Naruto 1. Prologue: The Will of Fire

**A/N: So... this is my first Naruto fanfic. I've been away from the fanfic world for quite some time, and I figured I'd be back big time starting with one of my favorite manga/anime sagas of all time. One thing about Naruto that is different from many others of its kind is that Kishimoto, even though being able to create a dense and great story, he didn't exactly have the patience to develop on the background of many aspects of the general story. Of course Naruto is nowhere close to something as The Lord of the Rings, of Chronicles of Narnia, but it doesn't hurt, right? The good thing about this is that fans from all over the world have the almighty opportunity to display their imagination and talents as storytellers to create their own backgrounds and try to make their own great Naruto story. And since I'm willing to create my own story, I couldn't let this opportunity pass up.**

**To keep a few things in perspective, this is just a prologue that explains a bit of the story behind the reason Naruto is the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. The story, aside from a few lines, and specially the ending, of my own making, are exactly as portrayed in the manga and the anime (episodes 247~249 of the Shippuuden saga), so it you don't feel like it, you can just go to the next chapter already. But of course, if you feel like it, read it, and then tell me what you think of my writing skills. Besides, there are a few extras in the ending that will be the main ingredient for my own take in the story, so you might not want to skip these just yet.**

**With that said, let's get this show on the road. I'm SamHetfield, and welcome to my fanfic: The Orange Hokage! Have fun! ^_^**

**The Orange Hokage**

**Prologue: The Will of Fire**

**October 10th, somewhere in the borders of Konoha**

"**AAAAAAAAHHHHH! THAT HURT, -TEBANEEEEE!**". This loud scream could be heard from far away. It was a good thing Uzimaki Kushina, the one who screamed, was not in Konoha, but in a cave nearby guarded by three ANBU chosen by Sarutobi Hiruzen, the former Sandaime Hokage himself, struggling during her childbirth. The Sandaime's wife, Biwako, and a female ANBU medic by the name of Taji were helping Kushina give birth, while Kushina's husband, Namikaze Minato, otherwise known as "The Yellow Flash", and also the Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, was using his knowledge of the Uzumaki's fuuinjutsu (Sealing Jutsu) to prevent the Kyuubi no Yoko to come out of Kushina's body. You see, Kushina was the Kyuubi's second Jinchuuriki, the first being Uzumaki Mito, her grandmother's relative and wife to Senju Hashirama, the founder of Konoha and the Shodaime Hokage (but that's a story for another time). Right now, the seal used to guard the Kyuubi inside Kushina was weakened because of her pregnancy. During childbirth, the Kyuubi would definitely try to force its way out of Kushina, hence the reason of Minato being there: to stop the Kyuubi.

"Are you sure she's alright? I've never seen her with so much pain before", said Minato. "Don't you worry about her", said Biwako. "She's fine. You just keep dealing with the Kyuubi's seal!". Kushina kept screaming in pain, and Minato, as her husband, was obviously worried. "But she..." "You are the Yondaime Hokage, so act like a Hokage already!" responded Biwako. "Any man would've already died with these contractions. But women are strong!" Both Kushina and Minato could feel the Kyuubi trying to weaken the seal even more and break free. "_Ugh... This thing is really strong... Please, hang on, Kushina_", thought Minato. "_Please, hang on, Naruto!_" said him out loud, worried about their son. Meanwhile, a cloaked and masked man single-handily killed the three ANBU guards and looked at the entrance of the cave, while walking towards the wall and passing through it, like a ghost.

"I can see the head. You're almost there, Kushina!", said Biwako. "Hang on, Kushina", said Taji. Kushina was screaming and moaning in pain more and more, while the Kyuubi was getting closer to break free. "Come out, Naruto! And you just stay there, Kyuubi!" said Minato, struggling against the mighty Bijuu. Until... a baby started crying. Naruto was finally born. "Hot water, quick!", said Biwako. At this moment, Kushina stopped screaming and started panting heavily, while dropping a few tears, of both pain, relieve and utter bliss. Minato gazed in wonder to the new face. "It's born!". The baby was crying on the top of his lungs, as a result of the pain of the first breaths of life he was taking. Minato also cried, but just like Kushina, he was crying for joy. "I can't believe I'm becoming a father today!", said while wiping off a few tears, with an ear-to-ear smile.

"It's a healthy baby boy", said Biwako, while walking with Naruto towards Kushina. Minato wanted to hold him, but Biwako stopped him. "Don't! The mother gets to see him first". She approached Kushina and put the crybaby beside her. Kushina looked at her son in wonder. "Naruto... I'm so happy can finally see you". "You two will have plenty of time later. Hush it now, little one", said Biwako, taking Naruto to the end of the room to put him in a proper place to rest. Minato approached Kushina and picked her warm hand. It was sweating, due to her hard work. "How are you feeling now, Kushina?", he asked. "I feel fine now, Minato", answered Kushina, smiling at him. Minato could only smile back at his wife. "Thank you for this wonderful gift... ... Yosh!" said him, fisting his palm, as he was preparing himself. "I know you just got out of labor, but I'm going to reinforce the seal and stop the Kyuubi from trying to get out!" He was about to perform the reforging of the seal, when Naruto started crying, while the other two women screamed and fell dead on the floor. "Biwako-sama! Taji!" was all Minato could say.

"Yondaime Hokage Minato, get away from the Jinchuuriki", said the masked cloaked man, holding Naruto with one hand and threatening his life with the other. "Otherwise, this child's new-found life will be lost in just a few moments". Minato wondered who this man was and how in the world did he pass through the barriers. Suddenly, Kushina started moaning in agony, while the seal was getting weaker, since Minato didn't reinforce it. "Kushina!" shouted Minato. "_Damn it! Kyuubi's seal..._", he thought. "Get away from the Jinchuuriki. You don't care about having your newborn child killed this instant, do you?", said the masked figure, wielding a kunai ready to kill the baby. "Wait! Calm down!", said Minato, not calm at all. The mysterious figure just answered "Say for yourself, Minato. I'm as calm as one can be". In this moment, he threw Naruto up high. Kushina gasped in horror, yelling "**NARUTO!**". The cloaked man jumped, ready to kill the child, when Minato reacted. In a blink of an eye, Minato was in the corner of a wall, holding Naruto in his arms. The masked man could only fall on his feet, while he said: "You really hold up to your name, "Yellow Flash"... but what are you going to do about THIS?", while making half a ram seal, activating a few explosive tags stuck in Naruto's blanket. Kushina noticed the blanket quickly catching on fire and only had time to shout "Minato! Naruto!" before they disappeared in mid-air.

Minato, on the other hand, had time to listen to his wife shouting, teleport to a warehouse, get rid of the blanket and jumping out of the now crumbled in pieces warehouse. Naruto was crying in his arms, but didn't seem to be hurt in any way. Minato sighed relieved. "Thank goodness you're safe, Naruto". Minato noticed a stack of wood stuck on his leg, and he quickly removed it, hurting just a little. "_I had to use the __**Hiraishin no Jutsu**__ to make out of this_", thought Minato. "_But because of that, I had to separate myself from Kushina, who happens to be that man's target. I must hurry_". By the time he had these thoughts and threw the piece of wood he held to the ground, he already used the **Hiraishin** once more, this time arriving in a house, which probably belonged to him and Kushina, and now Naruto. Minato put the now sleeping Naruto inside a large cradle and whispered at his ear. "I managed to save you. Now you stay here, son, while I'll go save your mother".

Meanwhile, Kushina was being held by chains made of writings of her seal, and too weak to move because of the labor she's just been through. "What... do you... want?" asked her, panting heavily, to the masked man. He answered "I'll remove the Kyuubi from you, and with it, I'll destroy Konoha". Kushina could only flinch slightly to his answer. "What?" "Minato's **Shunshin no Jutsu** allows him to move instantly from one place to the other, teleporting between his marking. I'm sure that he put a marking in you as well, so he could protect you. However, I managed to separate you. Not only that, due to your labor, the seal holding the Kyuubi is weaker than ever", said the masked man. "Do you have any idea how long I've waited for this?". In a short moment, Kyuubi's seal started to be ripped apart, and Kushina was surrounded by a red cloak of chakra. On the inside, Kyuubi was getting rid of its chains, and it's sharp iris was altered to a round iris with three commas surrounding it, resembling the masked man's weird eye pattern. The masked man was making half a ram seal for concentration, and then he said: "Now... be free... KYUUBI!". The red chakra took the Fox's format and started leaving Kushina's body and forming a physical body of its own. Kyuubi spread its tails and gave a loud roar, announcing it's "freedom". In reality, the demon was just as imprisoned as before, only now it was in a physical form. Kushina's remaining red chakra teared itself apart and left her body falling to the ground.

The masked man looked at the demon and stayed calm and collected as he turned on his back and said: "Great. Now I'm going straight to Konoha". As soon as he started walking, he heard a faint voice saying "Wait". He stayed his feet and looked at Kushina, surprisingly alive, even though the Bijuu just left her body in a brutal way. "The Uzumaki clan is truly amazing indeed. To be alive even after having your Bijuu extracted...", said him. In this moment, the Kyuubi glared at Kushina, with its new eye pattern, as it was being controlled. And in fact, it was. "You were the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki. Now, I will use it to kill you". The Kyuubi, then, slammed its fist to the ground where Kushina was standing. There was nothing left but crumbles. Suddenly, in the top of a nearby tree, Minato appeared holding Kushina in his arms. He made it just in time. "And so, a little flash of hope appeared... But it's too late now", said the masked man, looking at Minato, emotionless. Kushina was weak and panting as strongly as she could. Despite being exhausted, she still had the strength to ask "Minato... is Naruto okay?" "Yes, he's safe now", answered Minato. Kushina was relieved. "Thank you... ... Listen, Minato. You need to stop that man and the Kyuubi right now. He's going straight to Konoha intending to destroy it". Minato glanced at the masked man with a really menacing killing intent before **Hiraishing** his way out of the field. The masked man just said, calm as ever: "He took off again. Well, never-mind. I'm going to Konoha now".

Minato and Kushina arrived the their house. Kushina could only whisper "Why?", as Minato carried her close to the cradle where Naruto was sleeping. "It's alright now", said Minato. "Just stay with Naruto for now". Kushina was put beside Naruto, who was sleeping peacefully. She could only look at him and slowly embracing his small body close to her, as she was close to crying, fearing for his life. "Naruto..." was all she could whisper to her newborn son. Minato looked at them with sadness in his eyes and anger in his closed fists. He almost let the ones he loved die, and he could not forgive that masked man. He quickly opened his drawer and picked his white cloak. On the back, the words "Yondaime Hokage" were written in strong red, and the bottom part of the cloak had red fire drawn in it. Kushina looked at her husband and whispered "Minato... thank you. Be careful, okay?". Minato nodded and **Hiraishin'd** towards Konoha saying "I'll be right back".

**Meanwhile, in Konohagakure no Sato...**

The streets were bright, even at nighttime, and the people were cheerful all around the village. You could see children playing in their houses, young couples hanging out on the streets, adults having fun in the night pubs and shinobis practicing in the after-hours. Nothing seemed to be wrong at the village founded 88 years ago by Senju Hashirama, the Shodaime Hokage. But there was still something in the air. Something dark and cold. Like the calm breeze before the storm. Then it came. The masked man appeared in a calm street, formed the seals and activated the **KUCHIYOSE NO JUTSU!** Before anyone noticed, a large puff of cloud came forth, backing off a few people and tearing apart a few debris, due to the strength of the explosion. Some people who were knocked off started raising. The voices were already being heard around Konoha. "What was that?" "Where did this puff come from?" "Did someone use a Kuchiyose?" could be heard everywhere. As the puff of could started to disappear, a huge figure could be seen and a growl could be heard. A random man noticed the figure moving, its red eyes shining in the mist, and also saw a few tails waving around. "Is that... No... It can't possibly be...", said him, stunned. When the puff of cloud cleared off, the figure could be clearly seen from anywhere in the village. The man just had time to yell out loud "**KYUUBI!**" before he paralyzed in fear again. People started running in panic, fearing and screaming for their lives. The masked man raised his head and commanded "Now, go forth Kyuubi! Raze Konoha to the ground!" The Kyuubi could do nothing but obey, while it started tearing off buildings with a wave of its claws and tails, and even its loud roar. People were being torn apart and killed, and in a few seconds, a whole district was left in crumbles.

Meanwhile, an ANBU-nin arrived at Sarutobi's house and gave his report. "Sandaime Hokage-sama, it's an emergency! The Kyuubi... The Kyuubi just appeared from nowhere inside Konoha ans it's tearing the village apart!" "I'm aware of that. I'll do what I can to stop it!", responded the Sandaime, getting his battle gear ready. "You go ahead and rescue and evacuate the civilians!" "Yes Sir!", answered the ANBU-nin before taking off. Hiruzen was lost at his thoughts. "_Kushina's seal teared apart? Despite every precaution, we still failed...? ... ... Biwako..._". However, these answers would have to be put aside. The Sandaime rushed to the attack site, where the Kyuubi was razing everything to the ground. Many shinobis were attacking the Fox from every corner, with all assets, jutsus and weapons available. But it was futile, because they couldn't even scratch the Bijuu, while it raised its fists and tails to kill all ninjas nearby. "It's too powerful!", said one. "It can't be defeated!", said another. A third shinobi said: "It's not about defeating the Kyuubi. We can only distract it so the civilians can evacuat-" but he was interrupted by Kyuubi's giant fist smashing the three shinobis.

In this very moment, standing above his statue in the Hokage monument, was Minato, his eyes fixed on the Kyuubi and Konoha. His thought was just one: "_As the Hokage, I'll gladly give my life to protect my friends, my family and my village. Because that is my one and only task. I won't let you do as you please anymore!_" The Kyuubi, then, gazed its eyes on the Hokage monument and started preparing for an all-out attack. "So it noticed me", said Minato, preparing a few hand seals. "You will not go further!" By the time we prepared the seals, the Kyuubi let out its **Bijuudama** towards Minato, who in the same second stopped the chakra sphere, and absorbed it with the **Jikuukan** **Kekkai**. The next moment, there was a huge explosion a number of miles away from the village. "_It's really that powerful...?_" Minato thought. "_I have to be careful where I land the next one._" Inside Konoha, Sarutobi yelled "Okay, now it's our time to hold the Kyuubi back! GO!". Minato was standing at the shinobis fighting, while preparing to leave the Monument and report to Hiruzen-sama, when suddenly the masked man appeared before him. Before he noticed, he tried to land the kunai in the man's head, just to go right through it, like a ghost. Suddenly, the masked man grabbed Minato's hand. "I'm your opponent now... and it's over for you!", said him, performing a strange jutsu that was trying to suck Minato in some sort of alternate dimension. He would have been successful if it wasn't for Minato's **Hiraishin**. "He's gone again. He's really fast", said the man to himself. "Next time he won't be so lucky. The moment I touch him, he's finished".

Minato arrived in the crumbles of the warehouse he first Hiraishin'd with Naruto. He fell on his side doing that, while thinking to himself. "_My attack went right through him, yet he materialized himself after that to grab me... What sort of jutsu was that?_" The moment he was done thinking, the masked man teleported himself and was standing before Minato. "I won't let you escape", said the masked man. His mask was being kissed by the moonlight, so his eye could be clearly seen. It was a **Sharingan**. Minato went back into thinking. "_He teleported himself? Is that how he reached Kushina so quickly...?_" then he started tying the knots one after another. "_He killed 3 ANBU members chosen by Sandaime-sama himself, went right through a high-level barrier, and knew about the conditions of the Kyuubi's seal during childbirth... Not only that, he broke the seal, tamed the Kyuubi and also went in and out of the Konoha barrier without being detected once... I know only one shinobi in the world capable of knowing all he knows and doing all he did..._" Then Minato broke the silence. "Are you... Uchiha Madara?" The masked man took of his hood, showing a bit of his short hair. "No, that's impossible.", said Minato. "He died a long time ago."

"Well... I wouldn't be so sure about that", said the masked man. Minato kept going. "Right now, I don't care anymore about who you are. But I do want to know what is your goal with Konoha." The masked man raised his head to glance at the moon and answered "You may say it's mere vagary, or that I planned it all, or that I'm aiming for war, or that I'm aiming for peace.", said him, while he picked a couple of chains and locked them in his arms, as an ensnaring and strangling weapon. "_Whatever the reason is, he's not just anyone_", thought Minato. "_He's able to control the __Kyuubi, and his teleportation technique surpasses mine and Nidaime-sama's. And his ideals are dangerous. I need to deal with him now, or the Kyuubi will be a smaller thing to handle than him._" Seeing "Uchiha Madara" getting ready to attack, Minato thinks a bit more. "_If I make my way to Konoha now, he will follow me and the battlefield will become even more chaotic. If he has something to do with Madara, I know he will not be able to hold the Kyuubi much longer. I have to leave Konoha in the hands of Sandaime-sama. As for me..._", as he handles his tri-pronged kunai in a ready stance, "_I have to deal with him here and now!_" The masked man takes a step back and says "Now that I have the Kyuubi under my control... You don't have any hope!" The two shinobis jump at each other.

Minato puts his kunai in front of him in an attempt to stab the masked man, but once again he just passes through him like a ghost. The next moment, the masked man uses his chain to try to ensnare Minato, but the Yondaime easily escapes using the **Hiraishin**. Putting some distance between them, Minato goes back into thinking. "_His body... My physical attacks don't seem to do anything against him, but he materializes himself in order to attack me. It looks like I can only damage him if we both attack at the same time._" While Minato kept thinking, the masked man prepared himself for another attack. "_It might be dangerous when he attacks me, though. And considering the fact that the Kyuubi's Kuchiyose will be over soon, I don't think he wants this battle to go any longer either. The one who attacks a millisecond faster... wins this battle!_", these were Minato's last thoughts, as they charged against each other again. This time, Minato threw the kunai against the masked man, passing right through it again. The masked man was also getting ready to grab Minato's arm and suck him to wherever he was attempting to before. Every single fraction of second mattered and no mistakes were allowed. In the exact millisecond the kunai went through the masked man's head, Minato had a full-powered **Rasengan** ready. The masked man was a just few millimeters close to grabbing Minato's arm. "It's over", he said. In the blink of an eye, Minato **Hiraishin'd** himself right above the masked man, and slammed him with the **Rasengan**, creating a huge crater on the ground.

"_Dammit! He teleported himself to the kunai he just threw!_", thought the masked man. "That was my **Hiraishin no Jutsu – Level 2**", said Minato, placing a strange mark on the spot he attack with the **Rasengan**. All that was left of the attack was a few rock piles and a cloud of dust. The masked man jumped away from the crater and stepped on a column of earth, panting in exhaustion. His left arm was heavily damaged, to the point his hand was falling off, like a leper. He looked as Minato raised from the ground, without a single scratch. "Yeah, you got me", said the masked man. "I know a good dodge when I see one. I should have never left my guard op-" before he finished talking, Minato appeared in front of him instantly, stabbing him in the gut. "_**Hiraishin no Jutsu**__..._", he though. "_I see... he placed a seal on me, somewhere!_". Suddenly, a circle of seals appeared on top of his cloak. The masked man gasped. "_**Keiyaku Fuuin**__?_", he though again. "_He intents to break my control over the Kyuubi!_". "Yes", said Minato, like he was reading his mind. "With this jutsu, the Kyuubi will no longer be yours to control." Minato completed the jutsu and the Kyuubi was set free. One could see Kyuubi's eye turning from a Sharingan-like pattern to the cat-eye pattern. As the Kyuubi awakened, the Bijuu started wreaking more havoc through the village. Sarutobi called a few ANBU shinobis to trace their strategy. "We need to stop the Kyuubi to increase the damage of the village. Let's force its way out of Konoha!" "Yes, sir!", said the group. "While I prepare my jutsu, you will distract the Fox. But me some time, and don't stop attacking!", said Hiruzen. "Yes, sir! C'mon, let's go!", said one of the shinobis. They all advanced towards the Kyuubi, throwing all sorts of weapons and using the most advanced jutsus possible. Meanwhile, Hiruzen bit his finger to draw some blood and made a few hand signs. "**Ninpou: Kuchiyose no Jutsu**! Come forth, Enma, King of Monkeys!" a large pile of cloud appeared, and from it, came a large monkey warrior, with a Konoha hitai-ate. "Kyuubi, huh... So the seal was broken?, asked Enma. "Yes", answered Sarutobi. "And we will push it away from Konoha with the Adamantine Nyoi!" "Got it! **Henge**!", said Enma, transforming itself in a large bo-staff. Sarutobi then aimed the staff and the Kyuubi. "Extend!". The staff started extending itself until it hit the Kyuubi with a very heavy impact that pushed for a long distance. "Okay, I make the Kyuubi leave the village! Now keep attacking and don't stop!", shouted Hiruzen, making a large number of shinobis attack the Kyuubi, while he was lost in his thoughts. "_Minato... where are you?_"

Meanwhile, the masked man jumped on the branch of a tree, while his limbs were still rotting to the ground. "You make justice to your title, Yondaime Hokage", said him. "You were able to hurt me and set the Kyuubi free. My congratulations. However, one day the Kyuubi will be mine again. I'm going to rule the world... and there are many ways to reach my goal", said him while disappearing from Minato's sight. Minato looked as the man vanished and thought to himself "_This feeling and his tone... he's not kidding..._" Now he was set off to stop the Kyuubi, which was killing many shinobis. He **Hiraishin'd** to the Hokage Monument, and saw the Kyuubi preparing another **Bijuudama**, while the other shinobis were too weakened to dodge it, least of all stop it. "_Oh no_", thought him. He made the hand signs for the **Kuchiyose no Jutsu** and just as the Kyuubi was almost dome preparing the attack, Gamabunta, the Boss of the Toads of Mt. Myoboku, was summoned right above the Bijuu, landing on top of it and preventing the attack. Minato remembered that the masked man wanted the Kyuubi at any cost, so he thought through what he'd have to do to stop the Fox and the masked man. "_Kushina... please forgive me_". He looked at Gamabunta and said: "Please, hold the Kyuubi just a bit longer! I need to focus a lot of chakra to teleport something this big!". Gamabunta replied "I don't know, kid... This is gonna be tough, even for me!". Kyuubi was preparing for another **Bijuudama**, which no one could avoid being hit. The Bijuu was already charging the blast when suddenly it disappeared. The **Hiraishin** was successful. Suddenly a huge explosion was seen far away. "Over there! Let's move!", said Hiruzen.

The Kyuubi was on the floor, with a huge cleared field in front of it, showing the destruction left by its attack. In a moment, Minato appeared again, carrying Kushina and Naruto. Minato looked tired and about to faint due to chakra exhaustion. But he was persistent. "I need to put a barrier seal right away!", he said. "_But my chakra reserves..._" "Don't worry, Minato. I can take it", said Kushina, who was having internal bleeding. She was about to die due to the fact she had her Bijuu extracted and her chakra coils were heavily damaged. She forced her last bits of strength to extract many golden sealing chains, that surrounded a large area and rendered the Kyuubi motionless. Kushina started coughing blood, and because of the noise, Naruto woke up and started crying. "I woke you up, didn't I? So sorry, Naruto", said her, panting heavily." "Kushina...", said Minato, with sadness in his eyes. Kushina looked at Minato and, very weakened, said to him: "I'll die here... and take the Kyuubi... with me. That way... we can delay... its resurrection. With my remaining chakra... I'm gonna save everyone... Thank you so much... for everything you did to me..." Minato flinched as he listened to her words. He bit his lips, made up his mind, and answered: "Kushina... Thanks to you, I was able to become the Yondaime Hokage. Thanks to you, I became a man. And the father of this child that I'm holding! And still..." "Minato...", rebutted Kushina. "Don't look at me... like that... I'm happy... that you loved me... And today... it's this child's birth day. And I can already tell... that our lives as a family... the three of us together... would be priceless... " At this point, Minato was already crying. "If there is one thing... that I truly regret...", said Kushina "is not being able to see... my dear Naruto growing... If only I could be able to..."

"Kushina...", said Minato. "you don't need to die with the Kyuubi. Save whatever little amount of chakra you have...for your reunion with Naruto". These words made Kushina widen her eyes and look at Minato, surprised at him. "I'm sealing you inside Naruto with the bit of chakra I still have... as a part of the **Hakke no Fuuin Shiki**. And with that, I'll be taking the Kyuubi with me with the only Fuuinjutsu I can perform since I'm not its Jinchuuriki... the **Shiki Fuujin**." Kushina knew where this was heading to. "But Minato, those who use this jutsu end up..." "But there is one more thing. I'll only be able to seal half of Kyuubi's chakra within me. It's physically impossible to seal such a large amount of chakra like that. And it's not strategically wise. If you die with the Kyuubi here, there won't be a Jinchuuriki able to contain it when it resurrects, and the balance of the Bijuus will be disrupted. Half of Kyuubi's chakra will be sealed within me forever with the **Shiki Fuujin**. And the other half..." at this moment, Minato reminds his conversation with his master Jiraiya, about the "Child of the Prophecy", who is to appear at a time of chaos to bring peace to the world, and looks at his son, a new-born, ready to rest this fate in his little shoulders. "...will be sealed within Naruto as part of the **Hakke no Fuuin Shiki**!" Hearing this, Kushina gasped. "I know what you want to say. But don't forget Jiraiya-sensei's words about what calamities with befall the world in the future. Tonight two things were clear to me: First is that the masked man who attacked you is a messenger of destruction. And second is that the only one with the power to stand against him is this child! … This child, whose godfather is Jiraiya-sensei, will open the path to light as Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki. I'm not sure why, but I'm convinced with that." "But, Minato...", said Kushina, watching as Minato put Naruto on the ground.

Sarutobi arrived at the scene, and saw Minato performing many hand signs. "**Shiki Fuujin**!" With that, Minato summoned the Shinigami, that was standing behind Minato, holding a dagger in the mouth and a rosary in the left arm, and there were spiritual candles lit surrounding Minato's soul. Minato looked at Naruto, and said with conviction: "Let's deposit our trust and our future within this child. After all, he is our son!" "Those hand signs... It can't be... **Shiki Fuujin**!", said Hiruzen, who could only stand and watch the scene. Minato looked at Kushina and said to her: "When I'm finished, I'm sealing your chakra within Naruto. When the time comes for him to control Kyuubi's powers as a true Jinchuuriki, I want you to help him". Kushina started crying as she said: "This... this is our son! That's exactly why I don't want him to bear such a burden! And why use the **Shiki Fuujin**? All of this so I could meet my grown-up son for just a little while... You don't need to die! I want you to be with him, and look after him...Why do this? To maintain the balance of the Bijuus? To protect the village, and the country? Why must Naruto be sacrificed as well?! Why must you sacrifice yourself for me?!" She was looking at Minato with anger and sadness in her eyes, and hopefully waiting for his answer. "To abandon your country and village...", said Minato. "Such acts are just as bad as abandoning your child. You of all people should know how, since your homeland was destroyed, that those who don't have a homeland have a life full of suffering. And you should also now that our family is... a family of true ninjas!" Minato looked at Kushina, as she looked at him knowing that he meant. "And finally, even if I did live, I wouldn't stand a chance against you; Even if you have little time to talk with him, it's your responsibility as a mother to tell him things only you could be able to tell him and I couldn't. Remember that I'm not doing that just for you, but also for Naruto.", said Minato, picking Naruto and holding him in his arms. "And as his father, I consider a duty and an honor to sacrifice my own life for his sake."

Hiruzen approached the barrier and tried to trespass it, but with no avail. "What is this, Sandaime-sama?", asked one of the Jounins following Sarutobi. "Damn it", said Sarutobi. "This barrier meant to lock the Kyuubi also prevents anyone from entering it. They intent to take care of the Kyuubi by themselves... This is not good." Suddenly, the Shinigami raised its arm and trespassed Yondaime's soul, and them made its way to the Kyuubi, with the intention of grabbing half of the Bijuu's chakra and sealing it inside Minato. "**Damn you, Yondaime Hokage!**", said the Kyuubi. "**Fuuin**!" Then a massive fox-shaped amount of chakra made its way inside Minato's stomach, forming a seal and leaving a few burns. "_Damn... I'm losing my senses already..._", thought Minato. "_I knew I would seal a huge amount of chakra, but this is way beyond my expectations..._" Kushina's chains started to weaken, as the Kyuubi also became weakened. "So this is the **Shiki Fuujin**... he really meant to use it...", said Sarutobi, as he watched the scene. One of the Jounins noticed the Kyuubi still moving. "How is the Kyuubi still able to move?", said him. "It's a bit smaller, but it looks like the seal was not completed. What does this mean...?" Then, Minato summoned some sort of ritualistic cradle. "Excellent. Now it's time for the **Hakke no Fuuin Shiki**!", said him, picking Naruto and putting him on the cradle. "I'm going to seal the Kyuubi inside Naruto" "_**What is he trying to do now...?**_", thought the Kyuubi. "_**Can it be... the Ritual Altar? He intents to seal me again... and inside this puny baby?!**_" As the altar was ready, Kushina started coughing more blood and panting more heavily. She was not going to last for long. "Kushina! Are you alright?", shouted Minato, rushing to her. In this moment, the Kyuubi saw its chance to kill the baby and prevent another sealing. But he didn't count on both Kushina and Minato standing on the way, being impaled by the Bijuu's giant claw, preventing it from reaching their son.

"I just... told you...", said Minato, coughing blood. "that... this is my duty... as his father..." "I know...", said Kushina. "but I am... his mother, so... this is my duty, too...". Hiruzen and the other Jounins following him could only watch, unable to do a thing to help. Sarutobi noticed the altar, and looking closely, he noticed something else. "Is that... a baby?", said him. The other Jounin noticed. "Yes, it is. They're protecting him!" The Kyuubi was motionless, since the chains were trapping it again. "_**Damn you two...!**_" thought the Bijuu. "This is... the first time I lose... a discussion with you... Minato.", said Kushina. "Okay... I understand that... you really are set... on doing this..." "Thank you, Kushina", answered him. Minato picked a small amount of blood dripping from his mouth, made a few hand signs and performed a **Kuchiyose no Jutsu**, summoning a strange toad with a twisted belly, as it was compressed. The toad freaked out when he realized where it was. "**OH MY GOD, THE KYUUBI!** And the Yondaime too?! What's the meaning of this?!" "Gerotora," said Minato. "I want you to keep safe the key of the **Hakke no Fuuin Shiki** lock. And then, take it to Jiraiya-sensei and store yourself within him, understand?" Hiruzen listened to Minato and finally realized. "Now I see... Minato intent to save Konoha by making his son a Jinchuuriki and keeping the key in safe hands!" Gerotora extended his belly to reveal the giant scroll contained within him, holding the formula of the seal and the key lock. "You have my word, Yondaime. I will keep the key safe with me. And I''ll be sure to deliver that one other thing too. I will be leaving now!", said Gerotora, placing his hands together and disappearing in a puff of cloud. "That should be enough for now...", said Minato. He noticed as the Shinigami was already hungering for Minato's soul. "Kushina, my time is up. I'm going to start the **Hakke no Fuuin Shiki** now. I'm putting some of my chakra as well inside Naruto for security measures. It will be long until we can see him again. I already have a few things arranged, but he might want to say a few things in person and now is the time." "Okay, then...", said Kushina. She took a deep breath and started saying her final words to her beloved son.

"Naruto... Don't be a stubborn boy, okay? Eat healthy, nutritious food... and make profit of your sleep-time... Don't forget to take showers... and keep yourself warm... whenever you need to. And as I mentioned... if you want to make profit... of your sleep-time... don't stay up until late... and make friends... You don't need a whole lot of them... Just a handful should be enough... if you can manage... to find friends... in who you will really trust. Don't repeat my mistakes... study a lot and learn and practice as many ninjutsus as you can. Remember that... everyone is different... and people have good and bad characteristics... so don't be upset... if you can't work something out... When you go to the academy... please respect your senseis and senpais. Oh, and another really important thing... it's about the Three Taboos of the ninja. First, be careful with your money loans and borrowings... save your money from the missions for the important things in life... Second, no drinking until you're 20... and drinking too much will ruin your health, so be moderate... And last, but not least, are women. Since I'm a woman, I can't really say much on the matter, but... Don't you ever forget that this world... is made of both men and women... So it's just natural that one day... you will be interested in girls... but please don't go for the bad ones. Find someone like your mother... And about the Three Taboos... be careful with Jiraiya-sensei, okay, tebane?" Minato couldn't help but smile at this statement. Kushina started panting heavily and crying "Naruto... from now on... your life... will be full of pain... and suffering... always be true to yourself... have many dreams... and make them come true...! And there's so much... so much... and so much much more I wanted to tell you if I had the time...! And I wanted to spend... just a little more time... with you... I love you! I love you so much... Minato, sorry for using so much of your time...*sob*" "No, that's okay...", said Minato. "Naruto... what I wanted to say to you as your father is... that... well... it's basically the same things your paranoid mother said..."

"**Hakke no Fuuin Shiki**..."

**Sometime later, in the outskirts of Konohagakure no Sato...**

Sarutobi Hiruzen was not crying. Being as experienced as he is, he didn't shed any tears. But his heart was as heavy as a stone, as he was heading towards his beloved village, along with a number of shinobis behind, all of them physically and emotionally broken, since they stood up to the Kyuubi, but little could do to save their beloved Hokage. Ahead of him, four ninjas were carrying the covered bodies of Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage, Hiruzen's successor of the Will of Fire that protected Konoha every day, and Uzumaki Kushina, his beloved wife. Just a handful of people knew they were married, being them Hiruzen himself, Hatake Kakashi, one of Minato's students, Jiraiya, his teacher, and a select number of friends. And even a smaller number of people were aware of Kushina being pregnant, and even less people knew who the father was. The civilians and the majority of shinobis just assumed she took a important role in helping Minato killing the Kyuubi (the fact that the Bijuu was sealed inside their baby, Naruto, was to be concealed for now, while the fact that he was the Yondaime's son was to be concealed for Kami-knows-how-long), so she was praised as one of the main protagonists of this fateful evening as the bodies passed through the main gates, receiving cheers, but also tears. Hiruzen carried in his arms Minato's great legacy, which went by the name of Naruto.

As he arrived home, he put Naruto in an old cradle. It was the same cradle used for his 2 sons, Shurato and Asuma (**A/N: Asuma's brother - which would be Konohamaru's father - never had a name, so I'm just putting the name of an old anime character just for the heck of it :P**). He then went to his office desk, sat on his chair and began collecting the thoughts and reminiscences of what was probably the longest night of his life, being the second longest the night he found out the location of Orochimaru's old laboratory, the same night he tried but couldn't kill him, out of pity for his beloved genius student. As he collected the thoughts, he reminded of what he lost that night. Many civilians and shinobis, years of economy, history and legacy of old buildings, stores and libraries, his wife Biwako, his successor the Yondaime and also Minato's wife, Kushina... he lost many precious things and people. But he also gained two things. The first being Yondaime's legacy, the baby who was sleeping in the old cradle. The second, although with a heavy heart, was the fact that he was to be, once again, placed as the Sandaime Hokage of his village. He gained the opportunity to set right many wrongdoings of his life and the lives of the people who lived in Konoha. He, as a member of a older generation than the current, would have the chance to pass on the Will of Fire not to one or two, but to three different generations of shinobis. Konoha's inhabitants would strengthen their bonds for years to come, and times of peace would overcome the previous years of war and pain.

He looked at the newborn Jinchuuriki and couldn't help thinking of the suffering that kid would go through in his life. Hiruzen knew how hard and lonely was the life of a Jinchuuriki. Being hated by its own people, with no family or friends, he knew Naruto's life would be harsh and painful. The worst of all is that he could offer little to no help despite being about to be reinstated as the Hokage, since he knew even though his law would be absolute, people would obey on their heads and mouths but disobey in their hearts, and do what they could to make Naruto's life as horrible as possible. He thought people would go as far as trying to kill the boy, blinded by their hate, hoping they'd take down the Kyuubi along. Sarutobi knew he'd have to place ANBU members to protect Naruto from harm, or from fleeing. As he was lost in his thoughts, a puff of cloud formed behind him. He turned around surprised, fearing for the worst, until he saw it was Gerotora, the toad responsible for guarding the key to Naruto's **Hakke no Fuuin Shiki**.

"Oh, it's just you Gerotora", said Hiruzen, relieved. "Don't scare me like that, I'm getting too old for this sort of thing". "My apologies, Sandaime-sama", said Gerotora "but Minato-sama wanted me to hand these to you." Gerotora then opened his mouth and took from his tongue three scrolls. "What are these?", asked Sarutobi. "I have no idea", said Gerotora. "I know for sure that this one", as he pointed to the black one "is for you, and you should ready as soon as I make my leave." "Okay, then. I will see what it holds", said Hiruzen. "Thank you, Gerotora." "You're welcome, Sandaime-sama. I'll be leaving, then.", said Gerotora, as he went back to Mt. Myoboku. Hiruzen opened the black scroll and read through its contents. His eyes widened more and more as he kept reading. Apparently, Minato thought about everything beforehand, and this was Hiruzen's trump card for dealing with whatever hardships Naruto would face on his life. He could only smile as he though "_Excellent. This should make things easier for little Naruto. Don't worry, Minato, your wish will be granted. I swear on my life and the Will of Fire!_"

**A/N: So, yeah... Hiruzen received three scrolls, and apparently he is going to use them to help Naruto through his hardships of life as a Jinchuuriki. Will he be successful? What about the obvious council meeting regarding the child's future? What is Yondaime's wish? What sort of events will be turned out by these three scrolls? Find out on the next chapter. Thank you for reading it, and please review. I'll gladly accept suggestions as I go on through the story, and answer questions in the author's note if at all possible. Any grammatical errors will be revised if you guys point it out, since English is not my mother language. Thanks again for reading, and enjoy the rest of your day/afternoon/evening/whatever-dimensional-pattern -you-are-facing-now. Bye! ^_^**


	2. Chapter 1: A New Light on the Horizon

**So... yeah, I forgot about that the text formats refer to. But truth be told, I didn't even think about it. You see so much of this on Naruto fanfics it just almost feels natural. But I'll do it anyway.**

Blah-blah-blah: Normal text/line/whatever

_Blah-blah-blah: Person's thought_

**Blah-blah-blah: Jutsu performing/Bijuu chat/Author's Note/Time-space references/Loud shouting**

_**Blah-blah-blah: Jutsu (even though not performed)/Bijuu thought**_

**And ZOMG! In 24 hours I had 5 positive reviews, and a ton of people following and favoriting my story. Thank you so much for the positive feedback, guys. If I delay myself in uploading some chapters, that's because I have work and college, so please don't kill me for delaying chapters, okay? I'll try my best to upload at least 2 chapter per week, although I can't guarantee it. Anyway, thank you for the feedback. You guys gave me a reason to keep up the fanfic.**

**With that settled down, let's get ready. I'm SamHetfield and welcome back to another chapter of...**

**The Orange Hokage**

**Chapter 1: A New Light Flashes on the Horizon**

**Konohagakure no Sato, 2 days after the Kyuubi incident**

Sarutobi Hiruzen had many reasons to be both happy and upset. He had just been reinstated as the Sandaime Hokage of Konoha. Although it was an opportunity to keep alive the Will of Fire that inspired him to protect his family, friends and the whole village, he had two problems. The first being reinstated after the death of his successor, Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime, during the Kyuubi's attack on Konoha. The second being the fact that he, once more, faced the Hokage's ultimate bane: paperwork. And after yesterday's incident, the normally 3 piles of paperwork became 30 piles, from various formats and for numerous reasons, although most of them were orderings for damage repairing, since the Kyuubi left a vast amount of destruction on its way. And not only that, he would have to face the council all week long, regarding things such as the security measures to prevent whatever sort of invasion from the other shinobi villages, discussions with the Hi no Daymio (Feudal Lord of the Fire Country) to help with the necessary funding to repair Konoha, reposition of the shinobi army to keep the high number of active shinobis, but the most important of all was the meeting that was about to take place in the next five minutes, which was expected to be one of the longest and most unpleasant meeting he ever attended to in his whole life. And that was regarding the future of the newborn Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko, which for now held the name of Naruto, since no official files were yet found regarding the boy's clan heritage, if he belonged to any clan at all. Sarutobi was heading towards the meeting room carrying the baby on his arms, when his mind drifted to remember the events that took place in the previous night, specifically about the contents of the black scroll he received from Gerotora, which Sarutobi would use as his personal trump card to turn the tide, if necessary...

