AN: Honestly I was going to skip this chapter completely because I wasn't happy with it, and I still ain't thrilled about it, but I needed to move the arc on down the line and not make 10+ chapters just to cover the early years, and this was about the only way I could think of doing it.

Reviews

Guest: (I really wish you would either log in or leave some form of ID other than 'Guest') I will aim for two to three-week intervals between updates.

Spark: TBH, I wasn't expecting you to be here on this story. The Creed Reborn, sure, but a Naruto x Skyrim crossover? We might have similar tastes in stories. You know, a more refined palate. You'll just have to hang around and find out.

As for the rest of you who reviewed, I thank you.

(Day Month Year Era) IE Skyrim starts on (17th of Last Seed 201 4E)

(22nd of Hearthfire 187 4E)

A red-haired man stood in the doorway, his eyes on the sleeping form of a blond-haired boy wrapped tightly in warm blankets. His steel chest-plate was dulled by soot, and an iron sword hung on his belt. The blade, a basic design, was mostly just for show. Half the time, just the sight of the weapon was enough to ward off any desperate two-bit pickpockets looking to score. Slung over his shoulder was a leather travel bag.

"Red." he heard a man say. Looking over his shoulder, he was greeted by Kodlak and Aela. "Did you just get back?"

"Yeah," he replied silently, closing the door and facing the two. "Turns out those bandits were just a trio of highwaymen."

"So the job is done then." Kodlak said, taking a small sack of coins from his bag, "I know you don't have much use for the coin, but here's the payment for the job." Red outstretched his hand, and the distinguished companion dropped the back of coins into his palm.

Kodlack was right. Red had no immediate use for it. When here, he lived in one of the small rooms in Jorrvaskr, and when on the road, he lived off the land. Red glanced over his shoulder at the closed door behind him, he may not need the coin, but the runt might need it in the future. Red placed it in his travel bag for safekeeping. "I'm sure you wish to talk to her."

He watched as the man passed him by before turning his attention to Aela. "How was the kit while I was gone?" Aela was the only person he trusted enough to care for Naruto while he was away. It was true he trusted Kodlak, but the man had his hands full dealing with the rabble that called Jorrvaskr home.

"Fine, for the most part, he spiked Skjor's mead with the Hammerfell spices when he said it was cold outside, and he burned Farkas's copy of the Lusty Maid because I said it was a book of black magic, then he-" she stopped when he held up a hand.

"I get it, little shits been a terror," he replied. "Maybe it's time to start teaching him stuff. It might give the rest a break since he would have something to keep his mind busy."

Giving Naruto a goal had always settled him down when the kid got too rambunctious. "Well, there's not much I can teach him till he gets stronger. I mean, the pup is three." Aela pointed out, "I'm afraid if we start teaching him how to build a fire or anything, he'd burn the hall down. Maybe we can start him on splitting firewood or something, and Master Eorlund always needs wood for the forge."

"And then after he learns how to split wood with an axe, he'll want to know how to throw it," Red said with a chuckle as Aela pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. Red was already envisioning a blond-haired terror trying to throw the wood axe at one of the training dummies out back. "Might not be the worst idea, though. At least that way, he can build some muscle for later."

With a long sigh, Aela nodded her head. "I'll have Eorlund dull the axe a little so the pup doesn't cut himself with it…" she replied before walking away, "Goodnight, Red, try an get some sleep."

Red watched as Aela walked away. It had been three years since he and Naruto had arrived here. Three long years of learning how to live as a human. His knowledge of life and the world they had landed in expanded with each day he spent here.

But there was still a lot he needed to learn.

And even more, he had yet to tell them.

(4th of Midyear 189 4E)

"RED!" a voice yelled as the doors to the mead hall flew open. "YOU SON OF HORKER! WHERE IS THAT BRAT OF YOURS!" Everyone in the hall had to bite their lips to keep from laughing as one of the members of the clan Battle-Born entered the hall, his face, and hair covered in flour and honey.

Farkas jumped up on the table. "Ah, Olfrid, to what do we owe the pleasure today!" he yelled and bowed to the man in mock respect, "You seem to be a little pale today, my friend. Catch a case of rattles?"

The last bit of restraint evaporated, and everyone burst into laughter. They all knew full well who it was that pranked the Battle-Born, but like the family they were, no one would sell out their brother in these halls. Even if, at one point in time, they had all been pranked by him.

