"

Sai ignored the remark as he locked the front door. After a moment, he commented, "You know I once witnessed them in the act of copulation. I do not believe they intended for me to see it."

"Yeah, that's why you should never go into their room without knocking"

"They were not in their bedroom."

He blurted out before he could stop himself, "Where were they?"

"The kitchen table."

"Oh Kami, I just ate off that!"

"My father said that most adults get pleasure from variety, so most likely, your parents have had coitus on your table, or your couch…"

"Ugh, I think I'm going to be sick!"

"…in the den, or the basement…"

Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

"…or the shower, or possibly even in your bed, or maybe even..."

"What's wrong with you?! Are you insane?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that? I am not crazy. My father had me tested."

"Recently? Listen, let's just drop it. As it is, I think I'm scarred for life."

"So what do you want to do?"

"I don't know; what do you want to do?"

~o~O~o~

"Naru-chan?"

Naruto cringed. Sai whimpered. Sakumo blew a raspberry and Ai gurgled contentedly. Slowly the boys turned around in trepidation.

Resignedly, the blonde plastered a fake smile on his face and held tight onto Sai's arm to keep him from escaping. "Hello, Grammy Usagi."

"Ah, I knew that was you my sweet little Naru-chan! How are you?"

"Oh, you know, I'm okay. I'm uh… uh real busy today so I can't stay and talk."

She patted his head absent-mindedly and grabbed his arm – much as he had done with Sai. She peered blindly at him and jabbed him hard in the stomach. "When did you have babies Naru?"

"What?! I don't have kids, this is my little brother."

"And with Ping… for shame Naru-chan, I thought you had more sense than that!"

"WHAT! NO! I DID NOT HAVE KIDS WITH PING – I MEAN SAI!"

"What are you doing Ping? You better not be trying to look down my dress again, you pervert! You're a father now, so you straighten up your act."

"Yes, I mean no, I mean… wait, what?"

To Naruto horror, he heard a snicker. Walking up behind the ancient woman was the last person he wanted to see. "Aww, how sweet… little Naru-chan and crazy, old Sai. Don't those two make the cutest couple Grammy Usagi?"

"Go away Shēn, I'm busy right now. Can I ignore you some other time?"

Shēn waited until Usagi was too busy harassing Sai to overhear him. He whispered, "Hey, I just wanted to know if I can borrow your face for a few days. My ass is going on a holiday."

Naruto grinned and cracked his knuckles. So you want to do this, huh? Okay, you're on. You might as well quit now because you'll never be the man your mother is!"

"At least I know who my mother is."

"That the best you got Shēn? What's the matter; am I getting smart with you? How would you know? Sometimes I wonder if your butt gets jealous of the crap that comes out of your mouth."

Shēn clenched his fists. Naruto's rapid fire responses and easy grin grated on his nerves. "Yeah and you're so stupid; if you spoke your mind, you'd probably be speechless."

"And you look like the guy who the neighbors later say, 'He mostly kept to himself."

"You're so ugly; when you sit in the sand the cats try to bury you."

"How many times do I have to flush to get rid of you?"

Shēn's face turned red. He quickly glanced to see if Grammy Usagi was paying attention then stepped closer to Naruto, forcing him to look up at him. "Well, it looks like your face caught on fire and someone tried to put it out with a fork."

Naruto sighed. He was starting to feel a little guilty because he had promised Ayame he would try to get along with his 'cousin'. He asked, "How long are we going to do this Shēn? Just spit it out and go away."

"You are repulsive, intellectually retarded, vulgar, insensitive, selfish, and stupid, you have no taste, a lousy sense of humor and you smell."

"And you're a dumbass. Is that all?"

"She's my grandmother, not yours. If she gives her secrets to anyone, it will be me. Also… stop trying to kiss up to her to get in her will."

"You're such a tool, Shēn. Don't you realize that there are enough people to hate in the world already without your working so hard to give us another? Grammy Usagi is related to my mom and you know it. You need to just get over it and move on. I don't give a crap about her money or her 'secrets' and neither should you. Now if I throw a stick, will you leave?"

"Tch, you really don't know anything do you, loser." The angry teen stepped away and moved over to the old woman, who kept trying to take Ai from Sai. "Come on, grandmother; let's go get you that nice cup of hot tea."

"Oh… do I know you?"

"I'm your grandson, Shēn."

"Shin?"

"Shēn."

"Sho?"

"Shēn."

"Shiori?"

"Shiori is a girl's name! My name is Shēn."

"Alright Yoko, lets go. Bye Naru-chan. Take care of that baby now and stop by if that husband of yours causes you any problems." She shook her gnarled fist at Sai and made a hand sign to ward off evil before toddling away.

