A/N:

I hope that this chapter might give you a little bit more insight on Naruto and his past. It wasn't an easy one, that's for sure. So please read it and tell me what you think!

ENJOY!

Warning! Grammars, always...

Pairing: Not sure. Maybe implied ones?

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!

Leaving Behind

Chapter Four

"Hello," Naruto started touching his head with the worn and unkempt headstone. "I haven't been around here for a long time. I have someone I wanted to avoid so...I just kind of stayed away. Sorry." He whispered. The blonde took a deep breath. "There's a lot of things I want to tell you, but I don't really know where to start." Naruto pulled his head back from the headstone and sat with his back to it and his head turned towards the cheerful sky.

"I became a shinobi. I became a genin and pretty soon I'll be a chuunin then a jounin. Or maybe not." He added with a sigh. "My teammates...they're so different. One's loud and the other's quiet, but both are colorful and alive. Sakura and Sasuke. Sakura's a fan of Sasuke but she's smart. Really smart. She hates me, though and she's not afraid to show it. Despite that, I don't hate her. It's not her fault. Then there's Sasuke, the Uchiha. He always broods and at unexpected times, he would show up at my apartment and demand for food. The first time he did that, I was so confused. Now, I think I've adapted. My cooking probably awakened his childhood memories before the trauma. I might be a bit pompous when I say this, but I think eating my food soothes him a little. And then, there's my quirky sensei. He's probably the strangest of them all. He has an orange book that he carries around with him wherever he goes and he has hair as white as snow and it sticks up!" He laughs humorlessly.

"Sometimes, when he thinks that I'm not looking, he'd stare at me intensely, trying to read me and when I turn, he'd quickly look elsewhere. I get this feeling that he blames me for my birth parents' deaths. Maybe he doesn't realise it, but he has this face that he makes when he's looking at me. It's full of pain and hate and loathing and anger. And his eyes...he thinks I don't notice cause I make myself out like an idiot, but it's pure agony. He lives like that everyday. I don't know how he hasn't exploded yet. I wonder if he's ever tried forgiving..."

Naruto heaved a sigh. "Kurama, the fox has left me again. This time, I'm not sure when he's coming back. He says that he has something he needs to check up on, but I think he's partially lying. I think he left because of me. He probably knows that I knows. He's too clever not to. But nothing he does will help. I wish that he'd stop giving himself false hope…."

"He thinks I've accepted it. The fact that I'll be gone from this world, but I haven't. I just pretend that I do. I hope that if I look like I do, he'll leave it alone and start to accept. Maybe move on with his life. He hasn't though." Naruto was silent for a moment. "I'm a little scared that he'll tell my kids, Haru and Kiyoko, to be honest. They're older now so they'll understand. I don't want them to know. They're so cheerful and smart. They could be anything they want to be, but it's funny. When they found out that I was a ninja, they both said that's what they want to be. I told them no and they raised hell for months before Kurama got fed up with it and begged me to let them become shinobi. When I told him no, the fluffball said he was leaving for some peace of mind." The blonde laughed and it twinkled merrily, the winds greedily grabbing it before spreading it for the surrounding wildlife to hear, making the leaves on the branches perk up and the animals stopped their course to listen to the beautiful sound. They swayed dreamily before shaking their head as the sound faded away.

"Haru and Kiyoko gave me the silent treatment for weeks before starting on an adventure to the Hokage's tower. Imagine my surprise when I'm called there only to see my beautiful children on the other side! I was so mad at them. I yelled at them. Something that I'd never done before." Naruto smiled nostalgically. "But they still got their way. Haru went first and Kiyoko threw a huge temper tantrum over that. Haru was happy, though. He had something he could gloat over. Not that it lasted long. She went in shortly after. She pestered everybody around her; the Hokage, Kurama, the academy teachers, me, Kyo, Kimiku, and especially Tetsuo when she found out that he used to be an academy teacher. It was because of him that she got into the same class as Haru. Boy, was Haru angry about that!"