"Bring me that brat. He's going to pay for what he's done!"

"Oi Red, your friend is here! He said Ole Naru done something to em!" Vilkas bellowed down the stairs in a half-drunken stupor.

Taking a sip of mead to hide the smirk on his face, Red looked over at Olfrid, "I think you have a little something in your beard…" he said. "If ya want, I can draw you a bath." the roar of laughter grew louder.

Olfrid couldn't take it anymore. "How dare you disrespect the leader of the Great Clan Battle-Born!" he roared as he charged the smiling man.

Red leaned to the side and grabbed the man's arm. "Vilkas, let's play a game!" he called out to the Companion as the man quickly grabbed the other arm of the Battle-Born. "Oi, someone open the door!" he yelled as the pair lifted Olfrid up and ran across the hall.

Everyone in the Jorrvaskr followed them out as they ran through the door. The pair eyed the small plaza below where Gildergreen stood, "Let's see how far this ole chicken will fly!" Vilkas yelled as he and Red threw the man as hard as they could.

Everyone cheered and laughed as the man rolled down the stairs leading to the mead hall, before finally stopping in the murky water below "There's yer bath ya sod!" Farkas jeered as he raised his mug.

They all laughed as they walked back into the hall. Red's eyes met Aela, who just shook her head in amazement.

(23rd of Sun's Dusk 189 4E)

Snow fell lightly as Naruto struggled to pull the small wooded bow back. "Good. Now hold that and place the tip of the arrow just below where you want it to go." Aela told him as she watched the blond. "Once you're ready, relax your fingers and let the arrow go."

He did as told and let go of the string. "Shit!" he yelled in pain, throwing the bow down on the ground. A red welt formed on his forearm where the string hit him, and the pain was quickly replaced with a sinking feeling. "Uh, ma?"

Aela was standing behind him rubbing her fist into her palm, "Naruto, tell me something. What was it you just said?"

His eyes looked to Red, who was sitting by the fire basin watching. He just shook his head. The meaning was clear. 'You're on your own.' No amount of begging was going to save him from his ma's wrath. "Um, Shit…."

"Uh-huh, I thought so…" she said before grabbing the boy. "I think that mouth of yours needs a good cleaning."

"No, anything but the soap!" he screamed as Aela dragged him away. "Pa, please! Save me!"

Red just held his hands together "May the Divines have mercy on you. I'll miss you Kit." he said as the door to Jorrvaskr slammed shut.

(17th of First Seed 191 4E)

The dull crack of wood colliding echoed around the training ground as Naruto held his wooden sword up after a poor attempt at blocking the strike. "You should have deflected, boy," Skjor said as he used his strength against the six-year-old, who grunted as he was forced to his knees.

Bringing his foot back, Skjor kicked the dirt, sending pieces of it into the boy's eyes. "There is no such thing as a fair fight. There is just alive and…" he poked the boy's chest with the sword, "dead."

"I'll never beat you, Skjor…." Naruto said, rubbing his eyes to get rid of the dust.

"I have years of experience over you. Your body knows what to do. The only thing you're lacking is experience." the man said, holding his hand out. "There is no quick way to gain that. I can teach you the footwork and stances, but nothing will prepare you for battle other than being in one."

"How can I gain something like that if all I do is stay in the town?" Naruto asked. He had watched everyone in the hall leave on a contract at one point in time. "Pa didn't take me with him when he left three days ago, and he said he would take me with him sometime soon."

"Your six lad. Ain't no way a little milk-drinker like you would be any help against a Giant." Skjor told him as they walked back inside, "Maybe when you're older, you can help em, but till then, practice, practice till your fingers bleed and your hands ache. As the next Harbinger, I can't let the next generation of Companions be weak."

"Yes sir…" he replied silently, swearing he would find a way to get stronger faster.

(22nd of Evening Star 191 4E)

Red sat on a stool next to the fire as the winds of the first blizzard howled outside. He watched the raging fire as it danced in the hearth, his mind back in the Elemental Nations.

Each time the dried spruce wood popped, another vision entered.

He was back in the Valley of the End, bound by wood from the first Hokage. His blood was boiling with rage, rage that was not his own, as he tried to break free of his binds. He had been summoned by a man named Madara Uchiha to battle his best friend and foe, Hashirama Senju.

