Those who passed the graduation exam were given a week break before they were placed into their genin teams. After passing the exam, Naruto and his friends went out to eat at a BBQ restaurant owned by Choji's family. He also managed to convince Sasuke to join them by promising him a spar later down the road.

He sat in between Sasuke and Shikamaru. Sasuke was on his right near the window while Shikamaru was on his left. Choji, Shino and Kiba sat opposite them, while the three girls sat on the left side of the table.

"So, whose team do you guys think you will be on?" Kiba asked the group. "I hope I will be on the same team as Sasuke-kun," Ino said while staring dreamily at Sasuke which he ignored and continued eating. "Not before me, Ino-pig! I will be the one on Sasuke's team!" Sakura announced. "Is that right forehead?!" Ino replied. The two began butting heads together and started arguing. "Troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered. "I-I hope that I will b-be on Naruto-kun's team," Hinata mumbled so softly such that nobody heard her.

"You know, for your sake Sasuke, I hope you don't get a team with either of them," Kiba whispered. "Hn," Sasuke grunted in agreement. More beef was ordered as Choji had eaten a large amount of them. Naruto could see his friends trying to sneak glances to see under his mask. Naruto; however, was one step ahead. He had learned a genjutsu from Kakashi such that it seems as if Naruto has his mask on even when it's off. The genjutsu did not need precise chakra control so Naruto could use it easily. Any food Naruto ate looked as if he ate through his mask. "What the hell was that?" Kiba asked as Naruto realised everyone was looking at him. "What?" "You just ate through your mask! Don't act like that's normal!" Ino said loudly. "OH… It's a genjutsu," Naruto said nonchalantly as he continued to eat. His friend stared at him in disbelief. 'What's so secret about his face?' Kiba thought. 'Troublesome…' Shikamaru thought. The group of friends continued discussing life until late in the evening before they separated and went home.


Naruto decided to pay the Hokage a visit before he decided to head home. However, on the way there, he sensed a familiar chakra signature running away at full speed from the Hokage tower. 'What is Mizuki doing out here?' He thought. Naruto decided to find out and followed the chakra signature. Naruto landed on top of a tree branch and saw that Mizuki was running away with a large scroll on his back. 'That scroll looks familiar and it looks like he is heading for the South Gate.' 'Naruto, that's the scroll of forbidden jutsus. The Hokage talked about it once and showed you, remember?'

Naruto decided to shunshin to a clearing ahead of Mizuki. "Hey! What's up Mizuki-teme?" He asked as Mizuki landed in the clearing opposite of him. "Oh, my night keeps getting better and better. What do you care, brat!?" "Well I care because by the looks of things, you are being a traitor to my village and I don't like traitors." He responded.

"I'm going to kill you brat for all the times you humiliated me! You don't deserve to live!" He announced as he threw a fuma shuriken at Naruto. Just as Naruto was about to dodge, Iruka appeared in front of him and took the shuriken to the back. Naruto had sensed Iruka nearby but he did not expect him to take a shuriken for him.

"Iruka-sensei, why did you do that?" He asked in shock and haste. "Because, what kind of sensei am I if I let my student die when I could help." Blood ran down from his wound as he spoke. "Iruka, you have always been naive. Why do you care for such a brat?" Mizuki commented. "Now you will have to die along with him." Just then, he sensed Kakashi, Yugao and a team of Anbu approaching him from the left. He placed one of his hands behind his back and did some anbu hand signs to communicate with them. 'Don't…Interrupt…Trust…Me.' The Hokage was also watching the scene unfold through his crystal ball from his office.

He sensed them stop at a branch, watching the scene of him, Mizuki and Iruka. "Iruka, why do you protect him? You know what he is. He is the reason you are an orphan." Mizuki said. "Mizuki, stop! You know the Hokage's law about that topic," Iruka replied.

"Ah, fuck the Hokage's law! Naruto, do you know why everyone hates you? Why were you shunned by them? It's because you have the Kyubi within you! Yondaime could not kill it so he sealed the demon in you. You are the Kyubi, Naruto!" He exclaimed as he laughed evilly. Everyone went tense when they heard Mizuki announce the secret to Naruto. Mizuki smirked at Naruto's shocked face. "Naruto, you are not the Kyubi, you are you. You're not the same as the demon. Do not believe his words. You are Naruto Uzumaki, a citizen of Konoha, not the demon."