Naruto sighed and got up, dusting himself in the process. "I want to tell you more," He said, "but I have to go. I'll try to stop by more often."

With that said, The boy walked away, without a glance back to the lone headstone, a bit isolated by the others. It was the only headstone that wasn't tended to properly with weeds wrapping around it. It was beaten and cracked, but it didn't seem like anybody cared.

Except Naruto, because it was the headstone of the man who cared for him.

Aki Yukita

Shinobi, Caretaker, & Protector

May He Rest In Peace

…

It was early morning and Naruto was still half asleep. Haru and Kiyoko had woken him half an hour ago to watch them practice. With their powerful pouting eyes, he'd had little choice in the matter. He forced himself to get up, made some tea and sat outside in his huge backyard. The kids were already there, dueling their way into sunrise. They'd tried getting as much practice as they could before the academy started and Naruto had forbidden them to practice without adult supervision.

Haru and Kiyoko, as they'd gotten older, seemed to hold a lot of competition towards each other. It wasn't a hateful one, but his kids hated losing. Haru was probably less competitive, but Kiyoko forced it out of him. His little girl with navy blue hair and amber colored eyes, hated losing, especially when it came to her older brother. Haru, who'd been gifted with natural intellect and superior physique, excelled at almost everything. Not that Kiyoko was any slouch. For whatever she lacked she made up in determination and hours of practice. She'd always goad Haru into a fight to test her strength. And she was always left disappointed when she was swiftly defeated time and time again.

"Again!" Kiyoko shouted across the field at Haru. She had been beaten again, but her eyes were ablaze with strength.

"It's enough Kiyoko." Haru shouted back. "We've been at this since four this morning and we only have an hour before the academy starts. We'll practice again after it ends."

"No! We'll practice for thirty more minutes." She insisted. "Or are you afraid that you'll lose?"

"I'm not listening to you this time." Haru's green eyes brightened angrily but he kept his cool. "I'm not going to be late again because my little sister decided that she'd rather throw a temper tantrum than accept her lost." He pushed past her angrily, his red hair swayed with his movement.

"You're actually running away from a little girl?" She threw back at him. "Are you afraid that if you practice with me any longer, I'll get the hang of your fighting style and defeat you?"

Haru stopped. He was bristling with unleashed fury. Naruto sighed and rubbed his eyes. His kids were very emotional when it came to each other, but anyone else? They were like a blank canvas.

"Enough, you two." Naruto whispered softly before he getting up leisurely and yawning. "Training's over. Get ready. Please." He added when he saw Haru's smug look and Kiyoko's threatening glare.

None of them moved. They'd locked themselves in a standstill. It was only broken when the blonde walked over to Haru, draped his arm over the boy's shoulder and gently turned him around, forcing him to break eye contact with Kiyoko. He threw his head back and gave Kiyoko a mischievous wink when the red haired boy groaned in frustration at his loss.

Thirty minutes later, both kids had showered and changed and both were racing down the stairs. Kiyoko arrived first after she'd shoved her brother aside. She gave Naruto a cute smile and flipped her hair as Haru arrived behind her. Naruto just smirked as Haru's face got slapped by his younger sister's hair. Before she could walk away, Haru grabbed one of her pigtails and tugged it back.

Naruto hid his smile as they walked out of the door. Despite the way they acted towards each other, Naruto knew that they were fiercely protective of the other. They didn't need words or actions to prove it. Just simple glances were enough.

With the two gone, the blonde gave the house a disdainful glance and frowned. While the house wasn't dirty, per say, it certainly needed tidying up. He'd only been home long enough to drop off meals or prepare them. Do a few laundries for the kids, water his plants. He'd never actually cleaned the house. Haru and Kiyoko weren't messy kids, but they didn't care for the small things they dropped around the house or the occasional clusters of dirty clothes or the dust that was piling up on the shelves, nor did they seem to care that the floor was in need of moping. It was alright to them as long as it appeared clean.