The wood popped again.

He was staring down angrily at a red-haired woman. Spikes bound his limbs, and his body held in place by chains. If he could, he would have killed the woman just to free himself, but he never could.

He was brought out of his musings as an arm snaked its way around his neck. "That look doesn't suit you, Red. Those are the eyes of a man once known as Kyūbi." a feminine voice whispered in his ear as he felt a weight resting on his shoulder.

"Sorry, my mind was just wandering. That last job did a number on me," he told Aela. His last job was dealing with a group of necromancers that preyed on the roads to Markarth. They were binding the souls of the dead to make an army. At least they were trying to before he set those souls free with a copious amount of fire. "They just reminded me of myself."

"Like how your life is bound to Naruto?" she asked him. Aela had never pried into his history. No one had, for that matter. Kodlak was the only one who had some understanding of it, and even then, it was small bits and pieces that he needed for the man to know. "Want to talk about it?"

He silently mulled it over in his head. It wasn't that he didn't trust the girl. Seven years of knowing someone tends to grant one a bit of trust. In fact, he trusted everyone in the hall with the life of Naruto now and, in turn, his life since the pair were bound by the seal.

"I'm here for you if you need me. I mean, we are raising a kid together, you know." She wasn't wrong there. Naruto had taken to calling them his parents even if he didn't understand what it meant to be one.

"I…" he started, "I still have no idea what I'm doing, hell if I'm being honest, I still don't know what I feel." he stared once more at the flames. "I just wanted freedom, freedom to live how I felt, freedom to roam where I please, but that was stolen from me by a man for unknown reasons."

This was the most she had gotten out of him at one time. "You are free," Aela said as she walked around in front of him. "Free to live, free to choose, free to laugh, free to cry, to smile." she bent down so they were at eye level. "Free to love…."

Red's eyes widened as their lips met. He had never felt this before, this new feeling. It was indescribable. When she broke their kiss, he felt like he wanted more. His body craved it. Reaching out, he pulled her in once more and lost himself in the feeling.

The sound of someone clearing their throat made them stop. "Ya know, be thankful I didn't go and rouse the whole hall. It looks like I lost the bet." the pair looked at Farkas as he leaned against a pole.

A growl escaped both of their mouths as they realized they had been interrupted. "Farkas, you have to the count of three to run…." Red said as he stood up. Farkas's eyes widened, and he took a tentative step back upon realizing the danger he'd just found himself in. "One…two…" The pair prepared themselves for the chase. A gleeful smirk tugged at Aela's lips. Michsevious flames danced in Red's eyes. "Three." Like lightning, they bolted after the man.

Sounds that never should escape a man's lips were uttered that night, and the residents of Jorrvaskr quickly realized something.

Never interrupt the Fox and the Wolf.

(12th of Rain's Hand 192 4E)

The sound of an arrow striking the wooden target rang out across the yard. "Good shot, now do it again." Naruto pulled another training arrow from his quiver and knocked it. Extending his arm, he curled his fingers around the string and pulled it to his lip. "Breath in, and…."

Once more, the arrow struck true. Lowering his bow, Naruto looked up expectantly toward Aela. "Ma, when can I go on a hunt? I mean, my aim is good enough now to be useful."

Thinking on it for a second, the Huntress looked at the target. True, at his age, she was in the woods hunting deer and rabbits, but unlike her, he didn't have the skill to stalk an animal. "Soon. I think after summer we will take you on a hunt. Now go collect your arrows and meet up with Red for your studies."

"Aww, do I really have to study that sh-" Her eyes glinted "crap?"

She let it slide this time. "Yes, you do. It's something only you and Red can do, after all."

"Fine…" he mumbled as he walked up and gathered his arrows. For the past three months, he had been learning about this stuff called Chakra. The way Red explained it to him was that it was a form of power similar to magicka that the mages use, but unlike magicka, it was something only he and Red could use.

Walking back inside, he sat down at the table with Red. "Ma told me to come in here to study chakra again."

Closing his book, he looked at Naruto, "How did it go today? Did you miss every shot?"

"No, I hit every shot. Ma said that maybe after summer I could go hunting!"

"Maybe, but I will say this if you can't master the substitution by the end of summer, we won't go hunting," Red smirked as Naruto's eyes glinted in determination.

