Empty

by zzzgnas

There is nothing worse in the world than the feeling of complete and utter helplessness. That empty feeling you get when you've lost everything and you know there's absolutely nothing you can do about it. Uzumaki Naruto was four when he experienced this feeling for the first time. And from then on... nothing had gone right... Strong! Naruto. Third Ninja War Timeline.

8. Chapter 8 - I'm a what now?

Chapter-8

I'm a what now?

"The stars are the one constant in the world. No matter where you are, you can always see the stars. If not today, the next day. But they're always there. Even when you can't see them."

Warning: Mature themes.

Konoha's Party to Kiri Border

"What the fuck were you even thinking?" Yuna yelled. At dawn, they had assembled at the north gate as instructed. Only, Naruto wasn't there yet. Five minutes later, just as they were contemplating going to fetch him, he showed up with Mikoto at his side, with red eyes and a yawn. Mikoto spent the next few minutes telling them exactly what he had done the previous night. She instructed Yuna and Anko to never leave his side and that he was a risk to himself. They hadn't taken it well. Now, a few hours later, they were taking a small break near a river and they were still staring at him suspiciously.

Anko was already pretty angry with him over the reckless things he did in the time they were a team. Mostly because he didn't tell them before doing it. One time, she had stormed off in the middle of training because he tried something alone which got him beaten down and under the feet of an equally irritated Orochimaru. Needless to say, his latest shenanigan had not scored any points with her. The worst part about it was probably the fact that she would most likely do the same thing in his position. She would want to know her past too.

Yuna, on the other hand, did not understand at all. He was killing himself. Orochimaru told him that continuing down that path could end in his death. He knew the possible consequences. Why then would he do this to himself?

"I wanted to find out." Naruto simply replied to her question.

Yuna stuttered. "But… But why? You know what could happen. You know the consequences. Why would you do this to yourself?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "I wanted to find out." He said forcefully. As far as others were concerned, that's all there was to it. Seeing Yuna about to protest, he continued angrily. "I wanted to know who my parents were. If they're still alive. If I had any siblings. A family. I want to know what happened to me; what made them leave me. I mean, are they dead? Did they fight for another village in the war?" Yuna backed away slightly. "I know nothing about myself."

Naruto paused to draw his breath again. "Just ask yourself this. Wouldn't you want to find out too?"

Yuna looked down at the ground in sadness. "Listen Naruto, I didn't mean to be nosy. It's just… it seems too dangerous and you don't seem to even care."

Naruto sighed. He knew they had concerns. It just felt suffocating sometimes. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm not going to do it again."

Anko scoffed. "Like we're naïve enough to believe that." She wasn't going to kid around anymore. If he didn't trust her, she wouldn't trust him. Simple as that.

Naruto glared at his difficult teammate. "I'm serious… What I saw yesterday… I never want to see that again. No matter what." He turned around and walked away leaving Anko and Yuna to look at each other worriedly.

Naruto walked around the temporary campsite. The party consisted of 6 other shinobi not including the 3 ANBU that Danzo brought along. They were mostly chunin with Orochimaru being the only jonin and them being the only genin. He was trying to find Orochimaru who, for once, did not seem eager to talk to him. He seemed to not care about what Naruto did the previous day and that bugged him.

Orochimaru was sharpening a kunai when Naruto came up to him. "Naruto… What are you doing here?"

Naruto smiled at the direct question. "I wanted to ask you something." Orochimaru signaled him to go ahead without taking his eyes off the kunai. "You said that we're headed to the Kiri border."

Orochimaru nodded. "Ah. It seems one of you has caught on."

Naruto nodded to agree. The land of water was a collection of loosely connected islands. How would they share a border with the land of fire?

"The Kiri border is not a typical border. There aren't forts on either side and shinobi patrolling the place. It's just a bridge."

"A bridge?" Naruto asked, puzzled.

"Yes. A bridge. The land of water is a collection of connected islands. This is their only connection with the mainland. Merchants enter their country mainly through here. We are going there to survey their movements. This has never been a problem in the past because they've always attacked using their ships. No need for a bridge."

Naruto frowned. "What happened?"

Orochimaru hesitated. "An incident occurred which destroyed all their ships. So, if they attack, they will attack by land."

A vision of uncountable shipwrecks on a coast passed through his mind. Kirigakure… They had a hand in what happened. "What does the spiral on the back of jonin vests mean?"

Orochimaru's eyes went wide. "Why do you want to know?"

Naruto, sensing that his sensei was about to look up at him, stared at the sky. "Just curious, you know. Chunin don't have the symbol but every single jonin does. Was just wondering why."

Orochimaru hid his smirk. He was remembering. "That's a secret. When you become a jounin, you will also be told."

Naruto nodded hesitantly. "How do promotions work?" he asked reluctantly.

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "There aren't any exams like the one you had a few months ago, if that's what you're asking. You do something noteworthy and get recognized, you get promoted to chunin… provided your mentor thinks you're ready. Jonin promotions are a much lengthier and stricter process."

Naruto accepted the answer. He didn't think it would be something as easy as an exam. "And this incident you mentioned… Can you tell me anything about that?"

Orochimaru frowned. 'He's remembered a lot more than he lets on'. "Not a pleasant topic, Naruto. Maybe when you're older."

After that, Naruto went silent. Orochimaru continued his work waiting for the question he knew was coming. But it never came as Naruto just sat there. "I know when you want to ask me something, Naruto. Go ahead."

"Tch." He was getting tired of people saying that to him. "Aren't you going to ask me why I did what I did? Everyone else seems interested."

Orochimaru smiled at Naruto. "I don't have to ask, Naruto. I would have done the same thing in your position." He held his chin in thought. "Although, I would have had actual medics look after me."

Naruto grinned at that. "So, I didn't do anything wrong?"

"No. You were definitely in the wrong, Naruto. You didn't tell your teammates about it. That's not the Konoha way."

Naruto frowned. "What if… What if I'm not originally from Konoha? What if I'm originally from someplace that hated Konoha."

Orochimaru turned around to look at him and this time, Naruto didn't shy away. "You are from Konoha now, Naruto. Many orphans in the village have no idea who their parents are or where they come from. Doesn't mean they are all automatically enemies of the village. You are a genin of Konohagakure. Don't think about anything other than that."

Orochimaru was firm with his advice. Naruto nodded. What else could he do? He wanted to know more about his family. That had not changed. He felt that it was his duty and that he owed it to himself to find out. But… What he saw… He never wanted to see that again. He was ashamed to admit defeat, but Orochimaru was right. Until they could get a skilled mind walker to analyze his mind, there was nothing he could do.

A family. That's what he wanted. He had only Yugao in his life. Everyone else was just with him because of the circumstances. Yuna, Anko, Rin, Mikoto… Everyone. If he hadn't been a ninja, he doubted that they would even turn to look in his direction. For a very brief moment he thought that the Uchiha clan would serve as his family. But Mikoto had erased any possibility of going to them when she told him about how they kicked her out. If that wasn't enough, he had been asking Obito questions over the past few weeks. The way he was ignored by his own clansmen didn't sit well with Naruto. If an orphan under the clan's protection was treated like that, how were they going to treat an outsider?

He hadn't forgotten what Mikoto told him the previous day about the next stage of the sharingan that he had apparently unlocked. Only about a dozen Uchiha had ever unlocked the ability and she told him that there was a good reason for that. Mikoto didn't tell him the reason but she did tell him to hide it. It wouldn't be pretty for anyone if the Uchiha realized that an outsider achieved what they couldn't.

"EVERYONE. GET READY. WE MOVE IN 5 MINUTES."

The command echoed through the camp and a collective sigh was what followed. Border patrol was apparently one of the most boring places to be when in a war. After all, who would attack the country where the sentries are posted?

Border, Kiriniku Forest

Minato groaned as he let the fire jutsu do its work. The stray kunai had caught him in the right shoulder and the bleeding was refusing to stop. They had to cauterize it. He bit his lip to avoid screaming. He clutched Kushina's hand desperately and tried to keep the pain from showing on his face. It wouldn't do her any good. Also, she deserved a rest. After all, she was the reason that so many of them were still alive. And every single shinobi in the camp knew it.

He had never seen her like this. So bloodthirsty. So violent. She hated violence. That much, he was sure of. After what happened to her homeland, she had become a pacifist to a certain extent. If she wasn't pushed, she wouldn't kill. She never attacked unless she was attacked.

But today was not like that. Her sword was covered in blood. Her clothes too. Minato realized something important just then. Kushina Uzumaki was angry.

They were facing the biggest shortage of manpower the village had ever seen. His unit had been sent along with the other reinforcements to the Land of Grass. The war was progressing slowly. Iwagakure had yet to involve themselves in this skirmish. After the disastrous results of the silent dispatch, leaf shinobi were stationed here indefinitely. Until very recently, they had fought the war with very few casualties. But that was when it was just Kusagakure.

Under normal circumstances, Kusagakure would not be such a problem. However, there were Iwa ninja scattered around the Land of Fire. Until that problem was resolved, they couldn't properly retaliate with full power. Now, the other minor villages allied with Iwa had shown up to help them. With Tani and Ishi backing them up, they were starting to push them back resulting in reinforcements appearing.

Fortunately, there were only two genin teams here. His and Chouza's. However, his team had been split up. Rin was back at the village, helping at the hospital. That was where the manpower shortage was felt the most. Every able medic was in the village, with only a few of them out on the borders. Minato was kind of relieved about it though. This was no place for Rin. The genin were all shaken up. Even Kakashi. Obito looked like he couldn't believe what just happened. If it were him in Obito's position, he wouldn't want to either. It wasn't a war. It was a massacre.

His thoughts went back to Kushina. She wouldn't allow for it to happen again. She had made that clear to everyone fighting against her. Children would not be allowed to die on her watch. With her shocking display of power and with people like Chouza Akimichi, Mogaku Inuzuka and Dan Kato backing her up, the enemy shinobi had to flee for their lives.

This battle was over. They were done for now. Until reinforcements arrived, Kusa would not look to attack. Kushina made sure of that. And he respected her for it. As did every shinobi in the camp. No matter how experienced a veteran was, killing was never enjoyable. Kushina had done the dirty work for them. The ground was littered with corpses as far as the eye could see.

Inwardly, he smiled at the irony. What he saw now, in place of a great forest that stretched for over 8 miles, was mostly the work of only two people. And he suspected they were both Uzumaki. Speaking of, it was probably time he told her about the boy. She would want to know of any fellow clan members she may have, even if he had a sharingan. He would tell her as soon as they made it back. The next day, a fresh group of shinobi would arrive and they would be free to head home. He would tell her then. It would get her mind off the guilt of killing over 200 shinobi.

Kushina leaned into his neck as they sat around the fire, waiting for the meat to be cooked. "Was I wrong to do what I did?" She asked so softly that he almost didn't hear it.

Was she wrong? What she did was a slaughter. The five genin with them were afraid of her now. She was so calm in front of the enemy, showing absolutely no fear, her hair swaying in the wind and her chains moving dangerously behind her. He suspected that that picture of her would be the first thing they saw in their nightmares for the next few days. What ensued was something he wished she would never have to do again. But was she wrong to do it? No. She was not.

"It wasn't wrong, Kushina-chan."

She turned to look at him. "It wasn't right either." She whispered into his ear.

Minato wrapped her in a hug. "That's true." He whispered back. "It was necessary."