With a resigned sigh, Naruto started cleaning. He didn't bother to use his shadow clones. It was one of the rare moments where he was alone with no one to hassle him and he intended to take full advantage of it. He only had a little more than an hour before he'd have to attend his team meeting.

The blonde boy had a small inkling as to why they called, but he didn't acknowledge it in fear that it was actually true. No—he wasn't afraid. He just didn't want to think about it. It made the already crushing burden even heavier. No matter what, the Hokage had ordered for him to pass the Chuunin Exams and for a first timer, Naruto was going in blind. He was like a puppet in a sick game to amuse those that stood above him. It made his stomach queasy just thinking about it.

With cleaning done, the bright haired boy wandered the streets, looking for his teammates. He found both of them in Ichiraku's sitting together with expressions less than welcome. Sasuke always looked like that and Sakura was probably warning away any future fangirls of the raven beside her. Naruto wondered absentmindedly when the pinkette's obsession with the Uchiha would fade. It had to fade sometime, right?

When the two saw him, their expression changed. Sasuke's features softened a little while Sakura switched to a glare. A week ago, when he had disappeared, they weren't happy with him. Sakura had insulted him to cover her nervousness and worry while Sasuke toned down his anger a notch. He probably riled both of them up. One part of him felt guilty while the other part felt satisfaction. Guilty that he had scared them and satisfaction that they'd been faced with the reality that you only have one chance with someone before they disappeared.

"Hey!" He shouted with fake exuberance. He was met with cool glares from both of them. He ignored it and went to sit on an empty seat next to Sakura.

"You're late, baka!" She snapped angrily. "Why can't you ever get here early? You'd think you'd be the first here, considering there's no one waiting for you at home." The blonde boy blinked and there was an awkward silence. Naruto couldn't say he was hurt, he was used to these types of things, but he was a little stunned.

"Sorry…" The blonde mumbled, a little unsure how to placate her.

"No fighting, children." Three heads snapped to the humble entrance of Ichiraku's. The flap was pulled back to reveal a tall man with only one visible eye and a black face mask. "Come to training Ground Seven."

It wasn't long before the three arrived at Ground Seven in a sullen silence. They were a pleasantly suprised to find their sensei sitting on top of a rock, waiting for them patiently. Each took a seat on the ground in front of the one eyed man, making sure to put as much space between each other as possible. If Kakashi noticed their awkwardness, he didn't say anything.

"I've decided…" The white haired man paused dramatically, waiting for his kids to interrupt any moment. After a minute passed in silence, he was disappointed. "I've decided to enter the three of you into the Chuunin Exams!" He finished with flourish. "Each of you have a choice. You don't have to enter. If you decided yes," He handed each of them a piece of paper, "fill this out." Kakashi gave the three of them critical stares before sitting back. "Well, that's it! Take the day off to make up your mind." Nobody made a moved when he disappeared in a piled of leaves as generic of all Konoha jonins.

Half an hour later, the three were walking in silence once again, through the streets of Konoha. Naruto's to teammates were lost in thought while Naruto was planning on how to ditch his the two without making it look like he did it on purpose. He wasn't ready to start a verbal spar. It always left him empty and tired afterwards. He needed another way out…

...and that was when he saw something odd. A square box drawn crudely to resemble the tall wooden fence behind it. But that wasn't what got his attention. What got his attention was that it moved when he moved and stopped when he stopped. Feeling a sense of deviousness, Naruto waited for it to play out. He'd have his excuse soon.

And not a moment sooner, the box ran into Sakura, revealing three academy brats tumbling from the box. Naruto watched as Konohamaru with his ridiculous goggles argued fiercely with his pink haired teammate while the other two, Moegi and Udon, watched a few steps away from the fight. Smart, he thought.

The moment Konohamaru ran away from Sakura, Naruto was a free man...except his legs instinctively followed Konohamaru. The brown haired Sarutobi was older than both Haru and Kiyoko, but he couldn't help feeling a sense of worry whenever he saw the little boy running around on his own. And he was right to feel worried.