"Fine," Naruto said with arms crossed and a pout on his lips. "I'll master this and anything else you throw at me!"

"Good, I'll hold you to that kit. Now, remember the hand seal I taught you? Focus until you feel something, and when you feel it, pull on that feeling."

Forming a ram sign, Naruto closed his eyes in focus.

(19th of Frost Fall 192 4E)

Aela watched as Naruto crept through the underbrush, his hunting bow firmly gripped in his hand. This was his first hunt, a right of passage for those who spent their lives in the wilds of Skrim than anything.

Her, Red, and Naruto had left the gates of Whiterun before the sun had risen this morning and headed for the mixed plains and thickets surrounding the city in search of prey. Deer, rabbit, boar, or mountain goats, it didn't matter what they found so long as it wasn't too dangerous.

The first track they had found was that of either a very large mountain goat or smaller deer. From the spacing of the tracks, she was almost certain it was a deer, but since it was Naruto's first hunt, she was letting him take the lead.

Aela stopped cold as the sounds of a deer's snort reverberated through the underbrush. 'Pup, it's on you now.' she thought as Naruto slowly reached for an arrow.

Through the brush, she could faintly see the white and tan hide of a young deer, a buck maybe into its second or third fall. She nodded as Naruto glanced back at her and Red as if to ask can he take it. 'You got this.'

She watched as Naruto crept slowly and silently through the brush before stopping and pulling the string of the bow taunt. "Meh!" she heard Naruto grunt out, mimicking the sound of a deer's grunt.

The deer lifted its head, trying to see the source of the sound. It stopped and seemed to lock eyes with the hooded figure. A twang echoed out as the haunch of the deer shot up, a clean shot.

The deer took off running in a frantic, dying panic to escape as Naruto slowly stood up. The trio waited for what seemed like hours as the sounds of the deer crashing through the brush faded into the distance.`

Aela walked up beside Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Good shot pup!" she whispered as the blond took a few deep breaths to calm himself.

"I didn't kill it on the spot, though…" he responded quietly.

"Can't expect that from a little hunting bow like that," Red told him, looking at the steaming blood trail left by the deer. "In time, you'll get stronger, and so too will your bow."

"Come on, the hunts not done yet," Aela told him, motioning for the blond to track the dying deer.

They snaked through the brush, Aela's eyes panning side to side in search for the body of the deer.

They stopped at the sounds of a low grunt. Looking just a bit further through the woods, there laid the deer still clinging to life. "Finish it," she told the blond, pulling her dagger from its sheath and handing it to the boy.

Slinging the bow over his shoulder, Naruto walked slowly up to the deer. She could see the panic in the beast's eyes as he stalked up to it. "It's magnificent…." Naruto mumbled, running his hand over the brown coat of the deer. He placed his free hand on the hand, gripping the shaking blade. "I'm sorry," he told it, sliding the knife under its throat.

With a single cut, the deer took its final breath, blood slowly pouring out from the slit.

Aela watched as Naruto wiped the blade on the coat of the deer. Bending down, she coated her fingers in the deer's blood. "There is a custom among us hunters. The blood of the first kill is painted on the forehead of the newborn hunter."

Closing his eyes, Naruto felt her fingers touch his forehead. "May you hunt only to sustain, may the gods smile upon and favor you in times of hunger and need." she said, running her fingers down the bridge of his nose. 'And may you never know the call of the hunt….'

(15th of Second Seed 193 4E)

Naruto was eight going on nine at this point. He had grown strong and matured well beyond his years.

Red watched the boy read over his newest challenge, the Transformation Technique. It had been months since he had learned Substitution, and they had spent the rest of the time mastering it. He had made the blond dodge rocks and bottles until it was second nature to him, something Farkas and Vilkas thoroughly enjoyed.

Hearing the door open, Red looked up and saw a handful of people walk in. His eyes narrowed when he saw them. 'Elves…' Red had brushed shoulders with the High Elves of the Thalmor a few times over the course of the years. "Hey Kit, why don't you head downstairs and study," he said, never taking his eyes off the elves.

"Okay," Naruto said, grabbing the book and walking towards the stairs. He nodded his head in greeting when he passed Kodlak coming up the stairs.