"Thank you Iruka-sensei, you truly are different from others. Thanks." He said as he placed Iruka carefully to the side of him with an eye smile. Naruto stared at Mizuki straight in the eye coldly. Mizuki wore a smug expression on his face. 'I got him now' he thought. He was broken from his line of thought however, when Naruto started laughing. 'Did he have a mental breakdown?' Kakashi thought. Iruka was also looking at Naruto anxiously. "You really thought you had me, didn't you teme? You are about six to seven years too late to break the secret. I already knew." He said. 'He knew?! Why didn't he tell me?' thought the Hokage, Yugao and Kakashi simultaneously.

"Now, even though he is very angry right now and wishes to rip you apart, I will not do that. I will; however, beat the shit out of you," Naruto said as he made a seal and created 100 shadow clones. Mizuki scoffed, "you think you can beat me just because you knocked me out during the exams. Please, I'm a chunin and you are barely a genin. What are a bunch of clones going to do to me? They're not even real."

Naruto merely smirked although nobody could see it through his mask. "If you say so, get him guys!" Naruto ordered the clones and they all rushed Mizuki. Mizuki realised too late that the clones were in fact shadow clones. They beat him to a pulp.


Few minutes later, the clones dispelled, showing a bloody and unconscious Mizuki on the floor. Kakashi, Yugao and the Anbu team appeared soon after the clones dispelled. "Did I go overboard?" Naruto asked nobody in particular as he saw the unconscious body of Mizuki.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei! Neko-neechan! Congrats on the promotion by the way, Neechan." He exclaimed as he turned his attention to the two figures in front of him.

"Don't hey us! Do you have any idea what you've done! You didn't tell us that you know about the Kyubi! You fought a chunin alone! Something could've happened, you know!" Yugao started reprimanding Naruto for his actions. 'Is this what Shikamaru meant by women are troublesome. Although, it is nice to be scolded like this. It feels like I have a mother.' Naruto looked to the side and saw Kakashi giving him an eye smile and saw that there was a little pride in his eye.

Naruto put his hand up and stopped Yugao from bickering any longer. "Ok, how about we discuss this in the Hokage's office. I'm sure Jiji saw this through his Tomegane no Jutsu (Crystal Ball Jutsu) . We could go there and I'll explain everything. Kakashi-sensei can take Iruka-sensei to the hospital while you and the Anbu can take Mizuki to T and I. I will take the scroll to the office and meet back there. Ja ne!" He said as he shunshin to the office. Kakashi could only shake his head at Naruto's antics. 'I'm so proud of him.' "You know, he takes after you too much for my liking. I'm not letting him become the next you. You are…" Kakashi quickly grabbed the now unconscious Iruka and shunshin to the hospital before Yugao scolded him some more.


Naruto appeared in shunshin in the middle of the Hokage office and was met by four blades close to his body. One to his neck, one to his heart, one to his kidney and the last to the eye. The blades were mere centimetres away from his body. "Ah, I remember why I don't shunshin into the office directly now," he said, nervously chuckling. Hiruzen waved his hand and the four Anbu returned to their places at the corners of the room.

"Hey, Jiji! Here's your scroll back. Do you think I could get a payment for that?" Hiruzen looked at Naruto with a neutral face. He took the scroll and kept it under his desk. "Yes Naruto-kun. I was planning to give you a B-rank payment for that scroll. Now, I believe we have some things to talk about." He said with a slight emphasis on the last sentence. Naruto sighed, "I believe we do. I will tell you when the others arrive. It's a long story." Naruto proceeded to sit in one of the chairs opposite the Hokage and waited. A few minutes later, Kakashi and Yugao entered through the door. Hiruzen signalled the Anbu to leave the room and activated a privacy seal.

"So what questions do you guys have for me?" Naruto asked the other occupants of the room. "Let's start with, how did you find out about the Kyubi?" Kakashi asked. "You guys might want to sit down for this, it might get lengthy." Naruto recalled the day he met Kurama and how he did it. He saw that everyone had a worried expression on their faces. "… so that's how I met the Kyubi."