3 Days Later, Joki Bridge.

"So, that's the 'border', huh?" Naruto spoke loud enough for the whole team to hear.

"It's… it's not much." Yuna muttered. This is what they came all this way to guard?

The bridge was magnificent. About 10 meters wide and stretching as far as the eye could see. What bothered them were the three or four tents pitched on their side of the border. Why were they even there? Danzo walked forward toward the tent. Everyone watched with their mouths hanging open as he hugged the old man that came out of his tent.

Orochimaru smirked, seeing everyone's surprise. "That man is Kosuke Maruboshi." Yuna's eyes widened. "The eternal genin and Danzo-sama's former teammate."

Yuna looked around at her teammates. "I don't believe it. He's the only one I haven't met yet but father always has nice things to say about him… which is not a common thing."

Anko nodded. "Why is he called the eternal genin? Is he still a genin?"

"Yeah." Orochimaru said. "But don't let his rank fool you. He is and always will be one of the most dangerous shinobi to be born into Konoha."

They all seemed skeptical of that. From where they were standing, they saw only an old man. With a hunch. And who was also bald.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at his sensei. He didn't look like much. "If he's so awesome, why is he out here like this?" Naruto asked. This seemed like a waste of his skills if Orochimaru was telling the truth.

"Naruto, I don't think you understand the importance of this place." Orochimaru stated calmly. "This is a place where war can begin. They're living in tents because they don't want to leave anything for enemies to use if they do come over the bridge. This man is what prevents war from breaking out with the Land of Water."

Naruto's eyes snapped to his sensei. "Well, when you put it like that…"

"Shinobi, come meet Kosuke." Danzo yelled in a cheerful voice. "Consider this the best moment of your lives." The collective 'what the fuck' that arose as a reaction could be heard from across the bridge.

"Hello everyone. Good to meet you all." Kosuke spoke with an eye smile. "But before you get settled in, come meet our counterparts from across the bridge. I told them of people coming to relieve some of us and they came all this way to meet you."

Naruto's eyes went to the people on the bridge. Eight of them. They were all wearing cloaks with cowls hiding their faces. In the back of his mind, he realized that the attire was familiar to him. Naruto sighed.

"Welcome, Konoha-nin." The person at the very front of the group spoke. "I hope you find that everything is in order here."

Danzo stepped up to meet him. "Fuguki Suikazan, I presume. I'm sorry, but I would like to see all of your faces or your headbands at least. Even if you mean us no harm, it would be dreadfully easy for someone who does, to disguise themselves as one of your own."

A long silence followed his request. Finally, Fuguki took the cowl off revealing his face. He had neatly tied up orange hair and war paint on his face which made him look very menacing. The rest of the shinobi followed his lead but they were all looking straight down.

"Is everything to your satisfaction, Danzo-san?" Fuguki asked. "I doubt it though. You were always a war-hungry dog, weren't you?"

Danzo was about to retaliate, but Kosuke stepped in. "Oi oi. Behave both of you. This is supposed to be a pleasant reunion."

"Tch." Danzo looked away. Kiri was a sore topic with him. That was why this was a 'punishment' after all. "Nice to meet you all. Thank you for continuing the peace between our villages. This is not an ideal time for either of our villages. By cooperating, at least until the end of this war, we will both secure a greater future for our respective villages."

"Well said, Danzo-san. We just wanted to come and meet you all before returning." Fuguki replied, looking smugly at Danzo.

"Why is Danzo so bothered about Kiri? I can tell that he's irritated." Naruto whispered softly.

Orochimaru turned to look at him. "Because at the end of the first war, we had Kiri at our mercy and Danzo was adamant about finishing them off. But Hiruzen, my sensei, didn't agree and allowed the village to recover, hoping they'd be thankful. Kiri's involvement in the second ninja war resulted in the loss of our greatest ally and Danzo rightly blames the Hokage for neglecting his advice." Orochimaru paused. "It doesn't help that Kiri was aware of his thoughts against them at the end of the first war. They made him look especially stupid by staying neutral throughout the first half of the second war. Danzo was forced to formally apologize for his words against them. However, almost immediately after that, Kiri joined the war against Konoha."

"Making him look even more stupid." Kosuke was the one who said the last part. "I don't want to intrude on your lessons, Orochimaru-kun, but this is a serious situation. Please be more quiet."

Orochimaru nodded and looked pointedly at Naruto. Naruto however was no longer paying attention.

'Konoha's greatest ally? Taki? Kusa? But they both still exist… and they were both inland. He said earlier that Kiri's strength was its ships. This doesn't make sense.'

"Sensei, who is our greatest ally you just mentioned?" Naruto whispered again. Orochimaru gave him a gesture with his hand saying he would continue his explanation later, but something clicked in Naruto's mind. 'Kiri's strength lies in their ships.', 'An incident occurred which destroyed all their ships.' The vision of the numerous shipwrecks on the coast came to his mind.

'Konoha did this by doing nothing. We waited and waited and waited for them to come.',

'Konoha's greatest ally.'

Naruto clutched his head in pain. Yuna and Anko were immediately on alert. 'Konoha will burn. Konoha will burn just like Uzushio did.'

"Uzushio." Naruto abruptly spoke and every eye in the clearing turned to him. "Uzushio is Konoha's greatest ally."

Danzo glared at him for the interruption, but before he could reprimand him, Fuguki spoke. "Was, brat. Uzushio was Konoha's greatest ally."

Danzo was furious. It was going so well also. Now, there would be no chance for a calm civilized conversation. Danzo was too angry for it. "Fuguki-san, would you mind coming tomorrow as well for a more detailed talk? I fear we won't be in the right mindset for the rest of the day."

Fuguki smirked but nodded. Their game of diplomacy had ended quite abruptly with one of their own dealing the killing blow. This was a good day.

"Am I right? Uzushio?" Naruto whispered more urgently to Orochimaru.

Danzo growled angrily. "Orochimaru… Get control of your genin."

Orochimaru nodded hesitantly. He knew what Danzo was asking him to do. It was kind of cruel, but it was certainly called for in this situation. He turned around with his knee raised. It was done before Naruto could even blink. "Stay down." Naruto fell to the ground clutching his stomach at the crushing blow he just received.

"Naruto!" Yuna, in her panic, was about to help him. But one look from Orochimaru stopped her from going down to her knees to take care of him.

"Naruto?" Everyone turned to the new voice. A masked boy. Looked to be about 16 or 17 years old. "Naruto Uzumaki?"

Silence met his question. No one dared to even breathe. After all, why would a Kiri nin know a Konoha genin?

"Naruto, is that you? It's me, Zabuza."

Silence…

When Naruto looked up, their eyes met. 'Familiar. So familiar.'

The moment their eyes met, Zabuza's eyes widened. Even if his hair was different, his eyes couldn't be disguised. He would recognize those eyes anywhere. Zabuza started forward immediately which made the Konoha shinobi draw their weapons. "Naruto, what are you doing with them? You belong here. With us. You belong in Kiriga-"

"Kisame. Deal with him." Fuguki's voice echoed through the place.

A bulky young man came up behind 'Zabuza'. Zabuza however was too shocked to react. Fuguki drew his sword and tossed it to Kisame who simply slashed it across his back, bringing him to his knees, blood flowing down his back. The Konoha team, with the exception of Danzo, Kosuke and Orochimaru, were staring wide-eyed at what just happened.

"Naruto. Try and remember." Zabuza yelled out, now with tears in his eyes.

Slash.

"What happened to you?"

Slash.

"Naruto. It's me, Zabuza. Momochi Zabuza."

Slash.

"I'm your friend. Me, Mangetsu, Akane, Mei, Yagura."

Slash. His head was starting to hurt.

"Did they seal your memory?"

Slash. Danzo smirked when at the same time Fuguki paled. That was a very serious accusation to throw at any village, especially the only one with mind jutsu specialists among them. Accusations like that were never taken lightly in situations like this.

"Haku… Don't you remember Haku?", he asked, almost begging him to remember.

Slash.

"STOP." Naruto yelled as he walked forward. Kisame looked at Fuguki who nodded his head. Kisame stepped back. Naruto came to a stop in front of the downed Zabuza. "My name is just Naruto. Just Naruto. Not Naruto… Uzumaki. I've never heard that name before. You have me confused with someone else. Those names you mentioned… I've never heard of any of them."

Zabuza's tears now flowed down in a steady stream. "Your black hair used to be blood red." Yuna and Anko looked at each other surprised.

Naruto stood up and started to walk away, his right hand touching the left side of his face. "Observant, aren't you? You can see the red color of the base of the hair. It's time I dye it again."

Zabuza stood up shakily despite his injuries. "You have the sharingan." Naruto stopped.

Orochimaru was also surprised. This surely meant that Naruto had found the place he came from. It was Kirigakure. The fact that he was an Uzumaki was already known to him, from his teammate. But his sharingan. He thought it was a fairly recent development. This confirmed that he had the sharingan before he was even 6 years old.

Zabuza took one more step forward. "You have a scar on your back. You have-"

Naruto turned around suddenly with his sharingan active. Zabuza's eyes rolled up into the back of his head, caught in a genjutsu. He fell forward, chin hitting the ground hard. The blood from the wounds on his back started pooling around him.

Naruto started walking away, tears forming on his own face. What he said… It was hurting his head, which meant that it was all true.

The silence stretched for a few more minutes as Naruto walked farther and farther away. Zabuza continued to bleed out on the grass. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Fuguki stepped forward. "Perhaps, we should continue this later like you suggested earlier, Danzo-san." He looked sharply at his subordinate. "Without the genin, next time."

Danzo nodded immediately. "That would be satisfactory. Will you come here or will we come to your end?"

The sudden question caught him off-guard and, in his eyes, Danzo found what he came for. "N- no need for that, Danzo-san. We'll come here."

And that confirmed it. The bridge didn't go back all the way to Kiri. It was broken somewhere which was why merchants were no longer travelling through the bridge. When Kosuke reported the lack of merchants to the Hokage, Danzo had volunteered to go check it out because of two reasons. One, it was Kiri and he was the best person to deal with them. He knew every single trick or tactic they had ever used. They wouldn't be able to sneak anything past him.

The second reason was Naruto. This gem that had escaped his notice for so long had been brought back by Jiraiya, because that… soft man had deemed him too dangerous when he was on a mission to Kiri. He was then taken to one of the few men Danzo had ever feared, for a memory seal to be placed on him. He was also an Uzumaki and he had the sharingan. Danzo once again thanked his friends for being so naïve. How had his spy in the Hokage's office escaped the notice of four legendary shinobi in one room?

He requested team 12 for the mission because he wanted something to spark Naruto's memory. Needless to say, it was worth it. Akira was right when he said that the truth would come out one day. It was already halfway in front of Naruto. It should be obvious to him by now. He was taken in by Kiri, found on a mission by Jiraiya who took him back to the village to have his memory sealed and then placed him in an orphanage. Done. He had everything neatly wrapped in a package and placed in front of him; he only needed to reach out and take it.

Kosuke however, recovered first. "That's good, Fuguki. How about later today sometime?"

Fuguki nodded and turned to leave. He was almost at the start of the bridge when he turned around to Kisame. "Pick him up. We'll give him a proper punishment when we get back."

As soon as they were out of hearing range, Orochimaru turned to his two remaining students. "Go find him. Make sure he's not trying to do that again." They nodded. "If he is doing it again, come get me at once. Don't approach him yourselves. He is dangerous." They both ran off in the direction Naruto went.