"This place reeks of mead an piss." one of the elves said, looking around the hall. "You there! We wish to speak to you!" he ordered, pointing at Red.

'Here we go…' he thought, standing up and stretching his back, "What do ya want?"

"Speak with some respect Nord! Your speaking to Commander Ancarion!" one of the foot soldiers yelled.

Red rolled his eyes and waved dismissively at the soldier. "Respect is earned, welp, not given, and you lot ain't done nothing to earn it." the elves bristled at the remark and slowly crept their hands toward the swords on their hips.

A chuckle echoed through the halls as Red cracked his knuckles.

"Enough!" Kodlak bellowed, "There will be no fighting in this hall. Do I make myself clear!"

One of the soldiers was about to say something, but their commander stopped them. "Kodlak Whitemane, I presume?" Ancarion asked.

"Aye, now what do a bunch of elves want with us? Last I checked, dealing with bandits and giants wasn't against the White-Gold concordant rules." Sarcasm dripped from his words as he locked eyes with the elf.

"No, it is not. We are here for a different reason." the thalmor mage replied, trying to keep his tone calm and even. "We were told there was a man that could work on any metal."

"Aye, Eorland Graymane, he's the man, but I can promise he would sooner work for the Dark Brotherhood than the Thalmor." Red could see Kodlak's words having an effect on the group of elves, but only the wizard was able to keep his composure.

"Is that so? If anything, we can be...persuasive…." Ancarion replied with annoyance as magic danced in the palm of his hand.

Seeing this action, the rest of the elves clicked their swords slightly out of their sheath. The razor-sharp edges of their blades glinted in the light as they stood ready for the brawl.

Snapping his fingers, the elves watched as the members of the Companions stood up and readied themselves. "I don't doubt that, but we can too." Four elves versus nine Companions, not including Brill and Tilma.

The only sound that echoed in the hall was the popping of spruce wood, with each pop sounding like an explosion from a fireball. Silently both groups eyed the other, gauging their resolve and strength, yet neither fully committed to attack without provocation, knowing full well the dangers.

"I see…" Ancarion said, snuffing out his magic, "It seems we can't reach an agreement. Shame, I was hoping for a fruitful relationship." he turned around and opened the door. "Mark my words Kodlak Whitemane. We will be watching you."

Everyone in the hall sighed in relief when the door closed. "I ain't one to shy away from a fight, but I really didn't want to tangle with those damn elves," Torvar said, slumping back into his seat. "I think I speak for us all. I need some mead."

Red couldn't disagree with the man, but his mind was still on the elves, specifically, what they would do if they found out about Naruto. "Kodlak," he said, getting the man's attention. "When will Aela be back?"

"First of next month. Why do you ask?"

"We need to talk."

(7th of Midyear 193 4E)

The Circle was gathered in the underforge, a rarity on a night without a full moon. They were waiting on the last of their members, Aela. Hearing the stone door shift, they looked up and saw the woman enter. "Sorry, I was putting the pup to bed and grabbing this." she held up the scroll that had been tucked in Naruto's blanket all those years ago.

"It is fine." Kodlak said, standing up, "I was not the one who called this meeting, but I did swear a blood oath that anything said here will never leave here. I ask that you do the same."

Blood Oaths, the highest form of a promise among the Nords, breaking one was said to bar one's entrance to Sovngarde.

Nodding their heads, the members of the circles pulled out their knives and cut their palms, the blood seeping from their fingers as they closed their hands.

"Thank you. Red, you were the one who called this meeting."

Nodding his head, Red took the scroll from Aela. "Not too long ago, we were visited by the Thalmor. Everyone here knows this. We all know that they will stoop to the lowest levels of hell to get what they want." Untying the string on the scroll, he opened it slightly. "There is someone that under no circumstances should fall into the hands of the Thalmor."

"Yeah, we know the pup, and you have this weird power, so what? It ain't like the elves really care about that." Farkas said.

Out of everyone gathered, Aela was the one who looked the most worried when he brought up Naruto. The woman had taken on the role of the boy's mother both in heart and soul.

"Can I have some paper and a quill?" asked Red, looking up at Kodlak.

"Skjor…" Kodlak said, motioning for the man to hand him the inkwell and parchment on the stones behind him.

Taking the paper from Skjor, Red unrolled the sheet and placed a few rocks on the corners to keep it in place. The quill moved with fury as he wrote down the words in their language. A language he had spent years trying to learn.