"Ok, is the Kyubi doing anything worrying like trying to take over your body or anything. Is he hostile?" Hiruzen asked. He wanted to make sure that the seal was still strong. "Oh, there's no issue. Cool guy actually. He is also quite a joker. Been a friend since I met him and has helped me through my journey to be a shinobi," Naruto said nonchalantly. Nobody knew how to react. The great Kyubi is feared by everyone and here, a kid says he is "cool" and a "joker".

"Why did you not tell us, Naruto?" Yugao asked. "Well, just imagine for a second that I did tell. The amount of guards on me will increase. You guys would keep me under heavy surveillance. A 5-year-old me might have been seen as crazy for thinking that Kyubi was a cool guy. If the council found about it, I'll be fucked. I love you all and I'm sorry that I kept it a secret but you see, it was for a good reason." They nodded in agreement that Naruto's reasoning was understandable. They would have probably done something along those lines. They also knew exactly how the council was extremely against Naruto, especially the civilian side. Hiruzen had to fight tooth and nail to even get the council to allow Naruto to attend the academy. This information would have made Naruto's life worse.

"I still wish you told us though, do you not trust us?" Yugao pouted, still annoyed that Naruto kept such a secret. Naruto stood up and gave Yugao, who was sitting in the chair beside him, a hug. "I'm sorry Neechan. You too, Kaka-sensei and Jiji." He said as he looked at the two of them. They both nodded at his apology.

"Well, now you have answered our questions and we are satisfied with them, you should go home and rest. It has been a long day," Hiruzen said. Naruto looked up at the clock and saw that it was 10pm. 'I've still got time. Besides, I'm on break tomorrow.' "I might be done answering your questions but I have yet to ask my questions. I'm not the only one who keeps a secret." The adults raised an eyebrow when they heard this. 'What could he be talking about?' Hiruzen thought.

"I am a genin now so I'm allowed to learn something. I want to know who my parents were." Naruto asked. Yugao looked up in interest. She too was not privy to this information. She had always tried to find out about Naruto's parents but there was never any solid information on them. Kakashi had also refused to tell her. Kakashi kept a neutral face as he wondered how the Hokage was going to respond to this. 'Will he finally tell him about them?' Hiruzen sighed. Naruto frequently asked about his parents. However, he could never tell him the truth. He was always burdened by the guilt of never being able to tell Naruto the truth. 'I guess there is no time like the present'

"Naruto-kun, your parents were great heroes. They died loving you and protecting you. Your parents were Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime Hokage and your mother was his wife, Kushina Uzumaki." Yugao was shocked. 'How did I not see it? Blue eyes, blonde hair. Am I blind or something?' She mentally facepalmed herself for not realising sooner.

Naruto however, was not shocked as many thought he would be and the Hokage realised that. Naruto sighed, "I figured as much. I've always felt a certain draw to him. Maybe subconsciously I knew he was my father. I sit on his head carved into the mountain and feel a sense of warmth and protection. Besides, who else in the village had blue eyes and yellow hair." "You are not curious about who your mother is?" Hiruzen asked. "Not many people in the village knew her."

"Actually, I've known about her for a very long time. I asked Kyubi about her and he gave me her name and some information. However, he felt that you should be the one to tell the whole story." Naruto replied.

"On the day you were born, the Kyubi appeared out of nowhere and started rampaging through the village. You had just been birthed by your mother. Your father knew that he was going to have to seal it. Your father was a righteous man. He could never seal the Kyubi in another person's child so he chose you, his own son. He believed that you were capable of containing and eventually mastering the Kyubi's power. He died as he used a seal that sacrificed his own life. Your mother died as she was injured by the Kyubi and could not recover. They both spent their last moments being with you, knowing that they will never see their son grow up." He said solemnly.

'Kurama, is this true?' 'I'm sorry, kit. I was just released from my previous seal. When I saw that I was about to be sealed again, I took a shot and your mother jumped in front of my claw and managed to subdue me with her chakra chains long enough for me to be sealed.' A few tears slipped out of Naruto's eyes and rolled down to his mask. 'It's ok Kurama. I would've done the same thing if I was in your place.' 'Kit…'

"Naruto-kun, your parents left you some things. It's behind your father's portrait." Naruto stood up and went on to pull the portrait off the wall. Behind it was a safe with seals on the door. Naruto recognised it as a blood seal and that it could only be opened by family members. Naruto took out a kunai and poked a bit of his thumb, causing blood to flow. He placed his thumb on the seal and the seal glowed. The seal glowed and the kanji spread out across the room before it retracted back into the safe and disappeared. Naruto opened it and saw two scrolls.