With a stop so sudden, Naruto was even shocked with himself. In front of him was the young Sarutobi, dangling in front of some foreign ninja. It was almost like a sick joke with the memory it recalled.

In Naruto's mind, the boy dangling was no longer Konohamaru but someone else; a little girl who was barely four years old. Her head was snapped at a weird angle where it looked like a ragged doll. Her body was limp and lifeless, but she was still hung in the air. Her once beautiful brown hair were in clumps of dry blood.

Naruto stood frozen, mouth agape at the scene. He'd spent all day looking for her. He could feel the bile rising up and threatening to heave. Naruto's blue eyes went down and he regretted it. The bottom half was completely torn off and blood was pooling on the ground.

"BOSS!" Naruto blinked. The image of the girl was gone. Instead, Konohamaru faded in place, struggling and kicking his legs.

Legs, the blonde thought dumbly. He has legs. It's not torn off. He's okay.

Cerulean blue eyes hardened into a glare, the light in those dark depths were gone, replaced with a coldness that chilled the bones. His face, which was so expressive earlier, twisted into a blank mask, an uncaring one. The change that took place in him took only a split second. The once cheerful aura that he exclude was gone—transformed instead, into a dark one. It came out in waves, choking people close to him, giving them a taste of the pain he carried deep in his heart. It clawed at them, tearing their sanities apart, driving them closer and closer to Naruto's pain.

But as fast as it came, it ended. When people became again, it was like Naruto hadn't even moved. Except he did because Konohamaru was wrapped safely in his arms in a manner so protective, it looked like a feral monster protecting it's young. And then people moved on like nothing happened. The warm light was back, soothing anyone that was close and taking away any darkness that was left. It was like a mother to her child, giving comfort and helping to forget the nightmares that took place just seconds ago. Soon, it was dulled and the fear and pain they felt just moments ago was forgotten and their sanities which had temporarily crumbled was pieced back together.

However, the pain the blonde felt at that moment was intense. His head was swimming and his air was all choked up. His body burned, inside and out. The blood that was flowing through his veins didn't feel like blood. It felt like hot lava and it burned. He knew that any moment now, he'd cough up blood from his mouth, and have it drip from his eyes and ears and nose… He had to make it quick and leave.

And when Sasuke intervened, the blonde was grateful. And through the pain, Naruto was aware of a new comer. A redhaired one with murderous eyes and a lonely aura that spoke of pain and desperation. The blonde knew immediately as did the redhead, what their stations in life were. They were Jinchuurikis', but Naruto knew that even though the boy in front of him contained a demon, the boy wasn't the same. The both contained the same thing, hated for the same reason, but they weren't the same.

Gaara, he remembered faintly when he was far away from any form of human life, in the cabin hidden in the woods. The boy smelled of blood and in his muddled thoughts, he saw Gaara as a child, hanging feets above the ground next to a little girl with brown hair. The girl had no legs, they were torn off, but Gaara was perfectly intact. Their heads were bent at an odd angle and they were smiling a bloody smile, but they were both dead. There were no lights in their eyes. They were mocking him.

...

Soon, the days had passed in a blur. Before he knew it, the Chuunin Exams were only only a few hours away. The blonde wasn't as eager to participate as he had led people to believe. There were so many things that could go wrong and he had a lot that he didn't want to leave behind. He wasn't so naive to believe that determination would cut a straight path for you.

"Daddy, our Genin Exams are today." Naruto pulled back from his reverie and gave Kiyoko his full attention. "Are you coming?" Naruto frowned. The day coincided with his own Chuunin Exams. Did the Hokage do that on purpose?

"Yeah." The blonde decided that even if he had to substitute a shadow clone in with his teammates, he was going to make his children's most important day.

"Good." Haru nodded, as he walked into the room shirtless. "Is there a prize for being first place genin?"