Finishing the translation, he handed the paper to Kodlak. "I swear what is written there is wholly accurate."

Kodlak cleared his throat and started reading, "My name is Minato Namikaze-Septim, and the letter you are reading is my last words.

"I fought against the Kyūbi to save my home, a home I hold dear and will protect till my dying breath.

"But there is something more I wish to protect now, not just from the war-torn world I live in but from the people who would use him for their gain. My son Naruto Namikaze-Septim.

"If someone is reading this, that means my final creation worked, and my son is in the land his grandfather calls home.

"In this scroll is all my knowledge and more I want to pass on to my son. Please grant me one wish, teach him your ways, and give him a family he would have never had here.

"Please, as a father and man, give him a reason to live and let him know that his parents loved him." Kodlak finished folding the paper and handing it to Aela.

"There is more, but it is for when he strikes out on his own." Said Red as he watched for Aela's reaction.

He saw her eyes shoot to him and then go back to the paper in her hands. When she finished, she passed it on to the others, her expression unreadable. Something that worried him more than he cared to admit.

"It seems there is a Septim among us on Nirn once more. That is if your scroll is to be believed." Kodlak said as he pondered the letter, "We have lived alongside you for nearly a decade now, and only after that time are you giving us some of the answers to your past, but there is one that is not written. Why did you attack this village?"

Red felt as if all the eyes in the room turned toward him. It was a topic he would rather not remember or retell. Closing his eyes, he took a calming breath as he thought back to the night he razed Konoha, "The truth is I didn't attack. I was forced to by a man who could control my mind." he fought back a feeling he had not felt in a long time, regret. "I tend not to meddle in the lives of mortals, but I was controlled for the past two generations. Each time I was released from my seal, I could not escape; I was instantly trapped again and forced back into a container. A Jinchūriki." he took a calming breath before continuing. He watched Aela's eyes harden, and he knew she and Kodlak would be the first to connect the dots when it came to Naruto. "Two of those times, I was forced to obey the will of a man whose goal I do not know, and the last time was the day Naruto was born."

"What worries me is that there was a man strong enough to subvert you," said Kodlak leaning back and stroking his beard in thought.

"It wasn't the same person both times, but both wanted to control the power I had."

Kodlak closed his eyes and rested. "Power is something to be earned and not stolen. To gain power, you need the respect of those around you. Tamper with nature, and it destroys you."

"Well-spoken old man, you have seen much in your time." as he spoke, he could faintly hear the sounds of popping knuckles as Aela balled her fist up.

"Indeed, too much."

"You speak as if you are this powerful monster?" Farkas said, scratching his head like he was confused. "But besides the odd power and the fox tail you had years back, you strike me as nothing more than a man."

Releasing the transformation, he let his red tail flow silently behind him."As I told you back then, Kyūbi means Nine Tails. Each tail represents a ninth of my power." Red said as everyone looked at the red tail hanging lazily behind him. "Right now, I still only have one-ninth of my power. The rest is sealed within Naruto." Aela's unreadable eye twitched slightly when he said the boy's name.

Vilkas nodded. "Will the brat become as strong as you? Given the right training, of course."

"If he can master the basics in time, he would." he thought about it for a few seconds. "No, I take that back. He has to become stronger than me. Even if we can hide his lineage, there will come a time when he has no choice but to be strong."

"Will you ever regain your power?" Skjor asked, "If you were any more powerful, there wouldn't be any giants left in the planes. I think after the two you vaporized last year, there ain't a thing in the world that can stand against you. Thank the gods, you are going to be my second."

"I don't know, maybe in time. The kit's father was a master regarding seals, and I don't have the same understanding of them as Naruto will in time, thanks to his parents." Red replied to the man, ignoring the rest of the man's comment. While he was sealed in Kushina, he was occasionally able to view some of her memories and knew full well how skilled both Kushina and Minato were in the sealing arts.

"What else are you not telling us…." Kyūbi winced at the tone in that voice. He looked at Aela as tears started to form in her eyes. "You know what? I don't care," she said before turning and leaving.

"Aela, wait!" he said, holding his hand out in a vain attempt to stop her as she closed the stone door. "Damn it…"

"Go." he heard Kodlak say. "If you care about her, then go, but go not as Kyūbi but as Red Bloodmane. Do not let the shadows drown out the light you have found with her."