Danzo overheard his orders and was curious. "What do you mean by 'doing that again', Orochimaru?"

Orochimaru sighed. "He does the Hell-viewing technique on himself. It seems to get him to remember his life before the 'accident', but it hurts him as well."

Danzo nodded. "Sounds like a memory seal."

Orochimaru remained silent.

Danzo pressed further, just wanting to know how much Orochimaru would willingly reveal. "You know who placed it on him, don't you?"

Orochimaru nodded.

"And you won't say?"

"I suspect I don't need to. This is obviously what you had in mind when you requested us." Orochimaru replied with a plain look on his face.

"Can't say I know what you mean." Danzo smirked. "Very well. Shinobi, start setting up camp. Be ready for patrol in 30 minutes."

With Yuna and Anko

"Naruto. Talk to us. You can't keep everything to yourself." Anko gently spoke. She knew that her teammate was struggling and she genuinely wanted to help him. When she passed the graduation exam, the only thing in her mind was getting to chunin rank as soon as possible. Now, that was not something she even thought about. There were so many other things in her mind, and almost every single thing had to do with Naruto. What he was going through now… she doubted anyone alive could understand it.

Naruto turned around revealing the tears in his eyes. "What he said… It made my head hurt."

Yuna's eyes went wide. "Then that means…"

"It's all true?" Anko finished for her.

Naruto nodded. "Seems like it, but I'm not originally from Kiri either. I'm from Uzushio."

"I've never heard of the place." Yuna stated.

Naruto shook his head. "I haven't either. Whenever I try to ask anyone about it, they just deviate and change the subject. Orochimaru-sensei wants to tell me, I think, but after this, I don't think he will."

For a few moments, there was silence. Anko knelt down in front of him. "What are you going to do now? Are you going to do that?" Yuna glared at her for asking that.

Naruto immediately shook his head no. "I meant what I said. I never want to see it or even think about it, ever again. I am a Konoha ninja. Nothing more. Nothing less."

Naruto started to walk away but Yuna stopped him. "Naruto…What he said; about the scar…"

His eyes hardened. "Do you want to see it? It's not pleasant."

"No. I don't want to see it. I want to know why you hide it." Yuna asked without backing up. "Scars are never meant to be hidden. Shinobi are proud of their scars."

Naruto nodded. "Why would I be proud of something I have no idea about? And as I said. It's not pleasant." He walked away leaving the two girls to themselves.

Konoha Council, 2 Days Later

Kushina looked around the chamber. There weren't many people inside. Only about a fifth of the total population. The rest of them were sent on missions or injured or dead. It was a depressing thought. The casualties were at an all-time high. No matter what they tried or how careful they were, they just couldn't stop the casualties. She didn't know what today's meeting was about, but she was sure it was nothing good.

Looking around at the people, she recognized many of them. But some of them were not seated as normal. Mikoto and Fugaku were far apart. Mikoto told her about the breakup but she hadn't realized that it was this bad. They had been inseparable only a few months ago. Now, they were as far apart as they could possibly be. Looking briefly at Minato, she wondered if that would ever happen to them. She could only hope that it wouldn't.

The second weird thing she noticed was that Tsunade was there. Since the scandal a few months before, she had not set foot inside the council. This was the first time in a while she was seeing her outside the hospital. Akira was right beside her. She idly wondered what he was going through. The man was always picking up the broken pieces of women in his life. First it was her when she was recovering from Uzushio, then it was Hitomi when her parents died and now it was Tsunade. He had just lost his nephew and she doubted he was even given any time to mourn.

The last thing she noticed was that Homura and Koharu were not present. If the advisors had been left out, this meeting had not been called by him. She stared at Hiruzen, the man who she had come to view as a good leader, despite their rocky start. Whatever this meeting was about, it was important.

The only good thing she could see from the room was that everyone in her graduating class was there. Hitomi, Mikoto, Fugaku, Minato, Yoshino, even Rumia who was younger than them by a year. If the meeting ended with them on new missions, their chance to catch up would pass them by. Hopefully, it was not all that serious.

Hiruzen chose that moment to stand up. "Shinobi, thank you for coming on such short notice. Some of you must have already noticed that this meeting was not called by me. I will defer to the person who did. Tsunade-san, you have the chance to speak your mind."

Tsunade stood up uncertainly. "Thank you, Hokage-sama. I would like to take this opportunity to discuss something of great importance to the village and its shinobi. Over the past decade, myself and my colleagues at the hospital have been working diligently to train medic-nin so that health care is readily available in the field. The time has come where we are in a position to add a medic-nin to every 4-shinobi-unit we send out."

Hiruzen interrupted her. "4 shinobi in a team is the apt number, Tsunade-san. By many trials, we have found it to be so. A larger number attracts attention. A smaller one is inadequate. 4 shinobi."

Tsunade looked shaken and irritated. "Hokage-sama, we trained them to be field medics. They can pull their own weight. Wounds suffered on the field should be treated as soon as possible. Most of the shinobi who perished at our hospital would have survived with immediate action in the field. If you bring them back on the brink of death, with more than two or three days of exposure to infection and sometimes without even getting first-aid treatment, there is not much we can do once they get here."

"That may be. But this is a tried and tested process. One opinion won't change this rule." Hiruzen interrupted again.

Tsunade bit her lip in irritation. "Hokage-sama, we are not miracle workers. Over half the people brought in this week alone, won't survive. They could have been saved had one of my medics been there."

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes on her. "Your medics are a liability. Nothing more." Tsunade looked like she was about to protest. This was an insult to her decade-long efforts. "That's the last I'll hear of it." He met her eyes. "Is that clear?"

Tsunade glared at her sensei, choosing to remain silent.

"Is that clear, jonin?"

"Hai… Hokage-sama."

Kushina, along with everyone else, watched as Tsunade shrunk back into her seat. That was uncomfortable to watch. She had never seen their Hokage so angry before. Just what had happened between them?

"Now, onto more important matters." Hiruzen spoke authoritatively. "Kumo has joined the war."

Several gasps met his declaration. This was bad. The three minor villages had only barely been pushed back. Three major villages against them. They stood no chance.

"That's the bad news. The good news is that they aren't allied with Iwa or Suna. They're in it for themselves." Hiruzen paused before adding, "As usual… They have acted quickly and have already invaded the Earth country. With Kirigakure's ships gone, they are the biggest power in water. Kumo invaded with their ships and they're slowly making their way into Taki territory. With the way this is progressing, we predict that Amegakure is where a major confrontation would take place. For now, Taki has requested our help and we will support them."

Everyone stayed silent, waiting for what was undoubtedly coming. "I know some of you only just reached back from the Kusa border, but we need you to move out again… Soon. We have some shinobi who were stationed at a nearby outpost already headed there. The day after tomorrow, we will send a force as big as we can get to the Land of Waterfalls where you will help the Taki ninja defend their land. But you will not go into enemy territory. Your presence there is only to act as a deterrent to battle, not to start anything with Kumo. That will happen at Amegakure whether we like it or not. If we are not there to fight, their battle will wander into our land with Hanzo chasing them out. So, our main force will be at Amegakure in two weeks' time. Once the Taki border is clear of enemy forces, you will make your way straight to Ame to act as reinforcements."

Silence followed. "Any questions?"

No one said a word. "Good. Take tomorrow as a day's rest. A time to relax. This may be the last time you get to do that in quite a while." The Hokage made sure that the severity of his statement had hit them. "Dismissed."

Kushina watched as the Hokage left the room without so much as a look at Akira. They were fighting as well. 'Great. Just what we need.'

The assembled shinobi made their way out of the room leaving only the seven of them. Hitomi, Mikoto, Fugaku, Minato, Yoshino, Rumia and herself. Fugaku looked hesitantly at them, but before they could say anything, he walked away. Kushina looked at Mikoto to see whether she was going to go after him. But Mikoto had also convinced herself that it was over. Kushina knew that Mikoto was only doing what was right for her. But if it was her and Minato in their position, would she really be able to stop herself from going after him? She didn't think so.

Minato brought all of them out of their thoughts. "Come on guys. Let's go get something to drink. He did tell us to relax, so might as well."

They all agreed and headed out. Their coming trials would be difficult… to say the least. It would do them some good to relax a little before it.

Outside the Council Chambers.

Tsunade tried hard to hold in her tears until she was someplace private. It was just so unfair. It was one mistake. Only one. And it was ruining everything. People thought she was a joke. The Hokage seemed to have lost all faith in her and the two people she was sure would understand her, had been sent away on some mission. It's not that Akira was doing nothing; he was doing all that he possibly could. But it just wasn't enough. She needed someone who wouldn't just tell her what she wanted to hear. She needed Orochimaru. And when he snapped her out of the emotional mess she was currently in, Jiraiya would console her. That was how it's always been.

Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be. Her work for the past 11 years had been leading up to this moment. The moment where medics would be assets in the battlefield as well as back at the hospital. She had worked tirelessly for it. And the sad part was that she knew this was her fault. After she messed up a few months back, her sensei couldn't accept her recommendation simply because she asked him to. That would be seen as favoritism and her sensei couldn't have that. Akira told her to wait until talks about her mess blew over. She should have listened. But there was no time. The war has already started. The hospital was already filling up. There was no more time. It had to be now.

Still… She should've seen this outcome coming. Should've mentally prepared for it. … Should've waited for it to blow over… Damn it all.

"Hey, wait up."

The voice stopped her. She turned around, turning her stoic face back on. "Who are you?", she snapped.

The white-haired man grinned. "Is that how you greet everyone you meet? I thought you were a princess. Shouldn't you be more polite?"

Tsunade growled. What was this idiot even doing? "Get out of my face." She yelled and she turned around to leave. She was able to take only a few steps forward before he spoke again.

"I think you're right."

Tsunade froze.

"About the need for medic nin. I think you're right."

She slowly turned around. "Could've used that support in there, you know?"

The man smiled again. "I was thinking politically, and not emotionally."

Tsunade frowned. "Explain."

"The moment you started speaking, he'd already made up his mind. There was no way any amount of support would've changed that. You need to be cleverer about this kind of thing. You should've met with other people beforehand to see if anyone thought similarly. Then, that person should've called the meeting because of the current stigma you're facing. That would've made him… listen… at the very least."

Tsunade frowned. It was true. She should've done that.

"What's your name?" She asked slowly.

The man looked up at the sky, revealing his dark green eyes. "Dan. Dan Katō." He held out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Would you like to come with me? I have to pick up my niece at the academy."

With Naruto, 6 Hours Later.

'God, they're so annoying.' Naruto yelled out in his mind. Over the past two days, Anko and Yuna had stayed close to him. Stuck to him, in fact. He went with a chunin to refill the water containers and they actually followed him. Like, stalked him. It was creepy and wrong and… Annoying. So annoying. They weren't acting like his friends anymore. They were sentries making sure that he didn't try to escape their sight. It was sickening and he was done letting them act like that. He had gone to Orochimaru for help, of course, which was when it was revealed to him that he had ordered them to do it.

This was the reason why he was looking forward to the Kiri Shinobi's arrival. That distraction was what he needed to slip away. They would probably find him soon if they tried hard enough. But he suspected that they were also tired of doing it. So, he slipped away, jumping to the trees and heading toward a nearby hill where he would be able to see when anyone approached. He lay on the ground, gazing at the stars. A few moments of privacy, that was all he wanted.

Unfortunately, it just wasn't meant to be.

"You can come out. I won't hurt you this time." Naruto spoke softly, but he knew that he had heard.