Sai frowned. "I do not understand how everyone thinks I have mental issues. Clearly they have not met that woman."

"True, she does make you look almost normal."

"What do you think this secret of hers is?"

"Tch, that idiot thinks she has this super awesome secret jutsu which is just crazy cuz she's just a civilian."

"I see. You know," Sai paused and then smiled. "I also have a difficult time believing that you are related to Shēn."

"For the last time – I am not related to him," muttered Naruto, glaring darkly at the retreating back of his 'cousin' and resisting the urge to give him the finger. "He is related to my mom."

"That still makes him your family."

Naruto stepped onto the meandering path beside the glistening waterway and motioned Sai to follow. "Not true. My dad used to tell me that relatives don't always have to do with family, and family is about who you choose to make your life with. You and Sasuke are my family. Now let's get out of here before someone else comes along."

Sai shrugged and walked beside him. After several minutes he asked, "So what do you want to do?"

"I don't know. Don't you have any ideas?"

"Well, there is that new Princess Koyuki movie we could go see."

Naruto grimaced. "I don't think so. Shouldn't you be at home checking your testosterone levels?"

"Excuse me; I happen to be very comfortable with my masculinity."

Naruto shook his head sadly and asked, "How is that even possible? Listen, if I'm going to the movies, I want to see something with no plot and lots of gratuitous violence."

"So you wish to see a movie about your life?"

Naruto stopped walking and laughed. He punched Sai on the arm and said, "Now you're learning! Now all we got to do is teach you how to use slang!"

"I suppose I can attempt it although I cannot understand why one would want to butcher his or her own language. Be that as it may, I still do not know what we should do today."

"The movies are out. There is no way Sakumo will stay quiet that long… or still." Naruto removed his brother's wandering hand from his kunai pouch again. "Oooh, I have an idea." He cackled evilly and then at Sai's questioning look, said, "The little guy just ate an hour ago so I'm thinking we should go visit Sasuke."

"What does Sakumo eating an hour ago have to do with Sasuke?"

"You don't know? Jeeze Sai, why do you think Anko always splits and leaves you to babysit after she feeds the baby?"

Suspicion lurked in Sai's eyes as he asked, "What are you saying?"

"Think about it. You feed a baby and what happens an hour later?" Naruto knew the very second it clicked in Sai's mind when his face showed more emotion than ever before.

"SON OF A …! I knew it! I knew it! I knew she was doing that to me on purpose! This only confirms my feelings of doubt. She makes me clean the fecal matter off of Ai's buttocks every day!"

"Yup, diaper duty! I've always said that Anko was one twisted woman!"

Sai reiterated through gritted teeth, "Every. Damn. Day."

"Hehe sucks to be you Aho! My dad tried that with me too whenever he watched the baby, but I learned real quick to run like hell after he eats. I would've thought you'd have caught on to that by now."

Two angry, red splashes stained his cheekbones as realized the true depths of her depravity while Ai, distressed at the sudden scream and the tension in his arms, began to cry. Sai awkwardly patted her back and murmured, "There-there."

She cried louder.

Sakumo, watching wide eyed, began to wail in symphony.

Villagers walking by stopped and stared at the boys, giving them glares. Naruto ignored them all and hugged his brother and cooed, "Shh, its okay," until he stopped, but Sai was having no luck.

Ai cried louder.

"Do what your mom does."

"If you say so," shrugged Sai. He turned and walked back towards his apartment.

Naruto shouted, "Hey, where are you going?"

"You told me to do what my mother does, did you not? Well my mother gives the baby to my father."

Sakumo gave Naruto a puzzled look.

He smiled, "No Kumo, he's not crazy, I swear… just really, really, really weird." He sighed and ran over to Sai and grabbed his arm. "Stop Aho! We don't want to go back there right now. Think about it… old people doing IT! Just do what your dad does."

"Oh… why didn't you say so in the first place?" He shifted uncomfortably. "Do I have too?"

"Come on, look at her." He pointed at the girl's red face and repeated, "Just do whatever your dad does."

"But he kisses her."

"So?"

"So - kissing is unsanitary."

"Just do it Aho."

With a long-suffering sigh, he did as Naruto instructed; he kissed the baby and gently wiped her tears away. She finally stopped crying, hiccupped several times and then gave Sai a watery smile.

"It worked," he whispered in awe. "Look, she is happy. I think she may actually hold positive feelings for me."

"Of course she does, you're her brother." Sensing something, but not sure what, Naruto glanced around. "Hey, uh Sai?" he murmured very quietly, "Kiss her again."