**- Flashback - 34 hours ago, Sarutobi Clan's Compound**

Sarutobi Hiruzen was still in shock after what he read in that black scroll. He was impressed at Minato's cleverness, to have predicted whatever thoughts Hiruzen had in his mind concerning the future of his son Naruto, and the life he would have to endure as a Jinchuuriki. The contents were as follows:

_Dear Sandaime-sama,_

_If you are reading this, I'm sure it pains your heart and the heart of all who live in our beloved Konohagakure no Sato to know that I died protecting the village from the Kyuubi. Probably your first doubt is how I managed to write this letter in so little time during the incident and with so many things going on. Before I left Kushina tending for Naruto's safety, I swallowed a special medicine that processes my thoughts in a way it can be canalized with chakra and I can put them in a scroll, almost like I wrote them. And during the time I had to think, I thought of what I would leave to you and specially for my newborn son, Naruto. As you know now, I chose to seal half of Kyuubi's chakra inside Naruto, turning him in a Jinchuuriki. You, more than most people, know the reason behind my actions. It is of knowledge of many shinobis throughout the world that the Uzumaki clan was known not only for being relatives to the Senju clan, nor their outstanding fuuinjutsu skills, but also for their amazingly developed chakra coils. Members of the Uzumaki clan have at least 4 times more chakra than many great shinobis out there. Even a baby like Naruto, with his undeveloped chakra coils, will grow up to be an amazing shinobi, and that is without the Kyuubi. Not only that, the Uzumaki clan is believed to be the only clan to support the Kyuubi, and that is why the previous Jinchuurikis, being them my wife Kushina, and before that, Mito-sama, wife to Shodaime-sama, were from the Uzumaki clan. If my son wasn't an Uzumaki, I probably wouldn't dare to seal the Kyuubi within him. And if I wasn't willing to sacrifice my own son, I wouldn't even think about using another newborn. That would go against my convictions of justice and honor. That is why I chose my son. If the Kyuubi were to be killed, not only Konoha would lose the chance of having a Jinchuuriki, the Kyuubi would fall into the wrong hands. Tonight I met a masked man who was responsible for breaking Kushina's seal and bring the Kyuubi to Konoha. He is very dangerous and I didn't want to give him the chance of having the Kyuubi again. He would surely use it to bring chaos and destruction to the world. I strongly believe that my son will be the messenger of peace who will stand up against this masked man and save the shinobi world. That is why I want Naruto to be regarded as a true hero. Not only for being the jailor of the Kyuubi, saving Konoha every day, but for the promise of world-changing attitudes that will bring an end to the cycle of hatred, which was attempted many centuries ago by the Rikudou Sennin._

_If I know the civilian council well, they will probably try to execute my son, with some petty excuse about fearing that he might lose control of the Kyuubi and destroy Konoha. You can just assure them that my **Hakke no Fuuin Shiki** is strong – and in fact is, no modesty involved – and they just might calm down. If they don't, you can just scare them by saying that the seal was just made yesterday and Kyuubi's chakra has not been yet adapted in Naruto's body. If he dies, the Kyuubi is released and we're doomed. After he's grown up, then it's safe to say that the Kyuubi will die with him, although that might not be the best course of action, considering that he should probably have already become a skilled shinobi, set to protect Konoha and its inhabitants. But I know, deep in my heart, that despite what you say, the civilian council will obey you by words only, but their hearts will treat my son with hatred and abhorrence, and they will probably influence every citizen in Konoha to treat my son with hatred and prejudice. Whatever methods you will try to use will probably be futile against such hatred. But that is the life of the shinobi, an eternal battle against hatred. But please don't reveal them Naruto's heritage just yet. Their hypocrisy will tend them to turn my son in a spoiled brat with no true friends, and that will bring problems to both his life and the lives of everyone in Konoha. I want him to learn that everything in this life is through hard work and humility, and those will be his main weapons to change the shinobi world as we know it. My only regret is not be there for him. But I'm sure he'll make it through. Now please pay attention to what I'm about to inform you now._

_There are two more scrolls I have processed with my thoughts that should be of concern. The blue one is for Naruto and Naruto only. It's my message to him, alongside a few things he should be wary about, when he starts facing the hardships of being a Jinchuuriki. Give him the scroll when you think his life reaches the peak of sadness and loneliness. Although it pains both me and you, no matter how hard you try, Naruto will face such moment in his life. When that time comes, both you and I will be there for him, and from there I hope his life changes for better. The yellow scroll is to be used by both of you when the time comes. It concerns my will and testament. It ensures that both the Namikaze's and the Uzumaki's legacy will live on. As you know, there will be a time Naruto will rise as both clans' legitimate heir and head. He will face political matters, enemies from both clans, in and outside Konoha and the Fire Country, and many other dangerous people. I need you to be very careful with this particular aspect, Sandaime-sama. For Naruto to rise as both clans' heir and head, he either has to become a very powerful and wise shinobi, or reach the legal age of 16. If he becomes a great shinobi before that age – and I'm faithful that he will – please help him to decide his future. Some might seen his early rising as reckless and will try to take advantage of him. Do not let him become clan head earlier than 16 unless he is strong enough the use both the **Hiraishin no Jutsu** and the **Rasengan**. Being this powerful will bring fear to the hearts of those who will try to bring Naruto down. And it will help people to understand that he's not the Kyuubi. But rather, he is a true ninja of Konohagakure no Sato, and heir to the Namikaze's, the Uzumaki's, and the Will of Fire that protects our village every day._

_I hope you understood the reason you have this scroll in your hands. Please help my son as much as possible and make sure he becomes an excellent ninja. And always remember him to honor his parents by filling his life with love, friendship, trust and pride. Not pride to be from powerful clans, but pride to be a strong shinobi willing to sacrifice yourself for the well-being of Konoha, and the world. I hope my assumptions are correct and he truly becomes the world's savior. And thank you for everything. I leave Naruto in your more than capable hands, Sandaime-sama._

_With my highest regards,_

_Namikaze Minato, Yondaime Hokage_

**Back at present time - Meeting room of the Hokage Tower**

Hiruzen entered the room, opening the two large iron doors, guarded by 4 ANBU soldiers, two outside the room and two inside. Everyone rose to the presence of the Hokage. The room itself was quite large, with a large oval shape. There were three tables. The first one was the Hokage's official table, on the center. It was fit for the Hokage and its personal advisers, and whatever special guests would sit alongside him, such as the Daymio, or even one of the five Kages, if the possibility of that happening existed. The entrance Hiruzen used was his own special entrance. All the other members of both shinobi and civilian council were to use the other door, which happened to be two not-so-large wooden doors, which were also guarded by 4 ANBU soldiers from both inside and outside the room. From the perspective of those who entered the room by this door, on the left side there was the large crescent-moon-shaped table reserved for the shinobi council. All the heads of the most renowned shinobi clans of Konoha sat on that side of the temple. The right side had a similar table, which was destined to the civilian council. There, sat the citizens chosen by the villagers to represent the non-ninja families, businessmen and many other representations of the people. The shinobi council was known for the most important decisions of the village regarding the military force and security of the village, besides the pride and honor of Konoha, and also some of the most altruist decisions. The civilian council, on the other hand, was really effective to the economy of the village, but was known for the hypocritical members and egomaniac decisions. One of the most famous discussions was the permission of non-shinobi families to tend the academy. Although the military force would improve their numbers, the negative point was that the academy exams had their difficulty gravely reduced, and the overall quality of the shinobi army was weakened. And clearly some lucky non-shinobi families would take advantage of that to try to become members of the shinobi council for benefits, compounds and large power over some critical decisions. Overall, the civilian council was loathed with nasty and dishonorable people. Thank Kami, not a single non-shinobi family rose to power over the years. But even with the council, the Hokage's decision was supreme, and that was what prevented the civilian council's egoism to destroy Konoha.

While approaching the chair, Hiruzen could hear whispers from all directions, but the majority of them were coming from the civilian council, which was also the source of many glares of hate and disgust at the baby. As Hiruzen sat on his chair, everyone sat down. Sarutobi immediately spoke: "I begin now the first meeting of the emergency procedure. The debate to follow in this moment concerns the fate of the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, namely the newborn Naruto that I hold in my arms as we speak. As you know, the Yondaime Hokage Namikaze Minato could not kill the Kyuubi, so he decided to seal the demon within this child, an honorable act which cost his young life. I hope the decision we reach today be of most benefit to Konohagakure no Sato and that the Yondaime's wish be fulfilled." With this initial line, Jikki Hakiro, Agent of Economy and representative of the majority of Konoha's business stores, rose up from his chair, saying: "I can't certainly accept this... this..." at this moment, Sarutobi looked at him with a menacing look, forcing Hakiro to better choose his words if he wanted to make out of the room alive. "..._boy_... growing up as one of Konoha. The Kyuubi destroyed many of out greatest stores, and the prejudices are beyond astonishing. It will take years to restore the economy to its previous pace, and it's all because of that demon!" Some murmurs inside the civilian council were annoyingly agreeing with that dreadful saying as Hakiro sat down. At this moment, Yamanaka Inoichi, head of the Yamanaka clan, rose and replied the fool economist's statement. "You should be aware, dear Hakiro, that it was the Kyuubi indeed that destroyed the stores. But take a look once again at this baby in the Hokage's arms. Do you truly believe this child was responsible for this damage? And does anyone here thinks that by letting him grow up he will turn into a savage, ruthless destroying machine?" Inoichi's statement silenced the room.

Nara Shikaku, head of the Nara clan, rose up from his chair. "I have to agree with Inoichi's statement. This kid is not the Kyuubi. In fact, he is the one keeping the Kyuubi trapped and he is single-handily saving everyone of us by just breathing." "Oh, spare me the pity, Nara smart-ass!", said Genjuro Nakirami, superintendent of education, responsible for bringing forward the discussion regarding the non-shinobi families attending the academy. "How are we supposed to accept this... brat as our savior? He is, best of all, a scapegoat! A bargain chip! We could, at most, use him to intimidate _some_ villages to our benefit!" Hyuuga Hiashi, head of the Hyuuga clan, one of Konoha's strongest and most respectable clans, rose up. "Never I expected the day a human life could be used for something as lowly as coinage!" Even though the Hyuugas were known as arrogant, they valued honor in human life, and strong ninjas overall. "Have you no shame in wasting time looking for ways to explore his condition? Have you no honor in bringing him down to your level? He is a Jinchuuriki, his condition and the creature sealed inside him could prove useful for the military forces of Konoha. Which you, as I recall correctly, were responsible for decreasing their overall quality by bringing unworthy and weaklings to our ranks" The civilian council's reaction was not the best... "How dare you, Hyuuga?" "You think your oh-so-special bloodline limit takes away our right to fight for Konoha?" "I refuse to accept this monstrosity as a shinobi of our village!"

"**SILENCE, ALL OF YOU!**", a loud voice uttered, silencing the room. It was Shimura Danzou, Sarutobi's old friend. He was know for commanding a secret ANBU squadron from the shadows known as Ne (Root). Although his methods and the training of his soldiers were extreme, he was a true patriot, trying to make decisions that would benefit Konoha. He rose up from his chair, showing his heavily damaged body, result from many years of war and loyal service to Konoha and the Hokage. He actually competed with Sarutobi for the title of Hokage, but the Nidaime Senju Tobirama, Shodaime's young brother, chose Hiruzen because he carried the Will of Fire. Nevertheless, Danzou was granted command of his special shadow forces, although he was someone to be feared. "You civilian fools are missing the big picture here. Jinchuurikis are known to hold immense power within. If we could bring forth their true potential and make them loyal weapons to Konoha's safety-", however, he couldn't finish his line, which was interrupted by Sarutobi. "You will **NOT** treat him as a weapon, Danzou!" Danzou's expression changed from neutral to slightly irritated. "Your services to Konoha are most appreciated, but your methods of training and the way you destroy your ninjas' hearts are most unpleasant. I will not allow you to transform Naruto in an emotionless weapon!" "What would you suggest then, Hiruzen?", asked Danzou. "Jinchuurikis are known for being hated and lonely, despite whatever you want to try to make him live a _happy_ life. Killing his emotions will prove to be useful, for he will not suffer from the inevitable prejudice that these civilian fools will have over him." The civilian council wanted to protest, but not only would they openly display their hypocrisy, but would also be facing the fury of both Danzou AND Hiruzen. Sarutobi could only sigh and answer "Perhaps you will never understand, Danzou. But even if you do make a point, as the Hokage, I will not allow Naruto to grow up emotionless and merciless. He will become a full-fledged shinobi by following the Will of Fire, and learning to love and protect Konoha, despite facing the hate of many. Think of that as the ultimate training." Danzou was frustrated by this turn of events, but he would not challenge Hiruzen. He never won any challenges against him. "As you wish, _Hokage-sama_..." The civilian council was also frustrated, since they would have to swallow the fact that the Jinchuuriki would become a shinobi. They couldn't even suggest execution or exile, as the Hokage's orders were supreme, and he already made his point very clear.

Sarutobi then made his final statement. "As of today, a new law will take place. The secret regarding Naruto's status as a Jinchuuriki will be classified as a S-rank secret, meaning that only Jounin-ranked shinobis and above should be aware of. Other than that, only the people of this council, and Naruto himself, when the time is right for him to understand his condition. When the time comes and Naruto becomes aware of his condition, he will be allowed to share his secret for outsiders and shinobi under Jounin-rank under two conditions alone: The first being if I evaluate the person and deem him or her worthy of knowing and keeping the secret. The second being in a desperate situation that will require him to use his powers openly with my consent. Other than that, if anyone so much as mention the names Kyuubi or Jinchuuriki without my express permission, they are to be executed on the spot with no trial. Did I make myself clear?" Everyone at the council meeting nodded their heads. "And now, I would like to bring another point. As you are aware, the Jinchuuriki is an orphan baby, therefore, someone must take care of him until he is able to, at least, take care of his most basic human needs. I don't know if anyone in the shinobi council would be able to openly receive Naruto in their compounds, but I'm sure the civilian council could at least provide an orphanage for the boy and an adult woman to breastfeed him until he's around eight months of age". The civilian council was about to protest again, but they knew heads would roll if they did so. Yousen Mokunara, attender of children and teenagers' rights, rose up. "There is an orphanage around 2 blocks to the right of the Hokage Tower's exit that provides food and shelter to war orphans. I could talk to the owner and arrange a place for young Naruto". "Excellent", said Hiruzen. "And please, make sure he's well treated. I will visit him twice per month. If I notice so much as a bruise or signs of negligence, punishment will be severe." Mokunara did the best he could to hide his anger at hearing these words. "Yes, Hokage-sama.". Hiruzen could see the lie on his eyes, but he knew it was inevitable. Even so, he thought that this should be enough for now. He just had to make sure Naruto had someplace to eat and sleep. He couldn't guarantee Naruto's happiness, but at least he resolved the most urgent matters at hand.

"I now declare resolved the issue concerning the Jinchuuriki Naruto. We will have a one-hour break. When we come back, we will discuss the matters regarding our shinobi forces, greatly reduced by the Kyuubi attack. All of you are dismissed!", said Hiruzen, as everyone rose from their chairs and left the room. Hiruzen went back to the Hokage's office, to deal with as much paperwork as he could, since a 31st pile came to life after the meeting. His expression was that of a tired old man. "_I can't even resort to **Kage Bunshins**... they tire me too much now. I'm getting too old for this sort of thing..._", he thought.Before he could even begin his work, the door knocked. "Come in". As the door opened, three men entered. Yamanaka Inoichi, Nara Shikaku, and Akimichi Chouza, heads of their respective clans, and known as the legendary Ino-Shika-Chou trio, a powerful group formation for both investigation, stealth attack, close-quarters combat and open-field combat. A truly devastating force. The three clan leaders stood before the Hokage and bowed to him. Shikaku was the first to talk. "Hokage-sama, I'm sure you are aware that your actions, though noble, won't be enough to stop the civilians from hating Naruto. That is why we humbly request a favor of you." "And what would that favor be, Nara Shikaku?", asked Hiruzen. Shikaku looked at Sandaime's eyes and said: "We request Naruto to be taken care by the three of our clans.". Hiruzen's eyebrow rose at hearing this. "As you are aware, Hokage-sama," said Inoichi. "the Yamanaka, Nara and Akimichi clans are well know for their unbreakable bounds. We stand as a group and we look one after the other. And we were acquainted to the Yondaime, so we are aware of his wish to see Naruto as a hero to Konohagakure" "And since we value teamwork and friendship above anything else," said Chouza. "we strongly believe we can raise Naruto to be a valuable shinobi for Konoha, teaching him the basics of teamwork abilities and giving him love and care as if he were our own son." Hiruzen was happy to hear the statements of the Ino-Shika-Chou trio, but his answer was as followed:

"I understand the opinion of you, clan heads. I surely agree on your statements that Naruto would indeed learn a lot of good things and traits of what a shinobi should be. But I have to make three statements of my own to explain why I'm going to refuse your request, as humble as it is." The clan heads were a bit upset by these words, but they kept their heads up. Hiruzen took a deep breath and started talking again. "The first one is that you did not bring this on the council meeting we just had. While I am aware the citizen council would try to refute your opinion, you should have brought the discussion into matter. Your hesitation clearly showed that your thoughts, though they are correct, now became too late to discuss. Although it doesn't seem to be the case, if this were to happen again in the future with Naruto living with you three, that would surely be of prejudice to Naruto's proper growth. The second reason is that you three have sons of your own. I have no intention of disqualify you as parents, but your children follow your clans' lineage, and that is exclusive to your children alone. Naruto could not properly grow in an environment made with traits that only those of your respective clans can take advantage of. And the third argument is that I already have something prepared for him in the future, should it be necessary to take measures. I know the orphanage owners will not treat Naruto properly, despite whatever efforts I put into this issue. But even though it pains me to say this, Naruto will have to learn the meaning of suffering. As a Jinchuuriki, he has to understand the kind of life that was destined for a Jinchuuriki. He will have to deal with hate and suffering, as much as I don't want him to. But his endeavor through suffering, and the plan I have for him when the time comes will prove to be his greatest victory through the hatred of many civilians. He will learn to follow the Will of Fire, and he will prove himself and the people of Konohagakure so Sato to be, indeed, the hero the Yondaime designed him to be. And even though the life you three plan to give him promises to be one of happiness, it will not be the best course of action to take. But I'm really happy you are willing to ease the pain he will be forced to endure", said Hiruzen, with a small, but truly blissful smile. Nara Shikaku smiled back, fully aware of the situation and answered: "As you say, Hokage-sama. We are aware of your decision and you know better than all of us. We acknowledge our own mistakes and hope to see Naruto growing as well and healthy as we can hope". Inoichi also smiled and said: "We can't provide Naruto a home, but as Chouza and Shikaku's sons and my daughter grow, we will see to it that they become Naruto's friends. It's the least that we can do." Chouza also had a few words to say: "And if anyone tries to hurt Naruto, we will be happy to give our lives to defend him. And we hope the other shinobi clans will become open and friendly with Naruto as well. Thank you for your time and patience, Hokage-sama." The three clan heads bowed to Sarutobi and left the office. Sarutobi dropped his pipe for a few seconds as he rose from the chair, left the office and walked to the top of the tower. He then looked at Minato's carving on the Hokage Monument with a smile on his face and thought: "_Your will is already becoming true, Minato. I have high expectations for the next generation. The Will of Fire will be stronger than it ever was. Maybe you are right. Maybe Naruto will be indeed this world's savior. I can only hope now that Naruto overcomes his harsh life and rises to be the strongest shinobi this village has ever seen since the days of Hashirama-sama._" He then headed downstairs, for another meeting was about to begin. This was going to be a long week...

**Konohagakure no Sato, 4 years after the Kyuubi attack**

It was a rainy afternoon-ending. It was raining for almost 15 hours straight (it started around 2 A.M) and the rain didn't show any signs of stopping so soon. The streets were surprisingly empty and all the stores were closed. Even if it was a rainy day, there would be people walking or running and stores open. But the previous day was the reason why the streets were empty. The previous day was October 10, the day Konoha celebrated the Fox Festival, celebrating Yondaime's success in killing the Damon Fox. Yes, killing it. The law set by the Sandaime Hokage stated that no one was to know about the fact that Minato didn't kill, but rather sealed the Kyuubi inside a newborn vessel. Some people knew the truth, but they weren't allowed to spread it, for they were to to receive the death penalty if they did so. But that didn't stop them to influence the other people to hate on the one responsible for holding the Bijuu at bay. Naruto was, for most people, as hideous and hateful as the Demon Fox itself. People loathed him with insults, intense bullying and glares of hate and abhorrence. And if it wasn't enough, they just pretended he didn't exist. That had an even worst impact than actually recognizing his existence. October 10 was also Naruto's birthday. If he was like any other kid, he would be happy about his birthday. But he wasn't like any other kid. He was a Jinchuuriki, although he didn't know about his condition. His life only knew hatred and loneliness. Twice per month he received attention from the Sandaime Hokage who visited the orphanage Naruto lived, and those were the happiest moments of his life.

Until he turned 4. Instead of receiving birthday gifts like most kids, he was kicked out of the orphanage. The owners told him that if he was old enough to tie his own shoes, so he was old enough to live on his own on the streets, instead of filling space and preventing other war orphans to be adopted. Funny thing is, the war was over almost 10 years ago. If there were any war orphans, they should be graduating at the academy by now, or mostly have a family of their own. Naruto knew the truth, however. They absolutely abhorred him. He just didn't know why. What did he do to earn such hatred? Yeah, he pulled a prank here and there, just to draw some attention. And he did shout out loud in the middle of the street something like "I'm gonna be the Hokage, and then you'll all know who I really am -Dattebayo!" But other than that, what did he do? Why do people hate him so much? Why was he left alone in the world? Who were his parents? These thoughts tormented him. He couldn't stop crying. He slept on the top of an busted cardboard box, with tears in his eyes. But as soon as the rain started during after-hours, he abruptly woke up and rushed to the ceiling of a store. He was afraid to be kicked out rudely by the store clerk as soon as the commercial district opened, but it didn't. In fact, not a single store opened and not a single civilian left their houses. The truth is, Yousen Mokunara, the one who offered an orphanage for Naruto to live, was the one responsible, along with some friends and the whole civilian council, to have Naruto kicked out of the orphanage on his 4th birthday, and have the streets emptied the following day, so that Naruto could be lonely all day long. Despite Hiruzen's hard work, the people of Konoha saw Naruto as the true Demon Fox itself, and refused to acknowledge his act of heroism by being the Kyuubi's jailor. The kids didn't know the truth, but the adults could just tell them to stay away from that "despicable brat". As the rain kept going, Naruto felt more and more lonely. He put his head between his shoulders and started crying again. By nighttime, the rain finally stopped, but only a handful of streetlights were lit. Naruto was walking down the road, covered in near-complete darkness.

And he was hungry and thirsty. He didn't find anything to eat, and he didn't have any spare money either. The only water available was from the rain, and he didn't think it was safe to drink water from the rain (and he was right, it wasn't). He was covered in bruises, because before he was kicked out of the orphanage, the other kids beat him to a pulp by order of the owner. He fell on the street, about to faint, and possibly die, from body exhaustion, malnutrition and dehydration. But something happened that he never, ever expected to happen. He was saved. By the Hokage himself. The Hokage picked him up and took him to the hospital, where he was admitted into (he had to, Sarutobi made his point very clear) and put in a room with an IV drop and a injection of nutrients in his body to make sure he wouldn't faint for the next days. Although he still needed rest. Before he could close his eyes and sleep, he raised his head just a bit to look at his savior, and say: "... … thank... you... Jii-san..." Hiruzen looked at him with pity in his eyes. If it weren't for almost 50 years of experience of the shinobi way of life and two great ninja wars, he would have burst in tears at that moment. So much suffering, so much sadness... no more. He decided the time was now. Naruto was at his limit. More of that hatred and sadness and would surely commit suicide. Just thinking about this made Hiruzen's gut turn upside-down. He would surely kill a handful of people for promoting such abhorrence and punish another number for letting that happen after this. But right now, his only thoughts were focused on Naruto and his well-being. He then picked the blue scroll he had kept safe for 4 years and handed to Naruto. He was ready. And he hoped Naruto was ready. No, he knew Naruto was ready to take it all. "Naruto," said Hiruzen. "this scroll has been kept safe for 4 years. I know your life has been hard and full of pain and loneliness. And everything that is written here was written for you. It's a final message left by your father, and some advices you should follow if you want to fulfill your dreams. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?" Naruto was flabbergast at hearing this. A message meant for him? From his father? He couldn't believe it. He didn't even think twice. He quickly took the scroll and hugged Hiruzen, despite his weak state, with tears dropping from his eyes. Hiruzen then left the room. Naruto quickly opened the scroll to read through its contents. The scroll's message was as follows:

_Dear Naruto,_

_If you are reading this, then you must be facing the hardest time of your life. You life must be full of pain and suffering, and even though it's been a few years after my death, it somehow still pains my heart to see my son at this state. And you have the right to know why. As you are aware, you were born on October 10, the day the Kyuubi attacked Konoha. It is said that the Yondaime Hokage saved the village sacrificing his own life killing the Kyuubi. That, however is just a half-truth. You see, the Kyuubi is a Bijuu. Bijuus are forms of pure concentrated chakra, so it is physically impossible to kill a Bijuu. You can, however, seal them. And that is exactly what the Yondaime did. He sealed the Kyuubi. But a Bijuu cannot be just sealed in any person. Because of the way seals work with the development of chakra coils, it the Kyuubi were to be sealed in an adult, he would die instantly and the Bijuu would be set free again. So the Kyuubi was sealed inside a newborn. Specifically... you._

Naruto's eyes widened at reading this statement. For a moment, he couldn't believe it. But he kept reading.

_Right now, you might doubt at what is written here, but think for a moment. It all makes sense, right? The way people looked at you, the way they treat you. You are a Jinchuuriki, and that is how the world treats them. With anger, hatred and fear. They are afraid of what's inside you. They don't see the kid named Naruto, they only see the demon sealed inside you, and that's why they treat you so lowly. But I beg of you... please forgive them. They are not to blame._

Naruto did see the sense in this, but as soon as he say the part where his father asked for him to forgive them, he wanted to shred the scroll in a million pieces. But he kept reading nevertheless.

_The Yondaime wanted you to be seen as Konoha's greatest hero. The one keeping the Kyuubi jailed everyday, saving Konoha by just being alive. But the destruction and death the Kyuubi left behind were too much and people couldn't forgive nor forget. And worst of all, the Hokage was dead. How could his sacrifice and wish be granted if people only saw the bad things that happened and were blinded to realize the chance of rebuilding their lives? That is why they hate you so much, even though you were partly a victim of all of this too. You mother knew this would happen, that's why she at first refused to let you be Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki._

Naruto suddenly widened his eyes again. His mother was mentioned now. He then went back to reading,

_Now you must be wondering who we are. Well, I'm not gonna keep you waiting anymore. You mother's name is Uzumaki Kushina. She was a strong kunoichi from the renowned Uzumaki clan, specialists in fuuinjutsu abilities, amazingly developed chakra coils and long life expectation. By the way, the fact that you are an Uzumaki means that you, and only you, should be able to support Kyuubi's massive chakra, so consider yourself a bit more special just because of that. It you weren't an Uzumaki, I would have never sealed the Kyuubi inside you._

When Naruto read this last phrase, he then stopped and collected his thoughts. "_Wait... my dad sealed the Kyuubi in me? It wasn't the Yon... wait... no... it can't be..._". He turned his attention back to the scroll.

_Yes, I'm the one who sealed you. My name is Namikaze Minato, also known as "The Yellow Flash". I am the Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, the one who sealed the Kyuubi inside you._

For a moment, Naruto thought his head was going to explode with both answers and question. A lot of questions, that he hoped to find the answers in this scroll.

_Now you must be wondering why in the world did I seal the Kyuubi within my own son. Well, if it were other person's son, I would never forgive myself for putting such a heavy burden on a baby's shoulders if I wasn't willing to do the same for my own son. It makes sense, right?_

Naruto couldn't disagree with that.

_And as my son, I have faith in you. I know that you will, someday, use Kyuubi's powers wisely to become a great shinobi and be a great hero. Not only for Konoha, but for the entire world. There are some who are willing to use this power to destroy the world and all that we know and love. But I know better. I know you can use this power to bring an end to the eternal cycle of hatred and bring forward an era of peace, when people will be able to understand each other. I believe in you. And that is why I sealed the Kyuubi inside you._

Naruto cried at reading this. His father truly believed him to the point he put the fate of the world on his young shoulders. But the letter wasn't over yet, so he kept reading.

_Now please pay attention as I leave a few instructions for you to carry out your life better than what you've lived so far. In a little forest close to the northwest borders of Konoha, there should be a small abandoned house I used as training grounds, I hope. Since I won't be alive by the time you read this, I wouldn't know. I left a bed and some money hidden so you could take care of yourself for a while, with a few gifts of my own. I also left many weapons, journals and scrolls with many lessons and jutsus for you to learn. If you're around 4~6 years by the time this letter reaches you, your chakra coils should be ready for you to advance towards your training. So don't waste any more time and start training. Make sure you are at top health, so eat nutritious food and sleep well. Most of my advices are things your mother said to you on her deathbed while I sealed the Kyuubi within you, so take them seriously. Be sure to have lots of friends. I know that you're a Jinchuuriki and it might be hard, but the few friends you make will prove to be trusty ones, and they will never let you go. Keep them close to you. By the time you are big enough to be interested in girls, please be careful. I know your mother wants you to find a girl like her, but you mother was a rather aggressive person. What she really meant was for you to find someone who loves you as much as she loved me and I loved her. Someone who is ready to risk her own life for your sake. And make her happy. Oh, there is one more thing. Since you now know your heritage, you might want to be careful to whom you trust your secrets with. I had many enemies while I was alive, and they might be after you if they know you are my son. And you will not be allowed to be Uzumaki's and Namikaze's official heir and clan head unless you either reach 16 or prove yourself to be a shinobi worthy of your titles. By the time this problem reaches you, count with Sandaime-sama's help. My teacher and your godfather, Jiraiya-sensei, might be there to help you too. Yes, you gave a godfather. If he's not there for you, please forgive him. Ever since his friend Orochimaru betrayed Konoha, he's been after him and only returned to Konoha once, and that was to have my blessings as he'd become your godfather. Please be patient with him. He might not be the best ethical example, but he knows the true way of the ninja, so treat him with high regards._

Naruto payed attention to all instructions carefully. But he was still going to give his godfather some hell when he returns. He then turned his attention to his father's final words.

_And finally... Be true to yourself and embrace your dreams. Never give up or go back on your word and carry the Will of Fire. This is the strong will that protects our village everyday. No matter how much people hate you for being a Jinchuuriki, prove them you're not the Kyuubi, but rather, a true Konoha shinobi, worthy of the legacy your mother and I leave to you. And protect the village I gave my life for. And it doesn't matter if we are dead for a long time. Your mother and I love you and this love will live through you. You are not just the vessel of the Kyuubi. You are a true vessel of love, that that is what will save the world when the time comes. Good muck, my son. I believe in you._

_With my highest regards,_

_Your father, the Yondaime Hokage_

Naruto burst in tears as he read his father's final words. He made his decision: to carry on his father's wishes and become a true shinobi and savior of the world. After he got better and left the hospital, he immediately started running towards the forest in the northwest border. After a while, he finally reached the house. It was still there, and it seemed like it was left the way it was. Not a single soul touched that place for 4 years. That was a good sign. He then rushed inside and found the bed on the corner of a room. He found the money his father let him, and started counting... Minato left Naruto 250 thousand ryo. He was flabbergast at this amount. This should be enough to but all the new furniture, make a few repairs on the house and enough groceries for at least 3 or 4 years. But he knew people would treat him rudely and probably overcharge him. They would go as far as accusing him of stealing all that money. He couldn't blame them, though. Than he had an idea. He rushed to the Hokage tower and asked for an audience with the Hokage. The receptionist wanted to kick him out, but she knew what was coming for her, so she let Naruto in. As soon as he entered, Sarutobi rose from his chair and approached Naruto, giving him a hug. He knew Naruto needed one, and he really did. Naruto hugged Hiruzen back, tearing up a bit, but this time, with tears of joy. Hiruzen then sat back on his chair.

"So, how are you feeling now, Naruto?", he asked. "Well... truth be told...", answered Naruto. "I'm still a little shocked. But everything makes sense now, and I feel so much... lighter. And happy too. It's all thanks to my father. He really knew that to say, even though he's been dead for all these years... and I finally made my decision" "Oh, really? And what is your decision?", asked Hiruzen, who seemed relieved. Naruto then answered: "I'm going to use all my power to destroy Konoha! -Dattebayo!" this made Sarutobi gasp and cough some smoke from his pipe, and about a dozen ANBU shinobis raise their swords and point them at Naruto's face, whom despite the situation, seemed calm and collected. "Nah, I'm just kidding, Jiji. I'm gonna carry out the Will of Fire and protect the village my dad gave his life for at all costs. Man, you should have seen your face! -Dattebayo!", said Naruto, laughing as everyone dropped a sweat, unable to believe that they've been fooled by a 4-year-old kid. Hiruzen was happy to see Naruto made a 180-degree turn on his personality. Then the ANBU-nins left the room and left Hiruzen and Naruto on their own. "Ahem...", coughed Hiruzen. "So... you are set on becoming a great ninja like your father?" "You bet, Jiji! And I'll make him proud. Soon enough you will see as Uzumaki Naruto make his way to become the next Hokage! -Dattebayo!", said Naruto. "Hmm... so you started using your mother's clan name... That's a good step", said Hiruzen. "So, what can I help you with?" "You see, Jiji," answered Naruto. "I have all this money to spend with furniture, repairing, water, electricity and groceries, but I'm afraid people might take me the wrong way and they won't believe me if I say I inherited the money, so... could you help me with that? Pretty please?" "Well," answered Hiruzen. "I can't do it all on my own. I'm a busy old man, as you can see", as he pointed his finger to the massive pile of paperwork, surely the Hokage's worst enemy overall. "But I know a few people who are willing to help you. Have you ever heard of the Ino-Shika-Chou trio?"

Hiruzen explained how the Ino-Shika-Chou trio knew of Naruto's condition as a Jinchuuriki and how they were willing to adopt him as a baby. Sarutobi also explained the circumstances that didn't let them be able to help him. Naruto was a little upset for not being adopted, but overall he understood the reasoning behind all of this. But he was happy not only for them to be willing to help him back them, but specially because they still wanted to help him, and how their sons would become his friends. Naruto was sure that his life was taking a huge turn for the better. The following day, Naruto went to the restaurant the Ino-Shika-Chou trio usually met. He was about to be rudely kicked out of the restaurant, when Chouza appeared behind the restaurant owner and threatened to report his actions to the Hokage. The owner quickly apologized to Naruto, despite the fact he felt humiliated at apologizing to the "demon brat". Chouza escorted Naruto to the table Inoichi and Shikaku were sitting and he introduced himself. While they were eating, they discussed about the furniture, house repairing, basic supplies and groceries needed for Naruto to settle in his new house. Naruto ended the day visiting another usual spot of the trio. There, Naruto met Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji and Yamanaka Ino, the sons (and daughter) of the respective clan heads. They played all afternoon long at the playground while Chouza, Inoichi and Shikaku were taking care of things for Naruto. In fact, the Hokage determined this act to be a D-rank mission to be carried out by the trio. Even though they were Elite Jounin and clan heads, they were more than happy to carry out the mission. When evening came, the trio came back to the playground and picked up their sons. Shikamaru, Chouji and Ino said their goodnight to Naruto. Naruto soon thought to be left alone, when suddenly an ANBU-nin came to him and escorted him to Naruto's house. His jaw dropped on the floor when he saw all of the new furniture. He also noticed all the holed fixed, an all-new floor and ceiling, a new room which could be used as a deposit, and a full fridge working. Not only that, there was hot water on the shower, a whole bathroom set and new bedsheets. And on the wall, there was a list of groceries stores, restaurants and furniture shops listed and verified by the Hokage himself to be fully cooperative with Naruto. And there were still 50 thousand ryo left on the top of the table, enough for a number of months of groceries and bills. Naruto couldn't help but cry tears of joy again by such generosity. Clearly it was a sign. His father saved his life. He swore to pay back the favor. "_Don't worry, father. I swear I'll become a great ninja, and I'll be a Hokage greater than even you were. I'm going to protect Konoha with my life! I give you my word. And I never go back on my word. Because this my nindo! -Dattebayo!_"

**A/N: So this is a whole new start on Naruto's life. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please review.**

**About Hiruzen... most fanfics I see portray Sandaime as a little bit on an comprehensive asshole. His law is absolute, and he doesn't tolerate insubordination. While it is true, most fanfics don't show him his impotent, powerless side. I mean... he faced two great hardships in his life that certainly made him question himself if he was really all that powerful. Being them the betrayal of Orochimaru, his most valued disciple, whom he couldn't save from the dark path, and the death of his successor of the Will of Fire, Minato. He was forced to be reinstated as the Hokage, and noticed that the strong desire to protect the village and put aside personal hatreds died alongside Minato. He passed the Will to the next generation, but the next generation barely had time to pass it up again to the generation coming forth since the Yondaime died. Sarutobi spends the whole time of Naruto's hardships through life trying to reestablish the cut link of the three generations of shinobi. When people say him that he could have done more for Naruto, I wonder if somehow they forgot this side of Sarutobi. I think that if he focused more of his time helping Naruto, he would have a hard time reestablishing the Will of Fire to the Konoha shinobis. Besides, it's either Naruto or Konoha. And he is the Hokage. What would he choose, right? Since in this fanfic Minato does all the dirty work for Hiruzen, he can fully focus on Konoha. And since Naruto is already saved by Minato and swore an oath to fight for Konoha's sake, the Will of Fire will grow strong again, and that will be the instrument of chance. As the summary said, this fanfic will have a Good Sasuke, and Minato's help with Naruto acquiring a Hokage-like determination early in the story will be the trigger for Sasuke not turning to the dark side like in canon. Any more doubts about Hiruzen will be cleared as you guys ask questions. And yes, he will die. The canon portrayed Hiruzen's death in a way that letting him live just works out fine if your fanfic is really damn good, so he will still die.**

**And I know you guys might ask "How the hell did Minato think of these things like he sees the future?" Let's get a bit of physics here. The human brain processes something around 50 thousand thoughts every day. That's about a thought every 1.8 seconds. And these things are as fast as nervous cells, which by themselves are faster than a NASCAR race car. So yeah, Minato did have the time to think all the way through these messages. When he pointed out Kushina's deathbed, he already started thinking again for what he would say to Naruto and Hiruzen. And another thing I forgot to mention: His thoughts were all processed and turned to written messages the moment he died. So he handed Gerotora empty scrolls, but by the time he died, the scrolls were filled and Gerotora just had to hand them to Hiruzen. That is my explanation to Minato's possible insight of the possible future that awaited Sarutobi and Naruto. I hope my explanation was useful.**

**Naruto is about to start his training. What did Minato leave for him? Can he be able to carry out his father's will? What about his new-found friendship with the new Ino-Shika-Chou trio? And the other to-be Genin? Find out next time, when Naruto gets to know a peculiar figure that doesn't seem to hate him like everyone else. Thank you for reading. Please review. Bye!**


	3. Chapter 2: Sun and Moon

**Good day everyone! Thank you again for the reviews. They make me happy every time I read them, and you help me with nice ideas to the story. And now I'm going to answer a bit of the questions you guys had. Any more questions will be answered as long as you keep asking. Maybe you have some awesome idea I didn't consider and I will definitely mention your kick-ass contribution. So please ask.**

**MonkeyDVegetto: I intent to make Sasuke's story almost exactly the same as in canon, except the part he decides to be a good guy. Maybe make him lose the Battle at the Valley of the End with some lesson Naruto could give him... I don't know, but I am putting this idea in high consideration. **

**ChibakuNaruto: Sorry, no time skip. I want Naruto and the friends that he will make to enjoy their childhood as best as they can... even though they start training 4 years before everyone else, but that's an entirely different thing. Probably the best story I've ever read is hazeleyes180's "Lavender Heiress, Desert Rose, and Snake Princess". It's MASSIVELY HUGE, it's on chapter 17 and only now they are about to graduate from the academy. But even though they spend a gigantic amount of time with their childhood, the story writing and character development are of a quality I haven't seen since the days of S'TarKan's "Team 8". So, no. No time skip. Sorry, but that's the way I like it.**

**Naruhinalover20 (nice name there): Hiashi is not exactly against Naruto. He just acknowledges the fact that, as a Jinchuuriki, he has the chance of becoming a great ninja to serve and protect Konoha. Of course he will still have a hard time accepting him as Hinata's lover, but in due time, he will accept him and gladly make his daughter happy. He is going to be the I-was-a-caring-father-before-my-wife-died-and-now- I-am-a-emotionless-sheep-before-the-clan-elders-Hi ashi we see in many fanfics. I actually like this Hiashi, it forces us writers to build up a lot of character development so everyone can learn to forgive and move on with their lives. Ko, though, as you will see in the end of this chapter, will start off as a total ass. Just wait and see.**

**Callsignjoker: Yeah, I think some of you might be confused indeed with the way I don't separate lines of dialogues and make huge paragraphs with around 20 lines each... but there's something about keeping the paragraphs and lines in a continuing way that makes it, at the very least for me (I don't know about the rest of you guys, though), easier and better to read. The Lavender Heiress fanfic I mentioned above has his kind of dialogue construction, and it's one of the reasons why the pages are huge. I kinda want to avoid that for now until I figure out how to do it just right. If there's an important conversation going on, I want to keep that conversation fixed in it as much as I can. If I break the paragraph, I might lose the line of thinking, and some of the emotions built in the conversation. I'll try to do as you suggested and break a little bit more the paragraphs, though I can't guarantee much. Maybe from chapter 5 on... But thank you for your helpful criticism. That's what this fanfic needs!**

**Oh, and one more thing. I'm going to have two days to upload my chapters, and they are the weekend. Since I'm actually a busy guy, I figured I would use the week to build up the story and the inspiration, and the weekends to upload 2, 3, maybe even 4 chapters per week, on Saturdays and Sundays. I hope you guys approve my decision, and that will not make you guys go mad asking when the next update is. But before this weekend (June 15-16), I want to upload as many chapters as I can. After this period, it will be 2~4 chapters every weekend, okay? Thank you for your time and let's keep up the story from where we left off, shall we?**

**So... last chapter, Naruto had his life saved by both the Sandaime and the Yondaime. He has inherited the Will of Fire. And even though he's just 4 years old, he's already set off to start his training to become a great shinobi and protect Konoha. How is his training paying off? And who else will he meet? Find out right now! I'm SamHetfield, and welcome to another chapter of...**

**The Orange Hokage**

**Chapter 2: The Day Sun and Moon Bumped Each Other**

**Naruto's new house, the day after the repairing**

Uzumaki Naruto couldn't be happier today. First, he woke up in a comfy new bed, big enough for at least 5 or 6 kids his size. Maybe when the time came to reveal his heritage to his friends, he would invite them over to his house and they would play lots of games on top of it (**Not _those _games, you silly perverts - he's 4 years old, for Kami's sake**). Then he picked a small recipe magazine, which contained recipes easy enough for children to start working on their cooking skills. His choice for today's breakfast was omelet and pancakes, with a citric-fruits vitamin. He was marveled by the amazing taste the food had. Even though he never cooked before in his life, he got the hang of it, but the real reason for such a great reaction to the delicious food was because he never had anything like it before. Before that, his only "meals" were composed of out-of-date fruits and milk. He wondered how in the world did he manage to survive with such bad feeding habits. Oh, right, the Kyuubi... Maybe because of the fact that he was a Jinchuuriki, the Bijuu was responsible for part of the nutrients absorption, and the destruction of some viruses. It made sense, right? If Naruto dies, the Kyuubi dies, so the Fox had little choice but to cooperate. Well, that time was over. Now he was going to eat nutritious food and grow a strong body, so he can become a great shinobi and protect Konoha. He finished drinking his vitamin and went to the brand-new deposit. Apparently the Ino-Shika-Chou trio found the training instruments Minato left for Naruto (they don't know who left it, it was just there and they though it would be nice for Naruto to make use of them) and organized them. Naruto saw 5 boxes. One contained around 150 kunais. The second had 400 shurikens. The third had 10 scrolls of instructions regarding ninjutsu training, a scroll explaining the conception and properties of the 12 hand seals (or hand signs) for using various ninja skills, a tag with 100 chakra papers for determining a person's primary nature attribute, scrolls for basic ninja techniques and lessons of chakra molding, and 10 D and C-rank wind jutsus (Fuuton). The fourth box had 1500 tags for fuuinjutsu practicing, and a book containing instructions for basic and advanced fuuinjutsu. It even contained two specific seals left by the Uzumaki clan, which seemed the most complicated of them all. And the fifth and final box contained two books and 2 scrolls. Naruto tried to open them, but he saw that both books had a lock with a seal attached to it. He picked the fuuinjutsu book to find a match and found out it was a blood seal. He bit his finger to draw some blood and unlocked the books.

Naruto opened the first page and widened his eyes as he learned the contents of the book. It was his father's journal. In it, contained reports of a few missions he accomplished, and his impressions. Each and every mission had one or two lines containing the basic principles of the life of a true shinobi. Naruto picked a pencil and bookmarked these lines, for they would be his principles as well. He opened the second book, which turned out to be a photo album. The first photo was of his father as a child. Alongside him there were two other kids and an adult. One had lavender eyes and no pupils, trademark of the Hyuuga clan, and the other had his face covered by a trench coat. He was probably from the Aburame clan, the kikaichuu-user clan of Konoha. The adult had some sort of whisker drawn from his eyes, and white hair. The photo had a tag in with was written: "_Our first day at team 13. Both my teammates and I graduated at 7, which is surprisingly early for some shinobis. My teammates are Aburame Shibi and Hyuuga Hiashi. My sensei is the one and only Jiraiya-sama, one of Sandaime's three amazing students. I hope to learn a lot of things from him and fulfill my dream of becoming a Hokage._" Naruto looked at the photo. One could say he was the spitting image of his father, save for the whiskers in Naruto's cheeks. The sun-kissed blonde hair and the deep-sea blue eyes were the same. He looked at Jiraiya. "_So this is my godfather... he seems really strong and wise..._", though him. Naruto kept skimming through the photo album until he found one photo in particular that froze him and made tears drop from his eyes. It was a photo of Minato, already an adult, with his blue Jounin shirt, alongside a gorgeous woman with long, beautiful crimson red hair, and an even prettier smile. Naruto could already tell by this woman's smile that she was Minato's wife, his mother Kushina. The tag below had it written: "_It's confirmed for October 10. I'm so happy I'm becoming a father. Kushina came here saying 'We are gonna be parents! -Tebane!' and I almost dropped the oven I was mixing the cake with. Yesterday I read this amazing book called 'Tales of a Brave Ninja', which was written by Jiraiya-sensei. The hero never seemed to give up. I asked sensei if the hero's name could be the name of our son to inherit his braveness. That, of course, made Jiraiya-sensei my boy's godfather. My son will be called..._"

"_...Naruto."_

Naruto cried even more as he finished reading the tag. Until a few days ago he never knew the meaning of love and care, and now he had been filled with so much of it that he though his heart was about to explode. The fact that his parents sacrificed their own lives not only for his sake, but for Konoha as well. The fact that there were those willing to adopt him, despite him being a Jinchuuriki, willing to go as far as making their sons befriend him. He would never be able to repay such love, but he would honor his parent's legacy to make up for their sacrifice. He decided to start training immediately. Naruto set a number of dummy dolls, painted target marks on them and started practicing shuriken and kunai throwing all morning long. He laid down on the floor, tired of all that training. A few minutes passed and his stomach growled. He went to the mural on his house to check the list of restaurants what would not kick him out. He decided to go to the Ichiraku ramen stand. He remembered that one of his father's photographs showed Minato and Kushina in the front of that stand, with a tag written: "_Ichiraku Ramen. Kushina's all-time favorite._" Naruto arrived at the ramen stand and asked for a large bowl of miso ramen. Teuchi, the owner, looked at Naruto and saw the resemblance between him and Minato. "Are you... Naruto?", he asked. "Yes, I am, Ossan", answered Naruto. "But... how do you know me?" Teuchi looked around to make sure the stand was empty and no one outside would hear them. "Truth be told... you look just like your father, that's why I knew it was you." "You knew my father?", asked Naruto, with his eyes widened. "Yes. His mother would drag him here almost everyday. She was my favorite costumer, and she set the record for bowls eaten in one single meal", said Teuchi, giggling a little. Naruto also giggled at hearing that his mother ate so much. "Well, then. I'm going to do my best to break the record! -Dattebayo!" Naruto then picked the bowl and ate it right away. "Keep'em coming!". Ayame, Teuchi's daughter, looked at him with her jaw dropped. "Father, I think he might actually break the record!" "Well, them, let's not keep him waiting. Ayame, today we work!", said Teuchi, tying his sleeves and getting ready for some serious work. At the end of the meal, Naruto had eaten 14 large bowls of ramen and couldn't take it anymore. "Whew! I'm full!", said him, tapping his belly. "So.. how did I go?" "Sorry, kid", said Teuchi. "You still have a long way to go. Your mother's record is 24 bowls of ramen." "**WHAAAAAAAAT?!**", asked Naruto loudly, drawing the attention from some people outside. "Damn... well, I'm going to work hard to break my mom's record. You just wait and see! -Dattebayo!" Naruto paid for the meal and ran towards his house. He would start another practicing session.