No one replied for a few moments. "You didn't hurt me last time either. Kisame did." Zabuza walked out from behind a tree. "I see you still like staring at the stars."

Naruto nodded. "I do."

"Why?"

Naruto sighed before looking back up. "The stars are the one constant in the world. No matter where you are, you can always see the stars. If not today, the next day. But they're always there. Even when you can't see them." Naruto sat up to look at Zabuza who was looking at him like he'd seen a ghost. "I wasn't sure you'd survive."

Zabuza snapped out of it and chuckled. "Takes more than that to put me down."

Naruto nodded stoically. "So, you weren't punished at all for this? I didn't think Kiri would allow such insubordination."

Zabuza scoffed. "I was a jonin. Now, I'm a genin. That is punishment enough, don't you think?"

Naruto's eyes widened. "I suppose."

They went silent again. "You're not going to ask me to try and remember?"

Zabuza turned to look at him. "So, you believe me then?"

Naruto didn't reply. He just stared at him. "I generally don't trust people who feel the need to wear masks, but I'm willing to hear you out."

Zabuza's head snapped around when he heard him. His mind took him back to the day they met. The 4-year-old boy had just woken up and attacked him and his friends. Their leader had to spend a considerable amount of time calming him down and when it was done, Zabuza was entrusted with the responsibility of healing his wounds and restraining him. Zabuza had bound his arms and applied healing salves to the deep cut on his cheek while Naruto thrashed around.

"Just trust us. We're not here to hurt you. You just heard my superior order me to heal you up and keep you alive." Zabuza yelled in frustration.

"I don't trust people who feel the need to wear masks." Naruto growled back before he started biting at his steel restraints.

Zabuza sighed at the memory and sat down on the ground beside him. "To answer your question, I'm not going to ask that. If it were possible to remember easily, you'd have done it already." Naruto accepted his answer and lay down beside him. "And you definitely wouldn't be a Konoha ninja."

"That's just it. I do believe what you're telling me, I do. I saw a glimpse or a vision of what happened to me."

Zabuza's mouth fell open. "Then why-"

"You didn't let me finish. I saw what happened to Uzushio, which I'm assuming is where I'm from. I saw the shipwrecks. Kiri was a part of that. Why would I knowingly join the people who helped destroy my home?"

"I see." Zabuza laid back down. "You didn't join Kiri. You joined Four Island." Naruto motioned for him to continue. "Kiri is a collection of islands, with 397 discovered ones, of which there are 6 major inhabited ones. Four Island is the place for rejects like us. As in orphans, disowned people, etc. Me, Mangetsu, Mei, Akane, Yagura…"

"Haku?"

Zabuza gasped at that.

"Of all the names you've said, that's the only one I'm even remotely familiar with."

Zabuza let out a small laugh. "Figures. You two were always inseparable."

"Don't get your hopes up. The name is all I remember. No face, no voice, no nothing."

"Yeah… Sorry. As I was saying, Four Island and Six Island are the only ones who were against the attack on Uzushiogakure. The Uzumaki had done nothing against Kiri, only against Kumo and Iwa. As such, the two islands refused to send their ships out. That's why you agreed to join us. Because we were not to blame and our leader, your mentor, promised you that we'd make you strong enough to destroy Konoha."

"I see. Then, I really hated Konoha, didn't I?"

"Yeah…" Zabuza hesitated. "That's why I asked if they sealed your memory which in hindsight, is probably a stupid question to ask you. How would you even know if they did?"

Naruto nodded. "It is a stupid question. One that I don't have an answer for. I have no idea what happened to me. When I woke up in the hospital, I was told that I'd been in an accident. That I suffered from post-traumatic amnesia. Didn't question it at the time."

"Hmmm." Zabuza went silent.

"You mentioned a mentor." Zabuza nodded. "Can you tell me more about him?"

A sad sigh escaped him. "He was the leader of Four Island. Mizumo Kaguya. The one who found you and took you in to meet us."

"Where is he now?"

"He's dead. Killed by the shinobi who took you."

"'Took me'? How did you know I was taken?" Naruto frowned. "Couldn't I have been dead?"

"We found his body. We didn't find yours."

This time Naruto was the one who stretched the silence. "Do you know anything else about me? Can you tell me?", he finally asked.

Zabuza nodded. "Of course. I'll tell you on one condition."

Naruto motioned for him to go on.

"You once told us to kill you if we ever saw you doing something that helped Konoha. We all thought you were joking at the time but… here you are."

Naruto narrowed his eyes on the older boy.

"Tell me. Should I kill you now and if not, would you forgive me when you finally regain your memories?"

Naruto was silent for some time. "What if I never regain my memories?"

Zabuza laughed, as though he believed such a thing was not possible. "Then, I suppose you'll never forgive me."

Naruto thought for a few long moments. "Go on. Tell me what you know about me."

Zabuza stood up. "As you wish. Your real name, or rather, your full name is Naruto Uzumaki, of the Uzumaki clan of Uzushiogakure. You were 4 years old when the village fell. As far as we know, you're the only survivor… Well, the only one besides your sister, Kushina Uzumaki."

Naruto's eyes widened. "What?"

Zabuza flinched in surprise. "You don't remember your sister? She didn't find you in Konoha?"

"No. How could she be in Konoha? What happened to her?"

Zabuza fetched a book out of his pocket. "Here. This is the latest bingo book. I got this yesterday. You'll find her in there. The youngest kunoichi to attain the S-rank status."

Naruto caught the book, but didn't open it. Instead he pocketed it and looked pointedly at him to continue.

"Well, when you came into Kiri, you said all you wanted to do was find your sister and make Konoha pay for what they did to you. You had just four things with you. A locket, two swords and a bag."

"What did the locket say?"

"Happy 4th birthday, Naruto Uzumaki… or at least, that's what you told us. We haven't seen it for ourselves."

"The bag?"

"The bed had three forehead-protectors inside. Kiri, Kumo and Iwa."

Naruto nodded. It all seemed about right. "Do you know how old I am?" That was something that had always bugged Naruto. He just put in the date he joined the academy as his birthday and assumed that he was 6 years old at the time because that was the minimum age to start the academy. He didn't know when his birthday was or how old he was.

"You turned 11 a couple of months ago. October 10th is your birthday."

"I see… Did I ever mention Hayami Uzumaki?"

Zabuza grinned, happy about something. Bringing his hands to his wrist, he unsealed two swords. "That was what you named one of your swords. You told us that she was your best friend in Uzushio."

Naruto was not as happy about it as Zabuza seemed to be. Because he recognized the swords. Not in the usual familiarity kind of way. He had held those swords before. Very recently in his little mental adventures. A thin longsword and a katana with a blue handle. The longsword was what he drew out of the pile of dead bodies in Hayami Uzumaki's house. The katana was the one he found while walking up the hill to get an aerial view.

"Is that the one called Hayami?" Naruto asked, pointing at the longsword. Zabuza nodded, a smile on his face. "What's the other one called?"

"You haven't named it yet."

"I see." Naruto bent down to pick them up. "Can I have them?"

"What are you asking me for? They're yours in the first place."

"Thank you." Naruto held the shorter one in a reverse grip on his left hand and the longsword horizontally out in front of him.

Zabuza chuckled. "You're still in there, then. You hold your swords the same way you used to."

"I guess so…"

"I'm leaving for now, Naruto. They are about to leave. When we meet again, I hope you've recovered your memory."

"I hope so too, Zabuza-san. But before you go, tell me more about this… Haku."

Zabuza smiled at him. "You don't realize how happy this would make her. That day, when we found Mizumo-sama beaten to death at the bottom of the lake and only your swords left behind, it broke her. She hasn't been the same since. She was the one who got you out of your shell when you first arrived there. She was your first friend in Kiri. Haku Yuki. You did everything together."

Naruto frowned. Why couldn't he remember anything about her?

"Every night that you've been gone, she has been staring at the stars before going to sleep, knowing that you'd be doing the same wherever you were."

"She sounds like a good friend."

"She is, Naruto."

Naruto nodded. "Thank you for telling me all this. You don't know how much it means to me."

Zabuza nodded. "I guess this is goodbye then.", he finished lamely. Naruto acknowledged him with a nod and after one last look at Naruto, Zabuza started down the hill.

As soon as he was gone, Naruto took out the bingo book he had just received. Skimming through the pages, he finally found what he was looking for.

Name: Kushina Uzumaki.
Clan: Uzumaki Clan of Uzushiogakure.
Village: Konoha.
Caliber: S-Rank.
Skills: High wind affinity, highly skilled in fuinjutsu, skilled with a sword: rumored to be on par with one of the seven ninja swordsmen of the mist, deadly chain techniques in collaboration with her sword and high wind affinity.
Achievements: Genin at 13, chunin at 13, jonin at 15; Matched the now deceased wielder of the Kiba blades, Ameyuri Ringo; The last known survivor of the Uzumaki clan. One of the most dangerous Konoha shinobi. Flee on sight.

Naruto read it over once more before sealing the book into the storage seal on his wrist. He did the same for his swords. The past few minutes revealed more about his previous life than anything else in the past 5 years. He was thankful to Zabuza over that. His memory… Was it amnesia like they said or was it something they did to him like Zabuza suspected? He would find out one day. But until then, he was a Konoha ninja. He would protect it with his life, like Shinzo and Shizuka always intended to do.

With Kushina

"Sooo, what else happened while I was gone? I'm dying to hear." The blonde-haired kunoichi asked coyly.

"You won't get any dirt from us, Rumia." Yoshino was the one who spoke.

"Oh, come on, Yoshino-chan. I was cut off from the rest of you for like 3 months. Something must have happened?"

Minato chuckled. "Well, I got a team, you know and one of them is already chunin."

"Hey, you can't brag about that. It had nothing to do with you." Kushina yelled at her partner.

"That's up for debate. The Hokage decided that even a chunin has much to learn from a great ninja such as myself." Minato smirked.

"Yeah. A great ninja who spent two days holding his girlfriend's hand, while she helped you get over your little boo-boo."

Minato glared at Hitomi who had hit him with the sarcastic jibe. "We both know that it wasn't a little boo-boo. Besides, Kushina liked comforting me on the way back."

Minato turned to look at Kushina who suddenly didn't want to meet his eyes. "Kushina-chan?"

"You were being a bit whiny, Minato-kun. I don't think your students wanted to see you like that."

Minato sulked. "I was just teaching them the important art of sucking up to someone."

They all laughed. Rumia turned to Mikoto. "Mikoto-chan, you also got a team, didn't you?"

Everyone went silent. No one wanted to say anything. The conversation had taken a very uncomfortable turn.

"Wow. I guess you really were cut off, huh?" Kushina mused out loud. "They died in the silent dispatch."

Rumia's mouth fell open. "Silent dispatch? That's still possible?"

"Yeah."

Rumia nodded. But something was still wrong about the atmosphere. "That's not all that happened, is it?"

This time, even Kushina was silent. Mikoto replied this time. "I was thrown out of the Uchiha clan, Rumia."

Rumia couldn't believe it. Mikoto was undoubtedly the most successful kunoichi of their generation. Only Kushina came anywhere close, but due to her pacifist nature in confrontations, she was not that well-known . No one in their right mind would ever throw someone like her out of their clan. Then a thought occurred to her. "Is that why… Fugaku…"

"Yeah. We broke up."

"I'm so sorry, Miko-chan. We'll go out drinking again once this is all over. It'll all be alright."