Red bowed his head slightly and silently thanked the man for his words. He would need the strength of a hundred giants to weather the storm that he was sure to come.

He caught up to Aela in the streets below Jorrvaskr. "Aela…" he started.

"You know this tree has seen generations of people come an go," she said, staring up at the tree. "It will be standing here long after I am gone, and it makes me wonder, will it remember me, or does it even remember anything at all."

He looked up at the tree. He knew the story of the Gildergreen and the tale of Kynareth. "As Kyne has proven in the world, she remembers all who walked in nature." Kyne was the Nord's name for Kynareth. "But something else is bothering you other than being known to time."

"Why did you never tell me?" She whispered, her eyes never leaving the tree.

That was the question he had been expecting. It was something deep down he knew would affect his relationship with the woman, one that had become more than just friends. They had become a family.

"I didn't tell you because I never thought it was something that needed to be told."

"Something that needed to be told…" she growled out. "You thought I didn't need to know that Naruto was a Septim! And you killed his parents even if you didn't mean to! You didn't think that I needed to know that?!" the huntress roared as she turned to meet Red's eyes, tears, anger, and confusion all clear to see on her face as he took in her features. Features he had come to love, and he nearly buckled at the sight of her pain.

Part of Red was thankful it was so late at night, or else the streets would have been crowded. "I thought it was the best way to protect him! His father wanted a "

"Protect him? You just did it to protect yourself!" she roared back. "You didn't tell anyone because you were scared something would happen to him and, in turn, killing you as well!" he winced at the tone in her voice and the truth behind it. "You selfish son of bitch…." there was nothing he could say to refute her as she walked away.

Nearly a decade of built trust had been broken in under an hour. And it hurt more than Red could have ever imagined.

(10th of Frostfire 193 4E)

Aela and Red had only spoken a little since that night four months ago. She was still mad at him, and he couldn't figure out how to get back into her good graces. Something that he was sure Naruto had noticed.

Red peered over the rim of his mug. Naruto sat in the corner of the room reading the colorful tome Red had gotten for him. Intro to Sealing By Kushina Uzumaki. How he wished he could tell the boy that what he was reading was written by his mother. But the less Naruto knew, the safer he was.

"Old Norse is easier than this…." Naruto mumbled as he flipped the tome over as if the change in orientation would help him. Red suppressed a chuckle and raised the mug to his lips.

"How's it coming?" Red asked, taking another sip of mead, something he had been drinking more of in the past few months.

"It's going. I understand the basics of it, but something about this seal is wrong," Naruto replied, looking at the seal on the scroll. "It starts with 'contain' then moves into 'liquid' or something."

Unknown to the blond, the seal he was looking at was a blood-locked storage seal. Having read over the scroll and book many times before he handed it to the blond, he had gotten a little insight into the seal. He had to give it to Minato and Kushina. Their teaching methods were brilliant.

The scroll had been a joint effort between them when they found out she was pregnant, one of the few memories he had seen. Inside wasn't just seals but an extensive catalog of jutsu from basic academy level to damn near kage level. The thought had been that if anything happened to the other, or gods forbid both, their child would be able to learn from the scroll.

Part of him was glad about the lack of forethought when it came to sealing away the jutsu scrolls. Otherwise, he couldn't have browsed through them.

From the 'Instruction Guide' Minato had written when he designed this scroll, the next level of sealing could only be opened by understanding the level before. Right now, Naruto was staring at level one, a basic storage seal.

From what the tome had taught him about these seals so far, each seal is built upon other seals, and those seals make the seal's effect, "Step back and look at it from this angle, 'contain' is the basis of it, meaning it holds something 'liquid' is beside what?"

Naruto looked at the spot he was talking about. "So if the seal is holding something, that means that this one is…how did I miss that!" he quickly pulled his dagger and cut a thin line in his thumb before touching the blood to the seal.

A plume of smoke followed by a silver sword and a piece of paper appeared. Red could tell the scabbard wasn't the original. It had been modified for a different carry form than just by the belt. Its leather-bound hilt met with an intricately etched guard bearing the symbol of the empire.

"Pa, is this mine?" Naruto asked, getting a nod from the man. Gently picking up the sword, Naruto pulled it slightly from its scabbard. The blade was razor sharp and reflected the light from the fire. Naruto had never seen such a beautiful blade before.