As Naruto arrived at his house, he picked the box with scrolls of ninjutsu learning. He started with the chakra molding exercise. He saw that people with large chakra reserves tend to have poor chakra control skills. He sat on the grass and started concentrating. He picked a few of the basic exercises, such as creating **Bunshins**. It didn't work so well, so he started searching the scrolls for something that would better suit him. He stumbled upon the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**. He was impressed by how versatile this technique was. First, it created a physical copy instead of an illusion, making it useful for combat. It dispersed chakra amongst the clones, which helped with the chakra molding exercises. But most importantly, whatever the **Kage Bunshin** learned, the knowledge was absorbed as the clone dispersed, making it useful for... well, just about every single act of spying and training that a ninja faced in his life. He decided to concentrate as much chakra as possible to use the **Kage Bunshin to Jutsu**. He was able to create 2 clones for now. He and the clones picked a few scrolls and read them. By the middle of the afternoon, he dispersed the clones and the knowledge was "downloaded" instantly. He felt a little dizzy after that. He learned the bad way that the exhaustion was also absorbed. He thought about resting a bit, but he decided to run to the playground, hoping to find his friends Shikamaru, Chouji and Ino. When he got to the playground, he didn't find them. Instead, he found a kid with raven-colored hair alone sitting on the swing. Naruto approached the kid. "Hi. Are you playing here all alone?", he asked. The other kid looked at Naruto and answered. "Actually I'm just waiting for my nii-san. But if you want to play, we can play tag if you'd like". "Sure", said Naruto. He tapped the kid's shoulder. "You're it!", said him, running. "Hey, that wasn't fair!", said the boy, running after Naruto. "Deception is a ninja weapon! You do well to remember that!", said Naruto, laughing. The kid laughed back as he ran after Naruto. They kept running and laughing all afternoon long.

They sat on the swings as they watched the sun set. The raven-kid looked at the sun-kid with whiskers in his face. "Hey...", said him. "What's your name?" Naruto raised his eyebrows and put a hand behind his head. "Oh, right, we don't even know each other's name, right? Nice to meet you. I'm Uzumaki Naruto! And you?", said him, with a smile on his face. The kid smiled back as he answered. "Uchiha Sasuke. Nice to meet you too." Suddenly, a tall teenager approached the playground. "Sasuke, it's time to go. Father is waiting for us.", he said. "Well", said Sasuke. "I think it's time to go. I hope to see you again, Naruto. Bye!" "See you around, Sasuke!", answered Naruto, happy for making a new friend. He saw as Sasuke and his older brother walked through the street. Naruto was about to walk back towards his house when he looked at the left corner and recognized Akimichi Chouza a few meters away. He rushed to his direction. "Chouza-san!", shouted Naruto. He wanted to thank him, Inoichi and Shikaku for helping him yesterday. Chouza looked the source of the calling and saw Naruto. "Oh, there you are, boy! I was looking for you, you know?", said him. "Really? Me too!", said Naruto. "I wanted to thank you, Inoichi-san and Shikaku-san from the bottom of my heart for helping me yesterday. It really meant a lot to me and I hope to repay the favor someday." "Think nothing of it, kid", said Chouza. "Say what. I'm going to meet Shikaku and Inoichi at dinner tonight for old time's sake. The children will be there too. Do you want to come?" "Really? I'd love to!", said Naruto, with his eyes shining. He was really happy to have a chance to meet his friends and the other two who helped him. He followed Chouza to the Ino-Shika-Chou's usual dinner spot. Naruto greeted the other two members of the trio and thanked them too. Inoichi and Shikaku only replied that it was nothing and that Naruto could always count on them if he needed anything.

Naruto then sat on the other table where the kids were gathered. He greeted everyone. "So I went to the playground today and you guys weren't there..." "Yeah, I know", said Chouji. "Dad took me to the compound gardens. The butterflies were leaving their cocoons today, and I didn't want to miss it." "Wow, that sure was a beautiful sight", said Ino. "Today daddy took me to the flower store. I had to study a few of them, because I'm going to inherit the store someday". "You guys sure have nice things to do", said Shikamaru. "Today my dad taught me how to play shogi. This game is such a drag... It requires strategy, cleverness, and I'm just too lazy for these troublesome things... I prefer to watch the clouds." "So, you were all busy today... Well, I did train a bit before going to the playground.", said Naruto. "And you just stayed there alone all this time?", asked Ino. "Actually no", answered Naruto. "I met a boy there. He was alone, I asked him if he wanted to play, and we played all afternoon long". "Not many kids go there to play by their own. Who was him?", asked Chouji. "Before we left, he introduced himself to me. His name is Uchiha Sasuke", said Naruto. The three kids opened their mouths surprised by hearing this name. "Wait a minute", said Shikamaru. "You mean THE Uchiha Sasuke? From the Uchiha clan?" "What's the problem? Is there something about the Uchiha clan?", asked Naruto. "My father said", answered Shikamaru. "that the Uchiha can was responsible, along with the Shodaime's Senju clan, for creating Konoha. And the Nidaime built the Police Force for the Uchiha clan. They are probable the noblest of Konoha's clans. They have a bad blood with the Hyuugas, and they are not that much befriended anymore with the Senju clan. They are really strong, natural Fire users, and they have a very powerful Kekkei Gekkai. But they are too proud of themselves because of it." "Kekkei Gekkai?", asked a curious Ino. "Bloodline limit. Basically, they have a special power or jutsu that only the Uchiha clan can use.", answered Chouji. "Dad once told me that the reason behind the bad blood between Hyuugas and Uchihas have something to do with their respective Kekkei Gekkai." "And what are their bloodline limits?", asked Naruto. "I don't know exactly", said Chouji. "I just know this much about these clans. Maybe you know a bit more than me, Shikamaru?" "Actually no", said Shikamaru. "I figured it would be too troublesome to look into these matters. It's not like we belong to either clans, anyway." "Yeah, you're right...", said Naruto.

"But still...", said Ino. "if there's an Uchiha who's not full of himself like the others, maybe we could all befriend him right?" "I don't know for sure," answered Shikamaru. "But it's worth a try. Let's hang out at the playground a bit more often, maybe we can meet him." "I'm sure we can all be friends." said Naruto. "And I am also looking for training partners. He looks pretty strong to me." "Training?", asked Chouji. "We're only 4 years old. Don't you think you're rushing too much?" "Well, if I don't, how am I supposed to become Hokage?", answered Naruto. Everyone looked at him in silence. Shikamaru smiled. "Hokage, eh? You've already set this as your goal? Troublesome kid...", said him. "Still, if you become too much stronger than us, that would be troublesome. I might be too lazy, but I'm not falling behind!" "I have to agree with Shikamaru." said Chouji. "If you become too strong, your life will be kinda dull, and we wouldn't have fun. Besides, the Akimichi clan needs food to become stronger, so I might as well life a happy life eating everything I can as I become a strong shinobi!", he giggled. "I was wondering where the words 'food' and 'eating' would come out", said Ino, giggling too. "But you two are right. If Naruto gets ahead of us, life will be dull, and I don't want that. Besides, Konoha needs all the help they can get. You guys can count me in for your training!". The four kids brought their hands together. "Alright", said Naruto. "Tomorrow you guys can go to my house and we'll have breakfast there. After the breakfast we start our training". "Okay!", said the other three, nodding their heads. The Ino-Shika-Chou trio paid attention to the kids' conversation. "Troublesome kids...", said Shikaku. "They might surpass us if we're not smart". "Then we better make sure we stay sharp", said Chouza. "I'm looking forward to their teenage years, when they become Genin. They will become excellent ninjas." "I'm happy we decided to help Naruto", said Inoichi. "I can already see the Will of Fire burning strong within him. And he's already influencing our kids to work hard for the sake of Konoha... Yondaime was right after all. The people should see him as the hero he truly is." "People will see that in time, Inoichi.", said Shikaku. "The best we can do is help them out and hope that their hard work will open the villagers' hearts." "You're right", said Chouza. "For now, we celebrate the rising of Konoha's new heroes. Cheers!" They cheered and drank their drinks. After everyone parted ways, an ANBU-nin appeared and escorted Naruto home. As they were walking, Naruto noticed something familiar about him.

"Aren't you the same ANBU-nin from yesterday, Inu-san? Did Jiji ask you to take care of me?", asked Naruto. "Very clever, Naruto. Yes, Hokage-sama asked me to look after you so you don't get into trouble. He told me the truth about you and he trusted me with the task of protecting you." "You don't have to worry about me, Inu-san. I'm going to train hard and become Hokage, just like my father. Speaking of which, did you know him?" "As a matter of fact, I did", said Inu. "He was my sensei a long time ago." "Sensei?", asked Naruto. "So you must be... what was his name... Hatake Kakashi?" Kakashi looked around to make sure no one was around and removed his ANBU mask. His face was covered with another mask, and he had high gray hair. His hitai-ate covered his left eye. Probably a scar or something of the sort. "Yes, I am", said him. Naruto looked at him and said: "Kakashi-san, I was wondering..." "Yes?" "What's the point of the ANBU mask?" Kakashi looked at him, took a deep breath and answered: "ANBU is an assassins' squadron. Our main purpose is to perform the most difficult tasks there is for the sake of Konoha. And since the majority of these tasks involve important assassinations, we must remain unknown. Even our body disposal method demands us to either erase the enemy's body... or even our own. We have a motto that says: 'No traces left behind'. We are also responsible for being the Hokage's personal bodyguards. It is our duty to be the strongest ninjas of Konoha, second only to the Hokage. And maybe the Sannin, because they were, in fact, Sandaime-sama's students." "Sannin...? Oh, you mean my godfather and his teammates. They were Jiji's students? Wow, I didn't know Jiji was that strong...", said Naruto. "He is indeed", said Kakashi. "He is the strongest shinobi in Konoha. If you want to be the next Hokage, you must become stronger than him. Not only is he strong, but he's also experienced. He faced two great Ninja Wars and he knows more than one thousand jutsus. People regard him as both 'The Professor' and the 'God of Shinobi'. He is also a wise, honorable and fair leader. Every citizen and ninja in Konoha looks up to him in high regard." Naruto could only look at Kakashi praising the Sandaime, with his jaw about to hit the floor. He was impressed at how much strong Sarutobi was, despite his calm appearance. "_Well, deception IS indeed a strong weapon_", thought him.

"I have a question, Kakashi-san", said Naruto. "Hmm?" "Could you tell me more about my dad and my godfather?" "Well...", said Kakashi, with a hand behind his head. "I'd love to, but we are almost getting you home. And it's late. Maybe another time, okay?" "Yeah, sure...", said Naruto, a bit down. They walked a few more minutes in silence, until Naruto arrived home. He bid Kakashi goodnight, as he saw the already masked ninja put his other mask on (the ANBU one) and **Shunshin** his way out of the grounds. Naruto then took a shower, put on his sleeping clothes and laid down on his large bed, as he drifted his mind reminiscing the great things that happened today. Training hard, meeting his friends, making a new one, having dinner with respectable people and friendly conversations all night long... He thought about the next day. Save for Sasuke, his friends would come to his house to have breakfast and train with him... "_Oh, crap! I forgot to tell them where I live!_", he thought. "_...Oh wait, that's right. Their parents know where I live... whew! For a moment I thought I'd be in trouble for my training tomorrow..._" Naruto drifted a little bit until he remembered his new friend Sasuke. "_I wonder if he's strong... He is from the renowned Uchiha clan, so he must be pretty skillful. I wonder if he'd train with me and the others..._", he thought. After a few minutes, he finally slept, with a smile on his face. Tomorrow promised to be another wonderful day.

**The following morning...**

Naruto woke up still a bit sleepy... "_Maybe I should take seriously mom's advices and sleep a little earlier_', he thought. He took the morning shower, brushed his teeth and put on his clothes. Then he went to the deposit to start mounting the training devices. It took a little bit over 30 minutes until everything was ready. He explored a bit of the surrounding grounds of his house and discovered a small hill with a wonderful view for both the Hokage Monument and a large part of the village. "_Oh, great, I could build a small observation tower here for safety purposes in the future_", he though. For now, he focused his view below to see if the second generation of the Ino-Shika-Chou was coming. He saw Ino and Chouji waiting in the front of a compound. They seemed do be waiting there for nearly an hour. "_They're probably waiting for Shikamaru. He did say something about being too lazy for these things_", he thought, giggling at his thoughts. As soon as he saw Shikamaru leaving his clan's compound, he rushed to his kitchen to prepare breakfast. "_Hmm... if I'm to make breakfast to four people, they'll be here before breakfast is ready_", he thought."_And I haven't even cleaned the house yet. It's my third day here and I already have work for three people... three people...? That's it!_" "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**" He was able to create a 3rd clone, one more than yesterday. "_Those chakra molding exercises are paying off indeed_", he thought. "Okay, clones. One of you will help me make breakfast for my upcoming friends. The other two will clean the house!", said the original. "Okay!", said the three clones in unison, as they started working. Around 15 minutes later, the breakfast was almost ready and the house was clean. Naruto heard the door knock. "I got it!", said one of the clones, as he opened the door. Shikamaru was about to greet the clone when he saw the other clones walking around the house. "What the... you can already use **Kage Bunshin**?", said him. "Yup", answered the original Naruto, who was leaving the kitchen and putting the breakfast on the table. "This is a B-rank Jounin jutsu. How in the world do you have enough chakra to create a clone, let alone three?", asked Ino, clearly surprised. "That's incredible!" "Wow, you think so...?", said a blushed Naruto, with a hand behind the head. "Of course it's incredible", said Chouji. "We're 4 years old. Our chakra reserves are not large enough even for a normal **Bunshin**, let alone a **Kage Bunshin**..." "Yeah", said Ino. "You must have a bloodline or something like that if you're this far ahead of us already, Naruto." Naruto could only blush to these comments. He had no idea how advanced he really was for someone of his age. He knew his Uzumaki bloodline made him have large chakra reserves, but he wasn't aware of his true potential until someone else pointed it out. Suddenly, everyone's stomach growled. "Well, let's have our breakfast, shall we?", he said. "We won't be doing anything if we just stay here talking. -Dattebayo!" "You're right. Let's eat!", said Chouji. "Didn't you already eat a lot this morning, Chouji?", asked Shikamaru. "Well, yeah... But I'm still a bit hungry" "Yeah, me too", said Ino. "Well, we are gonna train, so I might as well eat a lot. Someone my age doesn't need to keep up a diet just yet!" Everyone sweat-dropped at hearing this statement.

Thanks to Kami, Chouji didn't eat too much, so Naruto didn't need to go back to the kitchen to make another meal. After that, everyone went to the training grounds. The dummies were already set, so everyone practiced weapon throwing for about a full hour. Then Naruto stacked a few kunais on the ground to improvise a circle ring for taijutsu sparring. Shikamaru had the idea of asking his father for a bit of crayon to mark the ground the following day, so the kunais wouldn't rust. Everyone approved the idea. As the original Naruto was sparring with his friends, the three clones were at the deposit, checking for scrolls with more chakra molding exercises. One of the clones remembered that in the fifth box, alongside the two books, there were two scrolls. He picked one and opened it. It seemed to be a storage scroll. He looked at the fuuinjutsu book to find a match. Unfortunately, since the chakra was dispersed among the other clones, it would have to wait the ending of the training session to unseal it. The clone dispersed itself to pass on its knowledge to the original. Naruto still felt dizziness for every **Kage Bunshin** dispersed, but he was still able to keep on the taijutsu training with his friends. So far, everyone seemed to grasp the very basics, which was impressive for the first day of joint training. Ino and Chouji were lagging a bit, because of their own particular statures. Shikamaru got the hang of it, but he thought it would be too troublesome to strain himself much longer. Naruto was really tired, because of the accumulative exhaustion of the **Kage Bunshins**, but both his body and his brain were improving in an amazing pace.

"Whew, that was great!", said Chouji, panting heavily, laid down on the grass, like everybody else. "I though it would be overwhelming, considering our young age, but I had a lot of fun! I think I'm gonna get used to this sort of thing." "I have to agree with you there, Chouji!", said Ino. "Maybe we are one lucky generation. Just think, to be able to be this advanced, this early in life? We might be true geniuses!" "Well, one thing is for certain", said Shikamaru. "Since I'm too lazy for these things, the academy will be even more boring and troublesome for us if we keep up like this". Everyone laughed at hearing this. "I'm not dead certain about what you said, Shikamaru", said Naruto. "If Ino is right, our generation is amazing and our colleagues will also be talented and strong. Academy might not be so boring, after all. Speaking of which, when do you intent to enter it?" "I'm not sure", said Ino. "If we keep this rhythm, we might be able to make it as soon as next year, if we are lucky." "Next year?", asked Chouji. "That's too soon. Maybe we should just wait until we are 8, like everyone else". "Why wait so much?", asked Naruto. "We can at least wait until we are 6. If we keep up the hard work, we can become Genin at 7, just like-" he was about to say "my dad", but he remembered to keep quiet about this until the time was right. "Just like who, Naruto?", asked Ino. "Well.. never-mind. Maybe Chouji is right, we should wait until we are 8. We have to enjoy our childhood, right?" "Enjoy our childhood... while training earlier than everybody else?", asked Shikamaru. Everyone stayed in silence for a bit, thinking about it. "Well, that's one way to put it", said Naruto. "If our training sessions are to be as fun as today's, and if we can gather more people, it will be our particular activity for playtime. While lazy brats play in the playground, we train hard, and still get some laughs while we're at it!". "Hey, I play on the playground, you know?", said a slightly upset Shikamaru. "That's because you ARE lazy! -Dattebayo!" everyone laughed loudly at hearing this. Even Shikamaru raised a smile. "Well, how about we have something for lunch? I'm starving!", said Chouji. "I was going to complain that you're always starving, but I'm hungry too...", said Ino, getting up from the grass. "Well, my old man hit an old deer yesterday", said Shikamaru. The Nara clan was famous for having a forest full of deers that they raised. "Although we don't like doing that to our clan's animals, he thought it would be too troublesome to not make advantage of the antlers and meat. He said we could all go there after training." "Then let's not waste any longer", said Naruto. "We're off! -Dattebayo!"

As they had lunch in the Nara compound, Naruto and the other discussed their plans for the next training session. Shikamaru reminded his father of the crayon for the circle ring and gave a sack to Naruto right away. He figured it would be too troublesome to waste time the following day painting the ground if Naruto could do it in this very afternoon. Naruto asked if they knew anyone besides Sasuke who would be happy to be part of the training team. Chouji mentioned a boy of the Inuzuka clan named Kiba, whom he and Shikamaru hanged out with from time to time. Apparently the next month he was going to receive his dog companion to mark him as a potential heir of the clan. Maybe they could talk to him at the right time. Ino couldn't think of anyone. Shikamaru said Kiba used to hang out with a kid who wore trench coat all the time, but he was too lazy to memorize the name. Naruto assumed he was from the Aburame clan. After the lunch, Naruto parted ways with everyone and rushed back to his house. He received a few glares from some citizens on the way, but he didn't care. He knew it was not their fault. When he arrived home, Naruto immediately started working on the crayon sack he received and painted a perfectly round circle ring for the taijutsu training. He then remembered about a memory he received from a **Kage Bunshin** from before. He checked the box with his father's books and saw the storage scroll. He performed the sand signs to unseal the scroll. A puff of could was formed and dispersed, revealing an old box. "_Great, more boxes_", he thought. He opened the box to see the contents. He nearly fainted. Inside there was his father's legendary cloak. It was a large white cloak with red fire drawings on the bottom and the kanjis that formed the name "Yondaime Hokage" engraved in the same red color. But that was not the only content in the box. Naruto noticed there were a few more clothes there, along with another cloak. But they were all way smaller. The clothes were fit for a 8, maybe 9-year-old child. It was a weak orange shirt (**Not the "kill me orange" Naruto usually wears**), a black pair of pants, and a white cloak that looked exactly like Minato's, but without the engraving and the fire pattern. Naruto checked the clothes with amazement. "_This either belonged to my dad, or..._" then Naruto had a mini heart attack. "_No, it couldn't be made for me. I mean, if mom and dad bought this for me, you'd think they'd leave a note..._". Turns out there was a note inside a pocket of the cloak. Naruto picked the note and read it.

_My dear Naruto,_

_I bought these clothes while I was pregnant of you. I had this strong desire to buy them, even though it would take years for you to actually wear them. Minato didn't try to question a pregnant woman's desire, so he just had to go through with it. He said that he would use a storage seal to preserve the clothes so they aren't damaged by time and clothes-moth. I want you to look gorgeous when you start your academy years. If you happen to be good with fuuinjutsu like we both were and find these clothes before you can actually use them, you can rewrite the seal and use the hand signs Boar, Dragon, Horse and Ram to put the clothes back into the scroll. If you're not... well, you can either ask for someone to do it for you or keep them as safe as you can. Any bigger issues you can go to the Te-I-Ro fabric store, that's where I bought them. _(**you like my "tailor" impression, readers?**) _If you are interested in what they got, I'm sure the owner Rinoki can provide something for you. Your orange shirt is a little joke from your father and I. Since he is the "Yellow Flash" and I'm the "Red Hot-Blooded Habanero", the result of the mix would be our orange baby. The black pants make a good mix with both your orange shirt and the white cloak. Since it's just plain white, you can engrave something of your liking, or just paint the cloak with any color you feel yourself comfortable with. But I do want you to acknowledge that these clothes are a gift from me to you, from the bottom of my heart. And always remember: I love you_

_You mother,_

_Uzumaki Kushina, The Red Hot-Blooded Habanero_

Naruto couldn't help but cry again for joy as he finished reading the letter his mother left him (**don't worry, Emo Naruto will be gone by the end of this chapter**). He thanked her for the clothes and remade the seal. He would make his own customization of the clothes the week before the first day of class at the academy. For now he wanted to spend the next 2 hours reading as much as he could. He created 3 **Kage Bunshins** to absorb as much knowledge as he could. The original picked the fuuinjutsu book and the tags for practicing. One clone picked the scroll regarding properties of hand signs. The second clone picked the scroll with chakra molding exercises (**for someone with gigantic chakra reserves like Naruto, chakra molding exercise is never enough**). The third picked a chakra paper and canalized chakra to see which was Naruto's primary element. The paper was torn in two, which determined that Naruto's primary chakra attribute was Wind. Excellent for close-quarters combat, chakra-based weaponry and easy to learn, although pretty hard to dominate, and even harder to come up with an original jutsu. The clone that torn the paper picked a scroll with the lessons of nature manipulation and started practicing. In about one hour, Naruto dispersed the **Kage Bunshins** and absorbed all the knowledge they gained. He fell on the grass exhausted. "_Thank Kami I actually had the good sense of studying for one hour, instead of two as I originally planned_", he thought. "_or I'd probably not make it through the afternoon._" He slept for about an hour and half. When he woke up, he looked the position of the sun and gasped: "Oh, no! Sasuke might have left the playground already! I have to hurry", he said. He then beat off the dirt in his clothes and ran as fast as he could towards the playground. When he was about to hit a corner, he bumped with someone who also seemed in a hurry. "OOOF!", both people shouted, as they fell on the floor.

"Ouch...", said Naruto. "I'm so sorry, I swear to Kami it was an accident, I didn't mean to..." as he raised his head and opened his eyes to look to the person he bumped into, he could barely finish his sentence. "bump... into... you..." The person he bumped into was a little girl, about his size, maybe a bit smaller, around the same age. She had short hair. He couldn't tell if the hair was black or blue. If you looked it on a side, you could swear the hair was black. But if you paid enough attention, the hair was actually blue-colored. The shade of blue was dark, almost night-sky-like blue. The little girl's hair reflected the light of sun in a very crystal white light, which seemed like that, instead of sunlight, it was actually moonlight. It was the most beautiful hair Naruto has ever seen in his life, even being so short for a girl. And the girl itself was also very cute. He actually blushed his cheeks as he first laid eyes on her. She had a very smooth-looking white skin, and beautiful lavender eyes, trademark of the Hyuuga clan. But her eyes seemed gentle and delicate, instead of the usual stiff and aggressive eyes of most Hyuugas. Naruto couldn't stop looking at the girl, until she actually looked at him in the eyes. He then blushed a light shade of red on his cheeks and looked down on the floor.

The girl too was admired by the looks of the boy she just bumped into. She was running at a blinding speed and didn't notice him. Apparently he didn't notice her either. But as she raised her head to apologize, she was stunned at the sight. She never saw a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes before. These traits were incredibly rare in Konoha. His hair was marvelous. It was a bright blonde hair, almost as if the hair was blessed and kissed by the sun itself. And his cerulean eyes seemed to carry both hate and love inside them. Those were beautiful eyes. The boy's face was very pretty, and she thought that the whiskers were actually pretty cute. They gave the boy a certain... wild aspect, although his face seemed pretty pure and innocent. She also blushed a bit the first time she saw him, and as they looked each other in the eyes, she also blushed a shade of red on the cheeks and looked down on the floor. Hers was redder, though.

Naruto quickly raised from the floor and offered his hand to the girl, who was still on the ground. "I-I-I'm so sorry f-f-or bumping in-into... you. A-a-a-are you okay...?", he asked, still blushing and stuttering. He was asking himself what was that feeling. He never felt this nervous around a girl before. The girl seemed even redder and more nervous than him. "Y-y-y-y-yes, I-I-I'm o-okay... I t-t-think... D-do-don't worry, I'm the one who's s-s-sorry...", she said. She picked his hand, although VERY nervous to do so, and raised from the floor. Naruto tried to break the ice. "Ano... well, you see... I was heading for the... playground... and I was running so fast that I... I... didn't see you. So, ano... I'm so sorry for that... okay?", he said, still stuttering a bit. The girl felt a little more relaxed and answered: "No... i-i-it's f-fine, really... I was also, ano... running, and I... ano... I wasn't... paying any attention... so... I-I'm sorry... as well..." "Don't worry, it's all right now.", said Naruto, more relaxed now. "Do you need any help? Maybe a place to rest... you look a bit tired.". The girl was surprised to receive this sort of concern from a stranger she never met before. Maybe he didn't know about her family. But she decided to accept the boy's help. "Of course.. thank you for your kindness...", said the girl, a bit more relaxed. "Where could we go?", asked her. "I was supposed to meet someone at the playground.", said Naruto. The girl put her hands over her mouth and gasped. She was on the verge of crying. "Oh dear Kami, I'm in your way. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to..." "Nah, that's okay. He must have been long gone anyway", said Naruto. "You see, I was already so late I should have been there for at least more than an hour ago. But hey, I don't want to go there all alone, and I also don't want to leave you here on your own. So I suggest we go to the playground together. What do you say?" The girl lowered her head, a little blushed because of the invitation. But she couldn't find a way to refuse his invitation, so she just nodded her head in agreement and they both went to the playground.

When they arrived there, Naruto's presumption was right. The playground was empty. He was a little let down, but at least he wasn't all alone. The two kids sat on the swing and Naruto noticed the girl was a little down in her spirits. "So, um...", said a nervous Naruto. "Gee, I was going to start a conversation, but I don't even know your name... Well, let me introduce myself. My name is Uzumaki Naruto!" the girl felt a little embarrassed for forgetting to introduce herself. She feared for a moment that her etiquette classes were all for naught and was desperate to apologize to him. But she recomposed herself and did the best she could to answer Naruto with a smile in her face. "My name is Hyuuga Hinata. It's an honor to meet you, Naruto-san." "No need to be polite, Hinata", said Naruto. "I'm really not into these formalities. Just Naruto is good enough! -Dattebayo!" His smile was so beautiful Hinata lost herself in it, smiling back. "Hinata?", asked a curious Naruto, trying to understand why this cute girl couldn't stop looking at him. He actually blushed a bit when he thought of that. "Hello, Earth to Hinata, can you hear me?" Hinata came back to her senses and gasped. She put her hands over her mouth and blushed a dark red. "Oh, I-I-I'm sorry... I was... j-j-just a bit... d-distracted, that's all...", said her. "Hmm... I understand", said Naruto. "You must have a lot on your mind. But as I was saying, no need to be so polite. You can just call me Naruto, okay?" "Okay then, Naruto...kun." said her, with her head low, shill a bit blushed. "_Hmm... I guess the Hyuuga clan is really picky on her if she's so used to being polite..._", thought him. "_But this shy attitude of hers is actually pretty cute... wait.. what am I thinking?_" At this moment, Naruto looked away and blushed a light red from his cheeks.

"Say, Hinata...", said a slightly embarrassed Naruto, trying to chill out again. "I was running to the playground because I was supposed to find a friend here, but I was so late he must've gone away way before we bumped each other. But... why were you running so hastily?" His question hit her in a hard place. But this boy in front of her seemed to bee too much of a nice person to judge her, she thought, so she took a deep breath and started talking: "I just found out today that my mother is pregnant... I'm going to have a little sister." Naruto was surprised at hearing this. "Wow, a little sister? That sounds incredible! Just think. You two would play and laugh and even train together! I wish I could be this lucky to have a little sister like-" before he finished, he noticed she started crying. "Hinata...? What's wrong? Are you... sad?" "I'm sorry for you to be seeing this, Naruto-kun... but... as much as it pains me to say this... I don't want to have a little sister." Naruto was shocked at hearing this. "But.. why? Aren't you supposed to love your siblings? Sure, I don't know what it's like, but it can't be all that bad... right...?", asked him, with concern in his eyes. Hinata took another deep breath and contained herself from crying more. She knew she could trust him, so she resumed the conversation. "Yes, Naruto-kun, I love my little sister... But the problem is with the Hyuuga clan. You see, we have two houses in the family: the Main House and the Branch House." "Main House and Branch House...? Do they have particular differences between each other?", asked him. "Yes", answered Hinata. "The Main house is composed of the direct descendants of the clan founders, and we have many privileges compared to the Branch House. I'm part of the Main House as well, since my father is the clan head." "Wow, that's incredible!", said a surprised Naruto. He never would have guessed Hinata's position was so privileged.

"But the Branch Family...", said Hinata. "Is one of the reasons behind the problem I have accepting my little sister." "Why is that?", asked Naruto. "Because of our bloodline limit", answered Hinata. "The Hyuugas are know for their powerful bloodline limit. Many villages and countries were willing to do anything to get their hands on the Hyuugas' special abilities. And that is the reason the Branch House exists." "What do you mean?", asked him. "You see," said her. "To protect the secret abilities of the Hyuuga clan, the original elders created a **Juuin Jutsu** (cursing seal technique) know as the **Caged Bird Seal**. If a Hyuuga with this seal were to be killed, the bloodline would be sealed forever, and the enemies could never discover its secrets." "I see what you're getting at, Hinata...", said Naruto, a bit sad. "The Branch House is composed of the ones who have this useful, but at the same time, disgusting seal. Am I right?" "Yes, you are right... But that's not even the worst part...", said her. "_There's more?_", thought a surprised Naruto. "The seal was created to ensure the Branch House would never rebel against the Main House. First, because only the members of the Main House know how to create and activate the seal. And second..." Hinata looked down on the floor and let a few tears drop from her eyes. Naruto didn't like where this was ending. Hinata raised her head and continued: "...because when a member of the Main House uses it, the seal on the member of the Branch House causes extreme pain, to the point where he could even be killed. The seal is, as I said before, the absolute weapon of discipline and order in the two houses." Naruto was horrified and with his fists ferociously closed, to the point it split a few drops of blood. This seal was horrible in its very conception and he couldn't forgive such dreadful act of disgust. "And this is why I don't know what to do... I work very hard to please my father and prove I can be the clan heiress, but I fear for my sister's fate. And truth be told, I'm not that much talented. I work hard, but my skills are lower than they should be. If my sister turns out to be more talented than me, then she will be the heiress, and the elders will put the seal in me... and I will become a member of the Branch House." Naruto could see the deep sadness inside Hinata's lavender eyes. "But... can't you do anything to avoid this seal?", asked him. "Well...", said her. "Even if I proved myself to be strong and ask for delaying... by the time I turned 16... I'd be forced to either become the official heiress of be submitted to the **Caged Bird Seal**. My only choice is to buy as much time as I can...", said her, as she started crying again.

Naruto wasn't sure of what he could say to cheer her up. He wanted to help her, but that would bring troubles for her upcoming sister... but if he didn't do anything, Hinata could be the one destined to be sealed. He took a few minutes to think, and he asked: "Is there any chance whatsoever for both of you to avoid the seal...?" Hinata couldn't believe of what he asked. He would be willing to help her this much? She didn't even know what to think of all of this. But she wanted to see how far would he be willing to go. "Well, I can think of two ways...", said her. "One is that... if somehow the elders can make an oath to grant immunity for one of us, as the other is chosen as heiress. That could work, but... That would be almost impossible. The second situation would be the most common one..." "And what would that be...?", asked Naruto. Hinata then blushed a crimson red and looked down on the floor. "So.. what is it?", asked Naruto again. He wondered what made her blush this much... was she having a fever or something? "... ..iage... ...", said her, with a very low voice. "What...?" "... … ...Marriage... … that would be... the second choice...", said her, blushing even more. "What? No way! You mean... Really?", asked him. He also blushed a bit at hearing this. "Yes...", answered Hinata. "If either me or my little sister were the be betrothed to another clan, either of us would gain guarantee of the seal without the elders requiring to an oath... since we would no longer be part of the clan..." Hinata's face had a shade of red which was unheard of. She liked how Naruto was willing to help her, but she thought he would never be willing to go as far as marrying her or her sister. Until he answered. "Okay, I'll take a chance!"

…

…

…

… "What?", she asked. "That's right, you heard me. When I become Hokage, I will change the Hyuugas! -Dattebayo!" For a moment, she though he lost his mind. But the flare and passion in his eyes proved her wrong. He was dead serious. For her sake, he would work hard to become Hokage just to help her and her family. "And if I can't change the Hyuugas, I'll make those nasty elders of your clan eat a dozen oaths for breakfast, lunch and dinner to save you! And if even that is not enough..." At this moment, Hinata thought: "_If he suggests that we marry each other, I don't think I'll take it..._" "...If nothing else works, then I'll marry you! -Dattebayo!", said a cheerful Naruto. Hinata looked at him like he was a angel sent from heaven, willing to do everything to help her. However her dreamy image would last for a short time, since she fainted and fell off the swing. "Hinata? Oi! **HINATA! OH DEAR KAMI, DON'T DIE ON ME! HINATA!**", yelled a desperate Naruto. He wasn't aware of his actions. He just betrothed himself to her. Well, in a way. But he still promised to marry her. Hinata had passed out, but she had a ear-to-ear smile on her face. Naruto was a bit too worried about her to notice the smile, though. A few minutes later, Hinata was conscious again. "_For some reason, the ground feels... soft_", she thought. "_For some reason, if reminds me of my mother when she put my head on her lap to rest... If felt so comfortable... wait, it does feel comfortable right now... am I... sleeping on someone's lap? Last I remember, I was with..._" she then opened her eyes, and to her surprise, she saw Naruto's face upside down. "...Naruto-kun...Hmm?" She then realized she was sleeping on his lap. She let out a little scream and rose up. She then leaned her head down, blushing a red redder than the sunset Naruto kept admiring while taking care of her. She was so ashamed it took forever for her to build courage and look at him. Naruto looked at her, with a slight blush on his cheeks. He never did anything like that with a girl before. He gave her a small, but truly blissful smile and asked her, still a bit embarrassed: "Are you alright now, Hinata? I was worried about you..." Hinata was stunned at the sight. The boy who promised to change the Hyuugas, willing to go as far as marrying her, had his face kissed by the sunset's rays. His hair had a slight shade of orange mixed with his golden blonde natural color. It was the most beautiful hair she's ever seen. She couldn't stop blushing, but she finally gathered the courage to talk to him.

"Naruto-kun..." "Yes, Hinata?" "... … ...Why are you willing to go so far for me? We've only met each other... and I'm not that strong... and you don't even know if my clan will be accepting you as a suitor... you might be taken for a foll... I don't want you to get involved in this because of my weakness... I don't deserve such generosity... I don't even-" "Hinata...", said him. "I don't know exactly what you think of me know... and honestly, I could care less. But you are a very nice person. And don't you ever call yourself weak again... Feeling down like that will only make things worse. Believe in yourself. Believe in your strength. And another thing..." Hinata was impressed at his words. He was so much more mature one could ever think. "If I promised to help you, I'm gonna do whatever it takes to keep that promise. Because I never go back on my word. That's my nindo! -Dattebayo!" Hinata's eyes widened at hearing this last phrase. "_Never go back on my word..._" these words flew through Hinata's mind. She then gave Naruto a huge smile and hugged him. Naruto stood there frozen. He has never been hugged before in his life. His cheeks were as red as Hinata's. "Thank you so much, Naruto-kun. I was so sad and you made me happier today. I promise I will become stronger so you can help me change the Hyuugas. And like you, I won't go back on my word. Because that is my nindo too!", said her. Naruto's mouth was widely opened. He was getting used to thanking people and giving them hugs ans promises, but never before he received these hugs and promises from someone else. He could only smile back at her. "So...", said him, with a bright red blush on his cheeks. "Are you busy tomorrow morning?" "I don't know... why?", asked her. "Well, because, you see...", said Naruto. "my friends and I have this training ground, all by ourselves, at the northwest border... So I was wondering if you could show up there. We could all train together. Besides being fun, it would be quite a productive training... what would you say...?" "Well...", said Hinata. "It might be difficult... my father is a good, comprehensive man, but I think he'd rather have me training under his tutelage..." "Oh, I understand...", said him. "But if you manage to convince him to train with us, come over by breakfast time. We always begin out training after that. Okay?" "Okay, Naruto-kun. I'll see what I can do", answered her.

"Oh, thank Kami, there you are, Hinata-sama!", said a voice that caught the kids' attention. "Oh, it's you Ko!", said Hinata. "I've been looking all over for you, Hinata-sama. What are you doing with this brat? Come, you father is worried about you!", said him, as he grabbed Hinata's hand and dragged her away from Naruto. "B-b-but... Ko, wait! What are you...?" "You are not to be seen close to him, Hinata-sama. Do you understand?", said Ko. He knew about Naruto's condition, but he couldn't say a thing. "B-but... why? He is such a nice-" "He is not what he made you think he is, Hinata-sama. He's not to be trusted. Besides, you are the heiress of the Hyuuga clan. You have better things to do than hang around with lowlife orphans like that boy!", said Ko. Hinata was always a timid and calm soul, but something seemed off about Ko's reaction towards that boy that she couldn't take anymore. She snapped. "That's enough, Ko! As the Hyuuga heiress, I **DEMAND** you let go of me!" Ko was absolutely terrified at this unknown Hinata. He let go of her hand and stood there frozen, as he saw Hinata's complete 180-degree turn on her personality. "He gave me happiness when all of you members of the clan gave me sadness. He offered help with my training while the elders pushed me like I was a slave. And he promised to become Hokage and help me get rid of that accursed seal I so despise to save me and my upcoming little sister, while you just stand still, just waiting for fate to knock on your door like there's no escape. And he is my friend, and I will not allow you, nor anyone else in the clan to insult him! I don't know how much do you know about him, but I know one thing for certain. He is not a lowlife brat! He is an honorable person, and he will become the greatest shinobi Konoha has ever seen! And I will work hard to become as strong as he is! Don't you ever dare to treat him like that again, **DO YOU UNDERSTAND?**", yelled her, as she was catching up with her breath. Ko drifted in his thoughts. "_This is not the Hinata-sama I once knew. She seems to have become as strong as the Hokage-sama himself for a moment there. Did that Jinchuuriki really give her so much strength...?_" Ko was upset at some of his thoughts, but he could not refuse Hinata's orders. So he just answered "Yes, Hinata-sama. I apologize for my behavior", as he escorted Hinata back to the Hyuuga compound. "_I better start paying attention to that Jinchuuriki's movements... I must report Hinata-sama's behavior to Hiashi-sama immediately_", he thought. Hinata's thoughts were more positive. "_Thank you, Naruto-kun. You made me so much stronger today I can barely recognize myself. I promise you I'll become stronger. Because like you, I never give up on my word. Because that's my nindo!_" She returned to the Hyuuga compound, ready to challenge whoever dared to stand in the way of her new-found dreams, which included the salvation of the Hyuuga clan... and Naruto's heart.