He sat back down with the scrolls and saw that they were from his parents. He opened the first scroll and read what it said.

"Naruto-chan, I really hope you never get to read this letter. This letter was written in the case that something tragic happened to me in your early childhood. I really hoped that I was there for you but in the case that I was not, I'm sorry Naru-chan.

Please be strong, my son. Be someone who aims to protect and not harm. Have friends. You do not need many friends in life. You only need a few who you really trust and find precious. Please eat healthily, never forget a balanced diet is very important. If you take after me, I know that you will love ramen like there's nothing else in the world. If you want a recommendation, I suggest you go to Ichiraku Ramen stall. Your father and I used to go there for dates. Always remember to shower and keep clean. Hygiene is important, you never want to get sick unnecessarily especially while on missions. Listen to your senseis and always know that they want the best for you. If Minato's plan is still on, Kakashi will be your sensei and I hope he trains you to your full potential.

Please be wary of the three shinobi vices, money, alcohol and women. When you start completing missions, please don't spend all of your money. Save some in case of rainy days. Never be stingy with money, always remember to donate to those in need. Do not drink alcohol until you are of age. Please drink in moderation. Alcohol is to be enjoyed and not to be drunk until unconsciousness. The last vice is women. I am a woman myself so I am not really the one to tell you about this topic. Please don't be in a rush to find a woman. There are many women in the world, some are good while some are not. I hope you find a woman that is precious to you and you love. Find someone like me, someone who cares and loves you very much. Someone unafraid to set you straight. Someone who is willing to spend the rest of their time with you. Speaking of vices, please be wary of Jiraya-sensei. He is not one to adhere to the vices and I do not want you to be a super-pervert like him.

I know life may not be good sometimes. However, your precious people will help you get through those challenging times. In the case that I am not with you in the world any longer. I leave to you my scroll of seals. It is a scroll that contains the technique to many seals that I could save from my home, Uzushiogakure. I hope you will use it wisely. I will also leave you my taijutsu style. It is tradition in Uzushio to pass down the parents' taijutsu styles to their children. I hope you grow strong. Remember that I will always love you and will be watching you grow from the pure world.

Love,

Your Kaa-chan,

Kushina Uzumaki."

The scroll was stained by the tears streaming down Naruto's cheeks. Naruto stared at his mother's letter with his eyes filled with tears and sniffling. 'She did love me…' 'Of course she did, you idiot. She died for you, she lived for you. If she had a choice, she would've been here for you. Her love was never a question.' 'Thanks Kurama… I can really be an idiot sometimes' Naruto wiped his tears with the back of his hand and opened his father's letter.

"Naruto, if you are reading this, then I am dead. I really hope that your mother is with you and you won't be alone. I know that by the time you read this, you will be all grown up. I am sorry that I wasn't there for you.

Naruto, be strong my boy. The shinobi is harsh and filled with misery but I trust that one day your generation will be able to spread hope and love. I know that I will never be there to say this to you physically but always remember that I love you. Please be strong. Believe in yourself. Make friends. Fall in love. Be the man you hope to be and not what others hope for you. Believe in yourself. I leave the village in your hands. How do you know that I truly believe in you? Well let's just call it a father's instinct. Always listen to your mother's words. She knows the best for you.

I hope Kakashi is able to train you. I trust him like my own son and I hope that you will see him as sensei and as an older brother. He has been protecting you ever since you were still in your mother's womb. If I am dead, Kakashi will have nobody precious left in this world. It will be up to you to protect him now, from the darkness of the world. I know that you will be able to fill that hole in his heart. I believe in you no matter who you become and I will always love you. Remember that.

With Lots of Love,

Your Otou-chan

Minato Namikaze"

More tears fell on the scroll as Naruto read his father's letter. However, the letter was not finished as he first thought. When he continued to unroll the scroll, there were more words left to him. These words were written with untidy handwriting and seemed to be written in haste.