Naruto smirked when Kiyoko glared at her brother. "Maybe the rights to brag?" He teased his youngest.

"Speaking of bragging," Haru cut in, "I think you're probably the youngest father alive. When are you turning thirteen?" Both kids were old enough and smart enough to understand that Naruto wasn't really their parent. He wasn't old enough to actually be one and not to mention the small age difference between them, but they never commented on it. They were happy keeping things the way they were and in their eyes, Naruto was their parent. He was with them before they could even develop their memory. He was always there, from start to finish. They hadn't known any other.

"Yeah!" Kiyoko yelled smugly. "If we turn out right, you get to brag to all the older fathers how badly their parenting skills are!"

The blonde chuckled. "First, I have to get out of genin status. It would look bad if my kids are the same rank as me."

Haru smirked at Kiyoko. "Bet I'll become jonin before you do."

Naruto hid a smile as Kiyoko tugged her hair in an attempt to cool down her temper. It wasn't doing her any good since her anger seemed to only grow the more she tried to suppress it. Haru's smug concealed the mischievous twitch that was always present when he poked fun at his sister.

"Urgh! I've had enough of you!" Kiyoko cried angrily as she stood abruptly. "You. Me. Outside. Right now! We'll see who's the better fighter." She huffed as she stormed towards the door.

Haru grinned, bristling with excitement. "Wanna watch?" He asked Naruto and the blonde just nodded.

He let Haru run off first before slowly making his way out. It was six in the morning and the Chuunin Exams didn't start until almost nine. However, as he walked out of the house, outside was brimming with life. It was bright and sunny and the birds were singing their morning songs merrily which they tended to do when perched near the blonde's home.

Since the house was closer to the woods than even the Nara's, wildlife leisurely launching out in the open was usual. Many animals came and left as they pleased. There was never any need to fear for danger. The culprit to this was Kurama. Since he was more beastly than human, he had the ability to connect with the creatures that roamed the woods. And because of the redhed, many animals there had made themselves the regulars who came when bored.

"Dad!" Kiyoko yelled as she ducked under a high kick. "Make sure you watch as I beat him!" Naruto grinned and cheered.

"Stop cheering for her or I'll start to believe that you're picking favorites." Haru's calm voice pierced through the loud clangs as metal met metal.

Naruto smirked as two shadow clones popped into existence on either side of him. Clone One and Two immediately started cheering when they saw the scene in front of them. The original Naruto returned to watching the two with a proud grin.

"Did anyone ever tell you how much of a cheater you are, dad?" Kiyoko groaned as she flipped and threw a perfectly aimed kunai at her brother.

Haru blocked it easily, looking effortlessly cool in the process which only seemed to irritate his sister. "There's no such thing as fighting fair, sister." Haru mocked. "Never get it in your head that shinobi are honorable. They're not."

"I know that!" Kiyoko yelled, her amber eyes flashing angrily. She ran towards him and Haru rolled his eyes. He threw out a kick and spun around with another when the navy haired girl dodged his first kick. He wasn't surprised when she blocked his second kick. He expected that. He was surprised when she jumped on him with her legs tightly wrapped around his waist.

"What are—" Haru's eyes widened when he saw her from his side view with a smirk and a hand seal ready. His eyes widened in in shock and dread when he realized his situation. He had underestimated her. He hadn't known that she'd already mastered the exploding clone technique.

The amber eyes girl activated the seal and watched with anxious anticipation. She was sure she took him by surprise. Her brother may be smarter and stronger than her but that didn't mean she couldn't surprise him occasionally. She grinned when the smoked cleared and she saw a tattered body.

"YES!" She fist pumped. She was too exhilarated to check on her brother's beaten body. She'd let her father handle that. "I'VE FINALLY BEAT YOU!" She shouted enthusiastically, jumping up and down.

And then it all happened quickly. Her brother was behind her without a single injury and the body in front of her melted into the ground. A kunai was held at her throat and she caught like a deer. She didn't dare move. "You haven't beaten me quite yet, dear sister." He whispered thickly with satisfaction. " You give?"