**A/N: Whew!, That was a long chapter... and a tough one to write too, although I did have most of the setting in hand.**

**Now, about Ko's appearance there... yeah, he starts off as the asshole-bodyguard... He does know about Naruto's Jinchuuriki condition, but he never understood Yondaime's wish for Naruto to be seen as a hero for keeping the Kyuubi at bay. Hiashi doesn't understand either at the beginning, he just acknowledges Naruto's potential to become a great ninja, but without the "hero" aspect of it. Both characters will accept Naruto sooner than you guys think. Ko will have a complete 180-degree on his opinion about Naruto. Hiashi already has _some_ positive regards for Naruto. He just will have a hard time accepting Hinata to love him. But when the time comes for Naruto to face Neji in the Chuunin Shiken, Naruto will be so much more badass and will be resemble so much his father that Hiashi will notice the resemblance between Naruto and his former teammate (as you saw in the beginning of this chapter, I made Minato, Shibi and Hiashi teammates because of plot devices I want to implement). He will finally make the association and he will accept Hinata's love. Not because he is the son of the Yondaime. Hell, Sasuke could be Minato's son he'd still be an asshole at many people's point of view (no, I'm not bashing Sasuke, I'm just stating a fact). But because he sees the honor, value and the Will of Fire burning strong inside Naruto's heart and starts believing in his promise to change the Hyuugas and save both his daughters. By that point, NaruHina will take off big time. Actually, I intend the NaruHina pairing to be strong as early as I can, but they will only hold hands in public after Hiashi's turn of heart.**

**Sasuke... well, I intent to put Sasuke at least 4 more times in the story before the 1st or 2nd month of the academy (which should be the time in canon that the Uchiha Massacre took place), and one will surely involve him participating in at least 2 weeks of training sessions with the kids. By the time that happens, Shino and Kiba should be there, too. Hinata will show up after Sasuke, probably after the bullies filler (my personal device for Ko and Hiashi to accept him as Hinata's friend). And Sakura... well, she will most likely appear only at the academy. She will become a banshee. Although I actually do care about Sakura's character development, her academy days could never be really that well developed, no matter how much a good fanfic writer you are. Her character literally SCREAMS banshee with dark-inner-side. After Naruto shows up his kickass academy version, she will then take a 180-turn degree on her personality and become 1% more useful, specially at the Nami no Kuni arc. She might actually be able to stand up against non-banshee Ino and surprise a few people, who knows?**

**And I'm so happy for making Hinata and Naruto betroth each other at their very first meeting. YAY! Honestly I didn't think I could do it, but that set up the plot device for the NaruHina pairing I so craved for. A promised couple is, like, the cutest thing in the world, and since they are one of the cutest couples out there, I wanted to give that to them. And I'm sorry pervy folks. NO LEMON UNTIL THE SHIPPUUDEN ARC! But don't worry, every couple I intent to create will have plenty of love to give and share.**

**About Kakashi... he will be the Jounin Sensei for team 7, and the team will be composed of Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura. The canon made the perfect teams. One for investigation and CQC, another for all-out combat and the other for specialized tracking. Besides, with Naruto thinking about Hinata instead of bothering Sakura, SasuSaku will blossom. Not as quickly as NaruHina (hell, the pairing has been made already), but I have some plans for this couple.**

**And I know you loved them clothes. I wanted to give Naruto the best set of clothes possible, so I gave him a bright-orange shirt (to remind people this fanfic is called "The Orange Hokage"), black pants to match anything and a cloak that makes him look like Minato. Now here's a little pool I throw to you:**

**Black with red fire and red engravings, to look cool? (Naruto looks awesome in black and red)**

**White with red fire and engravings, just like the Yondaime's? (Minato's spitting face, villagers with their jaws on the floor)**

**Red with black fire-like-stripes? (Sennin cloak – I freaking love that thing)**

**Or your own idea?**

**Personally, even though the white Minato-like cloak is a bit cliche, it does have a really nice ring to it. And the Sennin cloak would just look freaking awesome, although I'd like to leave that for the Shippuuden arc. It just feels right for me. But hey, if you guys have your own original ideas for an awesome cloak that fits his orange shirt, please suggest. I'd be more than happy to consider it.**

**I think that's everything for now. Now, if you excuse me, it's 1 AM of Tuesday, June 11th, and it's my birthday. I deserve some rest (not for you guys, who will probably see this chapter this upcoming weekend, bit I am pretty tired and done with this chapter, so for now I deserve some rest). Please review, and until next chapter, where we show off a bit of the results of the kids' early practicing. Also Kiba and Shino make their way through the story and start training as well. See you guys later. Bye!**


	4. Chapter 3: The Fellowship of Fire

**Wow, I took the whole week to write this damn thing. I know I promised to publish as many chapters as I could before the usual twice per weekend I committed myself, but this thing was ward to write. Since I needed to slightly change my writing style to fit a more demanding audience, this took me longer than expected. Once again I thank you guys for your support, and thanks for the Happy B-day wishes as well. This whole week has been amazing for me, so I thank all my friends, family and you, dear readers, for making my life better every day.**

**Okay, now for the usual replies...**

**USAVet: yeah, someone else pointed that out. Even though I said I'd start practicing, Chapter 2 ended up even worse for some people than I thought it would be. Sorry if you didn't like the writing style. This chapter is a little bit different than the others, I swear. I hope you enjoy it.**

**Naruhinalover20 (okay, now there's a guy who's probably enjoying the fanfic – thanks a bunch, man!): Actually, as you will see in the beginning of this chapter, the Kumo incident, just like canon, has already happened a year before. But Naruto will earn Hiashi's and Ko's trust in this very chapter, so don't worry. Although we won't see Naruto lunching and sleeping at the Hyuuga compound until a little bit later in the story. And I decided to ditch the bullies. I realized that a strong Hinata would give bullies hell on earth, and Naruto would be useless. Besides, there are far better plot mechanisms.**

**zafnak: Sorry, never heard of that movie. And I wasn't aware of the Ryo currency. I know about Yen and Sen from both real life and Rurouni Kenshin. And wow, that is some hefty amount of money... But some fanfics I know use a way smaller currency tax than the one you mentioned, so I'm just going through with it. The money Naruto had would be enough to buy some land and build a small but decent house in this fanfic's perspective, but since the house was old and there was no furniture, food, gas, water and electricity, he just managed the money so there was some left to tend for the groceries and bills. But since Naruto spends money with ramen as well, Jiraiya will indeed, through Hiruzen, give Naruto monthly allowances. He is a good godfather, after all.**

**Shawn2012: Nope. As much as I love these nasty kinky things, I'd rather prefer have the proper usual fan-couples we all know. But there will be lots of fun. Oh just you wait...**

**Blazingen1: Hey, nice idea for the cloak! Haven't thought of that... Maybe I can even mix with one of the other options and make something amazingly badass. Thank you so much for the idea!**

**Shinobi of life: I'm still not sure if she's gonna learn genjutsu just yet. I know I want her to be a medic-nin right as early as the Chuunin Shiken. And she will give non-fangirl Ino a run for her money.**

**Now, let's move on with the story. The boy blessed by the sun met a girl blessed by the moon and promised to chance her clan's cruel hatred cycle. He is willing to go as far as marrying her to keep his promise. What are they feeling now? What will their future be? And how many more people will inherit the Will of Fire? Find out right now! I'm SamHetfield, and welcome to another chapter of...**

**The Orange Hokage**

**Chapter 3: The Fellowship of Fire**

**That night, Hyuuga Compound**

Hyuuga Hiashi, the head of the Hyuuga clan, was checking the many papers to be handled with for about 3 hours straight after dinner. Apparently Hiruzen was not the only one in Konoha that had to deal with paperwork all the time. Hiashi was not as busy as Hiruzen, but he liked to scan through the paperwork to drift his mind off more troublesome matters. Like the one that Ko, one of the Main House's most trusted servant, brought. He tried the best he could to drift his mind of that conversation they had, but it was burning through his mind.

**Around 90 minutes earlier...**

"Hiashi-sama, there's something I'd like to discuss with you, if you could please spare some of your time", said Ko, bowing his head before the clan head as he entered his office. Hiashi put his reading glasses in the corner of the table and raised his head to look at Ko. "What seems to be the matter, Ko?", asked Hiashi. "Is Hinata alright? I heard from a few members that you seemed intimidated by her when you two returned to the Main House." "That's one wait to put it, Sir", said Ko. "You see, after she ran off the Main House earlier, I've been looking around for a long time and-" "Before you continue, Ko...", said Hiashi, interrupting his servant. "I want to know what is your opinion about the fact that I will have another daughter." Ko stayed silent for a few seconds, until he gathered the proper words to say.

"I consider the honor of a lifetime to be serving and protecting not one, but two potential candidates for our prestigious clan's heiress position, sir. Nothing makes me happier than being able to work hard for the sake of the Hyuuga clan, and I-" before he finished, Hiashi interrupted him again. "You must surely understand, Ko...", said him. "...that the Hyuugas are not supposed to fight just for the clan's own sake. We fight and risk our lives for Konohagakure no Sato, our true home and sanctuary." Ko stayed silent. He knew his attitude before was not the most correct and he could not hide the shame. "But don't blame yourself for that, Ko. Most of the troubles the Hyuuga clan faces today are matters that were born inside this very house. My brother and myself are living proof of that." Hiashi raised from his desk as he approached a set of frames on the wall.

"Our difference of birth time was by a few minutes, and because of our clan's laws, even though our strengths were similar, he has been branded with the **Caged Bird Seal**. His son Neji was born with the most developed Byakugan of the entire clan, but because of the clan's issues, he now believes to be cursed by fate. My brother's death last year didn't help him either. Neji holds a fierce grudge against us because of what happened..."

"But it couldn't be helped, Hiashi-sama. If you were the one to be killed that day, the secret of the Byakugan would be revealed to Konoha's enemies. Hizashi-sama chose to die that day not because of the Hyuuga clan, but because of his undying love for his family, friends and Konoha! You yourself believe in that, isn't that right, Sir?", asked Ko, concerned about his master.

"Yes Ko, you are right", said Hiashi. "He did say that before he sacrificed himself. But I still believe that he was forced to choose that particular fate for him... and I fear that Neji might never forgive the Main House for ruining his life... And that brings me to the concern of my upcoming daughter. I fear for her fate... and I want to do everything I can to avoid my brother's cruel destiny to repeat towards my two daughters..."

"About the Hyuugas' destiny, Hiashi-sama...", said Ko. "That's exactly the reason why Hinata-sama was so intimidating today, as some people pointed out today..." Hiashi raised an eyebrow. He thought strange hearing that Hinata would be an intimidating person when it concerned the Hyuuga clan. "Really?", asked him. "What happened?" Ko took a deep breath and answered: "When I was looking for her, I found her... and she was accompanied by that boy Naruto."

Hiashi raised both eyebrows now. "You're telling me my daughter has befriended the Jinchuuriki?" "It seemed to be the case, Hiashi-sama", said Ko. "I dragged her away from the Jinchuuriki, and I was telling her to stay away from him. That's when it happened." "What happened?", asked Hiashi. Ko lowered his head for a moment before he raised it again and answered: "Hinata-sama snapped in anger and yelled at me, demanding I stopped mistreating the Jinchuuriki."

Hiashi widened his eyes for even considering such attitude would come from his calm and shy daughter. Ko kept talking. "She said something about the Naruto boy willing to help her in her training, and even promising her to become Hokage to help her changing the laws of our clan regarding the **Caged Bird Seal**. She even called him her friend. Although it's not in my place to judge her attitude, I honestly refuse to accept the possibility of the Jinchuuriki becoming her friend. As a Jinchuuriki, I only consider him to be a burden Konoha has to deal with and-" "That's enough for now, Ko", said Hiashi, raising his hand.

"I understand your feelings and the feelings of the majority of Konoha towards the boy. But we are a noble shinobi clan. Our takes on these matters must be that of shinobis. I agree with you that the thought of my daughter befriending the Jinchuuriki is not what I thought it would happen. But I cannot say right now that I refuse that. His condition allows him to grow as a strong ninja. Maybe they would end up on the same Genin team, or cooperate in joint missions, so befriending him is not as bad as you believe, Ko. I promise you I will be the one to judge the matter of the possible bond of friendship between Hinata and Naruto."

"If I may, Hiashi-sama...", said Ko. "Since you will be the one to have the final word on the matter, what am I supposed to do if Hinata-sama approaches him?", asked him. Hiashi took a deep breath and answered: "Your report assumes that Hinata is already changing her personality due to her interaction with the boy. As you reported, she seemed convict and confident in standing up for him. This attitude, if well guided, will make her stronger than any training I can ever give her. For now, do as Hinata told you and don't mistreat him."

"And don't try to disobey her even you seem to be out of her sight. There is a reason why the Hyuugas are known to be all-seeing. Put aside your hatred towards the Jinchuuriki and let him stay close to her. Watch their movements and see for yourself if he is indeed the one that is making Hinata so strong-willed. Then report to me and I'll make my decision. Understand?"

"Yes, Hiashi-sama", said Ko. "I'll make my leave now, if you'll excuse me." Ko then bowed before Hiashi and left his office. The clan head then put back on his reading glasses and returned to the paperwork.

**Back at the present time**

After reminiscing through the conversation he had with his servant, Hiashi stopped scanning through the paperwork and left his office. He then slid a bit the door to Hinata's bedroom and watched his daughter, as she slept peacefully, cuddled to her pillow and whispering "Naruto...kun...", with a big smile on her face. Hiashi couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, noticing how attached Hinata seemed to be for a boy she only first met that same afternoon. Apparently Ko was indeed serious when he pointed out that Naruto seemed to influence his daughter's personality and confidence. He then closed the door and moved to his bedroom, where his wife Hikari was sleeping. He laid down on his bed and kept his face facing the ceiling for about 30 minutes, unable to sleep. He thought about talking with Hinata the following day regarding Naruto. He just didn't know what to say to her. He couldn't think of anything as he turned sideways waiting for sleepiness to come. Hiashi was surprised by his wife's arms embracing him from behind.

"Is something the matter, dear? You took so long to come to bed, and you still can't sleep...", said her. He then turned his face facing Hikari and they stood a few inches away from each other. He took a deep breath and answered: "It's been a long night, love. I'm worried about Hinata... she seems worried about having a sister, and she seems to have befriended the Naruto boy."

"You mean the Jinchuuriki?", asked her. "Hinata told me about him today when we were alone. You would never believe it if I told you." "Really, now...?", said Hiashi. "What did she tell you, my love?" She giggled at his husband's curiosity. Hiashi always positioned himself as a strong and wise man, but before her he seemed weak and clueless. Hikari was going to ease his pain, but just a bit.

"She told me that the Naruto boy was determined to help her with the issues regarding the dirty practices of the clan elders. She told me that he told her, ans as I quote, 'When I become Hokage, I will change the Hyuugas! -Dattebayo! And if I can't change the Hyuugas, I'll make those nasty elders of your clan eat a dozen oaths for breakfast, lunch and dinner to save you! And if even that is not enough...'" she stopped talking. Hiashi waited for the end of the boy's quote, but it never came. "...And? Then what?", asked a curious Hiashi. "Now that is a little girl's secret", said her, giggling. "If you want to know the rest, ask her yourself, although she won't say it so easily."

Hiashi could only sigh, as he laid his head on the pillow. "I'm still worried about Hinata, though. Not only is she befriending Naruto, she also seems to have her doubts about her sister..." "Oh, I think that issue is history now", said her. Hiashi raised an eyebrow and looked at Hikari. "What do you mean by that?", he asked. She giggled again ans answered. "After she talked about the boy, she said she had a name for the baby." Hiashi widened his eyes and opened his jaw wide. "I can't believe in this. She ran off the compound because of the baby! How could she have-?" at this moment, Hiashi had an insight. Could that boy be the reason? At first he just assumed Naruto's promise was a simple childish way to cheer Hinata up. Now he was even more curious about him. If his attitude made Hinata change so much, he definitely had to pay attention to him.

But he put these thoughts aside. "So... what was the name Hinata came up with?", asked him. Hikari answered with a beautiful smile: "Hanabi. That's the name Hinata came up for her little sister. And I loved it." Hiashi could only smile at hearing this. "Okay, then. Hanabi will be the girl's name. She will be quite a cracker amongst the Hyuugas", said Hiashi. (**Hanabi = fireworks/firecrackers**) Both laughed and kissed each other before they bid goodnight and laid down cuddling each other, as they slept peacefully.

**The following morning...**

Hyuuga Hinata woke up drooling a bit on a pillow in which she had her arms and legs wrapped. She blushed a dark red shade, obviously making the association of the pillow with the cute sun-kissed blonde boy she just befriended the previous day, and put it aside. She was still a bit sleepy, but she quickly entered the bathroom, had her shower and wore a beautiful flower-patterned kimono. Then she opened the door and headed to the family's dining table. It was a large table, fit for around 20 plates from one end to the other, which rested just a few inches from the floor (**Japanese tables are pretty low, because they don't sit on chairs, but rather on their knees**). Her spot was close to the left end of the table, alongside her mother Hikari, with her father Hiashi sitting on the left end. Besides them, other few members of the Main House sat on the table, including the clan elders.

They were the strongest and most respected members of the Hyuuga clan, and to them was passed on the secrets of the **Caged Bird Seal**. They were also the ones who put them in every member of the Branch House. The elders were responsible for keeping the order and discipline in both houses and for teaching the family heads to pass on the **Jyuken** (**Gentle Fist**) stance for the young ones. They demanded the training sessions to be as rigorous as they could possibly be, for no weaklings were allowed in the clan. The elders also made sure to be rigid about the psychological traits of the members. It was because of them that most of the members, specially those of the Main House, were arrogant, snobbish, spoiled and mistreated anyone they didn't consider noble, which included about every single ninja and civilian in Konoha. They cared only for the grandness of the clan, and they would be able to sacrifice Konoha itself if it meant the clan's personal prosperity.

The elders hated Hikari, for she was a kind and lovely person. And she made Hiashi, which they believed to be one of the Hyuugas' finest ninjas, a caring father and a comprehensive and democratic man, whose opinion was respected by all, including the Hokage. They abhorred Hikari and Hiashi for not following their designs of strength and pride, but since they could not challenge Hiashi in fear of retaliation by the Hokage, they made it up by pushing Hinata's training to the level of slavery. And the fact that there was another daughter coming made the elders come up with plans to try to make either one of the girls their personal puppet. But they knew that as long as the girls' mother was around, their plans were futile. That is why this particular morning they tortured one of the servants of the Main House and forced her to slip slow-acting poison in Hikari's favorite tea, The poison would make her body frail and weak. If the elders' assumptions were correct, Hikari would surely die while giving birth to the upcoming girl. Hiashi's pillar of strength would crumble and they would make him do whatever pleased them. From this day forward, dark times were coming for the Hyuuga clan.

Hiashi, however, would not notice the upcoming chaos for quite a while. Today, after breakfast was over, he called his daughter to his office. When they got there, Hiashi brought the courage to talk what he was willing to. "Hinata, I heard you displayed quite an unexpected behavior yesterday. Would you please care to tell me everything? And don't hide anything from me, you know I will be able to see if you are lying". Hinata could only lower her head as she faintly answered: "Yes, father. I will tell you everything." She then told him about running away from the compound because of the whole issue regarding her upcoming sister, how she bumped into Naruto and how he took aside all his personal concerns to cheer her up and promise her to help changing the clan from the inside. He did her best to hide Naruto's promise to marry her if everything else went wrong. Thankfully for her, Hiashi was too focused listening her saying good things about the Jinchuuriki to pay attention through anything she avoided mentioning. She finished by telling her feeling towards Ko's rudeness towards Naruto and how his confidence influenced her own to stand up for him.

After she was done talking, Hiashi took a deep breath and finally gathered the proper words he would say to her. "I recognize that the boy's attitude clearly boosted your spirits in a way no other Hyuuga could built into you. However, as your father, I am only concerned about your own behavior as the primary candidate for clan heiress. There are a few things about Naruto's life that are of absolute secret that only the Hokage and the boy himself have the liberty to tell you, and if you knew of these secrets and stood up for him like yesterday, some would consider your attitude inadequate and our clan would be held responsible."

"That is why, for now, you are limited to interact with him solely on coincidental occasions, do you understand Hinata?" Hinata wasn't happy at all with what her father ordered her to follow. She would not be able to meet Naruto wherever and whenever she pleased. She enjoyed his company so much she couldn't wait to meet him again. The decision her father took felt like a stab in the heart. But she, deep inside, understood the reason. She was still the Hyuuga heiress, and as much as she hated to admit that, she had to fulfill her duties and responsibilities. She just answered "I understand, father', as she bowed before him, about to leave the room.

"One more thing before you leave, my daughter...", said Hiashi. Hinata quickly turned to face her father, as she wondered what did he still want to discuss. Hiashi could only look her in the eye and say: "I instructed Ko to pay attention to the way that you and Naruto interact with each other. Please understand that I'm only concerned about you, after all you are my daughter. But if your assumptions are correct and he proves himself to be a true honorable young boy, I will allow him to accompany you and he will be received with open arms in this house." Hinata's eyes widened at hearing the concession her father would be able to give to Naruto. She could only thank him and leave his office as she thought to herself: "_You will see, Father. Naruto-kun is the best person I have ever met in my life. You will like him, and if things go well..._" Hinata could only giggle and blush at her thoughts. She looked around to make sure no one noticed and headed happily towards the compound gardens, hoping to find a flower that combined with Naruto's sun-kissed blonde hair.

**Around two months later, Naruto's house**

Naruto, Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji just finished their taijutsu sparring, as Naruto's **Kage Bunshins** scanned through more scrolls. Naruto's improved chakra reserves, added to all his molding exercises, allowed him to create up to 12 clones for now. But he found out that if he had only 4 clones working on their alternative trainings, he would not tire as much after dispersing them. So he was the only one of the four to stay up, as everyone else were too exhausted and were laid down on the grass, like usual. Since they were still too young to build muscles, no one seemed to change much. But Naruto did manage to grow half an inch. Mostly of all because of all his various choices of breakfast throughout the last few weeks, compared to his life back then...

Naruto thought for a moment about the changer everyone's bodies would go through. He imagined himself fairly tall and dashing, just like his father, specially by the time he starts using that cloak he's keeping. Chouji would probably keep his chubby appearance, because of the general stature of his clan, but he would definitely become the strongest of the group. Ino would be a flexible fighter, although he though that her weapon throwing skill would be as fine as his, if not better. And Shikamaru would probably not chance at all. Naruto thought that his friend would probably say something like "_Building my physique would be to tiring and troublesome, and I'm too lazy for that_".. He giggled at his thought.

Today the group went to the Yamanaka compound to have lunch. Naruto visited Ino's house twice before, but he was still amazed by the overwhelming garden that surrounded both the sight and smell of the environment. He asked Ino if he could take a few buds and start raising a garden of his own. She happily handed a few of them and gave him a gardening book. Naruto scanned through a few flowers, until he found a crystal-white flower. He looked at the description: "_Full Moon Flower. Blossoms only during winter, and it's very hard to keep alive through spring. If one, however, manages to succeed it for three springs in a row, you can start building your own Full Moon flower field, and fill many bouquets with them_". Naruto admired the flower, as it had a nice smell, and it reminded him of the crystal-white reflexes on a certain girl's hair. He blushed a bit when he realized he was thinking about Hinata. He only met her at that particular day and never saw her since. But one day or another he couldn't stop thinking about her. He thought about Sasuke as well. He went to the playground every day, but he never managed to find him there. Maybe he ought to look for him in a few more places. For now, his attention was turned to Shikamaru, who asked him to come over for a minute so they could talk.

"What is it, Shikamaru?", asked Naruto, curious about the fact that his lazy friend would want to have a word with him after lunch. Shikamaru answered: "Here's our chance, Naruto. This afternoon Ino, Chouji and I are going to visit both the Inuzukas and the Aburames. Would you like to accompany us and talk to Kiba and Shino?" Naruto gave him a big smile and nodded. "Of course. What are we waiting for? -Dattebayo!"

On their way, Chouji told Naruto that the caterpillars on the Akimichi gardens were about to be born, and every year his father would go to the Inuzuka veterinary clinic to buy the proper medicines in case something went wrong during their growth process, and then go to the Aburame compound to trade some of the Akimichi's special hyoron-gans for pollen and a special repel that avoided any other insect of coming and stealing the caterpillars' food. But since Chouza was away on a mission for the week, Chouji was designated to go on his behalf. The four kids left the Yamanaka grounds and walked over to the Inuzuka vet clinic. Chouji knocked the door and they were answered by Inuzuka Tsume, the clan head and Kiba's mother.

"Good afternoon, Tsume-sama", said Chouji. "I am Akimichi Chouji. I came here to buy the medicines for the caterpillars." Tsume looked at him and started smelling the air, like a dog, which made the kids look at her with a curious look. After a few seconds, she stopped and gave him a good look. "Yup. Definitely you're Chouza's boy, alright", said her. "We from the Inuzuka clan are not very good with facial memory, that's why we use our noses. And I picked a bit of your father's scent in you, so I know I can trust you now. But who are your friends? I might recognize a scent or two..." "Oh, of course", answered Chouji.

"The one on my left is my best friend, Nara Shikamaru. The girl on the right is Yamanaka Ino, and the other boy on the right is our mutual friend Uzumaki Naruto." Tsume picked the scent of them. She recognized Shikaku and Inoichi, these kids were their sons alright, but she picked two scents in Naruto she couldn't believe if she wasn't there to smell it. She did her best to ignore, though, and told them to come inside and make themselves comfortable while she went to the deposit to pick the requested medicines.

Naruto couldn't help but admire the place. It was full of different animals of all sizes and colors. If felt like the Yamanaka compound, although it didn't smell so good. The four kids noticed that Hana, Tsume's daughter and the eldest of her two children, was using her vet skills to patch up an injured falcon. It was a beautiful bird with light brown feather and a sharp beak. Apparently one of its wings was nearly clipped during a message delivery mission. Hana seemed to mend the bird's wounds very quickly. Everyone was admired by her amazing skills. "Nee-san, that was incredible!", uttered a voice. Everyone turned around to know how said that. It was Kiba, Hana's little brother, and the one they've been looking for.

"Howdy, Kiba! We've been looking for you!", said Shikamaru. He didn't want to admit it, being lazy and all, but this time he was indeed looking for him, because of Naruto's idea of bringing as many people as possible to join the training sessions. Kiba noticed them and answered: "Oh, hi there, Shikamaru. I see you brought Chouji and Ino with you... but who is the whiskered brat? Never met him before..." Naruto was a little irritated at the Inuzuka boy. Suddenly everyone heard a high-pitched bark. Naruto leaned his head down to the floor to find a tiny puppy.

The pup was barking and growling almost as if it was talking. "What do you mean, Akamaru?", asked Kiba. Naruto stood there for a moment, trying to understand the situation, until he raised his eyebrows. "_Oh, right... The Inuzukas are supposed to cooperate with nin-dogs..._", he thought. Kiba looked at Naruto with suspicion. Akamaru was given to him to take care of around a month ago, and he already trusted him, but Akamaru's last statement was concerning. "_Does he really have that much power within...? No, that's impossible..._", thought Kiba. "_Well, if Akamaru is right, then I'm not supposed to ignore him. He's fishy, but if Kiba and Chouji trust him, then it should be okay..._"

"So... do you have a name or something?", asked a rude Kiba. Naruto popped a vein from his forehead, but he was inside the Inuzuka's house, so he went along. "Uzumaki Naruto. And we have a proposal for you", said him. He was sure to bring the Inuzuka boy and his dog to the group. He went on explaining how he had a training field in his house, and that the four of them (meaning them and the Ino-Shika-Chou infants) would train there all the time. After Naruto finished talking and asked Kiba if he wanted to join them, Kiba asked for just two minutes, as he drifted in his thoughts.

"_Well, that would certainly explain this strong aura around him... But what Akamaru sensed was something far wider within him. I don't know just yet what is he hiding. And how did he manage to have a house this nice? Is he really an orphan...? He's just too suspicious, even for someone like me who doesn't think too much... wait, did I just criticize myself? This Uzumaki brat is really something already, I'm afraid of how strong he might become if he's that obsessed already with training. I'm not gonna let him get ahead of me that easily. Besides, Akamaru could use the training too. Okay, I'm in!_"

"Okay, Uzumaki, you got yourself a couple more training partners! When do we start?" Naruto gave him a fox-grin. He knew Kiba would accept his offer. "Tomorrow morning. Depending on how early you come, you could have breakfast with us. We usually start training at 7:30 AM with weapons. After that we have taijutsu training. While your body is taking a break, you can take a few scrolls with ninjutsu and chakra molding exercises and practice your mind." Kiba already gulped. He was worried that 4-year-old kids like him were already training so much stuff in a single morning. They were definitely far ahead of him. Naruto kept talking.

"Then we have lunch and everyone is free to take the rest of the day off. Of course, I still train a bit my chakra molding." Kiba raised an eyebrow. Why would Naruto be so worried about chakra molding exercises? As a kid, chakra coils should not be developed for using ninjutsu yet. He definitely wanted to see that kid in action. "Sounds like it's a rather tough training", said a suspect Kiba. "But we're gonna be there tomorrow morning! Isn't that right, Akamaru?" Akamaru barked in agreement. Tsume came back with the medicines Chouji requested, he paid for them, and everyone headed to the Aburame compound.

The Aburame compound resembled the Yamanaka's in a way. It was very immersed within the Konoha eastern forest, with abundant fauna and flora. Ino was marveled by the vegetation, but she was also terrified at the amount of bugs that looked very threatening if you didn't play their game. As soon as they arrived at the main house, where lived Shibi, the clan head. the quartet was interrupted by a boy around their age, and around the same height as Shikamaru, with a white trench coat and small sunglasses that covered his eyes well enough. "It's not every day you show up here, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji. Please state your business", he asked. Naruto was a bit down for being ignored. He looked at the boy and remembered his father's genin team photo and made the resemblance. He immediately asked: "You must be Aburame Shino, am I right?" Shino raised an eyebrow, although it was ward for anyone to notice.

"Yes, you are correct. I assume you made a logical assumption based on either the fact that I resemble my father, or that you heard of me through our mutual friends. Since not many people know him, I must assume logically that you know me because you are befriended with the three people right here listening to our conversation, am I correct?" Naruto was a bit confused because he talked too much and too fast, but he paid enough attention to nod. Shino nodded back. "Very well. Now, if you would please state your business, my father is watching the hives as we speak, so we're only to move from here if it's important."

"Actually...", said Chouji. "the caterpillars were born today and we would like to ask for pollen and repel". Shino raised an eyebrow. "And I assume you brought something as exchange?" Chouji nodded and took the sack of hyoron-gans. Shino picked the sack and asked the four guests to follow him. During their walk, Naruto started talking: "Shino, would you be interested in joining our group for training?" Shino looked back at Naruto, with an enigmatic look behind his sunglasses before he asked back: "I don't see the logic on pushing myself so hard at an early age. Would you care to elaborate?" Naruto started looking for complicated words that would make Shino be more eager to pay attention to him. He took a few seconds before he answered back.

"Um... well, first of all, it's only logical that we want to work hard for the sake of Konoha in the future. Second, we... um... analyzed the benefits of early training, not only for the mind and body, but also for our hearts and bonds of fellowship." At this point, everyone's eyebrows raised, for Naruto's choice of words. But Naruto was not finished. "Third, our training has all the basics of the academy covered and a bit more. Fourth, we work on our weaknesses the most. And fifth and final argument... well, it's not exactly a sound argument, but... I'm trying to gather as many people as I can and befriend them all, so I can slowly understand what it takes to be a great Hokage! -Dattebayo!"

The Ino-Shika-Chou infants were looking at Naruto with smile on their faces. Ino was wondering what motivated Naruto so much. Chouji thought that Naruto was a very brave person, but also very kind and decided. Shikamaru thought that since Naruto was not lazy like him, he had higher chances. Shino them stopped moving, which forced everyone to stop walking as well. Shino turned back facing Naruto. He approached him and slightly raised his hand, willing to shake hands with Naruto. Then he started talking. "Your final argument was the most logical one you presented. You obviously care about Konoha and your friends, and it would be an honor to train with such a fine person as you." Naruto smiled and shook hands with Shino. Then the trench coat boy turned back and started to walk again, as everyone followed.

In two minutes they finally arrived at the Aburames' personal field of insect rearing. That's where the kikaichuu bugs were raised, trained and breed. Aburame Shibi was checking a big hive, when he heard the children coming. The then turned around to face them and looked at each individually. "By your appearance and the hyoron-gan sack in my son's hands, I suppose you must be Akimichi Chouza's son, and you are looking for the repel and pollen to raise your butterflies, is that correct?" Chouji only nodded. Shibi jumped from the tree and picked a small box and a vial of glass. He only nodded to make sure Chouji understood logically that he got what he wanted.

"I would be glad to chat with all of you, but logically I can't because of clan's duty. So if you'll excuse me... Shino, escort them back and then, come help me", said Shibi, before jumping back to the tree. Shino only nodded as he escorted the quartet back. Naruto took this chance to talk about how the group trained, and that they started early in the morning. Shino only nodded a few times. When Naruto talked about the chakra molding exercises, Shino raised both eyebrows, as his thoughts were similar to Kiba's regarding how incredible Naruto must be if he had such large chakra reserves. Shino offered to bring honey to serve everyone as condiment for the breakfast. Everyone's face was slightly blue at the possibility of being full of insects, but they accepted his offer nonetheless.

After the four kids left the Aburame compound, Naruto left a relaxing sigh. "Whew, thank Kami all went well today. Now we have six people! -Dattebayo!" "And a dog, too, don't forget that", said Shikamaru. Everyone giggled. Ino put her finger in her lips for a moment, with a thoughtful look, as she said: "Six people... that's about two genin teams already! Do you think we can find more people?" Naruto gave her a fox-grin with both hands behind his head. "Well, I already managed to find two people, and I'm going to convince them to join our group!" Chouji gave him a curious look. "Two people? That means you found someone else besides Uchiha Sasuke? Who is he?" Naruto just gave Chouji another fox-grin. "Not him, her. Her name is Hyuuga Hinata." Everyone was flabbergasted at Naruto... again.

"Wait, wait, wait...", said a very impressed Shikamaru. "Not only an Uchiha, now you befriended a Hyuuga as well? Just... how do you even manage these things? Are you from nobility and we're not aware of it?" Naruto actually sweat-dropped at this statement. He was in a way, as he was the son of one of Konoha's noblest people ever. Heck, he even had his face engraved in the greatest monument of the Shinobi World! Naruto could only chuckle. "Well... if I were, that would explain a lot, wouldn't it?" everyone chuckled with him, unbeknownst to them that he actually meant it, as everyone parted ways. Naruto's smile faded as he remembered he hadn't met Hinata again in two months. Since it was mid-afternoon, Naruto decided to go to the playground and look for either her or Sasuke...

**2 weeks later, New Year's Eve**

The training showed more signs of paying off. After Shino, Kiba and Akamaru joined the group, they created another session of training by Kiba's surprisingly clever idea. In addition to the taijutsu sparring, the six ninjas-to-be started working on their reconnaissance skills. Tracks, dirt, and other basic aspects that would help them track down their enemies. Naruto thought about starting a training for chakra signature reading, but he hasn't mastered the chakra molding exercises, so that would have to wait. So far, he started learning about climbing trees. He was able to run up to 15 or 20 feet until he'd lose focus and fall to the ground on his feet. He decided to use a kunai to mark his records, but he made almost zero improvements in two weeks ever since he started. Today was New Year's Eve, so no one came to train. It was Naruto who said that they would take this particular day off. He also said that after the training, he would pay everyone a visit to give them New Year gifts.

Naruto was heading to one of the few groceries store he was comfortable to buy at. Today, though, it seemed that there were too many bags to carry, and he couldn't use **Kage Bunshin** without scaring the living hell out of people who knew about his condition. He thought that there would be an angry mob of people on a witch hunt, or rather a demon hunt, afraid of the fact that the Jinchuuriki was getting stronger everyday. So he had to pick up a lot of bags with his mouth and go from there. As soon as he left the store, a dark-haired teenager bumped into him.

Naruto fell on the floor with his groceries and thanked Kami that he didn't buy any eggs or anything fragile. Naruto was about to pick all his bags again when he saw a hand facing him. He saw that the young man actually wanted to help Naruto getting up from the floor. The blond Jinchuuriki raised his head to see who he was. He was impressed at the figure. It was Sasuke's older brother. Naruto smiled and thanked him. Sasuke's brother offered to help him with the groceries. They started walking to Naruto's house.

Naruto and the young man were walking in silence for a few minutes. Naruto then realized it was his chance to find out about Sasuke. "Say... You are Sasuke's older brother, right?" The young man nodded. "My name is Uchiha Itachi. It's a pleasure to meet you, Naruto-kun." Naruto was impressed. That meant that Sasuke actually spoke of him. Maybe he could find out more...? "You know, Itachi-san, ever since that day we first met on the playground, I never met Sasuke anymore. You surely know where he could be, don't you?" Itachi looked at the young blonde boy. He let a tiny smile run over his face.

"Not much. I've been busy with the ANBU missions lately. But I promise that today, when I meet Sasuke at our family dinner, I will tell him that you want to meet him again." Naruto was impressed again. Itachi didn't look like he was over 13 years, still he was a busy ANBU member. "Wow, you are on ANBU already? Then you must be super strong! No wonder why Sasuke won't join our training group, he's got you already!" Itachi could only lean his head down a bit.

"Actually, Naruto-kun... Since that day you and my little brother first met, I was promoted to ANBU and I couldn't help him out with his training anymore... Actually, I'm very clad I could meet you here, today of all days." Naruto was surprised by Itachi's statement. Did that mean Itachi would talk to Sasuke about him joining his group? "That is why, Naruto-kun, that I will talk to Sasuke tonight and tell him to join your training group", said Itachi, with a friendly smile.

Naruto's smile was even bigger. He couldn't wait to see how strong the Uchiha boy was. If his brother was a professional ANBU at the age of 13, then Sasuke surely was strong as well. Speaking of ANBU, Naruto remembered his escort companion from one time or another, Hatake Kakashi. He told Naruto many stories about Konoha, the Sandaime-jiji, the founding of Konoha by Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, their final battle at the Valley of the End... but he never talked about Naruto's parents, or his godfather Jiraiya of the Sannin. That's when Naruto had an idea.

"Say, Itachi-san... are you familiar with Hatake Kakashi?" Itachi looked at him with a curious look. "Yes, I do. I hold Kakashi-san in high regards. Why do you ask?" Naruto explained a bit of his plan (not mentioning the truth about his parents, of course – just because Itachi was an ANBU-nin that didn't mean that he knew who Naruto's parents were) as they finally reached Naruto's house. He thanked Itachi for his help and said that Sasuke could start training the week after New Year's Day. Itachi left with a few thoughts running through his mind regarding the Jinchuuriki he just helped. But he would talk to Sasuke, nonetheless. He knew that Naruto had, deep inside, the Will of Fire, and that would help Sasuke in the future. Itachi bit his lip as he thought about his foolish and overly proud clan.

**Later that night...**

The New Year Festival filled the streets of Konohagakure no Sato. There were traditional game stands, that included capturing your own goldfish, weapons throwing and many others. There were food stands everywhere, as well as clothing stores and thematic stands for the next year's symbolic animal, the Boar. Uzumaki Naruto was accompanied by both Ino-Shika-Chou generations, which helped him enjoy the festival without being repressed by the civilians. Of course, somethings were hard to avoid. When they went to the weapon throwing game stand and Naruto hit all targets flawlessly, a civilian tried to shout "_That beast is becoming too powerful, we should kill_-" before he received a death glare from the Ino-Shika-Chou adults which made him gulp. The infants looked at Naruto as he smiled, but they knew Naruto's smile was trying to hide some sort of pain.

Ino whispered to his friends: "Do you think Naruto has some sort of secret that makes him so hated across the village? Not only this guy, but almost everyone we came across seems to hate him profoundly..." Shikamaru looked at his companion who seemed hurt at the looks of hatred aimed at him. "I'm not sure. He does seem to have something hidden. Maybe it's his heritage...? But even then, it would be too troublesome to make him talk about that. Naruto is not that kind of guy..."

Ino looked a bit down. She loved finding out about other people's secrets, which were the traits of the Yamanaka clan's specialty: interrogation and torture. "I have to agree with Shikamaru", said Chouji. "If Naruto has a secret, he has a strong reason to hide. Besides, he is our friend. When the time is right, he will tell us, don't you think so?" Ino and Shikamaru could only nod and smile at their friend's words. They would be quiet and patient and leave Naruto's secret in peace. For now, they would enjoy the festival as much as they could.

**Meanwhile, at the Uchiha compound...**

The Uchiha clan was gathered at the main garden. Half of the members of the Uchiha Police Force were allowed to take the day off to enjoy the festival. The other half was, in a way, enjoying the festival, as they were working in the happy streets of Konoha. Inside one of the rooms was Uchiha Fugaku, head of the Uchiha clan and father to Itachi and Sasuke. Itachi asked for a few minutes of his attention to have a conversation regarding Sasuke. Fugaku was hesitating, but since Itachi was too busy with the ANBU, he figured it would have to be something important.

Fugaku looked as his son entered the room, bowed before him and sat in front of the table. "If you wanted to talk with me in a day like this, then give me a good reason, Itachi...", said him, picking a cup of tea. Itachi took a deep breath. He knew talking with his father would not be easy. "I will cut the small talk, then. Today I met Uzumaki Naruto and he asked if Sasuke could be allowed to join his training group." Fugaku nearly spilled his tea at hearing this. But he composed himself. He looked at Itachi, whose face was serious as the Hokage's.

Fugaku put his tea cup on the table and looked at his son. "Itachi, I'm not sure you are aware of Uzumaki Naruto's condition, but-" Itachi interrupted his father. He knew where this was going. "Yes, father. I am aware that Naruto-kun is the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi." Fugaku was impressed. He couldn't believe Sarutobi trusted Itachi with this secret. He knew that a well developed Sharingan would be able to control the Kyuubi, and that was the reason the Uchihas were not allowed to approach Naruto.

"And that is exactly the reason I trust Naruto-kun, father", said Itachi. He still had a lot to say. "Because he does not care if my little brother is an Uchiha. He is gathering training companions to become great ninjas and protect this village with their lives. I hold Naruto-kun in high regards because he carries the Will of Fire inside his heart. And Sasuke would be benefited with all of this. He would have friends. Real friends. I don't want my little brother to be cursed with the Uchiha's pride."

Fugaku could only lean his head to the floor and sigh. Itachi's mind was made up. His son's words were true. The Uchihas were too proud of themselves, and that would be their ruin. But he raised his head to confront Itachi. "You know about the curse that befell the Uchiha clan many centuries ago, don't you Itachi?" Itachi shook his head. As much as he knew about many legends and stories about the Uchiha clan, these stories only confirmed the pride and strength. He wasn't aware that there was a legend confirming that the pride was actually a curse. Fugaku took a deep breath. It was going to be quite a long story.

"A long time ago, the world knew only war and hatred. Those were times of darkness and despair to mankind. The demons ruled the world and hope was just a four letter word. That's when a great sage came to spread hope and peace on the hearts of men. He taught them the way of the Ninshu and the secrets regarding the usage of chakra to control the elements of the world. He created all the ninja techniques we know nowadays, and was able to defeat the demons that covered the world in darkness. He became the Jinchuuriki of the greatest demon in existence, the Juubi, and he was praised as a god amongst men. This man is known to this day as the Rikudou Sennin." Itachi widened his eyes. He heard a little about the legendary sage. At first he was deciding not to pay attention to this old legend, but he made up his mind and continued listening to his father.

"But even the great Rikudou Sennin was a mortal men. He had two sons whom he would trust the quest to find true peace to guide the world. The eldest was born from the sage's eyes. He inherited his mental strength and his cleverness, and wanted to build peace using his strength to eradicate evil. The youngest son, however, was born from the sage's body. He inherited his physical strength and his longevity. But most of all, he didn't want to destroy evil with his strength. Rather, he would guide the evil to its own purification through the way of love. In his deathbed, the Sennin chose as his main successor the youngest son, because of his philosophy. The eldest son, however, was not happy with that..."

"Even though his methods were not the best, he loved his father and wanted to continue his legacy. When he discovered that would not be possible, his anger and hatred were so much that he wanted to kill his brother. And so they fought. But there was no victor. The fateful battle of the two brothers would go throughout the generations. In the end, there were two clans who were the main descendents of the two brothers. Descending the eldest brother, there were us, the Uchiha" Itachi raised his eyebrows. That explained the pride and hatred of his clan. But he still didn't understand most of it. He kept listening his father tell the legend.

"The clan that inherited the youngest brother's love was the Senju clan. In the times of the First Great Ninja War, the Senju and the Uchiha fought numerous times. But our patriarch Madara befriended Hashirama, the Senju's patriarch, and they put and end to war. After that, Konoha was founded by both clan heads and everyone truly believed peace was at last reached. But Madara was too proud of our clan's power, and seeing that the Senju had, in a way, subjugated the Uchihas, since Hashirama was the Hokage, the cycle of hate was reborn. Madara abandoned Konoha and sought to destroy it, using the power of the Kyuubi. You see, before the Rikudou died, he divided the Juubi's power in nine, this way creating the Bijuus we know as of today. Then he sealed the Juubi forever in the skies, creating the moon." Itachi thought it was hard to believe in such act of power. But he kept these thoughts to himself.

"And so Madara used his power to control the Kyuubi and try to destroy Konoha. But the Hokage stopped him. He sealed the Kyuubi and killed Madara. But you must have realized by now, Itachi. The Uchiha clan was born from hatred itself. The Sharingan itself is unlocked when an Uchiha's heart if filled with anger and hatred, and even the Mangekyou is only unlocked when your quest for power makes you go as far as killing those closest to you, bringing regret and ruin. That is why Sasuke will have a hard time with his friends. Imagine what would happen if one of them died. Hatred would consume him forever, and the consequences would be drastic. I care too much about out clan's issues, I know. But please understand, Itachi. It is our curse, and there's no escaping from it." Itachi raised his head to the ceiling. He couldn't see any stars, but he did want to gather the right words as he closed his eyes. He faced his father and gave him his final argument.

"That is why, father, I believe in Naruto-kun. I see within him the strong will to protect Konoha, despite so many people hating him for being a Jinchuuriki. He only cares about making them understand his life and his strong wish to love and be loved by those who are precious to him. He can break the Uchiha's curse, and that is why I want Sasuke to befriend him. In fact, I demand to. I have neglected him ever since I started taking the ANBU missions, and making him train with Naruto-kun will be my own way to apologize to him. Please, father. I implore you", said Itachi, bowing before his father. Fugaku could only look at Itachi, surprised at his son's conviction. Any other person would have given up hope after learning the awful truth. But not him. Not this Uchiha. Fugaku sighed as he finally gave in to Itachi's arguments.