Mikoto chuckled. "That can't be your solution, every time someone goes through a breakup."

Rumia pouted. "And why not? It works every time."

They all laughed again. This was the best time they'd all had in months. With everything happening in the world around them, the jonin were kept very busy, even the rookie ones.

"Oh. Speaking of the silent dispatch… I heard about this kid that blackmailed the Hokage after it? Is that true?" Hitomi asked.

"What?" Rumia exclaimed. Kushina was also surprised. "Blackmailing the Hokage? A genin? Please. These rumours are getting out of hand."

"It's true. Although he didn't get what he wanted out of it." Minato addressed the question.

"What did he want?" Rumia asked incredulously. This wasn't something that happened every day. In fact, she didn't think it had happened ever before.

Mikoto smiled. "Money."

"MONEY?! That's insane."

"Believe it, Rumia-chan." Minato spoke with a faraway look on his face. "He is one amazing shinobi. Observant, cooperative, respectful, resourceful… You should see some of the strategies he implements during joint training sessions with my team. Even jonin would have trouble seeing through some of them."

Kushina smirked. "Sounds like you want him on your team."

Minato nodded excitedly. "That would be the day. He reminds me a bit of myself, you know? Always eager to learn… Orphan… A sannin as his sensei…"

"Woah. Orochimaru took on a team?" Rumia asked incredulously. She knew Tsunade hadn't taken a team and that left only Orochimaru.

"How do you not know this? You're in the intelligence department, for fuck's sake." Hitomi snidely commented.

Kushina suddenly remembered something. "Wait. Is this the 'Menma' character you told me about?"

The question was aimed at Yoshino who immediately sent a panicked look at Minato, who had gone pale. Out drinking and relaxing with their friends, this was definitely not how he intended to tell her, but Mikoto was already starting to say something. "Don't be silly. His name isn't Menma. It's Naruto."

Silence. Everyone froze when the name left Mikoto's lips. They all knew the name. And they all made sure never to bring it up. Drinking was apparently making Mikoto a lot more loose-lipped than she usually was.

Kushina slowly turned to face her long-time friend and rival. "What did you say?"

Mikoto was suddenly regretful of what she said. "Kushina-chan. His name is Naruto, but he isn't your brother. He can't be."

Kushina's eyes filled with tears.

"He has black hair." Mikoto said gently, making Kushina's eyes snap up.

Minato winced. "Actually, Yoshino saw him when he had red hair. We think he dyed it to attract less attention."

Kushina was now glaring at him even with the tears flowing down her face. "You know a kid named Naruto, who has red hair and you didn't tell me?" she asked softly, feeling betrayed.

Minato looked at her sadly. "Kushina, we wanted to tell you. When we found out about this kid for the first time, you were just getting over your panic attack. We didn't want you to go through it again."

"We?"

"I was there with him. I was telling him about how you had a panic attack when you heard about the genin on Orochimaru-sama's team whose name was Menma. He told me his name was actually Naruto and that he was very skilled in fuinjutsu. We thought he might be an Uzumaki. Minato-kun asked me if he should tell you then, but we both decided not to so soon after your panic attack…" Yoshino spoke up from behind her.

Kushina saw red. She turned around. "Let me get this straight. You know a kid named Naruto, around my brother's age, with red hair, who is skilled in seals and who you thought might be an Uzumaki, and you didn't tell me?", she yelled at her friends, stunning all of them.

The whole bar had gone silent. No one said a word as the angry kunoichi started yelling at the people near her.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Minato was the one who recovered from the shock first. "Kushina… Please sit down. We didn't tell you because… because we didn't want to hurt you. Your nightmares would have returned, your panic attacks would have come back. We wanted to keep you safe from someone who we're sure is not your brother."

Kushina didn't back down. She walked forward until she was right up in his face. "How are you so sure, Minato? How can you even know?"

Minato gulped. He had a bad feeling about this. "He has the sharingan."

Silence.

"I'm sorry, Kushina-chan, but that's why there's no way-"

SLAP.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at what happened. Kushina stood there, eyes wide open and tears flowing down her face, staring at her boyfriend who she just slapped.

"Kushina?"

SLAP.

Kushina started shaking as tears fell from her eyes. He knew. They all knew and they didn't tell her. "You all look at me like I'm made of glass. One wrong move and you'll accidentally shatter me. That's what you all still think of me, isn't it?" She asked as she looked around at her friends. "That was fine with me in the beginning. Because I was already broken, you know? But you made me realize that there's still something worth living for. That no matter what happens, I could count on you guys for your help. And I've recovered. I'm strong now. Why can't you see that? Why can't you trust me?"

Everyone stared at her, shocked at this turn of events. This was supposed to be their night off. A time to relax.

A sob escaped Kushina. "Where is he now? Do you know?"

Hitomi was the one to answer the question. She was also stunned at what was happening, but growing up in the Hyuga clan, she was numb to emotional displays like this. "I asked around at the meeting, and heard that Orochimaru-sama was sent with Danzo-sama to the Kiri border. Maybe he's there."

Kushina nodded, wiping away her tears. She stood up and walked toward the exit, but someone caught her wrist to stop her.

"Kushina, what's going on?" It was Minato. His right cheek was red and slightly bruised. Guess she had put in a lot more force than she meant to.

"My brother has the sharingan, Minato. If you'd just come to me at the beginning, I would have told you that. Instead, you thought that I was some frail little child who you'd hurt by saying the wrong thing. But guess what, Minato… A panic attack lasts a few minutes. Nightmares only happen for a few days. If you had told me this at the start and it turned out that it wasn't my brother, you would have caused me a week's suffering at most. By keeping this to yourself for over two months now, you've kept me from my brother for two months."

Minato stared at her, stunned at the venom in her voice.

"Two months, Minato. Two months."

With that, Kushina yanked her arm out of Minato's grip and stormed out. Minato turned around to face his friends with tears in his own eyes. "I didn't know. I… I swear I didn't think-"

Mikoto walked forward and wrapped him in a hug. Tears streamed down her own face. She had spent those two months with him and never even noticed the similarities that were now so clear. In her mind, the sharingan had eradicated any possibility of this being Kushina's long lost brother. But the clues were all there. His deep purple eyes, his skill with seals, his name… The clues were all there. She just hadn't seen it. Never even thought it could be a possibility.

'Damn it all.'

Uchiha Compound, Fugaku Uchiha's House

Fugaku lived at the edge of the Uchiha compound. Not by choice, only by design. He was an orphan of the Uchiha clan. This is where they all ended up. He'd worked for every scrap he had. Worked hard to gain a place at the shrine. Worked hard to sit in on important clan meetings. Worked hard to earn a place in the greatest clan of Konoha. But it wasn't for himself. It had all been for her. For Mikoto.

She was the one who found him collapsed on the road, hungry and malnourished. She was the one who nursed him back up to full strength. She was the one who asked her father to set him up in a house. She gave him her brother's old clothes when all of his clothes got torn up. Ever since that day, when he first met her, he had loved her. More than anything. And every day since, he had felt unworthy of her love, of her attention.

All he did, he did for her. To earn his place at the top, right by her side. When she was thrown out of the clan, Fugaku was hurt and worried. But he knew it would turn out okay. Because he was going to become the clan head in her place and the moment he did, he would bring her back into the clan. The greatest clan in Konoha. The clan where she belonged. He told her of his plan to save her. And when he did, she had refused.

She told him that she didn't want to be part of the clan he loved. She told him that she never belonged. She told him that she was done with the clan. That she didn't want the name 'Uchiha' back. Everything he ever wanted, she already had. Yet she was saying that she didn't need it. She didn't need him.

How could she? How could she do that to him? It wasn't fair. It wasn't right. It wasn't supposed to be like this. She wasn't supposed to leave him. Today, at the meeting, she refused to even look at him. Did she hate him so much? Was he still just dirty street trash as her father had once called him? He didn't understand. He didn't understand at all.

Knock knock.

Who was here at this hour? Fugaku opened the door to see one of his oldest friends looking back at him. Yakumi Uchiha. He grew up with the same circumstances as Fugaku. He was an orphan under the protection of the Uchiha clan, but he had a distant cousin who helped him when he needed it. Mikoto was the one who served that purpose for Fugaku.

"Hey. What are you doing here?" Fugaku asked, surprised. Yakumi was a chunin and worked as a guard for the Konoha jail. He usually worked the night shift which prevented them from seeing each other as much as they used to.

"I saw you walking over here looking depressed as fuck and I couldn't just ignore it, so I called in sick." Yakumi stated, brushing past him into the house. "Tell me, what happened?"

Fugaku shrugged automatically. He didn't need to know about it. He was not a fan of Mikoto and had always accused him of choosing her over him. "Nothing happened, man."

Yakumi stared at him. "Come on. I heard what happened with you and the bitch. You could at least tell me now, when I ask you." Fugaku remained silent, making Yakumi shake his head. "I told you that she's no good for you and that she was with you only to stick it to her father."

"That's not true." Fugaku yelled angrily.

"Chill man. That may be the case, but the other clan members don't see it that way. They think you're a joke."

Fugaku stood up angrily.

"Hey, don't kill the messenger. I don't think anything of the sort. I think it's… well, her fault. She was the one who got herself kicked out; she shouldn't blame you for that." Yakumi frowned. "That's why you broke up, isn't it?"

Fugaku hesitantly nodded. "Yeah… That's what happened."

Yakumi grinned at his old friend. He had finally calmed down. "Come on. Let's go get some strange. I heard about this new girl at Kazane's from Tenzen-sama. Man, if what he said is true, then tonight is going to be so much fun."

Fugaku frowned in distaste. Kazane's Angels was a very well-known brothel where shinobi and civilians alike, enjoyed their down time. To think that someone as respected as the Uchiha clan head would be doing something so distasteful was… surprising, to say the least. Nevertheless, it was always good to blow off some steam and the method Yakumi just suggested to him was the best one to do so.

"Won't other people recognize us? Won't rumors spread?"

Yakumi smiled slyly. "Nah man. Tenzen-sama has a way around that."

Fugaku slowly nodded. "You know what? I'm in."

Yakumi grinned. "There he is. Come on, you've missed a whole lot of stuff. I have so much to tell you."

With Naruto

"You met with him, didn't you?" Anko yelled.

Naruto sighed at all the noise. "Yeah. I did. Now, can we please get on with our jobs? You know? The one Danzo-sama assigned to us?"

Anko shrugged. "Just make a clone and do my work if it bothers you so much. What did he tell you?"

Naruto frowned at his teammate. This time, Anko was the one being annoying. Yuna was quietly going about her work, acting very much unlike her usual self. "He told me a lot of things, Anko. A lot about myself actually. I found out that I'm actually 11 years old instead of just… you know, assuming I was 10." He returned to the task at hand. "Oh, and my birthday is October 10th if anyone wanted to know."

"So, you believe him?" Yuna spoke for the first time since they were assigned this job.

Naruto shrugged. "Not entirely, but he hasn't given me any reason to distrust him. I'll know for sure when I get back to the village."

"How is that?" Anko asked him suspiciously. He wasn't seriously thinking of trusting the Kiri ninja, was he?

Naruto stopped his task and stared at his friends. "He told me that I had a sister by the name of Kushina Uzumaki." Seeing the surprise on their faces, he continued. "I know. I was sceptical too at first. I thought I would know if someone else in the village had red hair and purple eyes. Turns out I was wrong."