"How did you avoid my attack?" She snapped.

"Easy, I had a clone disguised as one of your weapons. I just switched."

"How'd you figure that I wouldn't have grabbed your clone during the fight?"

"It wouldn't have mattered." Haru snickered. "Even if you had grabbed my clone, it would've still been my win." Kiyoko pushed his arm away and hissed angrily.

Naruto, who was still standing in the sidelines, started to clap. He was proud of both of them. Many of the jutsu's they used were high classed ones, but Naruto and Kurama had taught them anyway.

"As long as they have the chakra for it." Kurama had said and the children had had more than just the chakra for them. They were a powerhouse, especially for ones so young.

"I'll drop you guys off and then I'll leave for my own exam."

It wasn't long before they were all ready. Kiyoko, unlike the other girls, didn't care much for her image. They left the house and Naruto was walking beside them cheerfully without his orange jumpsuit, which happened when his children were around. They caught him in it once and they'd immediately burnt it with Kurama's newly taught fire jutsu. Instead, he wore black pants, a simple white V- neck shirt and and a black jacket that he left open and his hair was left messy just as his kids liked it. The weather wasn't cold, but Naruto wore the jacket anyway. He was chatting happily with Kiyoko while Hau added his input once in awhile. Haru for the most part was just happy to listen to them.

"Wanna race?" Kiyoko suggested. "There's a shortcut through the woods we can use. It's really thick with foliage, though."

Naruto thought about it. It wouldn't hurt to try and it made him uncomfortable to walk through a crowded street. "Haru?"

"I'm fine with it." The boy answered with a nonchalant shrug.

The blonde heaved a sigh. " Lead the way then."

Less than five minutes later, they were in front of a bridge that lead to the entrance of the woods that Kiyoko had mentioned earlier. True to her words, the woods were really thick with a foliage. So much so that the sun barely passed through.

"Are we gonna do this or not?" Kiyoko spoke up after a moment of silence.

Reluctantly, Naruto nodded. "Just give me a sec—"

It took the blood a split second to realise that the person following them had just appeared before them. The aura of the man was familiar but Naruto didn't dwell on that when he had a kunari held at Haru's who'd pushed his sister away in the second it gave him to move.

"Don't move." the muffled voice hissed out. The man, if it even was, was covered from head to toe giving it no distinctivity. Naruto immediately froze.

"What do you want?" He asked as calmly as he could manage.

"Quit the Chuunin Exams." The mysterious shinobi demanded. Naruto gnashed his teeth together in agitation. He was only grateful that the man probably didn't know his full identity.

"Don't." Haru's serious voice said.

"Shut up, boy!" The foreign shinobi hissed, pressing the kunai harder into Haru's skin. "Quit the Chuunin Exams and I give you the boy back. It's simple."

"I won't let a some stupid shinobi like you bully my father into giving up on the Chuunin Exams!" Kiyoko hissed, her kunai out.

Naruto watched closely, and he caught the surprise in the shinobi's eyes. It was so familiar but the blonde couldn't pinpoint it. Nonetheless, he took advantage of the ninja's momentary distraction to throw a shuriken at him. The man dodged, dragging Haru with him. Despite the calm expression on Naruto's face, he was beside himself with worry and anxiety. The situation now was so close to his memories that he could barely focus.

"Dad," Haru called calmly, "He's not a match for you. I can take care of myself."

Kiyoko growled. "We've never seen you fight, dad. Show us what you can do so I can shove it in Haru's face that he got kidnapped and I didn't."

"I saved you, you dolt!" Haru shouted at her.

Naruto took in a deep breath. He was reassured now. Kiyoko and Haru had managed to calm him. He quickly gave his surroundings a quick assessment while spreading his aura. Haru, he knew was perfectly fine. He could take care of himself, but he wasn't, which meant that there was something Haru who was in close proximity to the man knew that Kiyoko and himself did not.