"When can he start?", asked Fugaku. Itachi smiled at hearing his father's words. He had high expectations coming from the upcoming friendship of those two children. "Naruto-kun said that, starting the week after tomorrow, his friends would resume their training. He also said that Sasuke is more than welcome to join them for breakfast, and eventually lunch at one of the other kids' compounds. Naruto-kun will make sure Sasuke befriends everyone.", said Itachi.

Fugaku noticed that, indeed, Naruto seemed determined to befriend his son. Maybe he could break the curse of the Uchiha clan. For now, he couldn't object, so he just asked Itachi to make sure everything went well. Itachi nodded and bowed before his father before he left the room and returned to the Uchiha festival. As Fugaku was also ready to leave, he thought: "_Where did the Jinchuuriki find the strength to stand against such hatred...? Can he really break the curse of our clan before it's too late? I can only have faith for now..._" He returned to his clan's festivities and put these thoughts aside. Tonight they would celebrate the coming of another year. A year of hope and good fortune that would be able to make up for the many years lost due to the pride and foolishness of their past deeds.

**Meanwhile, at the Hyuuga compound...**

The Hyuugas also made a private New Year Festival at their grounds. There was a large field that was used for special occasions like public duels and group training. But it was mostly used for festivities, like tonight. It was one of the only times of the year where the Main House and Branch House were seen together. Hyuuga Hinata was walking around and chatting with as many people as she could. She was one of the few people who treated the Branch House members as equals, and that is why she was the 3rd most respected person amongst the clan, after her parents. Of course, this respect was not showed in public, because of the elders, who despised such caring people amongst the Main House, that was supposed to be fearful and strong. But their plan was in action and that was about to change.

Hyuuga Hikari was in her bedroom, already tired after participating of the main events of the festival. She was pregnant for 4 months and a half, although it had been a little over 2 months after the announcement. No one but the elders could figure out that she was poisoned, because it was crafted in a way that would make its way through the chakra coils without being detected by the Byakugan. Not a single physician could tell the reason for Hikari's sudden weakness. Hiashi wanted to stand alongside her, but the elders said that he would be disrespectful towards his clan if he wasn't attending the festivities. Hiashi wanted to protest, but with his wife weakened, his own strength also started to fade and he could no longer challenge the elders like he used to. As his participation was no longer necessary, he hurried to their bedroom and stood beside his wife, very weakened for reasons he couldn't figure out.

"How are you feeling, Hikari?", asked Hiashi. She looked at him, with sadness. That strong, composed and respected clan head was as devastated and weakened as she was. She knew the elders had done something to them. She could only comfort him. "Now that you are here, I feel much better, darling...", said Hikari. She turned her head sideways to cough a few times. Hiashi approached her and put her head on top of his lap. "How is Hanabi doing?", asked him. Hiashi's worries were doubled, because he was afraid to lose not one, but two precious people to him.

Hikari gave him a very faint, but reassuring smile. "Don't worry, she is fine. Everything will be fine, the physician assured that she will be born as a healthy baby girl." Hiashi was a little more tranquilized. But his heart was heavy. He felt sorrow in his heart, because of the fact that the elders had taken control of his actions, and little could he do to save his daughter from becoming their pawn. He could only look at his wife, fearing for her life.

"Please forgive me, Hikari... I brought this upon you, and I failed you as a husband. I became weak and let those damned geezers best me. Without you as my pillar of strength, they will have their way and bring this clan to ruin! If only I weren't weak, fate would be different..." Hikari looked at him. Hiashi dropped tears. She couldn't believe the sight of her husband crying. Even when his brother died for him, he didn't cry. The elders surely gave him hell. She could never be able to forgive them. With the remaining of her strength she leaned herself up from Hiashi's embrace and turned around to face him.

"You are not weak, Hiashi, my love. You are a strong man. If you weren't I would regret forever for marrying you and giving birth to a beautiful girl, and so eagerly waiting for another. You say I give you strength, but your love and determination are what gave me strength as well. And you're not displaying it." Hiashi looked at his wife with his jaw wide open. Even at her state, she found strength to stand up and knock some sense into him. Where did she gather it from? She kept talking.

"You are letting the elders play their old games and bring you down. Fate is not a single thread, but rather, it's a whole fur ball of intertwined wires. Every person has endless possibilities for their destiny, and they connect themselves with so many other people. What you need to do now is let you fate intertwine itself with those who are still able to build their own fates, and place your strength and faith on them, so they can change the fate of many others. The only reason why I haven't fallen yet is because I'm placing my faith in two young children whom I know their own fates will intertwine in a way that they will be bound forever. And their combined strength will put an end to the elders' designs and bring peace and true honor to the Hyuuga clan."

Hiashi could only gaze at Hikari, as her conviction slowly raised his spirits, if only a little. Maybe that's what he never noticed. For a moment he thought about her words. He was finally able to understand the Will of Fire so preached by the former Hokages. He finally understood that it was not only about protecting Konoha and its citizens, but also teaching the younger generations about the value of friendship and love. Putting aside foolish pride that only teared people apart and bringing them together through love and care to protect the one thing no one could be able to live without aside love: a place to call home. A place to stand ground and build a legacy through the ages. Not a legacy of strength and superiority, but a legacy of humility and determination to find peace of heart. Hikari found children whom she deemed worthy of carrying the Will of Fire. Hiashi could only ask her: "Hikari... these children whom you believe to have the Will of Fire... Who are they? Please tell me."

Hikari smiled at her husband. She was happy to know that he wouldn't give up. He wanted to believe the Hyuugas could change. She wanted to keep her faith in secret, but Hiashi's decision made her think otherwise. She was going to tell him.

"The first child is, of course, our daughter Hinata. As the heiress of the clan, she is the only one who can help you stand up against those old geezers. But even then she is not strong enough to help you on her own. Hinata needs someone to stand alongside her. That is why the second child is one whom I believe to be her pillar of strength. And it goes by the name of Uzumaki Naruto." Hiashi's eyes widened. She was placing her faith on the Jinchuuriki? Were all of those assumptions about him changing Hinata's personality correct? Could he really be that strong-willed? He looked at Hikari, demanding for a sound explanation. She noticed his look and gave him her reasons to believe in him.

"A few weeks ago... when I asked Ko to escort me through a walk in Konoha, I saw him talking with the sons of the Yamanaka, Nara and Akimichi clan heads. He kept saying something about tightening their training in their next session to improve their skills, so they could become great ninjas for Konoha's sake. I couldn't help but wonder how did he manage to overcome the hate and loneliness of a Jinchuuriki's life and be able to forgive all the villagers who hated and abhorred him... That boy has pure love flowing through his veins, and the Will of Fire burning brightly in his heart. I finally realized that he was, indeed, responsible for Hinata's change of behavior."

Hiashi now finally connected the dots. How Hinata now was taking on the tough training and lectures from him and the elders, how she was smiling more often, how she stopped acting as a weak and shy little girl... that boy may have the Kyuubi within him, but that did not make him a cursed boy. Much to the opposite, that power was a blessing. He is willing to protect Konoha regardless of everything that made his life a living hell. He keeps spreading love and care amongst everyone he stumbles upon and become friends with. Hiashi finally made up his mind. He would let Hinata train with Naruto's group. However, Hiashi wanted to have a talk with the boy. He wanted to make sure he was indeed worthy of Hikari's trust. For now, it was getting late. He gave his beloved wife a passionate kiss and bid her goodnight, as they cuddled in their sleep.

**The following morning...**

Yamanaka Ino was bored. Since the training sessions with Naruto and her other friends would only resume the next week, she wanted to hang around somewhere. She thought about visiting Shikamaru, or even Chouji, but she figured that Shikamaru would be sleeping, lazy as he is, and Chouji would want to help his father raising the caterpillars. She wasn't staying at her family's flower store either, so she decided to go to the playground and see if anyone would be there so she could have someone to play with, and befriend him or her. Heck, she even intended to see if she could find another companion to their team. So far, Naruto, Shikamaru and even Chouji found and recommended people to join the group, and she didn't make any contributions. No more. Today was the day she decided to find someone who could join them.

As she arrived at the park, she saw a girl curled like a ball in the sandbox, crying. Ino couldn't help but admire the girl's beauty. She had a lovely natural pink hair, which she thought it was amazing. Her emerald-green eyes were also pretty beautiful, although a bit reddened because of her tears flowing through them. Ino actually felt a little bit of envy of that girl's beauty. But her tears weren't a pretty sight, of course, and she decided to comfort the strange girl.

"Hey, are you okay there?" asked a curious Ino. The pink-haired girl didn't look back. Ino approached her and wrapped her arm around the other girl's shoulders. "If you keep crying like that, these tears will disfigure your pretty face and you will become ugly, you know?", said a teasing Ino. The pink-haired must have believed her, because she stopped crying right away, and looked at her. "Am I... am I really pretty?", asked the girl. "Of course you are! Don't be silly, I actually envy your beauty, and that is a lot coming from me, you know?", said Ino, chuckling at her auto-criticism. The pink-haired girl couldn't help but giggle a bit.

"But I do say, behind your pretty hair you have a biiiig forehead there, girl. It's almost a billboard of its own!", said Ino, giggling a bit more. The other girl immediately curled again and was about to fall in tears again. "_Oh... I touched a open wound there, now didn't I...?_", thought her. Ino had an idea. She reached a pocket of her shorts and found a red hairband. Ino asked the girl to lift her head and stand still. The girl obeyed. Ino put the hairband on the girl's head with a small touch here and there, and then it was ready. She picked a mirror from her other pocket (**Purses are not the only alternative galaxies women carry, you know?**) and handed it to the pink-haired girl. She was amazed by Ino's work. The hairband made her forehead as clear as the sun, but the way her hair was arranged made the forehead actually look a bit charming, in a way.

"The reason you don't like your forehead is because you try to hide its existence. If you show to everyone that you love every bit of yourself, then they will accept you and stop making fun of you. If they won't understand... well, screw them!", said Ino, tapping the other girl's forehead. The pink-haired girl gave Ino an ear-to-ear smile. "Thank you so much for your help! You're right, I should stop hating myself.", said her. "I'm Haruno Sakura, by the way. Nice to meet you, um..." Ino smiled at her and put her hand in a hand-shaking position. "Yamanaka Ino. Nice to meet you too, Sakura-chan!" They played all afternoon long, and before you knew it, they became best friends.

**That evening, at the Hyuuga compound...**

Hyuuga Hinata and Uzumaki Naruto were really happy to meet each other after almost 3 months. Earlier that day, after lunch, Naruto was checking his father's photo album, when a **Kage Bunshin** dispelled, informing that someone was approaching his house. He packed and sealed some of his belongings before he turned around to receive his guest, which happened to be Ko, Hinata's personal bodyguard. Naruto remembered his behavior the other day, but he wasn't worried. If Ko knew about this place, it was because Hinata told him, since she knew about it. Ko explained his reason to be there.

"Hiashi-sama, our clan head, wants to speak to you in person, Uzumaki-sama. Since Hinata-sama told me where you lived, I was ordered to pick you up and escort you to our compound." Naruto was really impressed at both his chance to see the head of such an important clan. He left a few **Kage Bunshins** to take care of the house, study some scroll and notify him of any visitors. Ko tried his best to avoid having his jaw hit the floor with the young Jinchuuriki's performance, as they walked towards the compound. Naruto gasped at the size of the compound as he arrived. He noticed the looks of hatred and disgust from some of the clan members, but he didn't care.

Hinata was on a private training session with Hiashi, which he made sure the elders would not attend, to avoid any conflicts between them and the blonde Jinchuuriki that was coming. He finished the training session as his activated Byakugan noticed Naruto's presence, as he entered the room and Hiashi said to his daughter that she should welcome her guest. As soon as Hinata saw Naruto, she rushed and jumped at him, giving Naruto a tight hug and making them fall on the floor, much to Hiashi's both amusement and a bit of jealousy. Hinata noticed her face was a few inches from Naruto's, and both kids blushed a dark crimson from their cheeks.

Hinata almost fainted, but she feared that Naruto would be punished somehow and quickly stood up. Hiashi granted the kids a playtime in the clan's private garden and they stayed there all afternoon long, talking about everything that happened during all the time they were far from each other. Hiashi clearly noticed Hinata's personality to hit an 180-degree turn when accompanied by the young Jinchuuriki. She was much happier and cheerful. He had to remember thanking Naruto later.

When dinner was ready, Hiashi made sure Naruto would sit beside him to avoid retaliation from any other member of the clan. Fortunately, aside from a few glares of hatred, the dinner went well. After dinner was over, Hiashi summoned Naruto to his office so they would have a private conversation. As soon as Naruto sat down in front of Hiashi's table, the clan head stopped scanning through his paperwork and started the conversation.

"As I understand, Naruto-san, you are willing to help my daughter with her training, alongside your friends, is that correct?" Naruto only nodded. Hiashi closed his eyes for a few seconds, until he started talking again. "I'm sure you are aware that my daughter is to be the heiress of the Hyuuga clan, which brings two points in question. One is that her training should be a responsibility that she carries, and that alone would prove that no tutelage or training anywhere else other than here at the Hyuuga compound, and some of it at the academy would be necessary for her. Second, is that I must be able to trust those who approach her. I don't hold grudges over the other clan heads, although our relationship with the Uchiha clan is not quite pacific. And as much as Hinata holds high regards for you and my wife trusts you, my trust, however, is not easy to earn." As Hiashi was about to talk some more, Naruto raised his head, and Hiashi recognized his act to be a request to speak. He let the boy speak his mind.

"I know your trust will be hard to earn, Hiashi-sama, specially considering my... _condition_", said Naruto. Hiashi raised an eyebrow. He knew Naruto endured hatred, but he had no idea that the boy was already aware that he was a Jinchuuriki. He listened as Naruto kept talking. "But ever since I learned the truth about my life and of those who sacrificed themselves for my sake, I learned one thing. And it is that I would have to learn to overcome hatred itself and use my power to protect Konoha as long as I live and become a Hokage greater than any other that ever came before me. That is the only way I have to honor my parents' sacrifice." Hiashi widened his eyes. Certainly that boy was determined to become a valuable shinobi for Konoha, and he valued the principles of the Hokages that valued their village more than their own lives. But what impressed Hiashi most was the fact that Naruto acknowledged his heritage.

"Naruto-san... I wasn't aware you knew of your heritage. Is it of knowledge of Hokage-sama that you know of this information?", asked him, curious. He certainly was impressed by this new information he acquired about the blonde Jinchuuriki standing before him. "Yes. Sandaime..._sama _**(Note to readers: don't say jiji in front of a clan head**) was the one who trusted me with this secret, which is, by the way, a SS-rank secret. It's even more concealed than my special condition. If you want to, I can order a **Kage Bunshin** to talk to Sandaime-sama and see if you're allowed to know the truth." Hiashi shook his head. He thought it would be best to remain concealed until the time was right. But he couldn't believe what he just heard. "_At this age he can use _**_Kage Bunshin_**_ already? What a fantastic chakra he must have!_", he thought. He made up his mind.

"Okay, Naruto-san. I think most of my concerns can be put aside. You certainly proved yourself to be worthy heir of the Will of Fire. Even I was just able to understand its conception yesterday, yet you at your young age proved to be wiser than me in this particular asset." Naruto couldn't help but give a fox-grin, with a hand behind his head and blushing his cheeks with a compliment coming from such an important person such as Hyuuga Hiashi.

"From now on, Ko will escort Hinata to your house every morning to your morning training, and at lunch, she will be escorted back to this house. If you keep proving your worth and honor, I will eventually allow her to join any eventual afternoon trainings you might want to have. Understood?" Naruto bowed before him in gratitude, although what he really wanted was to leap in joy, but he knew better than to piss off the Hyuuga clan head inside his office in the middle of night.

"Before you leave, Naruto-san... would you please inform how many members your training group currently has?" Naruto nodded as he listed the names. Including him and Hinata, there were Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba, Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Chouji, Nara Shikamaru, Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura (**a Kage Bunshin provided him with the information regarding Sakura as Ino visited him to inform him so**). Hiashi raised his eyebrow. Not only did he manage to gather enough people for 3 Genin teams, he also managed to bring an Uchiha into the mix. While Hiashi was at first worried, his assumptions about Naruto's possible endeavors to convince the Uchiha to join the group made him believe that would be a fine idea after all.

He thanked Naruto for understanding his reasons to be concerned. Naruto thanked him for granting him a chance to help Hinata with her training and said that the group would resume their training be next week. Naruto bowed before him and left the office, being escorted by Ko to the exit of the compound and then by Kakashi to his house. Naruto tried to make Kakashi talk about his parents, but the scarecrow-haired ninja remained silent, reading a strange orange book. Hiashi made his way to his bedroom, where he had a small conversation with his wife and thanked her for helping him understand the true nature of that promising kid. He knew Hinata was in good company, after all.

**The next week...**

It was an amusing scene to say the least. 9 children were sitting on a training field with a giant towel covering their breakfast. Although anyone would rather call it a picnic. Standing on a corner, there was Uchiha Sasuke. Alongside him, Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino would try to start conversations with the raven-haired Uchiha. He was slightly irritated with Sakura a bit more, since the Yamanaka girl would actually be willing to talk about training instead of just general boring subjects, although both girls were annoying. Inuzuka Kiba, along with Akamaru and Aburame Shino, were sitting on another corner, talking about their general impressions on the 3 new people who joined the group.

Shikamaru was commenting with Chouji how troublesome women were, since Ino abandoned them to hang with Sasuke, while Chouji only agreed as he wolfed down whatever he could eat. Naruto was sitting alongside Hinata and eating a cake she learned to cook with her mother, which made Naruto say "Wow! This is divine! -Dattebayo! I might actually consider marrying you just to eat this everyday!", which made Hinata faint with a smile and Naruto pick her up and imploring her to live, or else Hiashi would kill him.

After breakfast was over, Naruto gathered everyone to stand in a circle. "Alright! I hope everyone enjoyed your New Year Festival. A new year begins, and that means new challenges for us as we grow up. And as much as I wanted to train hard and make through the academy as early as possible, it's best for all of us to start academy at 8, like everybody else. Even though we will be far ahead of any other student of our period, patience and deception are tools a ninja should make most of use. Since this is a new year, we renew ourselves, and that is why I want everybody to introduce themselves. Since he have 3 new people here, that should help us to get acquainted and build bonds of fellowship that will certainly benefit Konoha in the future! -Dattebayo!" Everyone was surprised at Naruto's display of maturity way above their age. Hinata had a huge smile as she felt that her own strength was increasing just to hear his words.

"So I'm just gonna begin with myself. My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I love ramen and my friends above anything else. My hobbies involve training and meeting new people (**prankster Naruto will be born in the Academy days, since now he doesn't need to study what he already knows**). I hate people who refuse to accept others around him because of something they have no control of. And my greatest dream is to become a Hokage even greater than any other that came before and protect Konoha! -Dattebayo!" His statement of becoming Hokage granted a smile from the Ino-Shika-Chou infants, a nod from Shino, a smirk from Kiba and Sasuke, a chuckle from Sakura, who thought he was a little dazed off on a foolish quest, and a really admired Hinata.

"My turn now. My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I love my family, and specially my nii-san. My hobby is training. I hate how my family is not in good terms with Konoha because of their pride. I dream of changing the Uchihas and becoming a great shinobi just like my nii-san and protect Konoha as well!" Most boys had their eyebrows raised. He really was different from the other Uchihas. Sakura and Ino were admiring his coolness. Hinata was rather impressed to see that he also set aside his pride. Naruto knew he found his best friend right there.

"My name is Yamanaka Ino. I love my family, and flowers. My hobbies involve studying them and hanging around with my friends, and also training. I hate people who don't respect the beauty of life. My dream is becoming a great kunoichi and a Interrogation and Torture expert just like my father!" Everyone's face was a little blue. Sakura was already fearing for her life.

"My name is Inuzuka Kiba and this here is Akamaru! *bark*! I love my companions. Me and Akamaru like to take walks together and be aware of our surroundings. I hate cats and people that mistreat animals in general. My dream is to prove myself worthy of leading the pack! Isn't that right, Akamaru? *bark bark*!" Everyone's reaction was that of "He's a little full of himself, but nevertheless, a good guy...". No one was really impressed.

"My name is Haruno Sakura. Well, I love my friends, or rather, my only friend Ino and um... Well, my hobbies include playing around. I hate people who criticize other because of small details. I don't really have a big dream now, but I would be happy to live a relaxing life after I had enough with the shinobi life..." Everyone looked at her with a curious look. If she wasn't that excited about shinobi life, why waste time? Did Ino just invite her for being her friend, without thinking if she really was worth? Or did she lack a true motivation? People were a bit divided, but they would get to know her and then maybe build some confidence in her.

"My name is Akimichi Chouji. I love my family and my friends. My hobbies include eating a lot and raising the butterflies of my clan. I hate people who don't respect our clan's chubby aspect. And even though I don't like violence, I hope to become strong enough to honor my family and protect Konoha!" The other kids' reaction just included smiles and nods, although Shikamaru and Ino had a bigger smile.

"Ano... my name is Hyuuga Hinata. I love my parents, and my friends, specially..." she looked at Naruto and blushed a deep red. "Well... hmm... my hobbies include training and playing around my family's garden. I don't like the internal conflicts of my clan. And my dream is to inherit my father's strength and my mother's kindness and change the Hyuugas! _And hopefully, marry Naruto-kun..._" Everyone was rather impressed that she, just like Sasuke, would cast aside her pride for the benefit of Konoha. Sakura thought that maybe she would have to be more like Hinata if she wanted to have a future in the shinobi life. Naruto smiled at Hinata, which made her blush. Ino noticed Hinata's reaction to Naruto's smile and was admired at her. At their age, she already knew more about love than everyone else. Ino sighed and hoped to find someone who made her heart skip a beat. Meanwhile, she would play matchmaker. She had a fox-grin just like Naruto's at this thought.

"My name is Aburame Shino. I hold my parents in high regard, and I'm fond of insects. It should be obvious, since we are kikaichuu users. As much, my hobbies include studying about insects, and helping my father with the hives. I despise people mistreating our clan because of our nature. My dream is to make people comprehend our clan's importance in Konoha, without them thinking we are snobbish people." Everyone's reaction was... well, they never thought about it, but the Aburame clan seemed to be really nice, so they happy to see Shino committing himself to honor his clan and still be a valuable shinobi with the Will of Fire.

"It's my time already...? Such a drag... *yawn* My name is Nara Shikamaru... I like my family and friends. Although I never thought about other things to begin with, that would be too troublesome... My hobbies would include... playing shogi and watching the clouds, I suppose... Since I'm lazy, I hate waking up early... And my dream...? I think that I just want to live the thrill of a shinobi life and then relax a bit. Pushing myself too hard is too troublesome for a guy like me..." Everyone sweat-dropped. Sakura thought that this guy was a joke. Sasuke just smirked. He knew the Nara clan was full of clever strategists, so he knew Shikamaru was going to become a hell of a ninja without working too hard. Naruto had a half-smile across his face. But he knew that Shikamaru had the Will of Fire, so everything was going to be alright. He returned to assume the center of the circle to talk with his friends.

"Well, it seems we all got to know each other. The reason why I wanted to do this introduction is to see that we all have differences. That is what makes us work together. To be able to understand the differences between those who will probably become your Genin teammates, we can work strategies and tactics to cover our weaknesses and improve our main abilities. We fight for our friends, we protect Konohagakure no Sato, and most importantly, we create bonds of fellowship that will stand for generations to come. The Hokages are responsible to not only protect Konoha, but to lead our hearts to follow the Will of Fire. That is what I believe, and that is why I want to be the greatest Hokage Konoha has ever seen! -Dattebayo!"

"Excuse me, Naruto...", said a very skeptic Sakura. "Everything you say is pretty remarkable and all, but... what is this Will of Fire you talk about?" Naruto couldn't blame her. She was from a non-shinobi family, and the civilians didn't harvest the Will of Fire in their hearts as fondly as the shinobi families did. "I'm glad you asked, Sakura-chan. You see, the shinobis carry in their hearts the will to protect Konoha. The will to create bonds of fellowship and love. The will to overcome hatred and bring peace to the world. And these strong wills burn in our hearts like a undying fire. That is what the Shodaime called the Will of Fire. And it is passed on through the generations to come. And we are the next generation to carry out this strong will." Save for the Ino-Shika-Chou infants and Shino, everyone else was flabbergast. Sasuke had a smile on his face. Hinata was already lost in admiration. Her infatuation became true love a long time ago, and seeing Naruto like that only confirmed her feelings.

"That is why", said Shikamaru "Naruto brought us here together. Because he truly believes that we are the ones with the potential to bring forth a new age to Konoha, and make it prosperous and peaceful. I don't know why, but Naruto already faced a lot of hardships through his life, specially being an orphan. For some reason, he was able to overcome whatever hatred the villagers hold against him and wishes to protect them. Don't ask me why he is so hated, that is too troublesome for me to get into. When the time is right Naruto will reveal the truth about himself. For now, what we can do is being here as members of this new generation that will shake the very foundations of Konoha."

Sakura felt her ego shrinking before such amazing and mature people. She was from a civilian family, and she had no idea how mature shinobi kids already were compared to her. The fact Naruto had some sort of dark secret that required a whole different level of trust that could probably only be possible through valuable shinobis didn't exactly help her either. As much as she hated to admit, she didn't belong there.

"And... that is why I'm here...", said Hinata. "By learning the meaning of the Will of Fire, I can become a strong person for the sake of those I hold dear to my heart..." she glanced at Naruto, and blushed a bit. "My clan is facing many issues lately because the elders who guide my clan had their flames of the Will of Fire extinguished. My clan has become arrogant and foolish, and I plan to fix that. In the beginning I didn't know how, because I felt stuck and unable to do anything. If I hadn't known Naruto-kun, I'd never..."

She stopped talking, as she noticed her speech drifting towards what seemed to be a love confession and was blushing a crimson red. Naruto wasn't sure why (**clueless as always**), but he blushed by such flattering and couldn't stop thinking that Hinata looked really cute blushing like that. He blushed a bit more at these thoughts. Ino whispered a few words to Sakura, who realized what it was all about. Everyone else rolled their eyes around, seeing where this was heading.

"A-anyway...", said Naruto, still blushing. "Today, we are creating a new fellowship. A fellowship that will carry out the strength and will to protect those we hold dear, and we are going to let Konoha know that, no matter what happens, we will protect them with out lives. Now let's begin our training! -Dattebayo!"

**A/N: Whew! This chapter was HUGE! Over 15,000 words! I never though I'd pull it off, but there you go, I made it.**

**This chapter ended up completely different from what I expected. I wanted to include the bullies, and make Sakura a more cheerful character. But I'm actually pretty happy with the result. I might actually be able to build up a badass Sakura if I focus on depressing her to the point someone slaps her and makes up her mind. She will become powerful, maybe even a genjutsu queen like Kurenai, and putting medic ninjutsu on the mix... she will be a force to be reckoned with, giving even non-fangirl Ino a run for her money. However, her banshee side will still scare some Sasuke fangirls in the Academy.**

**About Naruto... I intent making him learn (although not master) the Hiraishin by the time he's about to graduate. He will scare the shit out of the council, that's for sure. I'm also planning to make the Hokage change the usual formation of Genin teams. I know the "Top Shinobi, Top Kunoichi and Dead Last" is actually the essence of the Naruto world, but the story made sure to point out that it was all about deception being an important ninja tool. And the original teams were so amazing that I don't see how they should be altered. I'm keeping the same formations, and I hope you guys are okay with that. And yes, there will be NaruHina's first kiss in a chapter or two. You just wait.**

**With that, I think it's time to rest. I promise to work hard to bring the next chapter as soon as I can. Don't forget to review! Thank you for your time! Next chapter, as much as I didn't want to do that, there will be a junk of minor events before a huge timeskip to the time the Academy begins and our favorite Jinchuuriki becomes the spitting image of the Yondaime with his badass cloak. Which visual did I choose? Find out next chapter! Be seeing ya!**


	5. Chapter 4: Twilight And Dawn

**A/N: Hey guys. Sorry for being so late updating this chapter. I've been dealing with many things at work, college (which, by the way, I started the 5th semester with no vacations whatsoever – yay for Brazil's fucked up education) and, why not, riots. Yeah, I've been participating in a few of those too. My country is in deep shit and I want to contribute in some way.**

**Updating the chapters with all of these things going on will be difficult. But I promise to update as quickly as one can. Even if it takes all my time and patience, this fanfic will go on in a quick pace. And since the chapters are so big anyway, it's not like I'm just slacking off... I mean, how many writer write near 20k words PER CHAPTER?**

**Now for the replies!**

**Naruhinalover20: Sorry, even Nagato won't be able to save Hikari. As much as I hate to do that, Hinata and Hiashi will not be strong in this fanfic without knowing what pain feels like (yeah, I made a pun with Nagato and pain at the same reply. Kill me!). And what Celestial Overlord pointed out about Hinata being depressed as hell, well... read this chapter, I'm sure you're gonna like it. And they will be the Top 9 Genin.**

**I actually pointed out in the previous Author's Note (do you guys actually read them?) that the Genin team formation system would have to change because of their interaction. But as I said previously, I don't see how I could put up OC teams. Everyone is so much more united and their strategies are going to be so much more advanced that trying to change the original canon formations at this point would be pointless. Even if I do like the idea of Naruto and Hinata on the same team...**

**MrBojangles3154: Uzu Ninpou: Eiyuu no Kuroku... that's... actually a pretty awesome idea! I'll consider it. Thanks, man!**

**Vallavarayan: Actually, that's EXACTLY what I intent to do with the kunoichis. I already answered the topic of the Genin formations, so... nope, not happening. Sorry, but that's the way I like it.**

**Anon Legit: WOW! I've never really noticed that until you pointed out. Thanks a bunch, man!**

**Neostardustdrago: Nope, no chance. Itachi and sasuke will be the two last Uchihas alive. And speaking of Kurama... well, keep reading.**

**Once again, thank you guys for all the positive reviews. Today, before we start the Academy, we might want to put up a few background stories just for the heck of it. And if you're wondering about the title of this chapter, that's because both sunrise and sunset look pretty orange to me. Well, anyway, I'm SamHetfield, and welcome to another chapter of...**

**The Orange Hokage**

**Chapter 4: Twilight And Dawn**

**Four months after the foundation of the Fellowship of Fire, Hokage Tower**

Sarutobi Hiruzen was heading towards another meeting between the shinobi and civilian council. He wished he could have left some **Kage Bunshins** to deal with the paper work, but then he reminded that his chakra reserves were not the same from 15 years ago. "_I'm getting too old for this sort of thing..._" was all he could think as he entered the meeting room and everyone rose to his presence. The meeting of today was to discuss about letting the Jinchuuriki Uzumaki Naruto join the academy or not by the time he reached the recommended age. Even though Hiruzen had made himself quite clear 4 and a half years ago that he wanted Naruto to follow the Will of fire and be a great shinobi, the civilian council wanted to do anything to stop Hiruzen. Apparently they discovered something worrying and wanted Hiruzen to reconsider his decision of letting the "demon brat" becoming a shinobi. As soon as Hiruzen announced the beginning of the meeting, Danbo Shihedo(**dumb shithead**), main head of the civilian council, rose to speak.

"Some civilians reported that last afternoon, there was a rather violent conflict between the Uzumaki brat and Akimichi Chouji at the Barbe-Q restaurant. They said that the Uzumaki teased the Akimichi boy, which made him violent and damaging the restaurant. No civilians were harmed, but the restaurant itself is out of commission until the day after tomorrow. Besides, the Akimichi clan owes an apology to the owners of the Barbe-Q. But the main topic is that the one who started the mess was the Uzumaki brat. The Akimichi boy is believed to be a pacifist, and to do what he did... Clearly that demon is a vandal who likes to wreak havoc and disturb the local peace. He is not fit for the life of a shinobi." People at the civilian council were talking randomly, but they all agreed to Shihedo's argument. At this moment Akimichi Chouza rose.

"First of all, I went this morning to pay the repairing of the Barbe-Q and apologized the owners. When I asked them what happened, they told me that Naruto accidentally called my son "fat", which for him is a taboo word. At the moment, Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru and Inuzuka Kiba were having lunch with the other two boys and they all wanted to stop Chouji from wreaking havoc. My son, however, even at an early age, is impressively strong and was able to break them apart and crush the restaurant to punish Naruto for his mistake." At this moment, Shihedo was already biting his lips.

"So you see, this 'report' is actually all just a big misunderstanding of two innocent children who just went overboard without thinking. Naruto actually offered some money to pay the repairing, but I assured him that he didn't need to do that. And if his act of apologies is not enough to grant him as a more ethical and respectful person than 20 years of non-shinobi families in the Academy, I don't know that is wrong with you civilians anymore!"

As soon as this statement was made, many protests were made by members of the civilian council. "Why you arrogant shinobis..." "Civilians have the right to be at the academy as well!" "That demon is just using tricks to gain our trust! He will kill you on your sleep!"

"**SILENCE!**" Hiruzen's words echoed through the room for a couple of seconds. Saying that the civilian council froze their asses off in fear was an understatement. Some actually fainted because of the pressure. Hiruzen looked at the shinobi table, to see if anyone on their side had something else to say. He looked at Hiashi, mentally struggling to restrain his Byakugan from activating. Sarutobi made a signal and Hiashi rose to speak. Members of the civilian council could already know that this was not going to be nice for them.

"A few months ago, I was having problems with my daughter Hinata. As some of you know, she is to be the heiress of the Hyuuga clan, but when my late wife announced that she was pregnant, some feared that Hinata would enter in deep depression. Her shy and weak nature could not bear that either her sister or herself would have to become members of the Branch House and be victims of internal conflicts in my clan. But something made her change her personality. I realized that Uzumaki Naruto was responsible for her change." Shihedo wanted to raise his voice, but he knew better than to piss off someone who could use the **Jyuuken**.

"My daughter started enduring her training, and showed a determination I've never seen. Not only that, she was the one who named her sister Hanabi, proving that she overcame her fears regarding the possible conflict between her sister. Before I realized, she had the Will of Fire burning in her heart, while I hadn't. Hinata has befriended the boy, and since then she kept saying that she would do whatever it would be necessary to end the internal conflicts of the Hyuugas. Naruto's company made her stronger and happier, and as a shinobi, a clan head and a father, the boy has gained my trust. He will be a great shinobi, if that is alright with you civilians, of course..."

As Hiashi said these words, he activated his Byakugan. That was the last nail in the coffin, and the civilian council froze in fear again. Hiruzen announced the end of the meeting, with the decision of letting the Jinchuuriki attend the Academy, and called Hiashi to his office. When Hiashi entered the Hokage's office, he noticed that Sarutobi was actually using **Kage Bunshins** to deal with the 2 new piles of paperwork that sprung to life after the meeting. Hiashi wondered in that would ruin Hiruzen's health, but he knew better than to doubt The Professor's skills.

"Here I am, Hokage-sama. What do I owe you the honor?" The original Hiruzen dispelled the **Kage Bunshins** and took a few deep breaths to restore his strength. Definitely a 60-years-old man with a smoking habit was not fir for using those jutsus anymore. Then he looked at Hiashi and saw the grief in his eyes. Yesterday Hanabi was born, but the labor cost Hikari's life. The poison made its work and the elders were one step closer to dominate Hiashi's will. But Hiashi's eyes also had a faint gleam of hope. Hiruzen took another deep breath and asked Hiashi to report about what happened last night. Hiashi sighed and started talking.

**Flashback – The previous day, Hyuuga Compound**

A loud cry could be heard in a closed room. That cry announced the birth of Hiashi's second daughter, Hanabi. The nurse and midwife immediately cut the umbilical cord and showed the baby's face to the thrilled parents before they took her to the Hyuugas' private nursery. Hikari was really weak and she knew she had but a few minutes to live. She asked her husband to come close and approach his ear. She didn't want anyone else to listen to what she considered a SS-rank secret of her own.

"Hiashi... my love... do you remember that time, when... *cough* *cough* ...I said that Hinata and I... had a girls' secret regarding... Naruto-kun...?" Hiashi nodded. That time, he knew that Naruto wanted to become Hokage and change the Hyuugas, and if that wasn't enough, he would make the elders sign blood oaths, but there was something else that Hinata would never tell him. He could only wonder for months what was this all about. "What is it that Naruto promised to our daughter, Hikari? What would he do if all his attempts to change the Hyuugas were to fail?", he asked. It had to be something very important for him, of all people, to be concealed of the truth. Hikari was so weak she barely had enough strength to speak anymore, but that would not stop her.

"Naruto-kun... *cough* promised Hinata that... if nothing else worked... *cough* *cough* *cough* ...he would... force the elders... to marry them... that way... both our daughters would... be spared from the **Caged Bird Seal**..." Hiashi was flabbergast, to say the least. The young Jinchuuriki would go as far as marrying Hinata to save her and Hanabi from a fate that Hiashi believed to be responsible for killing his brother Hizashi. Hiashi took a few seconds to process all his thoughts and remember all the things Ko, Hinata and Hikari said to him regarding Naruto.

"_Hinata-sama snapped in anger and yelled at me, demanding I stopped mistreating the Jinchuuriki... … she even called him her friend... ..._"

"_Naruto-kun promised me he would become Hokage to change the Hyuugas and force the elders to stop using the _**_Caged Bird Seal_**_... He is determined to help me, even though we've only just met. And he said he would never give up on his word, because that is his nindo. That's when I realized that Naruto-kun really means to do whatever it takes to force the Hyuuga's cycle of hatred to an end. I believe in him..._"

"_I'm placing my faith in two young children whom I know their own fates will intertwine in a way that they will be bound forever. And their combined strength will put an end to the elders' design and bring peace and true honor to the Hyuuga clan... … Hinata needs someone to stand alongside her... her pillar of strength... goes by the name of... Uzumaki Naruto..._"

"_Nii-san... I'm not sacrificing myself for the sake of the Main House. I'm choosing to sacrifice myself for Neji, for you, for my friends and for my village... With that choice, I'm able to defy my fate and be free from the hatred I held towards the Main House for so many years..."_

As even Hizashi's words passed through his head, Hiashi finally realized how important it was for him to believe in Naruto's determination. It was the young boy that made Hinata change her personality and become a confident and strong girl. Hiashi remembered the times he would carry an asleep Hinata to her bedroom and she would grab her pillow the same way she hugged Naruto last time he visited the compound. Hinata was just 4 years old, but she had already fallen in love with Naruto, yet his all-seeing eyes did not notice anything. Could it be possible that he was so weakened by the elders' hatred and pride to the point he would not be able to notice love and justice anymore? Hiashi picked his wife's hands and noticed she was losing her heat. He knew Hikari was going to die, and he could do nothing to save her. Tears flowed from his lavender eyes.

"Please... Hikari, my love... don't go. I can't defeat the elders without you... I will not be able to raise Hinata and Hanabi properly without your kindness to guide me... You are my pillar of strength, and if you go away, I..." Hiashi felt his lips being touched by Hikari's near-cold hands. She still had the strength to say her final words.

"Hiashi, darling... I already placed my strength... in those two children... They will be... your pillar now... And remember... if you are a true ninja... you can easily... win the elders... at their own game... be strong... and always remember... I... love... you..." With those words, Hikari's hand fell on the floor, her body turned cold and her heart stopped beating.

She died.

A faint, yet excruciating cry could be heard from the closed room where a devastated Hiashi was. Another cry, a bit louder and with a higher pitch could be heard in the adjacent room, where a crushed Hinata was, alongside many other members of the Hyuuga clan, with their hearts in pain. Hikari was the main source of kindness and caring, and her light faded away in this cold night. There was no celebration for the newborn Hanabi.

**Back at present time...**

"What are you going to do now, Hiashi?", asked Sarutobi. He could clearly see that Hiashi's heart was as heavy as the stone faces of the Hokage Monument. The pain was such that not even the Kyuubi itself deserved to bear it. But Hiruzen saw this pain before. It was the same pain Naruto suffered when the entire village abandoned him that fateful day. The pain of having lost all hope in life, and the impression that there was not a single person in the world willing to comfort him. Hiashi raised his head as he found the right words to say.

"I owe the Jinchuuriki my humblest apologies for doubting him. My pain is not as nearly as close as the one he felt for 4 long years of his life, yet he found the strength and motivation in his life to cast aside whatever hatred he had towards Konoha and life itself and became my daughter's pillar of strength. For that, I also owe him my humblest gratitude. I place my faith in his determination to become Hokage in the future and free my clan from their circle of hatred. Although I have a question, Hokage-sama..." Hiruzen looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

"When I called Naruto to my house to discuss about Hinata's training with his friends, he said something about honoring his parents' sacrifice. Are you aware of Naruto's heritage? And if you are, is there a reason why Naruto said it is considered a SS-rank secret?" Hiruzen raised from his chair and puffed some smoke from his pipe as he stayed in front of a window in which one could see the stone faces of the Hokages. He looked at the face of Minato, which seemed to gaze back at him with an indescribable look, and then turned back to face Hiashi.

"Naruto's heritage is one that will shake Konoha's foundations if revealed. Not only the civilian council will be hypocrite to change their opinion towards the boy, many enemies will rise to threaten his life and this village. And just like most people of the village don't understand that he is Naruto, and not the Kyuubi... they will not understand that he is himself, and not his parents. I cannot tell you right now, but as Naruto grows up, you will realize why he is destined to keep his promise and change the Hyuugas. Even it means having to marry your daughter."

Hiashi understood enough Hiruzen's motives. Apparently Naruto's heritage was one that must have been forgotten by the sands of time. He would just have to wait and see. He bowed before the Hokage and left the room to prepare for his wife's funeral. But even so, Hiashi's heart seemed to lose some weight. Hiruzen gad a small grin on his face. Naruto was already changing the lives of many people, and it was only a matter time for him to rise as a great ninja and honor Minato and Kushina.

**One year later, Naruto's house**

"C'mon Sasuke-kun, you can beat him!" yelled a very high-pitched Sakura. She rooted for Sasuke, who was having a fierce taijutsu sparring with Naruto. For almost a year and a half, the Fellowship of Fire had been hard at work with their training. Ever since most of the members were 6 years old, their chakra coils were developed enough for them to work on the most basic ninjutsus, such as **Bunshin**, **Henge** and **Kawarimi**. Naruto already mastered most of the basic fuuinjutsus of his father's book, and he had enough chakra to produce forty-five **Kage Bunshins**. Not only that, he developed a **Advanced Henge** which was stronger then the usual **Henge**, considered to be a weak genjutsu. This advanced version was a ninjutsu on its own conception and could fool almost anyone, because of the fact it was not an illusion, much like the difference between the normal **Bunshin** and the **Kage Bunshin**.

Naruto also dominated all the chakra molding exercises and was finally able to walk on trees and walk on water. He could tell in a range of one mile up to 15 chakra signatures, although he would still have to train harder to recognize them, to make sure if they belonged to allies or enemies. And the wind manipulation exercise was complete, but he didn't want to start to practice the Fuuton ninjutsus left by his father until the beginning of the academy. He figure it would be best to wait for his friends to start their own ninjutsu trainings so they could start elaborating strategies.

As Naruto landed a kick on Sasuke's waist, the raven-haired boy fell on the floor, two feet away from the limit of the circle ring. Everyone was impressed at Sasuke's display, although he lost. He was the only one who could actually land more than three hits on Naruto before losing. The only person who could beat Naruto in a taijutsu sparring was Hinata, and even then she had a hard time. Naruto became very proficient with taijutsu, although he believed his true specialty would most likely be fuuinjutsu, once again following his parents' legacy of seal masters. As Naruto was catching his breath, he noticed the other members of his group.

Mostly everyone grew nearly half a foot of height. Chouji's general stature remained the same, although some would say he got fatter. Of course, no one could actually say that, otherwise the chubby boy would give such foolish soul a violent punch. He found his specialty in counter-attacking, and impressively, he was the only one after Hinata, Sasuke and Kiba to give Naruto a run for his money.