That was when Red saw it. The sword bared the crest of the Septim family. Looking around the hall, he made sure no one was around. "I didn't expect you to figure it out so soon, but that is your sword. Happy birthday Kit! I was going to give it to you later, but I figured the best way to give it to you was for you to get it as a reward. I still need Eorland to take a look at it, but that will be your sword." A lie, yes, but one of necessity.

"I understand," Naruto replied before sheathing the sword and handing it to him. "It's still a little heavy for me."

Taking the sword and paper, Red looked at the blade once more. 'Thank the gods he didn't realize who the crest belonged to.' he thought silently. He would have to get Kodlak and Eorland to remove the crest from the blade, and if he couldn't, hide it at least.

Opening the paper, Naruto wasn't interested in, Red quickly read over it before folding it up. A small victory, at least, since it was just instructions to the next level of seals. He hated hiding the truth from the kit, but his safety was Red's only concern till Naruto was able to take care of himself.

And with Eorland learning about his lineage, it worried him, one more person who would know the truth about Naruto.

(2nd of Evening Star 194 4E)

Aela looked around the hall. It had been a long week for her. Between the full moon and the two bandit hunts, she had very little in the way of sleep. "Aela, can we talk, please…." Red begged as Naruto worked on his studies.

"Why, so you can lie again?" she asked with a bit of bite in her voice. It had been months since the meeting, but that didn't mean her anger at him had abated. "I don't think so." she turned and walked away, the feeling of his eyes never leaving her till she walked down the stairs.

Standing at the bottom of the stairs, Aela had to bite back the tears that threatened to come forth. "Talking is the first step to reconciliation." she heard a gruff voice say. Wiping the salted water from her eyes, she looked up as Kodlak walked towards her.

"How can I talk to someone who didn't trust me in the first place?" she asked the elderly warrior. "He didn't trust me enough with Naruto, so how can I trust anything he says?"

"Come," he told her as he walked by her toward his room.

Closing the door, she sat down at the table as he poured her a tankard of mead. "Red Bloodmane is a man not of this world." he started as he sat down the mead. "Just like the Aedra and Daedra, he wears the flesh of man, but he is closer to a transcendent being."

"Do you think that Shor and Kyne, the gods that made man, would understand the inner workings of their creation's mind? No, as gods, they could never understand the human mind, for they were on a different plane then our own."

Aela tried to understand where the man was going with this. Just like any Nord, she knew the story of Shor and how he died in battle against the elven gods. His blood flowed through their veins, and Kyn's breath breathed life into their bodies.

"Where he hails, he was known not as Red Bloodmane but as Kyūbi. There have been a many nights we have talked, but I am no closer to understanding his mind than you are. You must understand that he is still learning what it means to be one of us, a mortal, and he may never fully know." Kodlak said as he placed his mead down and leaned back, the chair creaking to hold his weight. "But there is one thing that makes Red Bloodmane worthy. He is willing to learn and does learn from his mistakes. He has become more humble in these years, more caring, not the beast we met that night so long ago, angered easily, uncaring, and untrusting to those around him."

Aela had been silent this whole time, her eyes staring into the honey-colored drink in her hand as if it were a mirror that held the answer to everything. "All I want is trust from him." she started. "I keep asking myself why he never told me about Naruto. Was it that he didn't trust me, or was there some other reason?"

"Both yet neither." Kodlak said simply, "I think he is content in just letting the boy be. Letting him be the child of Aela the Huntress and Red Bloodmane." he said, as he poured himself another cup of mead "If there is one thing to take away from all this, its that Red trusts us with his life. The proof is upstairs."

Aela's eyes widened when she heard that. Red did indeed trust them with his life. He trusted them each time he left the city on a job, each day she was training the boy, each meal they made. Naruto wasn't just some kid. He was Red's life. "Thank you, Harbinger," she said, bowing her head slightly.

She had been selfish. She didn't see things from Red's perspective, just her own. Sitting down her tankard, she quickly left.

"Least you could do is finish your mead…." She heard Kodlak mumble behind her.

AN: I hope you enjoyed it. I just wish I could have given ya'll a better chapter then this.

Leave a review and tell me how much ya hate it or if ya liked it.