And Haru was acting really calm, almost too calm. Naruto mentally nodded. He relaxed and when the man also relaxed, he leaped into action—no, he disappeared into action, because when the man blinked, the blonde boy was gone and instead, reappeared at his side. It took all of the masked man's shinobi experience to block the critical it. And if he'd been a second too late, his arm should've been gone. The masked shinobi leaped back away, but as soon as his feet touched the ground, Naruto was there in front of him. He managed to block but he was momentarily stunned by the power and brute force behind the attack. The thing that kept flashing through the man's head, hours later, was how blank the boy looked. It was like unmarked paper without any drawing.

Naruto flipped over the man and grabbed the back of his collar, throwing him into a tree and breaking dozens in the process. During that moment, Haru took advantage of the man's arms loosening around him. He elbowed the the man and flipped away. In an instant, Naruto was beside him, graceful and deadly. "Go to your sister." Naruto commanded. The red haired boy didn't dare disagree.

And before Haru processed it, his father was already gone, instead appearing in front of the fallen shinobi. Haru, who actually did know something the moment he was grabbed, was worried. The man that attacked them was someone familiar, a teacher at the academy. He could smell the dusty smell of books and ink on him. And the overpower scent of sweat—not on his skin though—the kind that could only be acquired through direct contact like a hug from a student and from hours, days, and years of cultivating. Haru wasn't certain, though nor was he aware of the man's intent. That was why he didn't say anything nor reacted.

"Haru!" Kiyoko landed next to him silently. "Are you okay?"

Haru nodded absentmindedly. He was focused on the fight. Their father never actually fought in front of them, but he knew that their father was powerful. He could feel the power licking at them, emitting through him. It was overpowering, almost like their grandfather. And now he knew why their father didn't fight. The blonde was too intense, too strong. If a casual flick of his finger could be so destructive, what could a punch do?

Haru shivered.

Kiyoko left her brother to his obsessive thinking. Her brother thought a lot and that's where they differed. She didn't like to think. At all. It wasn't a very strong trait of hers. Don't get her wrong, she was smarter than the average human and she could work through problems faster than most of her classmates, but if she didn't have to think or use her brain, she'd rather not. She'd rather her body do the thinking for her.

And at this moment, she let her body do just that. She followed their father and she witnessed the whole thing. Their father's worry, and his fear and...his strength. She'd never known anyone to be that powerful or that fast. She literally could not follow his movements. And smite her if she were to be wrong, but she hesitantly thought that their father could be stronger than the Hokage. And the scary fact? Their father wasn't even using a tenth of his strength. And another scarier fact? He was only growing in his strength. He hadn't even reached his full potential yet.

Were they ever going to be able to live up to his legend? His expectations? Before today, she knew their father was strong, powerful, but not this much.

She went closer to the scene. She'd left Haru back when he became unresponsive. There at the scene, their father stood above a green cloak. There was no body underneath. The only evidence that their father had fought were the destruction of the many fallen trees and the wildlife.

"He's gone?" She croaked.

Naruto turned. "He's alive." He answered her. His voice was quiet. "Let's go."

He gently grabbed Kiyoko's hand and lead her back to Haru who had sat down comfortably. His expectant eyes told them that he'd been waiting for them. Naruto gave his oldest child a look and when the red haired boy averted his eyes, Naruto knew for certain that his green eyed boy knew something.

The blonde sighed. "Off to school, you guys."

A/N: So, here we go. Lots of grammars. Lots of them. I don't have a beta so sorry. His team wasn't really there in this chapter. Hopefully the next one features them more. Also, Naruto, here is incredibly powerful, but he's held back a lot. As for what's holding him back, I think you guys can already guess and if not, then you can comment and tell me what you think.

But yeah, do tell me what you thought. How was this chapter? Bad? Good? And yes, there are a lot of questions left unanswered. But hey, we're only at the beginning. Have fun! Enjoy the story! And tell me what you think by reviewing!

Love you guys!