Naruto handed them the bingo book Zabuza gave him. "This could be fake as well, maybe part of some elaborate ploy? I doubt it though. I'll know for sure when I reach the village."

"No. There's no need for that. I know her." Yuna spoke softly. "Or rather, I know of her. She is the Uzumaki clan head in Konoha, one of the fiercest supporters for the female clan head law put forth by Tsunade-sama." She was happy for her friend. It seemed that Naruto had family in Konoha, which meant that what that man said about him being a Kiri ninja was just bull shit.

Naruto frowned. "Female clan head law?"

"Kunoichi are not allowed to be clan heads as per Konoha's clan rules. Tsunade-sama changed that with this law."

Naruto scoffed. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Why can't kunoichi be clan heads? They can be ninja, right?"

Yuna giggled at her friend's confusion. "Yeah. I know. It's stupid, but that's how it was."

"Stop your chatter and get to it." Orochimaru yelled from the side.

They grumbled and reluctantly continued. It took about a half hour more to complete their task. But once they were done, they walked back across the bridge towards where Danzo stood talking with Kosuke and Orochimaru.

"It's done, Orochimaru-sensei." Anko spoke up.

Orochimaru turned to Danzo. "Are you sure this is the right play here?"

Danzo frowned. "Do you think differently?" Orochimaru hesitated. "Speak your mind, Orochimaru-kun. You will most likely become Hokage after this war. You can't hesitate like that when you are."

Orochimaru nodded. "Destroying it seems kind of final doesn't it? We could use this incident to apply some political pressure on them, but we can't do that if we destroy this side as well."

Danzo nodded. "What you're saying is true… when we're not at war. Political pressure means nothing if they decide to attack us. With the situation as it is now, we can't afford that. If we destroy this bridge, they can't quickly mount an attack by land and we know that they won't attack by the sea. So, I think this is the right play, as you put it."

Naruto frowned at that. If Zabuza had been truthful with him, two of the six islands still had their ships. An attack via the sea was still very possible. But was it right for him to tell them? After Zabuza trusted him with all that information.

"What's actually going on? I don't understand why we're destroying the bridge." Anko asked a cheery Kosuke while Danzo was talking with Orochimaru.

"I suppose it won't hurt us if you also know." Kosuke said with an eye-smile. "Their portion of the bridge has been destroyed. So, if we decide to mount an attack on them, we'll have to go by this bridge because the other way is not an option. But with the other side of the bridge completely or partially destroyed, we would be trapped and they would know well in advance, ruining our element of surprise. But if they decide to invade us or anywhere else on this side of the elemental nations, we wouldn't be able to stop them in time. Seems like an unfair advantage for them and my old friend doesn't allow anything like that."

Naruto understood. It made sense that Danzo was being careful around them. They couldn't afford another village joining the war against them and this would ensure that Kiri does not participate for a few weeks at the very least. Small comforts.

"Naruto. Activate the seals." Danzo commanded. Naruto acquiesced, holding his right hand in a one-handed ram seal.

"Katsu." He whispered. In truth, Naruto didn't want to use his exploding tags at all, but Danzo offered him good money for it and Naruto wasn't going to pass that up.

The tags placed on the bridge lit up, engulfing the bridge in a white light, before exploding loudly. The ground trembled heavily as the stone structure broke apart and fell to the ocean below.

The group of Konoha shinobi stood and watched until the smoke cleared revealing a group of Kiri shinobi at the far end, where the bridge broke off.

Danzo walked forward smirking. "Thank you for the friendly welcome. Unfortunately, you didn't fool anyone." He turned around smiling. "Shinobi. Let's move out. Our mission is complete."

Naruto didn't move for a while. He noticed something odd. There were only 7 shinobi at the other end. Zabuza was no longer with them.

With Kushina

"I'm coming. Geez. Give this old man a break." Akira yelled out as he fumbled his way down the stairs. It was almost midnight and he had only just managed to doze off after the exhausting day when the knocking woke him up.

In response to his yelling, the knocking only got louder. Akira cursed whatever god was hearing and finally reached the door. Disabling the seals and removing the chain, he opened the door. "WHAT?" He frowned in surprise. "Kushina?"

Kushina glared at her sensei. She was aware that her tears had not stopped and that she was alarming her sensei by showing up like this. "How long have you known?"

The single question made Akira flinch. She knew and she knew that he knew about it before. "Since that day when you fixed the seals. When you told me that your brother had the sharingan…" Akira was blunt in his answer. No amount of ducking around the question would work now that she knew about it. "That's when I knew."

Kushina glared at her sensei for a few moments and a helpless sob escaped her. "Why didn't you tell me?" she whispered softly.

The faint voice tore at his heart. "Kushina… I wanted to. I was going to." Kushina looked up in anticipation for his answer. "But I didn't want to hurt you. I didn't want to tell you until I was absolutely sure."

"Then why didn't you tell me then? When you were sure?" Kushina yelled at him, tears streaming down her face.

"Kushina…", Akira walked forward to hug the kunoichi that he had come to view as his own daughter. Despite the situation, she leaned into the hug. It always made her feel safe.

"Is he hurt? Did he ask about me?", she whispered.

Akira winced. This was not good. "Kushina… He has amnesia…"

Kushina flinched back from the hug. "Wh… what?" The entire way here, she had assumed that he had somehow ended up in Konoha and tried to find her… Only to fail. She wasn't exactly the most outgoing person in the village. But this… this was something entirely new.

"He doesn't remember you or anyone else from Uzushiogakure. He doesn't even know that he's from Uzushiogakure… that he's an Uzumaki. All he knows is that his name is Naruto." Akira spoke softly. He unsealed a locket from a storage scroll. "He had this locket with him. That was when I first suspected."

Kushina trembled as she took the locket in her hands. It was burnt up and most of the engraved message was no longer visible.

"Happy 4th birthday, Naruto Uzumaki. Your sister loves you."

It was all black now. Only the name 'Naruto' was visible. Long ago, months after the ruin of Uzushiogakure, Kushina thought that her tears had run dry. She had lost everything. What was left to cry for? But this made it all come back. The sadness she felt then, the relief she felt just moments before and the agonizing knowledge that her brother didn't remember her at all, that he didn't know her… It was too much.

"Kushina, it will be ok. He'll regain his memory. I'm sure of it. We'll figure it out. We always do."

Akira held her for a long time. Her crying eventually settled down into small sobs. Akira led her inside and closed the door behind him. He led her to the couch and sat her down. He then went to the kitchen and started making coffee. She was going to talk and he was going to listen. Or she was going to cry and he was going to comfort her. Either way, they wouldn't be sleeping.

Iwagakure

Shinji Aburame looked into the deep blue eyes of the one he loved. This night, the night of his return, was one of the most passionate nights they'd ever shared. It was puzzling how every time he saw her, his mind shut down and everything became blank. Nothing else mattered. Not Konoha, not Iwa… Not Danzo and not him. Only her… She was the only one left for him, now that his brother was dead… And he would never let her go.

It had been like this for two or three years now. Her entry into his life was completely by accident. As a Konoha spy, it put him in a very advantageous position, one that he was tempted to make full use of. After all, the third Tsuchikage didn't just let anyone into his granddaughter's life. It wasn't his intention to fall in love. In fact, it was the opposite. She would only bring all kinds of unwanted and possibly fatal attention.

But she was stubborn. She reached into his life and forced her way in, not caring what he had to say about it. Over the years, they had gotten close. Closer than he dared. With his brother in Konoha, he could hardly change sides now. But Danzo had changed that. He was no longer trapped. He had nothing in Konoha… and he had everything in Iwa. It wasn't even a decision anymore. It was inevitable.

Reaching with his hand, he gently cupped her face. "Kaguya… I love you."

Her deep blue eyes widened in shock. This was the first time he had told her those words and it filled her with joy. She jumped out of bed and twirled around the room making Shinji's eyes widen. She was dancing… actually dancing with happiness at what he said. His wide eyes followed her around the room as she finally came to a stop in front of him, smiling playfully.

"Yagura-kun… I'm glad." Shinji melted into her arms. He had been trained to abandon his emotions. To not feel anything. His training meant nothing when he was with her. With her, he could feel again.

Shinji leaned into her ear. "I have to tell you something, and there's no easy way to do this." His tone made it clear to her that it was serious and she immediately let go, wanting to look at his face when he spoke. "I'm not who you think I am. My real name is Shinji… Shinji Aburame."

Kaguya stared at him in shock. "You're the spy?"

Shinji didn't reply. He couldn't, after all. Kaguya watched with betrayal and shock, as Shinji reached into his mouth and grabbed his tongue. A small grunt of pain escaped him as he forcefully extended his tongue out of his mouth, far beyond its natural length. Soon, Kaguya saw it. The spiral-shaped seal. She worked in the T&I department. She had seen it before, so she knew what it meant.

"ROOT?", she asked softly even as tears fell from her eyes. This meant that even if her grandfather let him live, he would never be able to act against their enemy. Against Konoha.

"Do you love me?" It came out in a weird way, without his tongue working properly.

Kaguya slapped him. "How dare you ask me that? I don't know you anymore. You weren't even real. The one I love is Yagura… not… Shinji"

Shinji smiled at her. "You're the only one who knows the real me… and the real me is Yagura." Kaguya stared at him in surprise. "With this, Shinji Aburame is no more."

He cut it off before Kaguya could stop him. Blood gushed out of his mouth and he covered it with his hand. Kaguya was swift to react. Her hands immediately glowed green as she tried desperately to stop the bleeding. For the next few moments, only his small gurgles could be heard. But eventually, the bleeding stopped and silence filled the room. Kaguya collapsed in exhaustion. Medical jutsu was not her forte. Shinji… No. Yagura caught her and gently placed her head on his lap, his hands slowly running through her hair. Together, they stared at the result of his actions. His tongue, bleeding onto the floor.

Kaguya felt his legs move under her. She watched as his foot started drawing kanji with his blood. When he was done, Kaguya leapt up and kissed him. The coppery taste of his blood and the absence of his tongue felt weird to her, but she would get used to it.

They were both breathless when they finally stopped. Kaguya cupped his face gently, tears filling her eyes.

"I love you too."

With Hiruzen

Hiruzen hurried down the stairs to the door with Biwako following behind him. Just what was so important that it couldn't wait till tomorrow?

KNOCK KNOCK.

"I'M COMING, GOD DAMN IT."

Hiruzen yelled as he finally reached the door and yanked it open. What he saw made him go pale. Biwako was equally surprised at the late-night visitor. Not because of the time… The Hokage was called upon at some very weird times. She was surprised because of who it was.

Minato Namikaze stood at his door with a bottle in his hands. He had been drinking. Behind him, stood Mikoto Uchiha.

"Did you know?" Minato asked quietly.

Hiruzen noticed the hostility in his voice and mentally prepared himself for an assault. "Know what?"

"Tch. Did you know that he is an Uzumaki?"

Shit. It would seem that the truth was out. But did he know more? Did he know about the memory seal? "Yes. I knew."

Minato's mouth dropped open in shock. "Then why… why not tell her? Why not tell Kushina?"

Hiruzen internally sighed in relief. It would seem that he was not aware of the memory tampering. "He was injured and unstable when he was brought in. He was dangerous and could have become a threat to the village. I placed him in Irene Kurama's hands so that she would notify me if she thought that he was a threat. I didn't tell Kushina because I didn't want to give her someone to care about and rip it away from her if he turned out to be a threat."