Ino's hair grew a few inches and she could already make a ponytail out of it. As Naruto predicted, her flexibility was incredible, and her aim was the best in the group. Not only that, she already knew the majority of the flowers of her clan's store, providing her with a possibility to work with medicinal plants and poison in the future.

Shikamaru's hair also started to grow, but he would just tie it with a male hairband, which made him look a lot more like his father and his pineapple-like hair. He figure that trying to find his own hairstyle would be too troublesome. His intellect increased as well. He would stay his hand until he'd come up with a strategy to restrain the enemy's movements. And the Ino-Shika-Chou formation was REALLY good. Naruto actually lost more than one match against the combined trio. That showed that their teamwork was in excellent terms.

Kiba and Shino didn't change at all, despite growing. Shino started using kikaichuu, and his techniques were pretty much mixed with his bugs, to drain the enemy's energy. Against Naruto it was not useful, because his stamina was nearly infinite. Akamaru also grew a tiny bit. It was enough to rest on top of Kiba's head without falling off. The duo started working on combinations, and Akamaru was developed enough to use hyoron-gans and **Gijyuu Ninpou: Jyuujin Bunshin**, which transformed him in a physical clone of Kiba and they would use combined attacks and amazing speed.

Sakura also started to grow her hair, but instead of making a ponytail like Ino's, she preferred to let her hair smooth. Although her true motivation was yet to be found, she was pretty much average in everything, except that her chakra control was much better than anyone else's. Naruto pointed out she could easily become a great medic-nin, but Sakura still didn't seem to find a real reason to work on that asset.

Hinata also decided to let her hair grow in the same way as Sakura's, although her hair was much shorter to begin with. As a matter of fact, Hanabi's hair was longer than hers. And speaking of her sister, with just a year old, she already started training with their father her **Jyuuken**. She displayed a talent as great as the one displayed by Neji, the prodigy of the Branch House, and since Hinata already had her training sessions with the fellowship, Hiashi seemed to focus on Hanabi, almost as if she was to become the new clan heiress. And if Hinata were to train with her father, the training sessions became much more severe.

Hinata feared that she would end up overpowered by Hanabi and be branded with the **Caged Bird Seal** before Naruto and her could be strong enough to stand up against the elders, but she noticed something was off. Although her father made her work much harder and bringing her to near exhaustion sometimes, Hinata noticed though, that he smiled from time to time, before he returned to his stoic expression. She then realized that her father was trying his best to fool the elders and let them think they were the ones making the rules. Hiashi, however, was a true ninja, and as such, he used a ninja's best weapon: deception. Hinata decided to help her father with his charade when the time was right.

Sasuke's appearance didn't change much. He had the same hair aspect, and his confident face was unchanged. He became an expert in almost everything Naruto was, except fuuinjutsu (which he showed no interest), although he was still unable to try more advanced ninjutsu. He completed the first exercise of fire manipulation, but his chakra coils were still not developed enough to keep on the training. Naruto pointed out that fire and wind together would create devastating results, so he suggested that once they started working on more advanced ninjutsu, they would work out combinations for the future.

Naruto was the one who showed the biggest signs of change. His cerulean-blue eyes had an aura of knowledge and strength fit for a true shinobi. His hair was a bit spikier and two side bangs were taking shape, just like his father's hair. If it weren't for the whiskers, people would already call him the spitting face of the Yondaime. Since he could use **Kage Bunshins** to improve both his physical and mental training, he was both strong and smart.

Although Shikamaru was the smartest of the group, Naruto's intelligence was not to be ignored either. And even though Chouji's physical strength met no rival, Naruto's speed was as great as Kiba's, and he was as flexible as Ino, so Naruto's taijutsu skills were second only to Hinata's. His chakra control upgraded from passable to good, although he still had the worst chakra control of the group. Since his chakra reserves were bigger than almost every other shinobi in Konoha, that was a nice trade-off. Overall, the group became very strong in a short period of time, and as far as anyone could tell, they'd be able to become Genin right away, if it weren't for the fact that no one actually wanted to.

Naruto noticed a **Kage Bunshin** being dispelled, announcing that Ko was on his way to pick up Hinata and escort her back to the Hyuuga compound. He gathered everyone together to announce the end of today's training. Mostly everyone just awwwn'ed, but each and every person would go back to their homes and have lunch. Surprisingly, today Naruto wasn't invited to anyone's house, so he'd just lunch at Ichiraku's today. Last time he ended up eating 20 large bowls of miso ramen. 5 more and he would break his mother's record. But today it seemed it would be different. When Ko arrived, he approached Naruto.

"Naruto-sama, Hiashi-sama invited you to have lunch at the Hyuuga compound today." After hearing this, Naruto almost dropped his jaw on the floor. Since Hinata started training with Naruto, this was the first time ever that he would have lunch there. Before that, only that one time he had dinner the day Hiashi wanted to talk to him, before accepting Hinata to train with the rest of the group. It's been nearly a year and a half, so it wasn't like Naruto would miss this. He gladly accepted the invitation and walked alongside Hinata and Ko towards the compound.

When Naruto sat in front of the table, he noticed many of the Hyuuga clan members looking at him. Some glares, of course, were those of hatred towards the young Jinchuuriki. But he noticed that most of the glares were incredulous. Like they were wondering what force motivated the clan head to invite such disgraceful and unworthy weakling to sit in front of what they considered the noblest dining table in all of Konoha. Before anyone could actually be brave enough to raise his or her voice, Hiashi and both his daughters entered the room and headed towards the table. Hiashi sat in front of the edge of the table, while Hanabi sat on one side, and Hinata on the other, right besides where Naruto was.

"I'm glad you accepted my invitation, Naruto-san. It has been a while, hasn't it?", asked Hiashi, keeping his stoic expression. Since some of the elders were at the table, he didn't want to sound "soft" around them. Naruto immediately noticed that. He knew that expression all too well. It was the same way he kept a cheerful expression while his heart was devastated during his worst years. Naruto decided to join Hiashi's game, although he would still have his way around. "Yes, Hiashi-sama. It has been almost a year and a half, if I recall correctly", said him. "I remember Hikari-sama at your side back them. By the way, the girl at your side must be Hanabi, right? My, she reminds me a lot of her mother..."

Hanabi widened her eyes at hearing Naruto's words. For a while, the elders said that she inherited more of her father's traits than her mother's. They also made sure that she was going to be as arrogant as snobbish as they wanted her to be, making sure that even the slightest trace of Hikari's traits would insult her strength and pride. Because of that, Naruto's words sounded more like an insult than an actual compliment. She lost her composure just then. "What does a no-name weakling like you would know of Kaa-san? And how dare you speak of her name on this table? And as far as I know, you shouldn't even-"

"Enough!", said Itachi, raising his hand in a silence gesture. "I will not tolerate such behavior in the presence of out guest, Hanabi. I demand you to respect him." Hanabi couldn't believe what her father just ordered. Hyuuga Hanabi, the new prodigy and precious jewel of the proud and strong Hyuuga clan, would have to be respectful towards the strange boy sitting alongside her older sister, whom she was also not in good terms with. She wanted to raise her voice, but instead she just stood there, mentally cursing the boy that her father seemed to protect. Hiashi then faced her and gave her the reason for Naruto's presence.

"I called Naruto-san to sit amongst us today because Hinata requested so. She sees Naruto as a dear friend, and he helps your sister every day with her training. He has the respect and high regards of all the great shinobi clans, including our own, just like Naruto himself respects all the clans. And he is by no means weak. The reason I let Hinata train with him is exactly because he proved me his strength and valor."

The vast majority of the Hyuuga members were left speechless at the clan head's statement. Was this boy Hiashi praised so much the same boy supposed to hold the strongest demon in the world inside him? They still weren't sympathetic with the young blonde amongst them, but he had Hiashi's protection and trust, so they just had to deal with it. The rest of lunchtime was pretty peaceful as Hiashi mostly asked Naruto about the exercises they had in their training.

Naruto gave everyone a mere briefing of the activities, such as taijutsu sparring, tracking and reconnaissance, basic academy ninjutsu and general studies. Basically, everyone in the group would pass the academy in flying colors any day. Not once did Hiashi bother to ask about Hinata's performance, to give the elders the impression he didn't care about her progress and would still focus on Hanabi. Naruto also didn't bother to mention, since he also decided to play along.

Hanabi, however, still wanted to prove her to be more worthy of her father's affection. After lunch was over she raised from her couch and challenged Naruto. "I still refuse to accept your presence in this house, scum. Unless you defeat me in a proper fight, you are unworthy to be in my eyesight!" Both Hiashi and Hinata wanted to scold the little one for her dreadful behavior, but Naruto raised from his cushion and glanced at Hiashi, mentally asking for permission. Hiashi nodded and the young Jinchuuriki opened his mouth to speak.

"Since you are so eager to fight me, I accept your challenge, Hanabi-san, on one condition and one condition alone." Hanabi glared at him, asking just her eyes what sort of condition he were to give her. Naruto took a deep breath and said in a voice tone high enough for everyone to hear him clearly. "The fight will end if either one of us forfeit or draw first blood from the other. But if you are the one to lose, Hyuuga Hanabi, you will be branded with the **Caged Bird Seal** today."

Needless to say, almost every single Hyuuga clan member gathered wanted to kill Naruto right away for threatening their precious prodigy with this challenge. Hinata and Hanabi stood at their positions, shocked to hear such brutal words coming from Naruto's mouth. Hiashi raised both eyebrows. It was not exactly how he wanted things to end up, but Naruto was indeed an unpredictable person, so he was ready for anything Naruto would do. Hinata couldn't understand Naruto's actions. If he really wanted to change the Hyuugas and save both her and Hanabi, why would he do something so reckless? Hanabi was absolutely terrified. For that piece of trash be able to know of the **Caged Bird Seal** AND to threaten her with such a terrible curse for the rest of her life, she immediately realized there was no way she could win. But she couldn't just forfeit either. She held the entire honor of the Hyuuga clan on the top of her young shoulders. The elders believed in her potential. She had no choice but to accept.

Both challengers and the other members made their way to the practice room, where most of the Hyuugas had their **Jyuuken** training. Hanabi activated her Byakugan and both her and Naruto put up their fighting stances as Hiashi reminded everyone of the rules of the fight. As he signalized the beginning of the fight, both challengers rushed towards each other. Naruto immediately dodged Hanabi's attack and landed a soft strike on her nape. Hanabi fell on the floor and mentally cursed him. "_It was just a fluke. He is nothing but a weakling_." She tried to land more and more strikes at him with her **Jyuuken** attacks, trying to force her chakra into his and make him lose his strength, but Naruto kept dodging every single attack. In a moment's notice, he kicked Hanabi's gut. She fell on the floor again.

Hinata was worried about her sister, but she was even more worried about Naruto's attitude. "Tou-san, what is Naruto-kun trying to do? He knows Hanabi will never him. If he keep up like that, she's going to..." Hiashi raised his hand to silence her. "Worry not, Hinata. Naruto-san knows what he is doing. Hanabi will not be branded with the seal. As a matter of fact, Naruto-san is doing us a great favor." Hinata didn't understand her father's words, so she regained her focus on the fight. Hanabi kept falling over and over again, yet she was forbidden to forfeit. Hinata immediately understood what was that all about and smiled faintly, to make sure no one would notice her smile and take it the wrong way.

Naruto could have ended this fight with a single direct blow, yet he kept holding back, and that infuriated Hanabi. She cursed herself. "_He's not even breaking a sweat. How dare him to humiliate me like that? I'm supposed to be a genius, a prodigy. Yet he mocks me. Is there something that my all-seeing Byakugan failed to notice?_" Her thoughts were cast aside when she noticed Naruto about to speak. "What do you fight for, Hanabi-san?"

Hanabi's eyes widened. "What is this all about? A lecture in the middle of a challenge? Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" said her in anger, as she rushed towards Naruto. The young Jinchuuriki quickly blocked her attack and threw her off the distance. Hanabi landed on all four, but she couldn't find the will to foolishly rush anymore if it was just going to end up like that again. "By the way you reacted, I'm inclined to believe that you fight for yourself, am I right?" asked Naruto. Hanabi gave him another angry glare and yelled at him with pure hatred.

"I don't fight for myself, you worthless scum. I fight for the honor and greatness of the Hyuuga clan! A no-name lowlife orphan like you doesn't know what it is like to represent a clan's greatness, and you never will!" Before she could even rush, though, Naruto appeared before her in a blink of an eye and landed a heavy strike at her gut with his elbow. Her body fell on the floor like a sheet of paper, and for a moment Hanabi thought she would lose her consciousness, but she didn't. She could just stay there, on the floor, hoping to gather strength to move her limbs again. Naruto took advantage of the moment to lecture her a bit. He sat on a lotus position at her side and started his lecture.

"For the honor and greatness of the Hyuuga clan? Don't make me laugh. How can one as snobbish as you are be granted permission to train with the clan head of the Hyuuga clan? And you dare you call yourself an honorable person when you dishonor your mother's name by being selfish and spoiled? From what I can see, you are the worthless brat here, Hyuuga Hanabi!" Naruto's words echoed through the practice ring. Hanabi couldn't hold her tears any longer. The elders started to curse the boy who dared to humiliate the potential heiress of the Hyuuga clan, and soil their honor to the ground. Some Hyuuga members actually rose from their seats, with the intention of expelling Naruto from the compound, when a loud voice roared through the large room.

"**ENOUGH!**" Hiashi's voice froze every single person inside the room. Naruto remained motionless, and Hinata looked at her father with a very scared look. Never before has she seen her father so angry. But he wasn't angry towards Naruto. "If anyone dares to come closer to Naruto-san with a killing intent, I will not hesitate to kill such fool. He is protected by the Hokage himself, and none of you have the right to surpass his law, even inside our own grounds." With that problem solved, Hiashi nodded at Naruto, signalizing he could resume his lecture. Even after what almost became an uproar of the Hyuugas, he hasn't moved a finger. He just looked at Hanabi, who was still unable to move her body. She could only listen to whatever Naruto had to say.

"You act like you are supposed to protect the honor or the Hyuugas, but you are just fooling yourself, Hanabi. You are going to be a shinobi in the future. You main responsibility is towards Konoha and its inhabitants. If you despise the citizens, you dishonor your village. If you dishonor your village, you soil the very ground you step on. Konoha is not yours to serve and obey. We already have a supreme authority, and that is the Hokage, and the hierarchy is pretty much straightforward. If you ever find yourself in an internal conflict between the Hyuugas, you must bring an end to this conflict seeking the benefit of Konoha, even if you have to sacrifice some of your clan's dignity. Although that is a contradiction, because sacrificing yourself and your so-called pride for the benefit of Konoha will only create bonds of trust and respect from everyone else. And it is this trust and friendship that keeps Konoha alive every day. And if you can't understand that... you will never defeat me."

Hanabi already regained her strength, but was too stunned by Naruto's remarkable words. Her tears stopped falling from her eyes, but her heart still ached in pain for hearing the awful truth. Some of the Hyuuga members lowered their heads in embarrassment. They recognized most of their own sins and felt terrible and humiliated for being lectured by a six-year-old Jinchuuriki. Both Hiashi and Hinata had a faint smile on their faces. Hanabi looked at Naruto and couldn't help but ask him: "What to I have to do, then? What do I have to do to become strong and have a chance of defeating you?" Naruto looked at the young Hyuuga with pity. He took a deep breath, lift himself up and stretched his hand towards her.

"First of all, stop setting your goals on victory and strength. They will only poison your soul. Train hard so you can protect those that are precious to you. And don't you dare to give your back on them." With those words, Hanabi kept staring at Naruto, marveled by his words. After a few seconds, she simply nods and grabs his hand, and Naruto lifts her off the ground. The young Hyuuga girl tries to balance herself, seeing that she still feels the effects of Naruto's previous hits. Hanabi had a question, though. "Um... So... I lost, right? Does that mean I will..."

Naruto puts his hand on Hanabi's head, with a fox-grin in his face. "Don't worry, you passed my test. There won't be a **Caged Bird Seal** today. In fact, I hope that one day, this seal will be forever abolished from the clan's practices, and as a potential heiress, only you and Hinata have the power to do that in the future." A few members sighed in relief for the daughter of the clan head. Others were admired by Naruto's character and caring. It almost felt like it was Hikari herself who stood there in front of them. Hanabi was so relieved she thought of just falling to the ground again to give her head a well-deserved rest.

"Oh, I almost forgot..."Naruto leaves the practice ring and picks up from the ground a small waist purse (**much like a ninja purse**) that he dropped before the fight. From it, he picks up a scroll with a storage seal. He unseals it and from the small puff of cloud a couple of chakra weights appear. They seemed much smaller than the average pattern, so it means it was custom-made for small children, just like the one-year-old Hanabi. Naruto approached Hanabi and handed over the weights.

"Happy 1st birthday, Hanabi-san."

A few seconds of dead silence passed when suddenly Hanabi jumped at Naruto, giving him a hug, with a few tears of joy dropping from her eyes. The elders didn't have the strength to protest anymore, specially when Hiashi and Hinata stepped inside the ring. Hinata joined the hug and Hiashi asked the other members to return to their duties, since the fight was over. As they were left alone, Hiashi turned around to face Naruto, who was in a trio hug with both girls.

"Naruto-san, once again I cannot thank you enough. You certainly proved yourself, once more, worthy of the Hokage's trust and protection. I ask you to accompany us to the garden before the end of the afternoon." Naruto nodded and walked alongside Hiashi and his daughters to the garden, which was covered in many colors and smells. Naruto was impressed. Last time he saw a garden this beautiful was in the Yamanaka compound.

In the center of the garden, there was a small courtyard of stone, with a grave in the center, surrounded by the most beautiful crystal-white flowers of the garden. Naruto recognized these flowers. Those were the Full Moon flowers he started planting quite a while ago. This was the beginning of the second spring, so he wondered if the plants could make it just one more year before making his own garden and filling his own bouquets... He blushed at the thoughts of handing bouquets to Hinata. Naruto and the Hyuugas stood in front of the grave, which had these words engraved:

"_To the loving memory of Hyuuga Hikari, role model of what a mother and wife should be. May your true light never fade away._"

"Those were her favorites", said Hiashi. Naruto looked at him and noticed that his eyes were not filled with grief, but with relief. As if the pain was finally taken away from his heart. He them looked at Hinata, who seemed a bit sad, her head slightly leaned to the ground. "_She is still hurt... I can't blame her, though. She really loved her mother..._", he thought. Naruto drifted in his thoughts about what happened last year...

**Flashback – One week after Hikari's passing**

Naruto was preparing his breakfast before setting up the training for today. He wondered if Hinata would show up. She's been gone for a week and he didn't have any news about her. A **Kage Bunshin** dispelled, informing Naruto he would have the Ino-Shika-Chou trio joining him for breakfast. When they arrived at his house, the first thing they noticed was Naruto making a set of turkey sandwiches and a clone with a large cauldron of miso ramen. Teuchi never gave him the recipe, so Naruto just had to figure out on his own. So far he got the hang of it, but Ichiraku's ramen was still the best out there.

After breakfast, Chouji helped Naruto to set up the training tools of the day. Ino stayed at the deposit arranging the weapons everyone would use, and Shikamaru was too lazy to leave the kitchen. He thought it would be too troublesome pushing himself while still digesting. After a few minutes, Sasuke arrived. After a few more minutes, Shino, Kiba and Akamaru arrived as well. Sakura arrived, but Hinata had yet to appear. Naruto couldn't help but sigh. He was worried about her, and wondered if something happened at her compound that somehow forced her to stay there. He cast those thoughts aside, and everyone started training for the rest of the morning.

When lunchtime came, mostly everyone's stomach growled almost at the same time. That was reason enough to call off the training for the day. Naruto had lunch at his house today. He just reheated the leftovers of the miso ramen and wolfed down 4 bowls. He thought about going to Ichiraku's, but he couldn't build up motivation to leave his house. His thoughts were once again drifted towards Hinata. He decided to take a walk through Konoha, despite the glares he'd surely receive. Naruto just wanted to let his mind drift off for a while.

While he was walking through the shinobi district, he met Chouji and Shikamaru, who were heading to a rooftop to watch clouds while eating potato chips. They invited Naruto to join them, but he refused. He just wanted to walk around. Shikamaru thought it would be troublesome to disturb Naruto with questions, so he and Chouji just left towards their destination. Naruto kept walking aimlessly until he found himself walking towards the corner in which he bumped into Hinata months ago. He raised a small smirk and kept walking. Before he knew it, someone on the run bumped into him and both fell on the ground.

After a few seconds dazing off, Naruto thought what he would do, whether he should scold whoever bumped into him or just apologize before the other person raised a ruckus, being Naruto a Jinchuuriki and all. When he actually looked at the one who bumped into him, weren't he surprised. Of all people who could do that, he never expected to be once again that beautiful shy girl blessed by the moon itself. He didn't have time to think why was she running in the first place **again**, he could only approach her and try to know why she was missing for a week. But right now, he would first make sure he didn't hurt her.

"Oh Kami. So sorry for that, Hinata! Are you okay?" Hinata was also a little dazed after bumping into Naruto. When she came to her senses, she noticed a whiskered face with beautiful cerulean eyes and sun-kissed blonde hair. She didn't need to think twice to know who she bumped into. Her face reached another level of red unknown to that particular universe. "N-N-N-Naruto-kun..." She couldn't even make up a full phrase before she fainted in both bliss and embarrassment. "_Oh, bummer, not again... why does she always faint like that when I'm around...?_", thought Naruto. "_Well, at least I finally got to meet her. Might as well take her some place where we can talk to each other a bit. Now, where could I... Oh, I know!_" He had his usual fox-grin as he looked towards his father's stone face at the Hokage Monument.

Naruto could only blush a little as he looked at Hinata's marvelous face while he carried her bridal-style to the top of the Yondaime's stone face. He put her head on his lap, just like last time, and kept thinking about what he would ask her. He didn't want to pressure her to keep up with the training if she didn't want to, or maybe force Hinata to disobey whatever order Hiashi made, if it were the case. He just wanted to make sure Hinata was alright and know the reason for her absence. As the sun slowly leaned down in the blue sky and made it faintly orange, Hinata woke up. She noticed that once again she was laid down on Naruto's lap and quickly lift herself up, with a very red face.

"S-s-s-so sorry for fainting, N-Naruto-kun... I didn't expect t-to meet you...", said her. Naruto noticed that she stuttered quite a bit, something she haven't done in quite a while, which made him wonder if Hinata was losing her confidence. He knew this was going to be a tough question to ask, but he asked it nonetheless. "Hinata... I, um... wanted to know how you're doing... I mean, you've been away for a week and I thought that maybe you were sick or something... I was so worried about you the whole week. What happened?"

Hinata kept looking at Naruto with an impressed look. "_He's been worried about me even though he was training... what if he couldn't focus on his training because of that? I could never forgive myself!_" Hinata immediately turned her look away from Naruto, facing the ground and with her face red from the embarrassment she was feeling. "I-I-I'm so sorry, Naruto-kun. I've been away and b-because of that you've been worried about me, e-even though you were busy and-"

"Hey, don't worry about me, Hinata. I had no problems whatsoever with the training. It's just that I've missed you. You certainly had your reasons to not show up, don't blame yourself because of that.", said Naruto. He placed his hand on her chin to raise her head. Hinata's face had a few tears dropping from her eyes. Naruto's reaction was that he put himself closer to her, worried about her. Their faces were a few inches apart from each other. "Hey, what's wrong? Why are you crying? Is it something I said?" He hated seeing Hinata crying. He thought her face was too pretty to have tears. As he thought of that, his face blushed just a bit.

"N-n-no... it's nothing you said, N-Naruto-kun... It's just that..." Hinata took a moment to wipe off the tears and take a few deep breaths. She put herself some distance from Naruto (although she cursed herself for doing that) and looked at the orange sky. "I've been having... a few problems... with my family. My father's training became more rigid... and the elders said that my kind attitude is unacceptable as the Hyuuga's most probable heiress..." Naruto hissed a bit at hearing her saying that. He remembered about the horrible things the elders were capable of. He would surely make them pay someday.

"And they said that... if I kept that attitude, they would eventually make Hanabi the clan heiress and I'd be branded with the **Caged Bird Seal**..." That last phrase made Naruto really angry. He didn't even know what to say... Then he remembered. "Oh, right. Speaking of Hanabi... Her birth was due sometime around last week, right? Is she okay? And how is Hikari-sama doing?", he asked. Hinata froze at hearing her mother's name. Then she broke down in tears. Naruto wondered what was wrong.

"Yes, Naruto-kun... Hanabi is... *sob* ...a healthy baby girl... but my mom, she... *sob* ...she..." before she finished her phrase, Hinata buried her face in Naruto's chest and burst in loud cries. Naruto just stood there, motionless for a few seconds. He put his arms around Hinata's hair and slowly caressed her, doing his best to comfort his dear friend, even if just a little. He didn't shed any tears, but his heart was heavy. He met Hikari that day Hiashi wanted to talk to him. She was a caring soul and had a comforting smile. For one afternoon in his life he wondered if that love was the same love her mother Kushina had for him.

A few minutes passed and Hinata finally calmed down. Her lavender eyes were a bit reddened and dry, she probably ran out of tears. Naruto then raised her head by the chin once again and they were facing each other by a few inches again. Hinata blushed a dark red for being so close to him, but she refused to faint. She wanted to hear whatever Naruto had to say to her.

"Hinata, I... I'm so sorry for your loss. I never met my mother, so I'm not sure how heartbreaking it is to bear the loss of someone so precious to you. I'm sure it must be very hard for you. But be sure that, no matter how sad and depressed you are, I'm always here for you, okay?" He finished with a faint, but comforting smile. Hinata couldn't help but shed a few more tears, but these were tears of joy. She was so happy to have met Naruto, to be comforted by him, to have him around. But she also felt sad for having Naruto comforting her for something so small compared to what he's been through.

"P-please don't be s-sorry, Naruto-kun... Just like you said, y-you have never even met your m-mother. Yet you remain strong-willed and h-happy, despite the suffering and the hardships. I've had a far more comfortable life a-and here I am, w-weeping and m-making you worry about m-me... The elders were right. I am weak, and I'm not fit for being the clan heiress. I don't even know if I'm fit for being a kunoichi. Maybe I should-" before she could even finish talking, Naruto put his fingers on top of her lips. She just stood there stunned by Naruto's act. His cerulean eyes met her lavender ones as he tried to comfort her.

"I told you before, Hinata. You are **NOT** weak. You stand up against the stupid traditions of your clan. You want to change them and bring an end to the dictatorship of those old geezers. You are the strongest person I know. Hikari-sama is not here and I don't know her as well as you do, but I'm sure she wouldn't be happy if you just accepted defeat. Now, more than ever, you must be stronger, Hinata. For her. For your clan. For Konohagakure. If you do that, you will be one step closer to save the Hyuugas. Trust me."

Hinata was marveled by his words. That whiskered boy she fell in love with made her strong before, but the words he spoke now crossed yet again another level of confidence boosting. They stood there for a few seconds gazing at each other's eyes. Hinata thought about closing in the distance between them and kissing him right away, but she lacked the courage to do it, and they weren't even 5 years old yet. Naruto gave her his usual comforting smile. The smile of one who would never break his promises. The smile she fell in love with.

Hinata returned the smile, and Naruto was marveled as well. This was her most beautiful smile yet. Naruto realized right there, that she regained her confidence. He actually felt like pushing her close to him and press their cheeks against each other, almost as if they were kissing. But he was afraid of two things: first, that he would be pushing it a bit too far. Naruto liked Hinata, but he was not yet sure if he actually loved her, specially being just children. Second, he feared that she would faint again. He assumed Hinata was not used to intimate contact, and pressuring her like that would not be good.

So Naruto decided, much to Hinata's displeasure, to lift them up and bring her to his side. They were looking at the wonderful sight of the entirety of Konoha. Naruto looked at the face of his father Minato, as he cheered up his precious friend a bit more. "You know, Hinata... I never met my parents. But they left so much for me. They entrusted me with a mission that only I could carry for the sake of Konoha. And becoming Hokage and protecting those who are precious to me are some of the many things I have to do to complete this mission. Even though I had to suffer a lot, in the end I finally learned the truth about who I really am. Everything I do now is to honor their sacrifice."

"I really wanted you to know who they are, but this secret stays with me and Sandaime-jiji. When the time and circumstances are right, I will tell you everything there is to know about me, okay? You're very precious to me and I want to be able to share this secret with you, but not right now. I hope you are okay with this." Hinata nodded. She was immensely thrilled to know that Naruto considered her a precious person to him. And she knew Naruto had his reasons to hide the truth about him. But that didn't matter. Her strength and confidence were regained, and she would rejoin the training group the following day.

**Back at present time...**

Naruto finished reminiscing through the events that transpired that time. Hanabi offered a prayer in front of the grave. Just like him, she never met her mother. But unlike Naruto, Hanabi received a hard discipline to try to purge her mother's kindness from her. Today, Naruto saved Hanabi from the hands of the elders' schemes, and with that, Hiashi and his two daughters were one step closer to change the Hyuugas forever. Naruto looked at Hinata again, her head still leaned to the ground. He failed to notice the first time, but now he could see a faint smile on her face. He smiled as well. "_Guess she wasn't sad after all... That's great, Hinata. You are proving yourself to be stronger every day_", he thought.

"Hiashi-sama, I have a question...", said Naruto. "Back then, a year ago... Hinata ran away from the compound because of what the elders said to her. Why didn't you send Ko to find her?" Hiashi looked at Naruto. Apparently he never noticed it. The Hyuuga head could only raise a small smirk on his face as he explained his reasoning to the young Jinchuuriki.

"I actually sent Ko. But he noticed with his Byakugan that you two bumped into each other, and he went back to the compound to report me. I told him not to worry. Hinata has a strong sense of direction, and she was in good hands to begin with." Naruto blushed a bit when he heard Hiashi's statement. He was flattered to have gained the trust of the Hyuuga clan head. Everyone offered their prayers before leaving the garden. A faint sun ray covered Hikari's grave. Her light would truly never fade away as long as her family was there to honor her memory and inherit her kindness. Naruto returned home, and prepared the training field for another great training session the following day. As usual, it would be a taijutsu sparring. He hoped to win against Hinata this time.

**Six and a half months later, October 10th, Naruto's 6th birthday...**

The sound of birds and the flow of the river were louder than usual. Naruto woke up before the alarm could go off. He stretched his arms and yawned. As he finished cleaning his bedroom, his ear picked up a faint sound of metal being sharpened. He searched the house and found nothing. "_Hm... I'm probably imagining things..._", he thought. "_I wonder if there will be cake like last year..._" Naruto smiled as he thought about his last birthday. It was certainly much better than the one before that.

When he reached 4 years old, he was brutally kicked out of the orphanage and left alone to die. He was saved by both Hiruzen, his grandfatherly picture, and Minato, his father. Last year, when he turned 5, all of his training friends, Kakashi, Hiruzen and a few ANBU-nin guarding the Sandaime visited him and had a party at his house. No one had any idea of what Naruto would like to get as a birthday gift, though. But he didn't care. It was the happiest day of his life, and nothing would ever be better than this. Now he could only wonder what today would turn out to be. He thought that maybe the Fox Festival would be a cheerful one today, as long as no one noticed his presence. Since now he was fully aware of his condition as a Jinchuuriki, he had to be careful.

When his usual **Kage Bunshin** dispelled, he was informed that everyone was arriving at the same time, and they were bringing many things, including the picnic towel they used from time to time. Naruto and two clones rushed to the deposit to prepare the training ground. As he dispelled the **Kage Bunshins**, He picked up the studying scrolls for today. But he wouldn't be able to finish choosing them as Sasuke called him out.

"Geez, man. It's your birthday, and you're wasting this day training? Skipping a day or two don't make anyone sloppy, you know?" Everyone chuckled as Naruto left the deposit with a hand behind his head, blushing. He couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed with what Sasuke said. "Well then, give me a good reason to skip training today and maybe I'll reconsider, Sasuke...", said Naruto.

"Nii-san is taking a month off from ANBU starting next week, and he said that both of us could train with him. Consider it the first birthday gift of the day." Everyone was flabbergast. Sasuke told them about how incredible his brother was. He graduated from the academy at 7, unlocked the Sharingan at 8 and became ANBU captain last year, just before turning 14. He was the strongest Uchiha in the clan. Naruto couldn't help but jump in joy and awe. "AWW YEAH! -DATTEBAYO!" The others couldn't help but be a little envious of Naruto and Sasuke.

"Ano...", said a VERY red-faced Hinata, approaching Naruto to hand him a small bamboo sword. Even with all her confidence, she still stuttered when close to Naruto, specially because she was handing him a gift. "I-I noticed that... kenjutsu was not part of your training, so... I thought t-that maybe... y-you could make use of it... H-h-happy birthday... Naruto-kun." Naruto picked the sword. It looked a bit too big, but he thought that would be very useful at the right time. He thanked Hinata and gave her a sweet hug. She almost fainted, but her inner struggle kept her conscious. Ino and Sakura awwwn'ed mentally.

Chouji's gift was a special Akimichi seasoning. It contained many vitamins and nutrients, making the food healthier and more delicious. Shikamaru gave Naruto a shougi board and a instructions manual. He figured that maybe the game could be part of the training, since it was too troublesome to just play once in a while. Ino's gift was a package with flower seeds. It contained lilies, roses, daisies and whisperias. She also congratulated Naruto for taking good care of the Full Moon flowers. She whispered in his ear: "It you want to, I can help you making a bouquet. You know you're gonna need it, right?" He blushed when he figured out the meaning of her words. She just giggled.

Shino's gift was curious, to say the least. A butterfly net. He figured that since Naruto lived around a forest, it should be only logical that there would be interesting insects to find and collect. Kiba handed over to Naruto a small guide for dealing with animal-nin. Sakura's gift was a set of civilian clothes from her uncle's store, that matched most of Naruto's taste in colors. He thanked her, and sent a **Kage Bunshin** to try them. It was a nice fit overall.

"So... since we are not going to train today, what are we gonna do?", asked Naruto. He never actually noticed this, but he never did anything besides training, except when he hanged around with his friends once in a while. Hinata had a suggestion. "Why don't we attend to the Fox Festival? They say this year there will be a theatrical play honoring the sacrifice of the Yondaime." Everyone thought it was a good idea. Naruto hesitated for a bit on the inside. He knew he would probably be scolded, beat up and even killed if he ever had the guts to go there. But he couldn't refuse. It would be rude, considering it was a birthday invitation. In the end, he accepted.

Everyone had lunch at Ichiraku's. Today Teuchi would let Naruto have as many bowls he could on the house, as a birthday gift. Naruto ended up equaling Kushina's rate of 24 large bowls. He thought about having one more to break the record, but he had a stomachache in the end and had to call it off. They walked around Konoha all day long. Everyone noticed the glares towards Naruto. They were stronger and displayed even more hatred than any other day. It seemed strange that, of all days that people would send hateful glares, Naruto's birthday put them all to shame. Without noticing, Naruto was in the middle of the group, almost as if his friends were shielding him.

"Naruto-kun...", said Hinata, who was walking at his left side. "I know you said that people seemed to hate you, but this is too much already, and it's your birthday, of all days. Is there something they know about you that we don't?" Naruto took a deep breath. He wasn't sure if his friends were ready to know the truth yet. "I don't know if I cal tell you just yet, Hinata. I already told you, when the time is right you will all know the truth. For now let's just ignore them, okay?"

"But why?", asked Sasuke. "You shouldn't deserve this kind of treatment from your own village. You want to become Hokage so you can protect them, right? Why should they hate you like that? I don't understand." Naruto didn't answer. He couldn't tell the truth just yet. They kept walking when they noticed a figure moving towards Naruto. It was Hatake Kakashi, in his ANBU mask. No one but Naruto knew who he really was, but seeing that he was an ANBU-nin, they let him approach Naruto.

"Naruto, Hokage-sama wants to meet you at the Tower. I'm to escort you there.", said Kakashi. Naruto wondered for a moment why would jiji have to send an ANBU-nin, but he figured that maybe it was a safety measure. "Okay then", said Naruto. "You guys can wait me outside the Hokage Tower, okay? I'm going ahead". With that, Kakashi put his hand on the young Jinchuuriki's shoulder and used the **Shunshin no Jutsu** to save time, energy and probably their lives. The others just wondered what did the Hokage want, as they saw those two disappear in a swirl of leaves.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was on his seat, smoking from his pipe and with a crystal ball in front of him. When the door knocked, he simply said "Come in", as the door opened and revealed Kakashi and Naruto. "You called me, Jiji?", asked Naruto. Hiruzen put the crystal ball aside and simply nodded. Naruto sat on a chair and stood in front of the almighty old man with the big hat.

"Naruto... You probably know that your friends are growing suspicious of the treatment the villagers give to you. I know that you are afraid of telling the truth to them. But today, of all days, if you keep your secret hidden, they might be in danger." Naruto knew what Hiruzen was getting at. "If an angry mob of civilians attack you – which I hope it doesn't happen, although it will be hard to avoid – I won't guarantee the safety of your friends. Even if I had ANBU troops, they wouldn't be allowed to hurt the civilians, and things would escalate to a degree above control."

"That won't happen, Jiji", said Naruto. "If things are gonna get ugly, I won't put my friends in risk. I will protect them whatever it takes." Hiruzen took a deep breath. Naruto still haven't noticed that he was not the only one capable of sacrificing himself. "Naruto...", said him. "You say that you will protect your friends... but you forget the fact that they will also do everything they can to protect you as well. What if at the last minute one of them decided to stand in front of you and receive a mortal wound? Will you be able to forgive yourself for that?"

Naruto leaned his head to the ground. Hiruzen was right, he had to tell the truth to his friends and ask them to stay away from him when things got ugly. He asked Hiruzen to bring everyone to the office. After a few minutes, Kakashi entered the room with all of Naruto's friends following. As Kakashi closed the door, Hiruzen activated privacy seals to make sure no one would see or hear the conversation that would take place right there. Naruto asked Hiruzen if he could be the one to tell them everything. Sarutobi simply nodded.

As Naruto told his friends about how Bijuus could not be killed, and the Yondaime's decision to turn a newborn into a Jinchuuriki, in which case, it was him, everyone's reaction was that of immense surprise. They could not believe what Naruto was saying to them. He was the vessel of the Kyuubi, the most powerful and cruelest demon the world has ever know... yet in front of them stood a kind, goodhearted, loyal whiskered blonde boy who didn't care about so many hating him, and just wanted to become Hokage to protect the very same people that abhorred him.

Hinata was the first to react to this bombastic revelation, wrapping her arms around the one she loved. She put her head over Naruto's shoulders and let the tears drop from her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Naruto-kun... You suffer so much, yet you don't give up on any of us and just want to make everyone's life happier. You don't deserve our friendship... you don't deserve to be hated... I wish I could do something to help you, but I just don't know what anyone could do to make your life better..."

"Hinata...", said Naruto, returning the hug. "There's no need to apologize. Thanks to all of you, I'm not lonely. Thanks to you, I can push myself harder. I want to protect all of you, and I want you to help me to protect Konoha. As long as you are here, everything will be alright and I can cast aside all the hatred in the world." Hinata unwrapped her arms and looked at him, and saw the smile on his face. She returned the smile. Sasuke approached them and put his hand on Naruto's shoulders.

"Now I understand why Nii-san has his eyes on you. Not only you have the potential to become stronger than any of us, but also a very important person for Konoha. You can count on me, my good friend." Sasuke's words made Naruto's smile even bigger, and they bumped fists. "Although there is one thing I don't understand, though... Why did the Yondaime choose you, of all people? Surely you weren't the only newborn 6 years ago..."

Naruto froze. He knew he would have to tell them about the Kyuubi, but he didn't know if they were ready to know that he was the Yondaime's son. He looked at Hiruzen, who shook his head. He also had the same impression. "I'm sorry guys... about that, I can't tell you yet. The Yondaime had a really good reason to choose me, but that secrets stays with me and Jiji. It has something to do about my heritage, and the enemies that I would make if that secret came to light. I can't put you, much less Konoha in danger."

Sasuke nodded, as did everyone. That's as far as they could get to know about Naruto for the time being. "And now we face a problem... The villagers", said Shikamaru. "They don't understand the truth about Naruto's condition and treat him like the Kyuubi itself. They might go as far as killing him if they believe it's necessary. What are we gonna do?" Everyone stood silent for a moment, until Ino stated her opinion. "That's not even a question, Shikamaru. We will protect him with our lives. We might be children, but we are as strong as Genin already, right?"

"We won't take any risks", said Hiruzen. "You are to stay with Naruto at his house until things calm down. I will not allow children like you to get hurt." Naruto stood there, thinking. He still wanted everyone to enjoy the festival, despite the danger they would be facing. Than something flashed on his mind. "I have an idea."

**Later, that night...**

Naruto and his friends were at the play Hinata previously mentioned. It was horrible. The effects were dull, and ever since they learned the truth about that night, they all agreed that the story and dialogues were absolute crap. As soon as the fireworks announced the beginning of the Festival, suddenly word got out of a hunting game that was new this year. Basically, people would go around the village and find images of the fox, bring them to the main fireplace and burn them. Naruto and his friends were horrified. If they ever found Naruto, he would probably be part of the game. And for some unknown reason, people brought many sharp tools. They definitely had to run away now.

But as soon as they ran inside an alley to hide, a huge mob of citizens stopped them. A few of them were drunk, but most of them were sober enough to know what this was all about. They were ready to kill the "demon spawn" and whoever they considered to be tainted by this evil touch. The group of children ran as fast as they could, and Naruto actually summoned three **Kage Bunshins** to form 4 trios. Each Naruto picked two friends and dispersed around the alleys.

The first trio to reach a dead end was Naruto, Ino and Sakura. The moment Sakura stood in front to protect them, she was thrown towards the wall, as she watched Ino being cut by a butcher knife. As soon as she was about to close her eyes in horror, she was stabbed in the gut by a old rusted spear. Before darkness took over her, she saw as Naruto was kicked and stabbed by all sorts of weapons, and his tormented screams roared through her mind.

The second trio was Naruto, Chouji and Shikamaru. Chouji didn't have time to react to a fuuma shuriken thrown by a Genin that joined the civilian mob that sliced through him and Shikamaru at the same time, making its way towards Naruto. The shuriken hit Naruto's chest and pushed him to the wall, where it laid a mortal stab. Before Shikamaru lost his senses, he thought it was a rather quick death. At least it wouldn't be more troublesome than this.

The third trio (or quartet) included Naruto, Shino, Kiba and Akamaru. As soon as they reached the dead end, a Chuunin appeared before them and threw a kunai towards Akamaru, who reached the ground in a few seconds. Kiba went berserk and jumped towards the Chuunin, just to have his body strained by iron wires, that crushed his bones. Shino jumped towards Naruto to prevent another kunai, but as soon as Shino was stabbed, a explosive tag went off and a big explosion hit both kids.

And last, but not least, were Naruto, Hinata and Sasuke. The angry civilians quickly advanced towards the Hyuuga and the Uchiha, claiming that they have been tainted by the demon fox and had to be purged. Both children avoided the attacks, until they reached the end of the wall. Naruto wrapped his arms around his beloved friends and they all stood together for their last seconds, as they were constantly stabbed.

**Meanwhile, at Naruto's house...**

Everyone was gathered at the training ground in horror, seeing Naruto crying and roaring in anger. Hiruzen asked them to keep a safe distance, as Naruto wrapped his arms around himself and begged on his knees to get rid of the pain he was feeling. He was receiving the memories from the **Kage Bunshins** being dispelled, and every memory of seeing a friend sliced, stabbed, torn in pieces, filled him with sadness and hatred. When the memories of Hinata and Sasuke came to him, he raised his head to the sky and roared loudly, and a red chakra started to form around him. Everyone stood frozen in fear as they sensed the power that red chakra was displaying. Naruto's whiskers were bigger than usual, his fingernails grew to the point they became claws, and his cerulean eyes became blood-red, with cat-like slits.

"_I feared this would happen..._", thought Hiruzen. "_Even without any physical damage, the emotions he receives from each _**_Kage Bunshin_**_ dispelled overwhelmed him to the point he's awakening the power of the Kyuubi. I just hope that Minato's seal won't be ripped apart, or else we're doomed._" After a few minutes of roaring and growling, the red chakra involving Naruto slowly waned off. The blonde Jinchuuriki found himself lying down on the grass as darkness covered his eyes and his mind. He passed out from the exhaustion provided by Kyuubi's chakra.