"But why? She has ceased her unnecessary blubbering. I do not wish to do it again."

"Just do it," he hissed.

Naruto watched as girls on the street practically melted when Sai kissed the baby. "Come on," he said excitedly. "I know what were doing today! We're going to Mimisans."

"But that is a girly tea shop."

"Yeah Aho – girly…" he tugged Sai as he walked faster. "You should have seen the girl's faces when you kissed Ai. If we do that at Mimisans, I'll bet the girls will be all over us!" Sai gave him a confused look. "Don't you get it? Babies are like chick magnets!"

"Why would one want to put a magnet on a chick?"

~o~O~o~

Two hours later, Naruto and Sai were slowly walking home in a daze. All kinds of girls had oohed and ahhed over their little siblings while flirting with them. Naruto happily swung the diaper bag as he whistled jauntily. He looked at Sai and smirked as his dreamy expression. "Best. Day. Ever."

"Yeah…"

"Do you think Sakura will be mad that a girl kissed me?"

"Yeah…"

Naruto turned to glare at Sai, but saw the spaced out expression. He grinned and commented, "Looks like you had fun."

"Yeah…"

"I saw that girl that kissed you."

"Yeah…"

"Too bad Sasuke missed it! But if he was there, all the girls would have too busy trying to catch his attention to notice us, babies or not." Naruto raised his arms and put them behind his head. They had gone to quite a few places where girls hung out at and had the best day. He had never felt so euphoric. The diaper bag swung too and fro as he relived the blissful memories.

"Yeah…" murmured Sai deliriously, "He probably wouldn't have enjoyed it anyways. Did you see how much that girl looked like Ino? She was beautiful."

"She should… that was her cousin. I thought you said that Ino was going to be your girlfriend. I don't think she'd want you kissing her family.

"Yeah…"

Naruto smirked. "So I guess having a girl's tongue in your mouth isn't as unsanitary as you thought, huh?"

"I may need to conduct a few more experiments before I reach any conclusions but I did read that kissing can aid in reducing tooth decay. This is because the extra saliva helps in keeping the mouth clean. Did you know that?"

"Nope – didn't know that. So I take it that means that you're going to be kissing a lot more girls from now on, huh?"

Sai's face got dreamy again. He murmured wistfully, "Yeah…"

"Just remember that kissing girls can lead to babies."

"No, you are incorrect. Kissing does not cause babies. Babies are caused by a man ejaculating his sperm into a woman's…"

Naruto shook his head in disgust. "Ugh, stop. Why do you always have to take it to the extreme? I've already had that lecture from my father and believe me – once in a lifetime is enough. Kissing leads to babies because…" his words trailed off.

"Hey Sai?" Naruto stopped walking and looked around in confusion. "Do you get the feeling that we're forgetting something?"

"No, I have an eidetic memory. I am never forgetful. I…" Sai looked at the diaper bag hanging from Naruto's shoulder and then at his own arms, which were hanging slackly by his side. "AAAAAGGGHHH!"

"What? What? What?" shouted Naruto, startled at Sai's high-pitched scream.

"Where's Sakumo?!"

"Mmm, that cute red-head has her," said Naruto distractedly, "She even said she would go to… the… winter… festival…"

"Where's Ai?!"

"With that blon-ooh… OH MY GOD!"

They shouted in unison, "WE FORGOT THE BABIES!"

"My mom and dad are going to kill me!"

"If I'm lucky, that's all they will do to me! They specialize in torture!"

"Oh crap, where did we leave them?"

"They could cut the skin off my face and peel it back…"

"…was it at Mimisans?"

"…they could rip off my fingernails one by one…"

"…was it at that civilian school for troubled girls?"

"…they could beat me with a cane…"

"…or was it at that sushi place…"

"…they might snip off a body part with garden sheers and force feed me…"

Naruto blanched and gave him a wide-eyed, disbelieving stare. "Focus Sai, focus! Where did we have them last?!"

Sai run a shaking hand across his face. His words came out in a panicked jumble. "But-I-am-so-dead-when-they-find-out!"

"You mean if."

"What-do-you-mean-they-will-kill-me…! Oh… 'If'…" Sai nodded frantically, "Yeah… 'If' is good." He took several deep calming breaths and mentally retraced his steps. "We definitely had them at that park with the fountain."

Naruto turned even whiter. "We left them at a park!"

"…with a water fountain…?!"

~o~O~o~

An hour later, the two boys came to a stop in front of one of the many places they had visited that day. They had looked everywhere for their siblings and hadn't found them. They were frantic and exhausted from their fruitless search. Naruto burst into the shop, yelling at the top of his lungs, "Has anyone seen two little silver-haired or a purple-haired babies?"