Biwako scoffed. Of course, he would turn it into a show of his concern. He was despicable.

Minato stepped forward angrily. "Did you or did you not know that he is her brother?"

That particular bit of information was new to him. "Minato… I had no idea. You have to believe me."

Minato frowned. He seemed genuine at the last part. But the first part, not so much. "Bull shit. You're keeping something from us. A 6-year old? A threat to the village? Bull-fucking-shit." Minato turned around to leave. "Let's go Mikoto. He's not going to tell us anything."

Hiruzen and Biwako stared after them as they left. They stopped when they reached the end of the compound. Minato turned around and yelled. "By the way, I know what's been happening to the missing orphans. And I suspect you already know. I know that I'm in no position to change things, but one day, one day soon, I will be. When I'm Hokage, no one will have to fight for their survival inside this village. No orphan will be sold to someone like a piece of meat. Every single person in the village will be cared for and looked after. I will be nothing like you. I will not be a failure."

Biwako's mouth fell open in shock. No one talked to her husband that way. Not even his old teammates. "Hiruzen, what does he mean by that?" Hiruzen stayed silent. "'Orphans sold to people?'. Tell me, Hiruzen. What does he mean?"

Hiruzen turned around sharply and the look in his eyes made her flinch back in surprise. Tears formed in her eyes as Hiruzen brushed past her. He was a kind and gentle person and a father figure to many people. He was a role model to every aspiring Konoha shinobi. At any other time, Biwako would be able to say all the things about him that made her love him.

But at that moment, he was a stranger and Biwako didn't recognize him at all.

With Fugaku

The night was not going as he hoped it would. He knew that some of his friends were quite depraved. There was nothing he could do about it, so he never tried to change them. He tried to avoid them as much as possible. But today, he had joined them and he suddenly remembered why he always stayed away. This… This was not what he thought blowing off steam meant. This level of depravity… He had only seen it once before… In a village in the Land of Rice Fields overrun by bandits. The women were tortured, raped and murdered. And not just the adult women. The children too. It was sick. It was inhuman. It was… exactly what he saw in front of him.

Tenzen Uchiha sat on top of the young girl as she thrashed around, unable to breathe. She was being suffocated. Why? He would get no from doing that to her as she tried to scream.

Yet he continued to just choke her, looking almost bored. The brunette continued to thrash around until her leg accidentally caught Yakumi in the face while he was with another girl.

Yakumi grinned. "Oi. Tenzen-sama, it seems your bitch isn't getting enough attention. Should I help her?"

Tenzen tilted his head in confusion. "And here I thought that my esteemed company would be enough." Grunting, he reached forward and roughly grabbed her, making her scream in pain. "By all means, go right ahead." He said, as he beckoned Yakumi to go ahead.

Yakumi nodded with gratitude. "Thank kami. The bitch I was fucking was loose." He roughly grabbed her flailing legs and pinned them in place. The girl continued to struggle under them. "What the hell's the matter with you, bitch? You should feel honoured that one of the Uchiha clan is attending to you." He then aligned himself and pushed forward, making her scream once again.

Almost immediately, Fugaku saw Tenzen recoil from the girl. "You bit me."

She started screaming as soon as he moved. "Please. Stop this. I'm just a bartender. I'm not a whore."

Tenzen glared at the crying girl in front of him. "Boys, gather around. She bit me and as punishment, all of us are going to have a go at her." The girl's screams became louder at his declaration. "You will learn your place, you dumb bitch."

Fugaku watched helplessly as the other Uchiha, 6 of them, lined up around the young girl. He wanted to help. He really did. But, how could he? It was his clan head, a couple of the elders, and 3 officers from the police force… There was no scenario where his interference would end with him walking away unhurt. This was beyond sick. If there was one thing every man should always keep in his mind, it's that no means no. After hearing that word, you should not pursue anything. Dimly, his mind registered that 'no' is what Mikoto told him. His mind tried to justify that it was different, but deep down he knew it was the same. No simply means no.

"First time with them?"

Fugaku jumped in surprise at the voice coming from behind him. The raven-haired woman wasn't even looking at him as she spoke. Slightly unsettled, Fugaku shakily answered. "Y-Yeah. First time…"

The woman tilted her head slightly. "Thought as much. You still seem human."

Fugaku didn't comment, instead choosing to ask more about what this actually was and how often it occurred. "What's your name?"

This was enough to earn a look from the woman. "My name? Do you mean my rate? Are you man enough to pay me for it?"

Fugaku gulped. He wasn't expecting a reaction like that. "No. Not your rate. Your name. My name is Fugaku."

She scoffed at him. "Your name doesn't matter. I won't remember tomorrow."

Fugaku raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean by that?"

She turned completely to face him. "You really are a first timer, huh? When this is all wrapped up and all of us are well and truly fucked into the ground, they do something to our memories. We won't remember anything about this night."

Now that was a surprise. He didn't know of any memory altering jutsu in the Uchiha clan. It explained how word of this scandal never reached the general public. "All of you? You mean they won't stop with the bartender?" He was louder than he intended to be because his clan mates heard him.

"Stop? We're just getting started, Fugaku. Come. Join us." Yakumi yelled out. Even from this distance, he could see the pleading look in the poor girl's eyes.

"Nah man. Not tonight. I'm not feeling it." Fugaku yelled back. Yakumi just shrugged and went right back to his task.

"So, if you are not here to partake, then why are you here?" The woman beside him asked.

"Bad breakup."

She snorted. "You're too innocent to be here, boy."

Fugaku ignored her. "What's your name?"

"Huh. You still wanna know… Color me impressed. The name's Kirua."

Fugaku nodded. "Kirua… Good name. Tell me, Kirua, how often does this happen?"

"Based on the number of black outs we have, I'd say, once a week."

Fugaku frowned. That was a lot. He gestured at the young brunette 'bartender'. "What's her name?"

Kirua was speechless for a few moments. "You really are full of surprises. Her name is Kazane."

"As in Kazane's Angels?"

"No…" She hesitated a little before continuing. "That Kazane died a long time ago. She used to call me and my friends 'angels'. That's what we thought we would name the restaurant we always wanted to build. 'Kazane's Angels'. I guess this is a kind of restaurant, isn't it? This Kazane is an in over the head idiot who wanted to work as a bartender in a brothel, as if that would ever have ended well."

Fugaku stayed silent.

"She didn't even take the pill I offered her. If they aren't careful with her, she might get pregnant."

Fugaku turned to her in surprise. "She's… so young."

"17 next month, according to the information she gave. Such an idiot." Fugaku stood up suddenly, heading toward the exit. "Hey, where are you going?"

"To have a smoke."

"Can I join you?"

"Whatever." He replied. On the way out, he had the misfortune of meeting Tenzen's eyes. He winked at him, thinking that he was leading Kirua out for a bit of fun. Fugaku felt sick, but he smiled back at him.

As soon as he was out of their sight, he jumped up onto a nearby building's roof. "Tell me, Kirua. Which one of these is the most unnecessary establishment here?"

Kirua looked a bit confused, but nevertheless pointed at the weapons shop. Seeing his incredulous expression, Kirua shrugged. "We don't know how to use them, we can't afford them, and they certainly wouldn't help us any against your clansmen."

Fugaku nodded. "Weapons store it is then." He jumped away and landed on top of the building. He unsealed some oil from his scroll and poured it on the thatched roof of the establishment. With a bit of fire chakra and a sharp click of his teeth, the roof was successfully on fire. Congratulating himself for a job well done, he returned to where Kirua stood.

"What was that supposed to accomplish?", she asked with a deadpan stare.

"That will bring the ANBU down on this place in the next 2 or 3 minutes."

Kirua gave him a surprised look. "Now, what will you do?"

"Now, I'll go in there and warn them." Fugaku muttered as he tried to brush past her into the brothel.

"Stop. They'll get suspicious if you do that." At Fugaku's disbelieving look, she sighed in exasperation. "Your first time here becomes the first time something goes wrong as well?"

Fugaku stopped walking. "What should I do then? I can't leave them here. It will bring shame to my clan."

Kirua thought for a moment. "I have an idea. Take off your pants." She quickly tore her blouse and removed her skirt and kneeled down in front of him. "Be rough."

Fugaku stood stunned at the half naked woman in front of him.

"Come on. Quickly."

This spurred him into action and let his pants fall to the floor. He froze for a moment when he realized that he was already hard. It made him sick to know that some part of what he'd just witnessed excited him… But this was not the time to look into that. "Are you sure?"

Kirua gave an impatient grunt before roughly starting to work. Fugaku had to stop moving to prevent a groan from escaping. Be rough. She'd told him to be rough. He grabbed her hair and dragged her through the door. She was gagging and coughing.

As soon as he came into the sight of his clansmen, he let go of her hair and let her fall to the ground in front of him. "Guys, there's a small fire in the weapon's store. ANBU might be on their way. We should go."

Curses were sent flying as the men struggled to find their clothes. Fugaku couldn't help but look at the battered body on the couch. The girl was bruised all over and her chest barely rose and fell with each breath. She was half-dead already. How long were they planning to do this for?

Tenzen ran forward to confront him. "Boy, did you do this? This is the first time this has happened. Some coincidence, don't you think?"

Fugaku was silent which only made the other Uchiha more suspicious of him. But before anything could happen, Yakumi stepped forward. "Come on, Tenzen-sama. Did you see the way he handled that whore? This wasn't him."

To his relief, Fugaku saw some of the other Uchiha nodding their heads in agreement. Tenzen stared at him for some more time, not completely convinced.

"Tenzen-sama, it's time to work that magic. We need to go."

Fugaku watched with surprise as Tenzen's eyes morphed into a triangular pattern. He knelt down in front of the girl, Kazane, and slapped her to bring her eyes back into focus. "Kotoamatsukami." Instantly, her eyes lost focus as she fell unconscious.

Yakumi walked forward and placed a hand on his clan head's shoulder. "We don't have much time. We should just use a genjutsu on the rest. They'll never know."

Tenzen reluctantly agreed and gave a silent order to his subordinates. Fugaku turned around and knelt down beside Kirua. "Don't spread rumours and come contact me whenever you have any more blackouts. I will do… something."

Kirua hesitated but nevertheless nodded slightly before shutting her eyes. She would have to wait for them all to leave. They had gotten off easy today, because of the naïve boy in front of her. Soon, she wouldn't have to work here anymore. She just needed enough money to license the orphanage and she would be free. But the boy was being a bit too naïve for his own good. Did he really think that the Uchiha clan was the only one that came here? They took turns coming here. This was only one hour of one day of the week and it too resulted in a heavy casualty by the looks of things.

Fugaku waited for Tenzen to leave before following him. Tenzen made it a point to step on Kirua on his way out. Surprisingly, Kirua was silent which served her well at the time. All the shinobi that followed did the same.

Fugaku was the last one out, after Yakumi. They swiftly and silently made their way back to the Uchiha clan compound. If they were a safe distance away, they could just say that they were patrolling, but here, it would be too suspicious. Soon enough, they were calmly walking through the streets, pretending as if they hadn't just committed several mind-numbing atrocities just a few moments before.

As soon as they were calm, Fugaku turned to Yakumi. "What was up with Tenzen-sama's eyes? And what is Kotoamatsukami?"

Yakumi looked around nervously. "Keep your voice down. They don't like to talk about it."

"About what?"

Yakumi hesitated again. "It's called the Mangekyou Sharingan. And the jutsu is a memory altering jutsu."