Hinata rushed to his side and put his head to rest on top of her lap, just like he did to her when she fainted. "Hokage-sama... is Naruto-kun going to be alright?", she asked, tears running down her face. He puffed some smoke from his pipe and stood by the young couple's side. "Don't worry. A good night's rest will make him brand new. He just awakened the power of the Bijuu for the first time, and he couldn't take it. It's too much power for him to handle for now, but once he grows up, he will be able to use this power to protect Konoha."

"I will put Kakashi and a few other ANBU-nins to guard the house. I will escort each and everyone of you personally to avoid being attacked 'again'. If anyone comes close, I will personally kill them. Let's leave Naruto for now so he can rest. Tomorrow you can come back and check on him." As Hiruzen was done talking, Hinata gave Naruto a hug before handing him over to Kakashi, who carried Naruto to his bedroom. All children stood beside Hiruzen as they left Naruto's house.

As Kakashi carried Naruto and put him on his bed, his mind drifted. "_He's as powerful as I am already... and he is just 6 years old. Minato-sensei... I will do whatever it takes to protect your son and make him an honorable ninja, I promise. Maybe next birthday I will tell him some stories about you..._" He positioned himself outside the door to Naruto's house, alongside a few ANBU-nins around the area.

**Meanwhile, unknown time and place...**

Naruto woke up to the impact of water drops falling on his left cheek. He looked around and saw a huge network of sewers on a dark sepia shade. He found himself in a giant hallway with darkness covering most of the way. "Hello...? Is anyone here?", asked him. No answer. Suddenly he heard a faint growl come from his left. He noticed that there was a small hallway where the growl came from. He started walking. The constant growling became louder and louder as he stepped further. When Naruto reached the end, the vision made him freeze on the spot.

There was a giant dark golden cage, with a paper tag with "**Fuuin**" (Seal) written. The growl came from within the cage. "W_hat is this eerie feeling...?_", thought Naruto. "_Whatever is in there is big... and evil._" After a few more seconds, a huge blood-red eyeball with a cat-like slit opened in front of Naruto. He stepped back, afraid of whatever sort of creature could be this big and demonic.

"**Don't be afraid, Kit. I won't hurt you... come closer...**" said a very creepy voice. Naruto obeyed the voice's command and stepped closer and closer to the golden bars. Suddenly a huge set of claws tried to come out of the cage, but to no avail. It was close enough, though, to make Naruto jump back and fall flat on the floor in horror. "WHAT THE HELL! -DATTEBAYO! You said you wouldn't hurt me!"

"**Well, you were going to die instantly, so you wouldn't feel any pain. I kept my word about not hurting you... You should respect demons, Kit. They never, ever, EVER break promises. If you don't... well, let's just say that I would've eaten you by now if it weren't for the Yondaime's stupid seal locking this damned cage!**", said the demon, growling after the last statement. Naruto connected the dots just then. A huge demon locked by his father... Suddenly a wave of red chakra started to fill the inside of the cage. Naruto saw that the demon had tails. A lot of them. He counted every one, until he reached 9. The demon's appearance was being slowly revealed. It was a giant nine-tailed fox.

"Kyuubi no Yoko... I should have known it was you all along...", said Naruto. He wondered how in the world he didn't notice this earlier. "**Yup, that's me. Kyuubi no Yoko, the most powerful of all Bijuus. My tails can cause tsunamis and earthquakes with a single flap, I'm the Bijuu with the greatest amount of evil, I hate Uchihas, all that jazz...**"

"Wait, you hate Uchihas? My best friend is an Uchiha. What is wrong with their clan?", asked Naruto. He was curious, to say the least, about the demon's hatred towards the noble clan. "I know, for once, that they are not in good terms with the rest of Konoha, but aside from that there are a few of them who put aside their pride for the sake of Konoha. My friend Sasuke and his older brother Itachi, for instance."

"**Uchihas with no pride? I'm afraid there is no such thing, Kit. Because of their Sharingan, they will do whatever it takes to acquire power. They are power-hungry, even more than I am. Have you ever heard of Uchiha Madara?**" Naruto shook his head. He never heard that name before, and there was a good reason. "**Okay, sit down. That's gonna be a long story...**" Naruto noticed that there was water where he stood, so he looked at the Kyuubi with an _are-you-kidding-me_ look. "**Just... stay there, where I can see you, alright? **_**Fucking prick...**_" The demon took a deep breath and started the history lesson.

"**Uchiha Madara was the most powerful leader the Uchiha clan has ever had. That was around a hundred years or so. He was the only Uchiha in history to unlock the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan.**" Naruto had a question-mark all over his face. He didn't know that much about the Sharingan, only that it was a powerful doujutsu. "***sigh* Okay, I'll go slow on you. You're not an Uchiha, so you shouldn't blame yourself for not knowing about these things. Although Madara is pretty legendary, so you are stupid if you never heard his name before. Now... where was I... Oh, yes, the Eternal Mangekyou.**"

"**The Sharingan is said to only awaken when the user either faces life-or-death situations or is filled with hatred in his heart. It's not a pretty method to unlock your powers, that's for certain. Now the Mangekyou is even more drastic and sick. You can only unlock this level if you suffer unbearable grief in your heart. And that grief comes from the guilt of killing a precious person in your life. Meaning, if an Uchiha ever wants to unlock the Mangekyou, he is gonna have to kill his best friend, or his girlfriend, or even his parents... You see where I'm getting at?**" Naruto turned his guts upside down. He couldn't believe that was the same clan in which his best friend was a member of.

"**Now the Eternal Mangekyou is even more special, and that's where your two little Uchiha friends are going to face the cruelty of destiny. You see... the Mangekyou is a double-edged weapon. When the Uchiha uses it, the Mangekyou's power is constantly drained off until it's completely sealed. And when that happens, the Uchiha will go blind. Forever. To regain the light of the world, the Uchiha will have to go through an eye transplant. And to reach the final stage of the Sharingan, the transplanted eye must belong... wait for it... to the Uchiha's brother. YOU HAVE TO KILL YOUR BROTHER AND RIP OFF HIS FUCKING EYES FROM HIS SOCKETS!**" Kyuubi growled. Naruto couldn't help but lay on four and throw up. He didn't have the stomach to bear such horrendous information.

"**And that is exactly what that Madara shithead did. He killed his cousin to unlock the Mangekyou, and after going blind he killed his own brother and took his eyes for himself. And with that he unlocked a new Mangekyou that never again made him blind. He led the Uchihas to many battles in the old days of war. Finally, Madara befriended the patriarch of the Senju clan, Hashirama. They signed a treaty of peace and co-founded your beloved Konohagakure. But do you think he was happy? FUCK NO! Hashirama became Hokage, and the little prick couldn't help but hate him for overpowering the glory of the Uchiha clan. He abandoned Konoha and intended to destroy it. Do you know what he did?**" Naruto could only shake his head.

"**HE FUCKING ENSLAVED ME! He used that stupid Mangekyou of his to cast me on a mind-controlling Genjutsu. He controlled me and went on his rampage to destroy Konoha... maybe the world, I don't know. But the sucker failed. Hashirama had a special power to suppress the power of the Bijuus. Don't ask me how he obtained that power. I figured he was born with it. He used that power to stop me, and with that, all that was left was killing the Uchiha prick. But then Hashirama fucked me up as well.**" The Kyuubi growled again. Naruto couldn't help but ask: "So... what did he do?"

"**HE MADE HIS SHITHEAD OF A WIFE SEAL ME INSIDE HER! She became my first Jinchuuriki and with that my freedom was once again ripped off. Fucking Uzumaki Mito...**" Naruto widened his eyes and almost dropped his jaw on the floor. Hearing the name of one of his clan heritages from the mouth of a demon was not something you experienced every day. "Wait... did you say Uzumaki?"

"**Yeah, Uzumaki. The clan related to the Senjus. With their ridiculously huge chakra coils, stamina and vitality. They could live up to 150 years old, fight for days without suffering any form of exhaustion whatsoever and were the most badass users of fuuinjutsu and kenjutsu the world has ever known. They were also know to be remarkable jokers and pranksters. Pretty feared folks... While I was stuck inside my second Jinchuuriki, I heard that Uzushiogakure, the Whirlpool Village that they owned was completely wiped out.**" Naruto faced the ground, with a sad look in his eyes. He knew that he was mostly the last of his clan, but he didn't know how it had come to this.

"**Touched a soft spot there, eh Kit? C'mon, you should be proud. If it weren't for the almost 100 to 1 proportions of the villages that laid siege to Uzu, they would have never been wiped out. They were POWERFUL, in capital letters all the way. It's no coincidence you're my third Jinchuuriki, Kit.**" In a way, Naruto felt that the Kyuubi was trying to cheer him up. Whatever it was, it wasn't mocking, that was certain. But he had a question. "Ano... you said that you heard of the near extinction of my clan when you were inside your second Jinchuuriki. Who was it? Just curious to know who my predecessor was..."

"**My second Jinchuuriki was another Uzumaki girl. She had a special ability to transform her chakra in golden fuuin chains, so she was the most probable person who could be able to hold my power at bay. She was the granddaughter of Mito's cousin, if I recall correctly. Her name was Kushina.**" Naruto nearly fainted. "KAA-CHAN WAS A JINCHUURIKI? -DATTEBAYO?"

"**Mother? Oh, now I remember... No wonder she yelled so much at the Yondaime for sealing me inside you. I actually tried to impale you with my claw before that could happen, but they stood in front of you and saved your puny life.**" Hearing that, Naruto felt a few tears running down his face. He didn't know about that particular detail of his parents' sacrifice.

"**And now I'm stuck in here again. Well, it's better than the previous times. I could only sense a few things on the outside while I had my chest and tails impaled in a HUGE-ASS BALL OF LAVA! And I still had some Uchiha prick in a mask bail me out mind-controlling me just like Madara. Not only that, when I came to my senses, Kushina and the Yondaime sealed me inside you. Now I'm stuck in this stinking sewer and with these Kami damn bars. All thanks to that stupid Yondaime!**", said the Kyuubi, growling in anger again. Naruto was pissed as he heard the demon insulting his father and personal idol and hero. "Hey, aho-kitsune! Don't you dare to insult Tou-chan! If he was capable of stopping you, you're the only one to blame for being weak!" Needless to say, the Kyuubi snapped.

"**HOW DARE YOU CALL ME WEAK, YOU FUCKING MIDGET! GET OVER HERE AND LET ME EAT YOU! I'M THE MOST POWERFUL OF THE BIJUUS AND I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO INSULT ME ANY MORE!**"

"Sorry, aho-kitsune. You're stuck inside me now. We might as well get along, since you're not leaving so soon...", said Naruto, with his usual fox-grin. The Kyuubi could only growl for a few more seconds, until he took another deep breath. "**Fucking prick... you are right for once. If you die, I die as well and I will only be able to revive in a time of war and hate, which might take quite a while. Don't get your hopes up, we're not becoming friends. But I might as well lend you some of my power for desperate measures.**" Naruto stood up to hear what the fox had to say.

"**I'm gonna sharpen your senses, since you are a bit oblivious to the world around you. And your healing factor is pretty much inhuman. Naturally, as an Uzumaki, you heal twice as fast as usual. But with my powers, the rate is doubled again, so you might as well wait 150 years to die of old age. And you can access my chakra more easily by just concentrating, although hate and anger are still the best options to use my powers in a larger scale. He he he he he...**" Naruto frowned at hearing the demon's creepy laugh. "_Note to self: control your emotions. Having a demon inside you might make things go ugly..._", he thought.

"**Well, I've said too much. Now wake up and smell the coffee, Kit.**" With that, the Kyuubi closed its eyes and disappeared in the darkness that overwhelmed Naruto.

**Naruto's house, October 11, 7 A.M.**

Naruto opened his eyes. As the morning light broke through his bedroom window, he put his hand in front of his face to get used to the overwhelming light. He noticed he was inside his bedroom. "_How did I get here...? I remember being in the training ground with Jiji and my friends when..._" Before he finished thinking, the door opened, and at the other side stood Sarutobi and Kakashi. They stood still for a few seconds, when suddenly Hinata rushed from behind them and threw herself at Naruto, hugging him. Her usually lavender eyes were slightly red and tears were running down her face.

"Baka Naruto-kun! Baka, baka, baka! Don't you ever do that again. You scared us and I was so worried I couldn't sleep. When you passed out, I thought...I thought..." Hinata couldn't finish scolding Naruto. She buried her face in his chest and sobbed for a few seconds. Naruto put his hand over her hair and couldn't help but fiddle a bit with it as he comforted Hinata. "I'm sorry about that, Hinata... I promise you that you won't be seeing me using that power ever again unless our lives depend on it."

"I'm not worried about the Kyuubi's power, Naruto-kun...", said Hinata, her head still low. "It's just that... I've never seen you so devastated before. You seemed so hurt and sad... I never want to see you like that again. You don't deserve any more sadness in your life, Naruto-kun." Naruto put his hand under her chin and raised her head, making eye contact with her beautiful lavender eyes.

"Don't worry, Hinata... I just had a hard time dealing with the memories of the **Kage Bunshins**. I don't ever want to see my friends getting hurt again. I'm gonna use this power to good use, and protect everyone. And please don't blame yourself. You, Sasuke, Jiji and everyone else make my life so much more enjoyable. For the past 2 years, I never cried again, save for cries of joy one time or another. You will never see me cry again, I give you my word. And you know better than anyone that I never go back on my word! Because-"

"Because that is our nindo. Isn't that right, Naruto-kun?", said Hinata, holding his hand. She haven't even noticed, but she was smiling at hearing his words. Naruto returned the smile with his usual fox-grin. "You got it! -Dattebayo!" As they stood there, looking at each other, Naruto though "_I have to make her smile more often... She is absolutely wonderful._" When he came to his senses, he blushed and lowered his head. Hinata also realized that, and she looked away, blushing even more and letting go of his hand.

"Aw, bummer. I was hoping you two ended up kissing each other!", said a very cheerful voice. Naruto and Hinata turned to the direction the voice came from. It was Ino, right behind Hiruzen and Kakashi, who were still there and watched the whole romantic scene, both with warm smiles on their faces (even though Kakashi was wearing his usual ANBU mask, AND his other mask beneath). And if that wasn't enough, they heard a few giggles from behind Ino, which turned out to be all the other member of the fellowship. Hinata couldn't help but eep and jump away from Naruto's bed. Naruto couldn't help but blush a brighter red, for realizing the awkwardness of the scene.

"We were gonna check up on you and make sure you were alright", said Sasuke. "But since you are doing just fine, we might as well leave you two lovebirds alone and call off the training for today." Sasuke smirked, but nonetheless he was happy to see his best friend smiling again. Naruto and Hinata blushed a dark crimson, and the Hyuuga heiress actually had to open the window and breathe fresh air so she wouldn't faint. "W-w-w-what the heck! W-w-what are y-you t-t-talking about, Sasuke-teme?" Everyone sweat-dropped. No one imagined Naruto stuttering as much as Hinata.

"Troublesome...", said Shikamaru. "Sasuke, we are here already, let's not call off training. I didn't wake up early to waste my morning watching clouds, as much as I actually enjoy doing it." Everyone nodded. Sarutobi looked at all the children around. He couldn't help but smile. Every single one of them woke up earlier than usual to check up on Naruto; Hinata was the first to arrive, and she actually skipped breakfast to do so. "_Well, one thing is for sure now. Naruto is not alone anymore._", he thought.

For the rest of the day, Naruto and the rest of the Fellowship of Fire talked about the events of previous night. Everyone was horrified and extremely pissed off at Naruto's description of the civilian mobs and even shinobi involved in the attack. Sarutobi assured them that the ones responsible for the attack were properly dealt with. Naruto talked about meeting the Kyuubi in his mindscape and saying how the fox would slowly improve his senses and let him access its power without incurring to anger and hatred (naturally he skipped the part where the Bijuu talked about the Uchihas). They were mostly relieved that now their friend would be capable of using the Kyuubi's power at will. Sasuke was thrilled at the thought of his friend being even more powerful than before. That would motivate him to try and catch up to him. In the end, everyone trained their taijutsu. Surprisingly, Hinata still managed to beat Naruto, although she exhausted herself in doing so. Soon everyone parted ways, happy with their progress over time.

**The following week, at the Uchiha Compound**

"Alright. Sasuke, Naruto-kun, the training will begin.", said Uchiha Itachi. He was without his usual Weasel mask from ANBU. Itachi was granted a month off from duty by Sarutobi, and he decided to take this period of time to train Sasuke. He also showed interest in training Naruto. The young Jinchuuriki befriended his little brother, and from their friendship, Sasuke's Will of Fire was ignited. Itachi couldn't be happier for seeing the brother he loved being able to cast aside the pride of the Uchihas. A pride that would probably become their undoing if the internal conflicts were to endure.

But he put these thoughts aside for the time being. All his focus went towards the two most promising boys of Konohagakure. If everything went well for the next years, they would become as strong, or even stronger than the original founders of Konoha, Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara. Heck, they even looked a bit alike, and even the Kyuubi was there on the mix. Hopefully, history would not repeat itself. As Sasuke and Naruto prepared themselves to attack Itachi, the young ANBU captain went through the rules again. The two kids would win the challenge if they forced Itachi to activate his Sharingan.

The challenge consisted of tracking, ninjutsu, taijutsu sparring and weapon management. Itachi made sure they would be put in a real-life scenario, with no tools for tracking besides their natural senses, a handful of kunai, shuriken and other minor tools, and their only strength and chakra. Since both children dominated most of the chakra molding exercises, the training ground had a lake so they could walk over and even fight in it, and many trees to practice their tree walking and leaping.

As the sparring began, Itachi was rather impressed at the speed and strength of the two young children, despite the fact that he easily dodged and blocked every single hit, also landing heavy hits on Naruto and Sasuke, showing the huge contrast of their levels. None of them, however, seemed to give up, even after one entire hour of beating. Rather, they were enjoying it. Itachi saw the expression on their faces. Naruto had his usual fox-grin and Sasuke was smirking like always.

"You seem happy, Naruto-kun. Are you planning something?", asked Itachi, unable to hide his curiosity regarding the smiling Jinchuuriki facing him. Naruto just smirked and answered him. "Just making sure you fall into my trap and be forced to use the Sharingan, Itachi-sensei... Sasuke, do it now!" Before Itachi noticed, Sasuke threw many shuriken to Itachi's general direction. While the teen ANBU-nin avoided being hit, every shuriken hit a wire, triggering many traps. Soon, Itachi found himself facing many daggers, kunais and other kinds of sharp blades coming towards him. And if that wasn't enough, many rocks and bushes nearby revealed themselves to be **Kage Bunshins**, ambushing him from all directions.

"No escape this time, Itachi-sensei!", said a very enthusiastic Naruto, alongside Sasuke, who was also very confident in their ambush to work out. But their smiles soon disappeared when Itachi suddenly exploded. The weapons and **Kage Bunshins** were wiped out, and there was nothing left. Before Naruto and Sasuke could make another reaction, both children had kunai under their throats. Behind them, stood a smirking Itachi. "**Bunshin Bakahatsu no Jutsu**. A very useful defense mechanism.", said him.

"If Sasuke's traps were triggered before Naruto-kun announced I was going to fall for them, I might have been forced to use the Sharingan. But you plan backfired, unfortunately. Always remember that we are ninjas, Sasuke, Naruto-kun. Deception is our ally, and we stay in the shadows, making our presence unknown. The enemy must not know what we have in store. I hope you both learned today's lesson, and put it to good use during this month."

Naruto smiled. "Okay, Itachi-sensei. I understand. Next time, we are going to be more careful. You should be more careful too." As soon as he said that, both children disappeared in a puff of smoke. Itachi widened his eyes in surprise and before he noticed, Naruto and Sasuke were behind him, with their fists a few inches away from hitting him. Itachi's only reaction was to spin as fast as he could and kick them both, and without even thinking, he accidentally activated his Sharingan as he pushed both kids away with his kick. Itachi couldn't help but be proud of the stunt they pulled.

"I'm mostly impressed by your skills, Naruto-kun. You proved yourself to be a master of deception, making me believe I intercepted you first. Congratulations to both you and my little brother." Naruto was honored by the compliment given by the young ANBU captain. Sasuke was thrilled to be also complimented by his brother, who he sought to surpass one day. "Actually, Itachi-sensei... I just needed to do my part with the **Kage Bunshins**. The real developer of the overall strategy was Sasuke. He told me about what jutsus you would probably use and we set our strategy around that."Itachi raised his eyebrows. He never thought of Sasuke as a strategist. He raised a faint smile.

Over the following weeks, Naruto and Sasuke had their sessions with Itachi. Each and every training session had a different approach around hunting and assassination skills, and Itachi would always give them an advice about the hardships of the shinobi life, and the importance of putting aside personal pride for the sake of Konohagakure no Sato and its inhabitants. In the entire month they trained Naruto had lunch twice at the Uchiha compound, in which he would talk to Fugaku and Mikoto (Sasuke's mother) about the training of the Fellowship of Fire and Itachi's training, which made Sasuke's parents happy with their son's progress. The two promising children were able to force Itachi to activate the Sharingan three more times, being the last one at their last day of training. Itachi congratulated them for working hard and achieving a high level of companionship for their upcoming lives of fellow shinobis. He returned to his ANBU post with hopeful thoughts and high expectations for the two best friends.

**14 months later, February 1 – one week before Academy's first year, Naruto's house**

Just like 3 years ago, all the members of the Fellowship of Fire were gathered in a huge picnic. There would be no training session today, just a nice reunion of good friends who established their bonds and created strategies based on their strengths and weaknesses. All the children learned at least one of their respective clan's jutsu. Hinata was more proficient with her **Jyuuken** stances, although her body was too flexible for the stiff and hard katas of her clan's taijutsu. Naruto suggested her to find a new stance, but that would have to wait for later down the road. Sakura started reading through alternative techniques, such as genjutsu and medic ninjutsu, but she had a relatively short development compared to the other girls when it came to actually practicing. Other than that, she was the second smartest of the group, only losing to Shikamaru.

Ino not only learned the **Shintenshin no Jutsu**, but also started studying properties of medicinal and poisonous plants and flowers. She also received a hard psychological training from her father to get rid of her fangirl issues, and also to learn a bit about the traits of a good torturer and interrogator. Shikamaru finally beat his father at shougi a handful of times, and learned how to manipulate shadows, with the **Kage Mane no Jutsu**. Chouji managed to learn the Akimichi's **Baika no Jutsu**, although he couldn't hold for more than 2 minutes, and the maximum weight expansion was of 75%. It still wasn't enough to use **Nikudan Sensha**, but he still packed quite a punch. Shino still hasn't learned to use more complex ninjutsu with the kikaichuu, but he managed to make them both close and long-ranged attackers, making him a versatile fighter. Kiba and Akamaru finally had the speed to use **Gatsuuga**, one of the basic co-op techniques of the Inuzuka.

Sasuke finished the most complex fire manipulation training, and with that his father taught him two basic Katon jutsus of the Uchiha clan: **Goukakyuu **and **Housenka**. The first was a large fireball, while the last was a bunch of smaller ones. During the last 14 months, Itachi took a day or another off from ANBU, and taught Sasuke the **Ryuuka**. It required a combination of kunai, shuriken and iron wires to trap the enemy and create a line where the fire would go through, creating a large fire dragon and consuming the enemy, hence the name of the jutsu. But using this jutsu wore Sasuke off quickly, so he agreed to use it only as a last resort.

Naruto increased his range of **Kage Bunshins** to 300. Normally the number would be half of it, but ever since his first contact with the Kyuubi, Naruto felt the fox's chakra merging with his in a slightly faster pace, making his chakra reserves much larger than the usual. Obviously, that had negative effects over his chakra control again, but he found a solution for that. He also had most of the fuuinjutsus of his father's book figured out. But there were 5 jutsus he was still unable to even grasp the first concept, being two of them from the Uzumaki clan. He also learned 4 Fuuton jutsus of his father's scroll.

After the picnic was over, Naruto gathered the fellowship in a circle. "Alright, everyone. Next week we take our first step to become full-fledged shinobis. Now, the academy will probably be the most boring, annoying, useless place in the world to actually learn advanced stuff a shinobi must know. I heard from Jiji that because of the actions of the civilian council over the last 20 years or so, the academy's learning material became very dull and easy for non-shinobi families to join the ranks, reducing the overall quality of the ones who graduate. That is why I'm relying on training outside the academy for all these years, and I'm not stopping today."

"But there are three reasons we must take on the Academy: first, because otherwise there is no way we are becoming shinobis. Second, because of the overall subjects we are going to have, most of them related to the history of the shinobi world, and of our ancestors. Modesty aside, I already know a lot of stuff, and I know a few things that are either outside the books, or portrayed in another point of view, which will be fun to point it out at the classes. And third, it's a social experience. I'm sure we had incredible experiences building bonds of friendship and near-brotherly love amongst ourselves, and now we must expand these bonds, spreading the Will of Fire further."

"There are no words I can use to describe the amazing time I've had with all of you. Ever since I was born, my condition as a Jinchuuriki made my life a true hell, being rejected and hated. Sandaime-jiji saved my life and with his help and incentive I befriended every one of you. Every day I'm stronger and happier thanks to all of you. And I must thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for not turning your back on me when I told you the truth about myself. It meant a lot to me..." Naruto's mind drifted as he remembered the day he was thrown out of the orphanage and the day the villagers "killed" him and his friends. He swore to himself he would protect them and honor the legacy left by his parents, becoming Hokage and protecting Konoha, despite everything he suffered.

Naruto did his best to hold his tears, since he promised Hinata she would never see him crying again. Hinata noticed that, and took a deep breath and a step ahead. "We are the ones who should be thanking you, Naruto-kun. If you didn't bring us together, we would have never even be able to dream being strong as we are today. In fact, my life would probably be full of rejection and darkness like yours once was. I've become stronger, more confident, more faithful in my abilities, and my dream of changing my clan is becoming more real every day, and there are many other reasons why I-" Hinata stopped for a second. She was about to say "I love you" in front of everyone. Her face became crimson red and she put her fingers together. "I-I-I t-t-thank you v-very much, N-Naruto-kun..."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. Did something happen to Hinata for her to make a 180-degree turn in the middle of a speech? He cast these thoughts aside and started talking again. "Well, um... thank you for the kind words, Hinata... anyway, the training is far from over. From now on, most of us will have to train alone. This will be the opportunity to push ourselves to unknown limits, since we won't have another person alongside us to say we're overdoing it. Everybody got that?" As everyone simply nodded, Naruto raised his foxy-grin. "Remember, the Fellowship of Fire is far from over. A new step will be taken from now on, and we will make it to the end! Oh, and by the way, as this is a new step in our lives, I suggest we take a new approach at our wardrobes as well. Just a suggestion... Anyway, I'll see you guys next week! -Dattebayo!"

As everyone left Naruto's house, the blonde Jinchuuriki went to the deposit to release his clothes from the scroll. He would go to the Te-I-Ro fabric store and talk to the owner Rinoki to have the cloak Kushina bought him customized to his own liking. As he entered the store, which was located a little bit afar the commercial district, he was quickly "received" by a thin woman around her 40's, with a very beautiful purple silk robe, holding a red piece of cloth in her left hand and 3 needles on her right hand. "Well, I've never thought demons appreciated my fine fabrics. What can I do for you, aside putting you out of your misery?", asked her. Naruto simply smirked. It seemed that even people who hated him would try to be funny.

"First of all, Rinoki-san, I've come to your store to have this pretty thing here customized.", answered Naruto, showing off the white cloak. Rinoki raised an eyebrow. It's been a while since she made a cloak like that, and she remembered very well who requested it. "Second, I'd be very grateful if you could make two more cloaks with the same pattern. Having to wash the same cloth every day is not very nice... And third, I have a name, you know. It's Uzumaki Naruto! -Dattebayo!"

Rinoki gasped at hearing the name Uzumaki. She finally connected the dots. She remembered the pregnant Uzumaki woman that came to her store dragging along a very embarrassed Yondaime. As she examined the young Jinchuuriki, she noticed his resemblance with the late Hokage. She looked around to make sure the store was empty and there was no one close to hear her screaming: "YOU ARE THE YONDAIME'S SON?!" Naruto was covering his ears, due to the high pitch of her voice. "Yes, I am. But keep your voice down, this is a SS-rank secret even more forbidden to talk about than my condition as _jailor_ of the Kyuubi."

Rinoki noticed the emphasis on the word "jailor". The boy was right, he was no demon, but rather the one keeping the Kyuubi at bay. She couldn't help but sigh and look at the ground in embarrassment. "I suppose you are right... This village insults the Yondaime's memory, portraying you as our nemesis, when you are, in fact, our savior. Please forgive me for dishonoring your father like that, Uzumaki-sama." said her, bowing to Naruto. He put his hand on the back of his head, feeling a little embarrassed for having someone bowing to him.

"Hey, no formalities, please. And don't worry about Konoha. In time, everyone will see who I really am, and that I have no other intentions but to protect the village I love. After all, that is the duty of a Hokage! -Dattebayo!", said Naruto. Rinoki stared stunned at the young boy with the foxy-grin. He was definitely many things, but no demon. She raised a smile. "Okay, then. What would you like me to do with this cloak, Naruto-san? Would you like red flames like your father?" Naruto thought for a while. He actually never came up with ideas for the cloak. Suddenly he raised both eyebrows. "I have an idea..."

**One week later, 1st day of the Academy...**

It was 7:30 A.M. A young boy was sitting over the stone face of Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato. His eyes were closed, feeling the wind kiss his face. When he opened his eyes, the stunning sight of the largest and most powerful of the 5 Great Hidden Villages brought a warm smile to the young boy's face. He swore to protect the village and become Hokage, honoring the legacy left by his parents. The boy was the son of Uzumaki Kushina, the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero, and Namikaze Minato, the Yellow Flash of Konoha, the stone face he was sitting over. He thought about it for a second. His mother was right, he was indeed their orange baby. The young boy smirked at the thought.

"Tou-chan, Kaa-chan... I've never paid attention before, but... Konoha is really beautiful, isn't it?", said the boy, as if he was having a conversation with invisible ghosts. "I swear on your names that I will use the powers of the aho-kitsune in good use. No one will touch this village as I live and breathe. FOR I AM UZUMAKI NARUTO, THE FUTURE HOKAGE OF KONOHA! DATTEBAYO!", shouted him. He wanted to make sure the entire village heard his voice. He could see some people raising their heads and looking around to find the source of the shout they heard.

"Well, academy starts soon. Gotta go for now, Tou-chan. Later!", said Naruto. He jumped from the stone face and fell all the way to the proximity of the commercial district. As much as he didn't like this place, it was the closest route to the academy, and he wanted to arrive there just in time. He also wanted to show off his new clothes to the villagers of Konoha, who so despised his existence, yet hailed the Yondaime as their greatest hero. Every step he took, people stopped to look at him. But differently from the glares of hatred and abhorrence, most of the stares were of surprise. No one saw the blond Jinchuuriki that way before. Some even pinched themselves to make sure they weren't dreaming as they saw the boy that passed through them.

Naruto couldn't help but raise his foxy-grin at seeing the villager's reaction to his new clothes. His weak orange shirt and black pants were fancy enough to raise a few eyebrows. But the most stunning aspect of Naruto's new clothing was definitely his cloak. It was crystal-white, shining brightly at the reflection of the sun. But that was not everything. On the sleeves and on the bottom of cloak, a two-layer fire was visible as daylight. The bottom layer was bright red. The top layer was bright orange.

The back of the cloak was impressive as well. The kanjis for "Konoha's Orange Hokage" were engraved in the same bright orange shade. Over the engraved words, the blood-red insignia of the Uzumaki clan made its presence, large enough to people to know it was there. Inside the two-layer fire of the sleeves you could see the white insignia, which was the true color of the Uzumaki symbol. And wrapped around the back of the cloak, a large red scroll with beautiful whirlpool patterns and the white Uzumaki insignia on the center made its presence, making Naruto look like a young hermit.

People couldn't help but whisper and mumble as they gazed at the miniature Yondaime passing through them. Finally a large muscled man stepped in front of the blonde Jinchuuriki. "You have a lot of guts to come out here dressed like this... beast." Naruto simply looked up to face the giant man in front of him. He was still with his foxy-grin. "I don't blame you for hating me for what I am, sir. But you see, I'm going to be late for academy, so if you would kindly step aside..." The man popped a vein from his forehead. How would a demon dare to challenge him? Naruto lowered his head for a few seconds, until he raised it again. His eyes were still blue, but their shade was darker than before, and the killing intent from them was unbearable. The bulky man couldn't help but feel the terror rising through his guts. He stepped aside, granting a warm smile from the young Jinchuuriki. "Thank you", said Naruto, with a sweet voice, as he resumed his walk through the commercial district.

As Naruto approached the academy, he saw the looks of parents leaving their kids there. Some of them were whispering in their ears. Naruto knew that they probably asked the children to stay away from the "demon brat". He didn't care about that. His friends were there, and that was good enough. He entered the building and started looking at each door. He approached door 101. He put his ear close to the door and heard a loud laughter and a few barks. Yup, that was Kiba and Akamaru, alright. He smiled at hearing Hinata's voice. Apparently she was scolding Kiba for something he did. Having heard enough, Naruto stepped back from the door and took a deep breath.

"Okay, Tou-chan. Let's do this.", said Naruto, as he opened the door and took his first step inside.

A new day in his life has begun.

**Omake 1 – The Large Uzumaki Scroll**

As Naruto picked the scroll containing his father's cloak and Naruto's new clothes, he looked at the second scroll inside the box. "_Oh right. This other scroll here... it's been around for years and I haven't even touched it. I wonder what does it contain... Well, after I take my cloak to the Te-I-Ro store, I'm gonna take a look!_", he thought, as he picked the cloak and headed towards Rinoki's fabric store to have his cloak customized.

When he got back from the store, he immediately picked the untouched scroll and laid it on the ground. He opened and saw three different fuuin tags. The left tag was for storage. The one on the right was a blood seal tag. The middle one was a special connection tag, meaning that the two previous tags were connected to each other. Meaning that not only Naruto had to unlock the blood tag, he also had to perform the seals to unlock the storage tag and then perform the fuuin lock union seals to unlock the scroll. It was not a complicated seal overall, but whoever made it wanted to make sure Naruto was the only one who could open it.

As he performed the proper seals, a large puff of cloud formed itself, and quickly dispelled, revealing the contents of the scroll, which turned out to be a large and beautiful scroll. It was red, and had many whirlpool patterns. On the center, the original white insignia of the Uzumaki clan was visible. As Naruto opened the scroll, he was stunned at the contents.

It had three large stamps, all sealed by blood locks. Naruto bit his finger again to draw more blood and channeled chakra through the stamps. The first stamp was a record of the history of the Uzumaki clan, including its founders, details about their main traits and moral codes, and their blood relationship with the Senju clan. It also had a description of the advanced Fuuinjutsus created by the joint work of Uzumaki Mito and Senju Hashirama to suppress the power of the Bijuus, enabling the creation of Jinchuurikis. It also had information regarding every seal, and the most proper people to become Jinchuuriki of each specific Bijuu. For holding the Kyuubi, for instance, only Uzumaki members would be able to support the power of the fox without dying from demonic chakra poisoning.

The second stamp was a collection of pictures and frames of many members of the Uzumaki clan and Uzushiogakure no Sato, the village founded by the clan. It also had some pictures of many Uzumaki members helping with the construction of Konoha and a picture of Hashirama and Mito's wedding, with them at the center, Tobirama at his brother's right side and Uzumaki Ikamuzu, Mito's father and Shodaime Hokage of Uzushio at her left side. Besides them, many Senjus and Uzumakis stood besides the married couple.

The third stamp was filled with a genealogical tree of the Uzumaki family. Naruto saw his mother's picture, directly linked to Uzumaki Hateno, who was linked to Uzumaki Shinamura, who in turn was linked to Uzumaki Ikamuzu. Connecting the dots, Naruto realized he was the grand-grandson of the Shodaime Uzukage. He really was nobility, after all. Naruto chuckled at the thought. The stamp also had a description of the Uzumaki's Taijutsu and Kenjutsu.

The Taijutsu style was the **Uzuken** (**Whirlpool Fist**). Its main trait was the fact that used a lot of spinning techniques, making it mostly unpredictable and unavoidable. Its main requirement for training was the water as a training field, due to its spinning nature. If an Uzumaki fighter were capable of making whirlpools merely using his fists and kicks, it meant that they mastered the style. It was meant to stun and disarm enemies, opening their guards to receive hits at their vital areas.

The Kenjutsu style was the **Uzu Mitsurugi Ryuu** (**Flying Whirlpool Dragon Sword Style – please correct me if I'm wrong, okay readers?**). The training method was basically the same as the **Uzuken**. You had to master it over the water. It consisted of using the sword's wind to create tornadoes (or whirlpools) and manipulate them towards the opponent. That way, the enemy could either be obliterated with a quick cutting tornado or trapped inside a whirlpool, making him vulnerable to deadly attacks.

Naruto was marveled at seeing all these information of the Uzumaki clan. He noticed there was a piece of paper stuck inside the second stamp. He picked it up and opened it. It was a letter. He started reading it.

_To my descendent,_

_My name is Uzumaki Kushina from the Uzumaki clan of Uzushiogakure no Sato. Before I left my home to become the second Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi after Mito-sama, I asked my father if I could take everything there was to know about our clan and give it to me, so I could keep the memory of the clan alive with me. The following week, as I was about to leave, he handed me the scroll, and he told me the reason to do it so. My great-grandfather, the Shodaime Uzukage, meditated over the Astral Altar for 3 days and 3 nights and foresaw the imminent destruction of our Hidden Village and our clan. I wanted to believe it was just a bad foresight, but as the dead flames of the Second World Ninja War reignited a few weeks after I arrived at Konoha and the combined forces of Kumogakure, Kirigakure and Iwagakure wiped out my home, my fears became true._

_My companions, relatives and many other people that were precious to me were killed. I prayed to Kami begging that I wasn't the last Uzumaki alive, but as no other member of the clan made it to Konoha, I now have the sole mission to revive the clan. By the next year, I'm to be married to Namikaze Minato, the future Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato. He is also the last member of the Namikaze clan. As our descendent, if anything ever happens to us, it will be your responsibility to revive two of the most powerful clans that ever existed in the shinobi world. These scrolls contain everything you need to know about our clan. Make good use of it, and pass the knowledge on to the future generations. Be sure to pass on the knowledge of the Namikaze as well. Both clans have important roles to fulfill in Konoha, and they must not disappear. Please restore our clans, and protect Konohagakure, just like my husband._

_With my regards and hopes,_

_Uzumaki Kushina, the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero_

Naruto noticed that the letter was written before his parents were married. He giggled. "_Oh, the irony... who would've thought the one to discover this letter was so closely related to you... right, Kaa-chan?_", he thought. He looked at the scroll. It certainly contained many important things regarding his heritage. At first, Naruto thought about sealing it again, after all his heritage was indeed a secret. But as he saw the insignia of the Uzumaki clan, he noticed that it was the same insignia drawn on the back of the Jounin jackets. "_Hmm... so this is what that symbol meant... I might as well use it. Maybe I should go back to Rinoki-san and ask her to include these symbols as well._", he thought, leaving the deposit again towards the Te-I-Ro fabric store.

As Naruto returned, he looked at the scroll, now closed again. "_On a second thought... this scroll is too beautiful to stay hidden. Besides, it fits the cloak quite well. I might as well build a scroll locker to hang it in my waist and carry the scroll in my back._" As Naruto was done thinking, he immediately picked the right materials and started building the locker. Over the following days, he studied more of the contents of the scroll and experimented putting it on his back. It was a perfect fit, and using it with the scroll made him look really handsome. "_When Hinata sees me like that, she'll probably faint... wait, why am I worried about Hinata's reaction?_", he thought, as he blushed a dark red.

Naruto went to bed to sleep. He stayed awake for half an hour, thinking about the next morning, when academy was about to start. He spent a whole week without seeing his friends, and wanted to impress everyone. But he was also very excited about his new step towards his future as a shinobi of Konoha. He would first make it to Genin, then Chuunin, Jounin, maybe even ANBU... It was a long way to be Hokage, that's for sure. "_Maybe I should pay Tou-chan a visit before going to the Academy... maybe I could have some realization there..._", he thought, drifting his mind and finally shutting his eyes to sleep peacefully. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

**Omake 2 – Hinata's Morning**

As usual, Hyuuga Hinata woke up wrapped in her pillow. As she imagined hugging Naruto in her sleep, she blushed a dark red. They haven't seen each other in a week, and her dreams with him have been a little more romantic than usual this passing week (**nothing dirty, guys... she's 7, for Kami's sake**). She got up of bed, took her shower, brushed her teeth and headed towards the dining room to have breakfast with Hiashi and Hanabi.

As soon as Hinata joined the table and started drinking her tea, Hanabi looked at her sister with curiosity... "Nee-san... where is your bulky jacket?" Hinata almost spilled her tea. She coughed for a few seconds, and took a few deep breaths. "Eto... Last week at the picnic... Naruto-kun proposed to everyone to change our wardrobe selection. Since we are taking a new step in our lives, we should also make changes to what we wear..." Hanabi couldn't help but smirk a little, specially considering Hinata's new clothing selection.

Her jacket was gone. Instead, it was a nice silk shirt with mixtures of white and lavender stripes. Her pants were dark blue and went all the way to her knees, making her leg-ends exposed. Her hair side bangs were combed to the back, making her face and eyes more visible. Hiashi raised an eyebrow and cleared his throat. "I'm not one to complain of what women consider good clothing... But I must say, my daughter... Your taste is, at least, curious. It's not vulgar, but I wouldn't exactly say it's an appropriate choice for the Hyuuga heiress to wear. Are you sure you want to wear this?"

"Tou-san...", said a slightly annoyed Hinata, her arms crossed and her lips slightly duck-face like. She knew the right time to act like a spoiled princess. Hiashi and Hanabi laughed at seeing the spoiled princess. "That's okay, Hinata. I'm just teasing with you, my daughter. If you are finished with your breakfast, I suggest you move. The academy will start soon." Hinata raised from the table, bowed before Hiashi and quickly left the room, picking her backpack on the way.

As she was leaving the compound, Ko was waiting for her. "Hinata-sama, your father asked me to accompany you to the academy. Shall we go, then?" Before Hinata could answer, though, a loud voice was heard. "That won't be necessary! -Dattebayo!" Hinata suddenly had a huge smile on her face as she looked at her left and saw Naruto heading towards her.

"_Oh Kami oh Kami oh Kami I get to walk with Naruto-kun to the academy! If we are to do this everyday..._" Before she finished thinking, her bliss was so huge she actually fainted. Ko and Naruto sweat-dropped. "Well, I was hoping to leave her in your capable hands, Naruto-sama, but it seems I will have to carry her anyway. Shall we get going, then?"

A few minutes later, Hinata woke up. When she came to her senses, she saw Ko carrying her on his back, and Naruto right behind her, watching her as he walked with a warm smile. "Ano... Ko, I'm fine. You can let me on the ground now. Naruto-kun and I will make our way to the academy now." Ko simply nodded and let the young couple walk towards the academy. As they arrived at door 101, Naruto slid the door open and stepped aside. "Ladies first", said him, his usual foxy-grin. Hinata blushed at Naruto's good manners and happily made her way inside. She noticed that the Ino-Shika-Chou trio was already there.

"Hello, Shikamaru-kun, Chouji-kun, Ino-san. It good to see you're all here. How was your week?", asked Hinata. As everyone briefly described what they did during the week, Ino looked at Naruto with curiosity. "Naruto... I couldn't help but notice... Why haven't you changed your clothing? You yourself said we should do it so last week... I'm only changing my clothes next week, but why haven't you already?" Hinata widened her eyes at hearing what Ino said. As she looked at Naruto, she indeed noticed that his clothes haven't changed. He still wore the same bright orange shirt and blue shorts from last week. He had a look of someone who was caught red-handed.