"You mean like these?" came the growled reply.

One extremely furious kunoichi turned around, holding the two babies. Naruto wanted to die right then and there. "A-A-Anko…!"

"You tell me, Naruto Uzumaki Hatake, you tell me, why I shouldn't kill you right now?!" Her voice was soft but steely. Her narrowed eyes pierced into his. The already overwhelming guilt he felt intensified.

Sakumo wasn't moving and Naruto couldn't tell if he was simply sleeping or… well, he couldn't bear to think of what 'or' could mean. He tried to take the baby, but Anko moved away to prevent it. "Is… is he alright?" he asked fearfully.

"He is but you won't be once Kakashi and Ayame find out."

Naruto nodded solemnly. "Yeah," he agreed, "and I deserve whatever they do."

She handed him his brother. "You!" she yelled, "You get your skinny little butt home, Sai Morino! You boys are so lucky that the owner called me the minute you walked out the doors without them."

"Yes mother." His shoulders slumped in dejection. Hesitantly he asked, "Are you going to chop me up into little pieces and bury them in a hidden location where scavengers will find my remains and eat my entrails?"

She thought about it for a moment before replying, "Not today, but that option is still open."

Naruto sadly watched them leave. His heart was still beating heavily in his chest. He had been so frightened for Sakumo. He felt like the lowest piece of dirt. "I'm so sorry, Kumo," he whispered in the baby's ear. "I promise, I'll never do that again."

With the baby cradled protectively in his arms, he walked out of the shop and down the street. The bright, cheerful surroundings seemed to mock him as he trudged along. What had started out as the best day of his life quickly became the worst. He couldn't go home… not yet…

~o~O~o~

Naruto sat on the tip of the Fourth Hokage's hair with the sleeping Sakumo balanced on his lap. All was quiet and serene as he took in the spectacular view of the Konohagakure.

This was the place where he always went when he needed to think or when he just wanted to be alone. From the HokageMountain, he could see the whole village. Right now it was at the height of activity. Although too far to hear, the market was bustling as the venders called out to the shoppers, children were laughing and screaming in the parks and on the streets, and the training grounds were filled with diligent shinobi practicing their art. It helped calm his roiling emotions and fill him with small measure of comfort.

This was why he became a shinobi.

Naruto closed his eyes and looked up, feeling the warm kiss of the sun on his face. Although trace amounts of snow clung to the mountain, it was a beautiful day. He wished it was different; that heavy storm clouds would roll in and engulf the area in a violent show of nature's fury to match his mood.

There was no sound to betray his approach, but he sensed the person behind him just the same. There was no one else that had his presence, no one else that smelled quite like him, no one else that could make him so happy, no one else that could make him so angry.

He stared straight ahead and gazed out unseeingly. "I screwed up so bad."

"Yeah," came the soft reply, "You did."

"Do you hate me? Sakumo could have been hurt or kidnapped, or -" His words failed him as horrible possibilities filled his mind. "I hate myself," he murmured so lowly, the man almost missed them.

Kakashi sat down close to Naruto and stared out at the village. Quietly, he began to speak. "I was eighteen when you came into my life. I was too young, too screwed up to do things the proper way. Half the time, I wondered if I was capable of raising you right. I was afraid that everything I did was wrong."

"But you're the best dad. You always say the right thing and do the right thing… You would never have lost me…"

"Wrong… I did lose you… twice."

"What? I know about the whole council thing, but what about the other time?"

"You were so little and always so scared. You used to hide a lot and one day I just forgot you were there. I left you at home by yourself for hours. Once I realized you weren't there, I came back and found you curled up in my closet crying for me." He looked at Naruto and smiled sadly. "I hated myself too. My guilt went so deep, I brought you back to the Hokage and pleaded with him to find someone else to care for you. He refused. He said that mistakes are always forgivable, as long as you have the courage to admit them."

"I'm so sorry dad. I promise nothing like this will ever happen again."

"I know. I also know that you'll probably try to beat yourself up because of it. It's a hard thing to let go of mistakes we've made, but you need to do that because guilt and condemnation will keep you from becoming who you are meant to be."

"Who am I meant to be?"

Kakashi picked the baby from Naruto's arms and helped him stand. He bent down and whispered, "A good man."

"Dad?" Naruto looked up at the masked shinobi with a slight smile and a lighter heart. "You never lost me, you found me."

"And not a day goes by where I'm not thankful for it, Naruto."

AN:

Thanks to everyone that followed/favorited/commented on the last chapter! Special thanks to guest reviewers - Stephanie, Don1999, and Gamma89.

Ja Ne,

AZFAERYDUST