"Like the Yamanaka's?"

Yakumi couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "No, man. The Yamanaka can see your memory, seal it, or remove some things. They can't add new ones. This jutsu… Kotoamatsukami… it can alter your memories. If you get the Tsuchikage to look into Tenzen-sama's eyes, he could get him to destroy his own village and kill all it's people. It is the ultimate genjutsu. Because nobody under its effects will be able to free themselves."

Fugaku stopped in his tracks. "That… That sounds horrifying."

Yakumi smiled. "And that is why I suck up to the clan head so much. Tenzen-sama is quite possibly the strongest person in the world. He cannot lose a fight. That is the absolute truth."

Fugaku nodded dumbly. It was true. Who could fight against such a genjutsu? One that could rewrite your whole memory. In the back of his mind, he told himself that he would never use such a jutsu on anyone. But deep down, he wanted to. He wanted to use it on Mikoto. To make her see that he was still the one for her. That she was still an Uchiha and that she belonged with him. By his side.

He knew it was wrong. But it didn't stop the thoughts coming to him. "How do you get a Mangekyou Sharingan?"

Early Morning, The Village Hidden in the Mist, Four Island

"Zabuza, you're back." Yagura stated simply. His brain was still in the process of waking up. "I thought you were set to take Kisame's post. Why are you back so soon?"

Zabuza snorted. "Sorry I stopped you from getting your beauty sleep, pretty boy."

Yagura was about to retort to the very original nickname, when he noticed how serious the expression on Zabuza was.

"Get everyone. We need to talk."

Yagura didn't move. "What's going on?"

Zabuza smiled at him bitterly as he sat back on the floor, laying back. "It's time we look at the stars again."

Yagura's eyes widened at what it implied. "Are… Are you serious?"

Zabuza wasn't smiling this time. "Get everyone. We need to talk."

Yagura nodded dumbly, before heading back into his house to get the others. He went into the first room. Mangetsu was already awake and was stretching his legs. "Outside. Now. Zabuza wants to tell us something."

Mangetsu tilted his head in surprise. "He's back?"

Yagura was already gone. "Gōzu! Meizu! Open up. We need to talk."

A nearby door opened and two half-naked girls walked out, making Yagura avert his eyes with a blush forming. "What time is it?"

Yagura swallowed nervously. The Terumi sisters always made him nervous. "Akane, Mei, get dressed and come outside. Zabuza wants to talk."

Mei cheered loudly. "Zabuza's back? I missed him so much."

"Why is he back so soon? And why do we have to do whatever this is, so early in the morning?" Akane grumbled.

"What's going on?" A new soft voice made Yagura turn around. Haku was in her sleepwear, rubbing her eyes slowly as she tried to make sense of what was happening.

Yagura sighed. "ALL OF YOU. OUTSIDE. NOW."

Outside, Zabuza chuckled silently. That boy has no chill. Soon, his friends spilled out of the house and were all looking at him, some in anger for waking them up, and some in concern, for the many bandages that adorned his, as usual, shirtless body.

Zabuza didn't say anything for a long time, until one of them broke the silence.

"Either tell us why you look like a mummy or tell us why you woke us up." Akane yelled at him angrily.

Zabuza chuckled again. This girl has no chill either. As soon as he sat up, he saw the concerned expressions on their faces. He was bleeding.

"Who did this to you? Was it some Konoha ninja?" Haku asked silently. She knew his mission was on the bridge.

"No. Nothing of the sort. Kisame did this because I acted out in an important meeting with the Konoha ninja." He replied immediately.

"You… acted out?" Mei asked suspiciously. "What does that mean?"

Zabuza sighed. "It means that I acted above my station which got me a near fatal lashing and a demotion to genin."

"WHAATT?" The collective yell filled the air.

"Why?" Mangetsu asked slowly. He had a bad feeling about this.

"I saw him."

Yagura's eyes widened as his suspicions were now confirmed. "Are you sure it's him?"

Zabuza snorted. "Do you think I'd tell you if I weren't sure?"

"What are you guys talking about?" Akane asked, looking at Yagura and Zabuza.

Zabuza laid back down on the floor. "It's time we look at the stars again."

Everyone stared at Zabuza, stunned at what he told them. They all remembered the promise they made when he first went missing.

They would look at the stars only when they were together again. All of them.

Haku was the first to speak up. "I never stopped looking."

"He's alive?" Mangetsu asked.

"He's alive." The breaths they'd all been holding were let go. Sighs of relief and smiles of encouragement went around the room. Everyone except Zabuza and Haku were giddy with excitement.

"He's alive, but he's a prisoner." Zabuza spoke softly, bringing everyone's attention back on him. "He's a Konoha ninja."

The air suddenly turned so chilly that everyone turned to look at Haku but she just stared straight into Zabuza's eyes. "Why?"

"He had his memory sealed. He doesn't remember." A tear formed in his own eyes as he sat up again. "He doesn't remember a thing."

Akane walked forward, growling. "Is this some kind of sick joke? What are you saying? They can't do that to him."

Zabuza didn't hesitate. "They did. He doesn't remember Kiri. He doesn't remember Mizumo-sama. He doesn't remember… us."

"That's… too cruel." Yagura said softly.

"Why is he with Konoha? He would never join them. Not in a million years." Gōzu spoke in absolute certainty.

Zabuza sighed. "He doesn't remember Uzushio." A few sharp intakes of breath were heard. "He didn't even know that he was an Uzumaki."

The air was getting colder by the second. "What about Kushina? What about his sister?", Haku asked, her unwavering gaze making Zabuza sweat, even though he knew she meant him no harm..

Zabuza hesitated slightly before shaking his head. "He doesn't remember her either."

"Did you kill him?" Haku asked, icily.

The question surprised everyone in the vicinity. They were all aware of the oath they'd taken at his request… To kill him if he was ever seen doing something in favor of Konoha. But they still didn't expect Haku to be the one to bring it up.

"No. I didn't."

"Why the fuck not? You should have." Haku yelled at Zabuza before heading back inside. She stopped at the door before turning around, unable to hold her tears back. "He shouldn't have to live like that." Haku slowly fell to her knees. "He shouldn't have to live like that. He shouldn't… *sniff* have to live like that."

Zabuza shuffled forward while sitting and wrapped her in a hug. "No. He shouldn't have to… But he will. He will regain his memories. He has started already." Every eye in the room turned to Zabuza once again. "He's still in there… Somewhere. He still lies on the ground, one leg on top of the other, looking at the stars. He… I gave him his swords back… I wish you could have seen it. I just wish you could've seen it. He held them exactly like he used to. Perfect stance, perfectly balanced."

Haku had calmed down, now leaning into the hug. "Tell me more." She whispered.

"He's gotten better with his sharingan. One look into his eye and I was unconscious. He knocked me out with one potent genjutsu. He's still a hot-headed brat though. He was the one who interrupted the meeting first, without thinking about the consequences. He's taller now, by the way and he finally dyed his hair like we wanted him to. It would be weird if he looked the same, wouldn't it?"

They laughed slightly, tears now falling from every pair of eyes in the vicinity.

"He asked me if I knew how old he was. He doesn't even know his own birthday. That's what they did to him." Haku sobbed, hugging him even tighter. "I told him that he was born on October 10th and that he had just turned 11 a couple months back. When I told him that one of his swords was named Hayami, he asked me if it was the longsword, somehow suspecting it to be the case."

"He's still in there, Haku. We just have to wait a little more for him to come back." Zabuza whispered into her ear.

"How can you be sure? What if he never regains his memory?" Haku asked softly.

Zabuza smiled. "Because… He said it. 'The stars are the one constant in the world. No matter where you are, you can always see the stars. If not today, the next day. But they're always there. Even when you can't see them.'"

Haku's mind went back to when they were young. They didn't have a place to stay, so they stayed in a makeshift tree house near a lake. It had been only a few months after Zabuza saved her from the Third District. The 4-year-old boy named Naruto made sure to never sleep in the straw bed they gave him, instead wanting to sleep on the highest branch on the trees. Once he got settled in, he would reach out toward the sky, as if trying to catch one of them. He never talked to them before that day when Haku noticed it. During the daytime, he was with Mizumo-sama. During the night-time, he was up in the trees looking at the stars.

Nobody knew why until one day, Haku made her way up the tree and laid down beside him.

"Why do you like staring at the stars so much?"

"…"

"Why do you stay away from us?"

"…"

"Ok then, if you don't talk, I'll stay here all night with you and you won't be able to sleep. You'll get so tired and you won't be able to train well with Mizumo-sama and maybe he'll get so mad that he'll give you another scar on your back. … … … I love your red hair by the way. My hair used to be colored too. It had this deep blue tinge to it. I was so sad when my mom dyed it black. It feels like it changed me, you know? Like the hair color was a part of me and I became a completely different person. Maybe-"

"Tch."

"Oh. So, you can speak, huh?"

"That was a grunt, you stupid idiot. I don't speak to fools like you."

Haku beamed at him as he slowly realized what he'd done. "You just did… You stupid idiot."

…

It became a sort of ritual for them. They would spend every night together, staring up at the sky as they fell asleep. Slowly they opened up more and more to each other exchanging stories, arguing about the silliest things… Until one day, Haku decided to ask her first question again.

"Why do you like staring at the stars so much?"

Naruto turned on his side to look at her. "The stars are the one constant in the world. No matter where you are, you can always see the stars. If not today, the next day. But they're always there. Even when you can't see them."

Haku buried her face further into Zabuza's chest. Her tears were falling freely down her face and onto his bandaged chest. "He's still alive. He's still in there somewhere."

Zabuza fondly ran his hands through her hair as he gripped her tighter. "All we have to do is wait."

---

Well... That was a long time between chapters, wasn't it? Hope you enjoyed this one. I had a very stressful past couple of weeks, so I can't say I was watching anything new recently... But I did watch the Netflix movie, Red Notice... WOW! And that's all that needs to be said about that. If anyone hasn't seen it, go watch it. It's worth it. (Keep your eyes peeled for when they end up in a bull-fighting ring... Best scene in the movie imo :))

AN0: This chapter was almost entirely stuff to set up future events I have planned out. But Kushina finally knows about Naruto, and Naruto finally knows about Kushina, so some progress on that front at least.

AN1: I don't really know how well Kirigakure is going to be received, but something had to happen to Naruto before Uzushio and arriving at Konoha, right? Well, Kirigakure is what happened there and more details surrounding that will also eventually be revealed.

AN2: Haku and Zabuza played an integral role for Naruto's growth as a shinobi in canon, so while I was struggling to come up with something for the time between Uzushio and Konoha, this just kept coming up. So, they're going to be playing a big role in Naruto's early life in this story as well. Haku is around the same age as Naruto in this fic and details regarding her circumstances will also soon be revealed.

AN3: I have more plans for other characters like Shinji, Ibiki, Fugaku, (and of course, Haku) than I have for Naruto at this point. Is that weird?

AN4: I'm wondering if, at the end of every chapter, you guys want some sort of preview about what the next chapter is going to deal with. I'll do a small preview for the next chapter here and you guys just let me know if that's something you want or if you prefer to be kept in the dark till I'm done with the next one. The preview is always going to reveal as little as possible, so it's not like it's going to be that useful anyway lol.

Hope you liked this chapter. I'll try to get the next one out in two weeks' time.

Next: In search of answers, Naruto confronts some people about everything he's learned recently and finally meets up with someone who he was once very close to but hasn't seen for a while.