"Naruto, it looks like the chances of you reading this letter is basically set in stone. I am writing this on the date of your birth. The Kyubi has appeared and is currently being held back by the shinobi forces. If you are reading this letter, it means that you know of the burden that I had placed on you. I am sorry for placing such a burden on you. Your mother was the Kyubi's Jinchuriki before you. I would have sealed back in her but she is too weak to survive the sealing. She will die before all of the Kyubi's chakra is fully sealed in her and the process will fail. A child is needed for the sealing as their chakra coils are not fully developed and can adapt to the Kyubi's chakra.

I am sorry that you would have to live a life without both of your parents. We love you and can only believe that you will use the Kyubi's chakra for your own uses. We would have chosen another path if there was one. Remember son, always believe in yourself and those you love.

I will leave you my scroll of sealing that I created and its notes. This will not contain the Hiraishin no Jutsu as I believe that you should not follow in my footsteps. If you use it, you will be recognised as the Second Yellow Flash and will be in my shadow. You are not me, you are you. You will be first and only you. You will not be the second but the first. I will also leave you with my taijutsu style. Look for Jiraiya-sensei or Kakashi for help. Jiraiya-sensei is your godfather and someone you can depend on and like I said previously, I trust Kakashi a lot.

I'm sorry Naruto, there is so much that I want to say to you but life prohibits me from it. The Kyubi is getting closer and it's time to do the sealing. I'm sorry Naruto. I know it might be hard to forgive me but I'll always love you. You mean the world to me and your mother. We will watch you from the pure world.

Love,

Your Otou-chan"

Throughout the final letter, tears could be seen staining the scroll. They were a mixture of Minato's and Naruto's. Naruto was still sobbing and sniffling even minutes after he finished reading the letter. Yugao engulfed him in a hug and Naruto was crying into her shoulder. It was a mixture of happy and sad tears. He was happy that he finally could hear his parents' words even though they were written. He was happy that he was loved by both of his parents. However, he was sad. For the first, Naruto thought of what could have been. What could have been if his parents were alive? What could've been if the village wasn't attacked. What could've been if his father wasn't a Hokage. Many thoughts crossed his mind and they wouldn't stop coming. 'Naruto, don't think of thoughts such as that. Take it from someone who has lived for thousands of years, it will do more harm than good. Life is filled with misery but you have to learn to move on from it. You can never stop in life or else, that's where your life ends. You have to keep moving. The past is the past, the only thing you can determine is the present. Be there with the people you love, kit.'

Naruto felt a hand on his head. The hand felt larger and more rough than Yugao's. He looked up to the side and saw Kakashi. "Naruto, are you alright? I know that it's a lot to take in. I be-b…" before Kakashi could finish his sentence, he was engulfed in a hug by Naruto. Kakashi was stunned. It had been so long since he was properly given a hug. "Thank you. Thank you for always being there for me. Thank you for protecting me even before my birth. Thank you… Nii-san" Naruto said as he crushed Kakashi in a hug. The tears had stopped streaming from his eyes as he hugged Kakashi as tight as he could.

Kakashi softened after hearing his words. For the first time in a long time, he felt love and hope in his heart. He crouched down and gave Naruto a return hug. "Thank you too. Without you, my life would have stayed dull and grey. Now, it is more colourful than ever. You have given me something to look for in life after I've lost everyone. Thank you, Otouto." If Kakashi hadn't gone through years of emotional control, he would've cried right then and there. However, he decided there was enough crying for one night. 'Still taking care of me even after being dead for more than a decade eh, sensei.' Naruto took off his mask for the first time in years. A smile could be seen on his face as he continued to hug Kakashi.

Yugao, although being an Anbu captain, was releasing a few tears of joy when she saw the interaction between the two. She thought of Naruto like her younger brother and nothing made her happier at that moment than seeing him happy and smiling while in a hug with Kakashi.

Hiruzen smiled as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. Naruto was with two of his loved ones and it made him happy. He was also amused at seeing two of his best Anbu break down because of Naruto. Yugao was openly shedding tears. Kakashi wasn't not as open as Yugao; however, he had known Kakashi long enough to know that he was barely keeping hold of his emotions. He could see the water forming at the edge of his eye and was ready to flow at any time.