"_This isn't the Naruto-kun I know... He would never go back on his word... Can it be..? _Let me try something...**Byakugan**!" As Hinata activated her Kekkei Gekkai, she finally noticed what she didn't. It was Kiba using **Henge**. "Well, look like we got caught. Isn't that right, Akamaru?", said Kiba, undoing the **Henge** and laughing loudly, with Akamaru on top of his head, barking.

Hinata popped another vein from her forehead (**since she still had the Byakugan active**) and started scolding him. "Kiba-kun! What were you doing disguised as Naruto-kun? Did you want to take advantage of me or maybe worse? You know how much I like Naruto-kun, don't you? What you did was wrong, and thank Kami we're good friends, or else I'd shut down your limbs with my **Jyuuken**!" Everyone's face was blue at seeing this new terrifying Hinata. She was really pissed. Suddenly the door slid open, and everyone turned around to see who arrived. Hinata deactivated her **Byakugan** so if Naruto saw her, he wouldn't be scared of her looks.

Hinata's heart skipped a beat as she saw who entered the room.

A new day in her life has begun.

**A/N: FINALLY! It took me two weeks and over 23 THOUSAND WORDS, but this chapter is complete at last! I'm sorry for taking so long to do this. I actually wasted most of my time reading A SHITLOAD of fanfics. I wanted to research the writing style, which a few people pointed it out reading this fic I had to improve it. I'm actually happy for taking my time to study up and bring a chapter I believe to be satisfactory for you guys.**

**Most of you probably noticed that Sasuke is far more honorable than any of you might have wondered. As I put in the summary, Sasuke will be a good guy. And I finally have the perfect plot setting for him to remain a good guy and STILL have the Juuin Ka (Curse Mark), get the Mangekyou Sharingan, probably the Eternal as well. Everything is ready, and I just need the time and inspiration to write, of course.**

**If you were too confused about the description of Naruto's cloak, it's basically a mixture of Shippuuden's Sennin Cloak and Minato's cloak. The orange flames were suggested by Blazigen1. He also suggested the cloak to be black, but I find if hard to imagine Naruto in black, even though his Shippuuden clothing is black and orange. Naruto is too much a "bright" kind of character for these things, I suppose...**

**And Hinata's clothes are not bad either. You know her Shippuuden jacket? Well, take off the jacket and make it a shirt. And her pants are a few inches shorter, making more of her legs exposed. Of course, 7 year old children shouldn't be worried about this kind of exposition, but as she grows up, Naruto will be more aware of her natural beauty, and resistance will be futile. I assure you, NaruHina's first kiss will not be any later than next chapter.**

**And speaking of the next chapter, I'm going to take a look throughout Devianart and any other drawing website to gather inspiration for the Rookie 9's new clothing, because otherwise it will take quite a while to write the next chapters if I'm to invent new clothes to everyone. If any of you have any bright ideas or images to share with me, please do so.**

**And yes, I've decided to include Omakes now. These things are quite handy when you have set up a neat thingy in the story and you probably wonder where the hell did you find the inspiration to develop the thingy. Before you know it, you've developed your own omake and depending on the setting, you get quite some laughs with that. Omakes are now going to be quite frequent. I hope you guys bear with me on this one. Pretty please with sugar on top...**

**And with that, this chapter is finally over. How much of a good first impression will the Fellowship of Fire put up on the Academy? What kind of classes will they go through? Will Naruto and the Kyuubi have another conversation? They've been away from each other for quite a while now, haven't they? And how many roads must a man walk down? The answer, my friends, is blowing in the wind. And in the next chapter as well. Don't forget to review and ask whatever doubt is on your mind, for I will answer it at the best of my capabilities.**

**See ya!**


	6. Chapter 5: Love

**A/N: Hey, everyone. Yeah, the fanfic is now on a every two weeks or so routine. Well, I suppose it's better than having no routine at all, right? Thanks to that, I already got plenty of good ideas for the next chapters AND I'm also able to do as much research as possible on other contents. (not like Ero-Sennin, of course). Now, for the replies...**

**Zarrick Rule: Well, considering that the Hyuugas start their Jyuuken training as soon as they START WALKING, I'm not really surprised. And if you watch the anime, there's a part on Hinata's past (episode 166: Confession) that shows a Hanabi of 18 months, maybe 2 years, obliterating poor Hinata. Yup, Hanabi is that talented, being one year old. I'm not bullshitting here, if you wanna blame someone, blame Kishimoto for giving her steroids.**

**SnugglesB: Well, he learned about his heritage, he learned about his parents' little joke (Yellow Flash plus Red Hot-Blooded Habanero equals...), and being Hokage is not only a dream anymore, it's a grand quest. Besides, when the time comes, the engraving on his back will give you guys some laughs. So trust me on this one, okay?**

**splitheart1120: Well, in this chapter right here we'll have a good number of clever people putting two and two together, but that will be about it. Until Naruto uses the Hiraishin in public, everyone will be as clueless as Naruto is about Hinata's feelings. Of course, this particular clueless part will be over in the next few paragraphs.**

**hinataellis: Your wish has just been granted.**

**Mavs: I'll just consider your "review" a stupid flame. I won't even comment on the whole "hating without actually knowing he's a Jinchuuriki" thing, it's not even worth my time. Let this chapter explain it to you. Second, if a lazy-ass Brazilian like me managed to grasp the basic conception of reading at 3, I'm sure an Asian kid in a world of NINJAS should be pretty good. And I'm sorry if my writing skills don't match your mighty standards. I promise I will improve.**

**And for all of you reading this fanfic, I forgot to mention: Flaming is bad manners, and are not nice critique to improve the writer's skills. So don't flame. It's stupid. I'm gladly accepting suggestions, and I'm grateful for people who take their time to explain what's wrong with my story, and offering help. But bashing my story and myself is just plain stupid. Other than that, I thank everyone who actually had positive feedback. You guys have no idea how much it means to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you! -Dattebayo!**

**And with that, let's move on with the story. The academy starts today, and Naruto and his friends promise to cause quite an impression on everyone. I'm SamHetfield, and welcome to another chapter of...**

**The Orange Hokage**

**Love, Hatred, Power, Will – A 4 chapter Arc**

**Chapter 5: Love**

**Konohagakure no Sato, 1st day of class at the Ninja Academy**

To say that the five kids who made it first than anybody else at their room before class started were absolutely stupefied by the young whiskered blonde boy with blue eyes that entered the room was merely an understatement. Shikamaru actually had his jaw fully opened, which was remarkable, since he was almost never impressed at anything and thought it would be too troublesome to be amazed by most things. Chouji's face was the face an Akimichi would normally put up if they found out that the food reserves of the clan were wiped out of its existence. Ino's stunned look made her wonder if her father's psychological training to get rid of her fangirl issues over Sasuke was all for naught, for she had probably found another boy to swoon over. Kiba was already impressed at his Hyuuga friend's terrifying display, but the vision before him made his eyes even wider than before. Akamaru also gazed at whatever his master saw and winced in surprise.

Hinata's reaction was mixed between the need of either reach out the boy she was facing and kissing him on the spot or the urge to lose consciousness and let her dreams do all the work for her, since probably her nerves were in a inner struggle to keep her conscious as it is. She had an ear-to-ear smile, her cheeks were pink and her eyes were slightly watering, for the overjoy she was feeling at seeing the one she so craved to meet for one week. She kept staring at the boy in front of her, marveled by his physical traits, so much clearer now with his new clothing. And his fine taste in finding such refined clothes also made Hinata wonder if she found her prince. She also wondered if she had princess material enough to have the courage to get close to him, or sit at his side, grabbing his hand, hugging him, kissing him... okay, she was going too far now on dreamland. She had to face reality. She had to face – and try her best not to faint – the boy that caught everyone's attention. She had to face the love of her life. She had to face Uzumaki Naruto.

Naruto slowly slid the door and closed it, and then approached five of his friends of the Fellowship of Fire. As he looked at each and everyone, he noticed that only Hinata had actually changed her wardrobe choice. He smiled at her. "_Gosh, she looks even more beautiful with these clothes. And her hair is all the way back now. I never noticed before, but her face is really pretty. She really looks like a princess..._", he thought. When he came to his senses to what he just thought, he looked away for two seconds with a bright red flushing through his cheeks. Then he turned his face and greeted everyone.

"Hey guys. It's good to see you. How was your week?", he asked, raising his usual foxy-grin, as the Ino-Shika-Chou trio, Kiba and Hinata answered him as best as they could, although most of them stuttered a bit, still impressed at Naruto's amazing new appearance. He patted Kiba in his shoulders and whispered in his ear, with malice in his voice. "I heard you were being indelicate to Hinata. I say you start treating her like the princess she is, or else she is not the only one who will tear you apart limb by limb... and you know I never go back on my word... Da. 'Tte. Ba. Yo..." Kiba's face was now blue in terror again, and he sat on his chair to avoid fainting on the floor. Akamaru whined.

As Naruto approached Hinata, he wrapped his hands around her waist and gave her his sweet hug. "I missed you, Hinata.", he whispered in her ear, in his cheerful voice. Hinata melted hearing Naruto's angelical voice saying that he missed her. She couldn't contain herself anymore.

She fainted.

Naruto simply giggled, as he put Hinata's unconscious being on a chair. "_I guess she really isn't that comfortable with physical contact, huh..._", he thought. Suddenly a demonic voice he hadn't heard in 16 months roared inside his mind. "**That's not physical sensibility, stupid Kit. It's passionate bliss! Dear Kami, you're more stupid than I thought!**" Naruto raised his eyebrows. He sat on the chair besides Hinata, leaned his head on his desk and gathered his thoughts to speak with his tenant in a mental conversation...

"_Kyuubi! Long time no see, aho-kitsune... 16 months we don't talk to each other and the first thing you say to me is that I'm stupid? I feel offended!_", he though, as a mental smirk crossed his mind. The Bijuu simply growled. "**I had no choice, because you're still clueless to the world around you. I mean, this Hyuuga girl is melting all over you and you haven't made a move yet. C'mon! Talk about stupid...**"

"_I won't lay a finger on Hinata just like that. We're good friends, I don't want to ruin our friendship pulling a stunt like that, as much as I care about her. What if she doesn't answer to my feelings? And we're just 7 years old, I don't think we're ready for this._" Kyuubi laughed at hearing this. Naruto still felt a bit terrified at the fox's demonic laugh. "**Kit, making this girl return your feelings is the last thing you should be worried about, trust me! And so what if you're young? We, foxes, already mate and have babies before we're three years old!**"

"_Dear Kami, aho-kitsune! Don't compare us humans to your kind! And since when have you started caring about what happens to me?_" "**First, stop calling me aho-kitsune. Second, I don't care about you, stupid Yondaime spawn! I just want to make sure I don't get killed as well! And third, I've been around for more than 1000 years, and I know when people are in love. As much as it makes me wanna puke saying this, there I go: this girl is madly in love with you!**"

Naruto instantly froze. Both mentally and physically. Kiba noticed he was quiet and decided to call Naruto's attention. "Oi, Naruto! I understand Hinata dazing off in dreamland, but you too? Guess you two really are meant for each other, huh?", said him. Everyone chuckled at hearing Kiba's statement. Naruto raised both eyebrows, as he looked at Hinata. "_Can it be...? Does she really care for me like that?_" "**Let's see, she stutters, blushes and faints every time she's around you... When you smile at her, she nearly reaches the 7th heaven... I'd say she's in love with you and you should just go for it.**" Naruto closed his eyes for a moment. Shikamaru looked at the blonde Jinchuuriki and raised an eyebrow as he saw him in deep focus.

"Oi, Naruto... are you meditating right before class starts?", asked him. Naruto opened his eyes for a second and looked at his friend. "Nah, just gathering a few thoughts over. Besides, I'm having a lovely chat with the aho-kitsune." When he said that, everyone reacted in surprise. "Oh, right. I almost forgot about your lovely 'friend'...", said Chouji. They were all alone in the room, but he still had to make sure. "How is it going? What is he saying?"

"**Naruto and Hinata sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!**", said the Kyuubi, laughing creepily. "_Shut up!_ Not much. Basically, that it's a pain to be stuck inside puny little me." Everyone just smirked. A few seconds later, Hinata slowly opened her eyes, still a bit stunned after Naruto's sweet hug. "Eto... where... where am I...? I was in the academy, and then... Naruto-kun..."

"I hugged you, and then you fainted.", said Naruto. Hinata turned to her side to see her crush sitting right beside her, and with his beautiful foxy-grin. Her face blushed a dark red. "I-I-I-I... I'm s-s-so sorry... f-for f-fainting like t-that... N-Naruto-kun...", said her, as she leaned her head to the ground, immensely embarrassed, considering she was around everyone. Naruto simply put his hand on her shoulder, which immediately caught her attention.

"Don't be sorry, Hinata. You're probably just a bit tired, that's all. But at least you woke up before our class started, right? Just don't faint again, pretty please...", said him, using his new S-rank kinjutsu **Koinu Shisen no Jutsu** (otherwise known throughout the fanfiction world by **Puppy Eyes no Jutsu**). Hinata just melted again seeing his eyes, as he begged for her to be strong. Before anyone could tell it, she regained her confidence. "Okay, Naruto-kun. I will stay awake all day long. Now where is that Sensei?", asked her, with fire burning in her eyes. Everyone sweat-dropped. "Hinata... we still have 10 minutes, so let's just wait, okay?", said Kiba, making Hinata, making her lean her head to the ground in embarrassment again.

"10 minutes? What a drag, I thought I could be able to sleep a bit more... Troublesome... maybe I should just sleep in class." Everyone chuckled at hearing Shikamaru at his usual self. Suddenly, a new voice was heard coming from the door. "You might as well use your time to sleep now, Shikamaru. I heard our sensei is really bitchy with sleepyheads." Everyone turned around to see who talked. It turned out to be Sasuke. Sakura was also alongside him, but she didn't bother to say anything. She was just, as far as everyone was aware, going fangirl over Sasuke.

"Sasuke! Sakura-chan! Good to see you guys! How's been your week?", asked a very cheerful Naruto, as his friend walked towards where everyone was gathered. Sasuke shrugged at this question, as Sakura giggled at her lover's reaction. "Terrible. I couldn't leave the compound without this fangirl stuck with me. Hey, Naruto. Since you're dressed up fancy like that, do you mind getting rid of her for me?" Everyone laughed loudly, except for Naruto, who just had a vein popped from his forehead, and Hinata, who had a inner struggle to avoid using her **Jyuuken** on Sasuke. Sakura crossed her arms irritated. "Sasuke-kun... why do you treat me like that? I care so much for you... You're my inspiration!"

Everyone sweat-dropped. They knew Sakura already had a sort of an infatuation over the Uchiha kid, but that was just ridiculous. Ino sighed. She was sorry for her best friend. She remembered working hard to get rid of her fangirl issues. She wanted to spend so much time trying to impress Sasuke that she forgot the main focus of the training. It was not just once or twice that her friends personally intervened and beat the living hell out of her in training sessions, showing her how weak she became because of her stupid platonic love issues. Unfortunately, even though Sakura suffered from the same problem, no one came for her sake. Everyone respected Sakura for bravely enduring the Fellowship's training, but Ino was her only true close friend, so she was the only one who could do something about her.

Sakura was smart, but her overall practical applications were just average, except for some that required nice chakra control. Ino, however, was another story. She was on her way to become a kunoichi as promising as Hinata. Sakura was also promising, but there was a problem. Sakura's fangirl issues were on the way, and Ino had a hard time convincing her of that. Sakura put their friendship on check, because they once had the same "love interest", and she would hardly trust Ino now. The blonde girl decided to help her friend. And she knew the academy would be the perfect place to do it. She wanted Hinata to help her, because differently from both girls, Hinata knew what true love was. Ino actually wanted to learn from Hinata a few love lessons. But that had to wait.

Casting all these thoughts aside, Ino looked at her friend and couldn't help but provoke her, as much as she didn't want to. "Well, I don't recall Sasuke-kun being the inspirational one from the group. As far as I know, it was Naruto that brought all of us together and made us train our asses off. Wouldn't you agree, Sasuke-kun?" Sasuke smirked. He knew where Ino was going at. He joined her little game, for Sakura's sake. "True enough. In fact, Nii-san was the one who told me about Naruto's training. Before I knew it, I became stronger than I could ever dream of."

Sakura looked at her crush with surprise in her eyes. She refused to believe that he was not giving himself nor his natural talent as an Uchiha any credit. "Sasuke-kun... How can you say that? You're an Uchiha, an elite. You are a natural for this! Strength grows within you every second!" Sasuke couldn't help but sigh. Did she really endure the Fellowship's training by her own? Well, it was time to figure it out now. "You're wrong, Sakura. Strength is not a part of me. I have to earn it. I can say right now that Naruto will always be the strongest of us, because he's found many reasons to earn the strength he gains every day. He has his mind set on protecting those who are precious to him, and this is where he gets his strength. Bloodline is just a nice heading start, but I can't rely on just that."

"But Naruto is not playing fair too, you know? Sure, he is strong as it is, but don't forget he has-" before Sakura could say anything further, a voice echoed through the room. "Refrain yourself from saying Naruto's secret, Sakura-san. The reason is logical, after all, it's an S-rank secret punishable by immediate execution." Sakura's face was blue in terror. She remembered then the consequences for revealing Naruto's secrets. Everyone turned their attention to the new voice, located somewhere close. When they looked around, they saw Shino, sitting on the back of the room, around two desks of distance from everyone. "Shino-kun...", said Hinata. "When did you...?"

"Naturally, I arrived here a few seconds after Naruto. That should be obvious. Why? Because everyone was so stunned by Naruto's new visual that you seemed to ignore my presence.", he answered, slightly irritated. Everyone sweat-dropped at hearing this. Shino was indeed a nice guy, but when it came to being left behind, he made sure to point it out and make everyone feel awkward. There was this one time everyone had lunch at the Yakini-Q (also known as Barbe-Q), and Shino's request only arrived just before the bill came. Considering that he was the very first to order, it only meant that the waitress totally forgot his order, and that his friends also forgot about him. He never forgave, and never forgot.

"But I forgive you this time, though. It should be logical, after all we don't see each other for a week, and Naruto certainly caused a major impression. I must admit I had to take off my glasses to make sure my eyes weren't playing illogical tricks on my mind." Everyone face-palmed mentally in frustration. No one could believe they missed the chance of seeing Shino without glasses. Sasuke cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "Despite that, Shino is right. Just... where in Kami's name did you find these clothes, Naruto? You look indeed quite... dashing, if I dare to say so.", said him.

"He is right, Naruto. I never knew people still made these kinds of cloak anymore here in Konoha.", said Ino. As one of the village's official fashion queens, she knew how rare these custom-made cloaks were. And Naruto's cloak was certainly one of a kind. Naruto just giggled. "The clothes were a unique kind of 'gift to the future' from my family. Just like this pretty thing here.", said him, pointing to the Uzumaki scroll he put on the table. Everyone oooo'ed in amazement at the amazing object. Shikamaru opened his eyes, yawned and looked at the scroll. It was certainly something he didn't know about, and probably even his father didn't know about it either. That made him slightly curious.

"Oi, Naruto... Even someone lazy and not that interested in things other than playing shougi and watching clouds, like me, is curious to know what are the contents of the scroll. I know it might be troublesome to ask, but... could you show it to us?" Naruto chuckled. If the Uzumaki scroll got even Shikamaru to wake up and be curious about its content, it certainly showed how much attention he was probably going to get in the future. But he wanted to impress them. "Tell you what. When the sensei gets here and makes the introductions, I'm going to tell everyone a tiny bit of my origins from my mother's side. At least that much will be enough for now."

"And... what about your father's side, Naruto-kun?", asked Hinata. She was happy to know more about her beloved, but she was still curious. No surprise, though. She wanted to know everything about him. Naruto looked at her and answered with his foxy-grin. "My father's side is a little more complicated. First, it's because I don't know that much about his clan. And second... do you guys remember about my heritage being a SS-rank secret?" Everyone nodded. They would never forget that day even if they wanted to. It was a happy, yet terrifying day because of what Naruto's been through back then.

"So... I spoke to Jiji a few days ago after I discovered this scroll. He told me that talking to people just the most basic things about my mother's clan was okay, because it concerns a lot of Konoha's own history. But my father's clan is still the biggest part of the SS-rank secret, and I can't tell anything, not even to you guys. For now, only a handful of things concerning my mother's origins should suffice. Everyone got it?", he asked, with a very serious look. Everybody nodded, understanding the situation. Suddenly they heard a bell ringing, and many other children suddenly entered the room.

"So much for a nice conversation... Alright, everyone. Let's get ready for our first day of class! -Dattebayo!" Hinata giggled at seeing Naruto cheerful as always. As everyone chose their seats, Naruto stayed in the middle seat of the middle desk, with a flushing Hinata at his right and a smirking Sasuke at his left. Sakura fumed in anger for not sitting at Sasuke's direct side. She made it up sitting right behind him, with a stoic Shino in the middle and a smiling Ino on the right. On the desk behind them, Kiba was on the left, with his wild grin and Akamaru on top of him, Shikamaru in the middle, trying to sleep, and Chouji on the right, munching some potato chips. The other 27 children that would attend classes picked their seats, but their attention was all drawn towards the clan heirs and the Haruno heiress, but specially on the village pariah and the fact he was the spitting image of the Yondaime Hokage, and was on good terms with the clan heirs. Something was definitely off. And that's when the sensei entered.

The man who entered the room and approached the large table close to the blackboard was a not so high Chuunin, with a pineapple-like light brown hair. If it weren't for the slightly more tanned skin tone and larger eyes, someone would probably make a Nara clan member out of him. He had a visible cut across his nose, most probably a scar from a mission. The Chuunin had a very fixed smile on his face. Not an arrogant smirk, but rather a confident smile, which looked a bit like Naruto's foxy-grin. Standing alongside the door, another Chuunin, with a relatively long baby-blue close to silver hair, a faint smile and a cold stare fixed on Naruto. He certainly wasn't too fond of the young Jinchuuriki. The Chuunin in front of the blackboard spoke.

"Good morning to everyone, and welcome to the Ninja Academy. For the next 5 years, I will be the one who will analyze and rate your skills in many of the necessary subjects you must be able to master, or at least comprehend in a higher extent if you want to have a chance at the shinobi world. My name is Umino Iruka, and alongside me, is my colleague and assistant Touji Mizuki. It is my great pleasure to meet you all. Now, if everyone could please introduce yourselves to your classmates, I would be glad. Just say your name, your origins, and whatever you want to do or be in the future."

With that, mostly everyone made their introductions. It was not in any specific order, so the member of the Fellowship were just quiet, looking and hearing everyone else. After everyone else made their introductions, Iruka looked at the 9 children that stood out. They haven't said anything yet. "What about you 9 there? Make your introductions to everyone, please.", said him, carefully analyzing them.

"What a drag... I'm gonna start, since I just want to go back to sleep. *yawn* My name is Nara Shikamaru, son of Nara Shikaku, head of the Nara clan and strategist commander of Konoha's Shinobi Army. My dream is to have a thrilling, yet calm life as a shinobi of Konohagakure." Iruka at first sweat-dropped with his laziness, but soon had a smile, seeing how the other 8 members just had smiles on their faces.

"My name is Akimichi Chouji, son of Akimichi Chouza, head of the Akimichi clan. My dream is to be as strong as him and lead my clan with honor, so I can protect Konoha and my friends." Seeing the chubby boy's proud and determined face made Iruka wonder if Chouji would be one of the revelations of the academy.

"My name is Yamanaka Ino, daughter of Yamanaka Inoichi, head of the Yamanaka clan and second-in-command of the Torture and Intelligence Division. I dream of being a good torturer like him, and also tend for my family's flower store." Iruka's face was blue for a moment. He never knew young girls would want to have such terrifying jobs. But he sighed in relief, knowing that at least one girl was going to take her kunoichi career seriously.

"My name is Haruno Sakura, daughter of Haruno Sakiri, superintendent of Imports and Exports for the civilian council. My dream is to... well, I haven't decided yet. But I'd like to be either a teacher or a medic-nin. Whatever life throws at me first. _**Screw all that, I just want to marry Sasuke-kun! Shannaro!**_" Iruka felt happy in a way, seeing how his profession was valued, but he noticed the look of the other 8 members of that particular group. Maybe they were either surprised or very suspect of her. He couldn't quite tell right now.

"My name is Inuzuka Kiba, second son of Inuzuka Tsume, head of the Inuzuka clan, and this is my buddy Akamaru! *bark* My dream is to prove myself worthy of leading and protecting my pack. Right, Akamaru? *bark*" Iruka didn't know what to think of the Inuzuka boy. He seemed both selfless and full of himself at the same time. He would have to wait and see.

"My name is Aburame Shino, obviously son of Aburame Shibi, head of the Aburame clan. As logical, I'm expected to fulfill my role in succeeding my father with the clan's duty of serving Konoha." Iruka noticed it was hard to make any conclusions based on the boy's blank expression. But his friends' nods and smiles proved that Shino was, in fact, being honest. Iruka smiled.

"Ano... my name is Hyuuga Hinata, first daughter of Hyuuga Hiashi, head of the Hyuuga clan. My dreams involve ending the internal conflicts of my clan's two houses and with the clan united, help Konoha until our last breath. _And I also want to marry Naruto-kun..._" Iruka was surprised to see such kindness coming from a member of the Main House of the prestigious clan. He noticed that when Naruto smiled at the Hyuuga girl, she blushed a bright red from her cheeks as she smiled back. Curious, indeed...

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke, second son of Uchiha Fugaku, head of the Uchiha clan. My dream is to bring the Uchihas to good terms with Konoha. I also dream of surpassing my Nii-san and inherit his noble values." Iruka was surprised once again. Just like with Hinata, he never expected a member of the grandiose Uchiha clan to put the village's sake in higher priority than the clan's. He also noticed Sasuke and Naruto bumping fists. Whatever made those two clan heirs being honorable and promising protectors of Konoha had somethings to do with the young Jinchuuriki. Iruka's curiosity was now fixed on the boy holding within him the demon that murdered his parents in cold blood. It was Naruto's turn now.

Meanwhile in the Hokage Tower, Sarutobi Hiruzen, alongside 4 ANBU-nins, Kakashi and Itachi included, were watching through Sandaime's crystal ball everything the clan heirs said. Itachi was really proud of his young brother, and he had to thank Naruto for that. As the young Jinchuuriki was ready to talk, everyone paid close attention. "_I truly hope you don't do anything stupid and reveal anything compromising, Naruto. Oh wait, you already dressed up like your father and had half of the village dumbfounded. Never mind..._", thought Hiruzen. Even though he let Naruto talk the minimal necessary about his Uzumaki origins, he knew Naruto was the most unpredictable of the bunch. Many of the children in class were staring in awe to the young boy's amazing clothing, that made him look like a prince. And then Naruto finally opened his mouth to speak.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, son of Uzumaki Kushina, the late Red Hot-Blooded Habanero and heiress of the noble Uzumaki clan of Uzushiogakure. The red whirlpool symbol on the back of every Chuunin and Jounin's jacket is our insignia and proof of our blood pact with the founders of Konoha. I hope to rise as the new Uzumaki clan head in the future. I also dream of becoming Hokage and honoring the legacy left by my ancestors, protecting my friends and the villagers! -Dattebayo!"

Hiruzen sighed in relief. "_At least he didn't brag about the Uzukage, that would be disastrous... The council will be VERY pissed, nonetheless._", he thought. The rise of what was probably the last Uzumaki alive would definitely bring some great changes to Konoha's daily life. Speaking of the Uzumaki boy, he just stood there, with his foxy-grin, as everyone inside the class looked at him flabbergasted. The room was dead silent. If a needle fell on the floor, anyone could hear it. Suddenly a whole set of high-pitched screeches filled the vacuum of the room. "**WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!**".

Naruto covered his ears in pain. He would still have to get used to his sharper senses. He never felt any differences through the last 16 months, but when the Kyuubi reestablished contact with him, his senses seemed to overwhelm him. He knew the aho-kitsune was to blame. The other kids couldn't help but whisper, murmur and eventually talk loudly about the surprising revelation. Hinata looked at her crush in amazement. He certainly did seem pretty convict about his heritage, and his almost noble-like appearance probably just confirmed it. She wondered if that would make their betrothal more than just a child's prophecy, but a reality. Hinata blushed heavily at the thought, putting her hands over her cheeks and shaking her head left and right.

Sasuke also stared at his friend surprised. Naruto was from a mighty clan that had their very own hidden village, yet that didn't go over his head. Naruto was definitely something else. Sasuke merely smiled, proud of his friend. Iruka couldn't help but drop his jaw on the floor. No one could even imagine the Jinchuuriki being heir to such a powerful clan. But before he could ask anything to Naruto, he had to quiet down the class. "Okay, everyone, please settle down...", he asked, but to no avail. After a few more seconds, he shouted louder, but once again his voice fell on deaf ears. He decided then to use his best technique, a long forgotten S-rank ninjutsu.

He made the hand signs Dragon, Monkey, Bird, Dragon and clapped his hand together. "**Ninpou: Dai Kitou no Jutsu**!" (FanFiction readers know this jutsu by other infamous name: **Large Demon Head no Jutsu**) "**QUIET DOWN AT ONCE!**", ordered a demonic Iruka with a head as wide as the blackboard behind him. Everyone froze in terror, including Naruto, who sit back at his seat. "**Damn, Kit. I think I just found a new adversary. Be careful around this guy!**", growled the Kyuubi. Naruto simply nodded.

"*ahem* Now, where were we...", said Iruka, happy to have the attention of the VERY quiet and terrified classroom. "Well, since we all got acquainted to each other, why don't we start our class? The first subject of the day is Konoha's History." As he pointed out the subject, every children inside the classroom picked the Academy book. "Now, does anyone know who founded Konohagakure?", asked Iruka. A few children slowly raised their hands, but Sakura was the fastest. "That's easy, sensei. It was Senju Hashirama, the Shodaime Hokage."

Iruka simply nodded in approval. Suddenly Naruto raised his hand. "Actually, sensei... Senju Hashirama was just one of the co-founders. The creation of Konoha was a treaty of peace between Hashirama, head of the Senju clan, and Madara, head of the Uchiha clan at the time. Oh, and of course, the Uzumaki clan made their contribution as well, after all they had their very own hidden village for a long time and that served as a nice base for the foundations of Konoha." Once again, all the attention was turned towards the Uzumaki boy. That particular detail was not in the book.

As Sakura scanned the book end to end, she frowned and yelled at the young Jinchuuriki. "Oi, Naruto! Where in Kami's name did you pull that one off?" Naruto sighed. He thought that talking about the crazy psychotic Uchiha that killed his own family members for power would not be a good idea, specially since he received that information from the Kyuubi. Least of all in the academy, where but a handful of people knew of his status as a Jinchuuriki. He had to pull this one off smoothly.

"The library, of course. I go there when I'm not training, Sakura-chan...", he said. He wasn't lying about going to the library, only lied about how he acquired this particular piece of information. Sakura frowned again. She's been outsmarted, and being the bookworm she was, that was a hard hit to take in. She was about to raise her voice again, but Iruka decided to intervene. "Okay, that's enough, Sakura. Naruto is indeed right. The village was founded not only by the Senjus, but also by the Uchihas and the Uzumakis. The treaty of peace made by the two most powerful clans of that time was the sole responsible act that brought an end to the First World Ninja War. But I must say, Naruto. I am indeed impressed by your display. You really did your homework, didn't you?"

"Well, I have to. I'll never become Hokage by just laying down on my chair, acting all lazy, now can I? I have to work hard to earn the big hat! -Dattebayo!", answered Naruto, with his foxy-grin. Hinata raised a smile. Despite his new-found heritage, he was still the same old Naruto, noisy attitude, speech twitch and all. "_I wonder if I could ever have the guts to be noisy like Naruto-kun..._", she thought, sighing. Even though most of the pressures of the Hyuuga elders quieted down over time, she still had a strict can heiress code to obey. That really pissed Hinata off. She wanted to be free to act the way she wanted.

Through the next 40 minutes or so, Most of the questions asked by Iruka were answered by either Sakura or Naruto, usually the latter adding some information unknown to most people. Meanwhile, Sarutobi, Kakashi, Itachi and the other two masked ANBU-nins (Kitsune and Neko) still watched him through the crystal ball. "Hokage-sama, I can't help but wonder... How does Naruto know that much about our history? Half of the things he knows are relatively new to me.", asked Kakashi. He was impressed to see the progress of his sensei's son, but he was really curious about such progress. Hiruzen puffed some smoke from his pipe and took a deep breath. "Naruto is cleverer than I thought. After his 6th birthday, he started sending **Kage Bunshins** to the Konoha Library every now and then. He read about half of the books in there and absorbed their whole knowledge like a sponge."

"Naruto-kun is going to become a remarkable shinobi, I have no doubt about that", said Itachi. Hiruzen could only nod in agreement. "Let's just make sure the council doesn't do anything that even Naruto would consider stupid. Now, I'd like to have a word with you, Weasel. The rest of you please leave."

"Hai", said the 3 other ANBU-nins. In the blink of an eye, they all left the office., leaving Hiruzen and Itachi alone. Hiruzen sighed in concern. Whatever they would discuss was certainly big. Hiruzen then finally managed to ask: "How is the clan?" At hearing this question, Itachi closed his eyes and gathered his thoughts as he handled his report. Over the last three and a half years, the relationship between the Uchihas and Konoha have improved. Thanks to Naruto's friendship with Sasuke, Fugaku has been more friendly with the other clan heads, and his opinions on the council have been more favorable to the well being of the village. There was a few issues, though.

Around the time Naruto and Sasuke started training together, Fugaku realized that the Will of Fire was still alive inside a handful of Uchihas. They were certainly more loyal to the village than to the clan. And they were among the most powerful shinobis of Konoha. So he suggested that Uchiha Shisui, one of the Elite Jounin of Konoha, started a special training to become potential successor of Hiruzen. At first Sarutobi wanted to refuse, but Tsunade refused to return to Konoha, and Jiraiya was too busy with his spy network. Not only that, the white-haired Sannin himself refused the job once before. Hiruzen accepted to train Shisui, and was proud of his accomplishments. The Uchiha was a true shinobi in every conception. In some way, he was as selfless and strong-willed as Minato.

But something happened around two months ago that made Shisui give up his training, and no one knew the reason. He also missed two meetings from the clan, something the clan elders considered unforgivable. Not even Itachi, when he was ANBU captain until a year or so ago, missed the meetings. Something was definitely up, and no one could figure out the reason for Shisui's strange behavior. When Itachi was done talking Hiruzen tried to puff some smoke from his pipe, but he ran out of tobacco. He simply put the pipe on his desk and sighed. "You two are best friends, am I right, Itachi?" The Uchiha simply nodded. "Okay, then. You're the only one who can reach him. Whatever made him give up his training to be Godaime is probably making him suffer, and as his friend, it is your duty to do whatever it takes to get rid of his misery."

"Hai, Hokage-sama", said Itachi bowing before him. Hiruzen rose from his chair and walked towards the door, and as he snapped his fingers, Kakashi, Kitsune and Neko reappeared. "We are heading towards the opening ceremony at the Academy. Although I don't think it will be necessary, just in case keep an eye on Naruto. We don't want the Uzumaki clan to be extinct after all."

"Hai, Hokage-sama", said the ANBU-nins, as they accompanied the Sandaime Hokage.

**2 hours later, at the Ninja Academy...**

In the middle section of the large open field outside the academy, 36 children stood still in 6 separate columns, each with 6 kids. Save for a few changes, most of them stood in the exactly same position they previously were when they were inside the classroom. Which meant that Naruto, Hinata and Sasuke stood right in the middle row, with Shino, Ino and Sakura right behind them, and behind them stood Shikamaru, Chouji and Kiba. On the left and right corners of the open field, stood 68 adults, divided among 34 fathers and 34 mothers. The two missing mothers were Hyuuga Hikari and Uzumaki Kushina. The two missing fathers were Inuzuka Taigoru and Namikaze Minato. Of course, no one missed neither Minato nor Kushina, except for Naruto.

The Hokage appeared in front of the 36 children, in a small elevated space, proper for the ceremonial speech he gave the students every year, with the 4 ANBU-nins and many Chuunin behind him. He looked at each and every kid, but mainly focusing on the 9 members of the Fellowship of Fire that stood together, specially Naruto. The young Jinchuuriki indeed looked a lot like his father. He then started his speech.

"First of all, good morning to everyone, and welcome to the Academy. I believe your responsible sensei has already told you that you will spend the next 5 years learning what it takes to be a shinobi. This year, we have many promising students, and I have high expectations to each and everyone of you. I'm going to tell you a bit of the past, and why this Academy was built the way it is today."

"When Konohagakure was founded, the Hokage wanted to stop the death of children. In the days of war, it was very common 5 year old children to be in the battlefield, many of them with astounding abilities. The life expectancy of a shinobi was very short, most of them died before they were old enough to drink. After peace was established, he built a place where children would grow up before they joined the ranks. Not only that, the Shodaime wanted to build a new society putting its fate on the interaction of children."

"Senjus, Uchihas, Sarutobis, Shimuras, Hyuugas and many other clans that were bitter rivals in the old days would be able to make amends through their children. Through them, Hashirama-sama wanted to spread a new will into the hearts of all who lived in the village. A will that protected Konoha, built friendships and overcame evil. He called it-"

"The Will of Fire", shouted Naruto. Everyone turned around to face the blonde whiskered boy who had the guts to interrupt the Hokage's speech. The large majority of the parents around couldn't help but whisper and mumble amongst themselves. Naruto's improved hearing could easily tell what they were saying. "I can't believe the Demon brat is here..." "Why is he allowed to attend the Academy?" "Why are the Hokage and the ANBU unable to kill him already? His attitude is despicable!" He just ignored the insults and kept his fixed stare in Hiruzen's old eyes, with his foxy-grin. Hiruzen only smiled back.

"That's right, Naruto. You are absolutely correct. It is the Will of Fire. The strong will that protects our village ever day. The will one must be able to pass on to others to prove him or herself worthy of carrying the responsibility of protecting the village as the Hokage. Naruto, do you have it?"

"You bet I got it, Jiji! You might as well hand over the big hat to me! -Dattebayo!" Everyone started whispering amongst themselves again. Some wondered how Naruto would dare to call the mighty Hokage 'Jiji'. Others were just mocking his stupid belief of becoming Hokage. How could a demon lead the village? Hiruzen noticed the whispers and mumbles. He thought about executing them, but he couldn't do it. First because no one was in fact breaking his law anymore. The ones who whispered about the Kyuubi kept it for themselves. Second, there were children there. He hoped they would be kept unaware of Naruto's condition and try to make the rest of his childhood as normal and happy as possible. Then he had an idea.

"Naruto, could you come over here a moment?", he asked. Naruto simply nodded and left the line, making his way to where the Hokage stood. Not many parents noticed before, but when they fixed their cold stare at Naruto again, some of the eyes weren't as cold as before. They were impressed by the boy's new visual. Whiskers aside, he looked just like the Yondaime. His cloak and the scroll wrapped behind him made him look like a young Sennin.

Hiashi had both eyebrows raised. As Naruto kept walking towards Hiruzen, the Hyuuga head remembered his old teammate Minato. The way Naruto walked and the look in his eyes were very much alike the late Yondaime. His new looks also made Hiashi wonder if they were related anyhow. "_If this has something to do with his supposedly heritage being a SS-rank secret... Can he be...?_", he though for a moment, before casting the thought aside. For now he would wait to before jumping to conclusions. The Hokage was about to do something.

Hiruzen leaned down his head to look at the young Jinchuuriki in the eye. "Now, if you would please turn around to face your colleagues...", he gently asked. Naruto simply turned 180-degree, his arms and legs fixed together like a soldier in halt. Hiruzen took off his hat. "Now, Naruto... I'm going to put the hat on your head. I want you to close your eyes and concentrate, as you hold the hat for as long as you can, understand?"

Naruto couldn't help but wonder what was that about. As Hiruzen put the hat on Naruto's head, many people thought many different things. Hinata thought Naruto looked really handsome and the Hokage hat was a perfect fit for him. Needless to say, she also blushed a bit. Sasuke couldn't help but feel envious of his friend. Both Ino-Shika-Chou trios had the same thought: Naruto's dream was surely going to become true one day, and they were very happy for him. Kiba had to admit: Naruto was definitely the alpha. Shino also had to admit that Naruto was beyond any logic he could come up with, and that was one of the reasons he admired him in the first place. Sakura didn't know what to think, except that maybe she would have to apologize to Naruto for not taking him seriously. The other children were just too amazed at someone their age wearing the Hokage's hat to think about the bad things their parents said about him. And speaking of the parents, they were just dumbfounded at seeing the "demon brat" standing around with the Hokage's hat. Some of them actually thought Sarutobi's issues with his age finally rendered him senile. The clan heads and other shinobis couldn't help but wonder what the Hokage was up to. They knew what Hiruzen intended to do, but they thought it was a reckless attitude.

Around 20 seconds after Hiruzen put the hat on Naruto's head, the young Jinchuuriki started breathing more heavily. He was also trembling a bit. He lowered his head, and put his hand on the hat so it wouldn't fall. Another 15 seconds later, his left leg hurt so much he had to stand on his knee, and he had to put his right hand on the ground to avoid falling down. 10 more seconds passed, and Naruto now was standing on all fours, but still refusing to let go of the hat. Another 5 seconds passed, and his whole body was kissing the floor. During all this time, he was groaning in pain, like a thousand kunai impaled through his heart. He put all his strength in his right arm to reach for the hat and taking it off. The second the lat left his head, the pain stopped and Naruto felt the strength returning to his body. He took a few deep breaths to regather his strength, lift himself up and returned the hat to its rightful owner.

The field was dead silent. Most adults thought it was a punishment and the demon spawn deserved it. But the shinobis knew better. The clan heads were amazed by Naruto's incredible endurance. Maybe he was destined to become Hokage, after all. The children were frozen in fear, specially the members of the Fellowship. Whatever was strong enough to render Naruto in extreme pain was something no one else could endure. Hiruzen put his hat back on and put his hand on Naruto's shoulder. He then explained what was that all about, loud enough so everyone could hear him.

"You were put through a special psychological test created by Yamanaka Atakino before Hashirama-sama handed the hat over to his brother, my sensei Tobirama-sama. This hat bears within it many of the experiences and feelings that passed through the heads of those who accepted the responsibility of guarding Konohagakure. When Tobirama-sensei gave me the position of Hokage, I felt a lot of pain wearing it, just like you did. But by then, I was a far more experienced ninja, and I endured the pain.. That's when I knew I had to honor Tobirama-sensei's order. I did what I could to protect the village and make it prosperous. When I handed it over to Minato, he also endured the pain due to his painful experience in the Third World Ninja War. I knew right then he would be an excellent Hokage, but unfortunately he died a year later on that fateful day the Kyuubi attacked. With a heavy heart, I wore this hat again."

"The reason you couldn't bear the pain was because you lack the experience of many painful endeavors a shinobi goes through in his life. Would you really bear the guilt of sending a group of shinobis to a mission you know they won't come back alive? Can you overcome the guilt of killing someone, no matter how inevitable it was? Can you see yourself resorting to killing hundreds of enemies to protect your friends in a war? If someone precious to you ended up betraying you or the village, would you be the one to personally take care of the traitor? Would you sacrifice your own life, just like the Yondaime did?"

"I'm sure your dream will come true, Naruto. If any other child or adult in this field were to be put through this test like you did, they would probably die withing mere seconds. You lasted nearly a whole minute. That alone shows how truly strong your resolve is. Don't give up on your dream, and grow stronger each and every day. This village depends on you. And as Hokage, I could not be happier to see how much potential you have to actually achieve your dream and become indeed Hokage in the future, Uzumaki Naruto. You make justice to the honor of your clan, and to the memory of your mother Kushina."

Many shinobi gasped at hearing Sandaime's words. Inuzuka Tsume and Uchiha Mikoto were flabbergast. They were Kushina's teammates in their younger days, and they were aware that their friend was in love with Minato ever since they were Genin. On the fathers' side, Aburame Shibi and Hyuuga Hiashi were also impressed. They were Minato's teammates, and they knew about his relationship with Kushina.

Tsume remembered the day Naruto and company visited them almost 3 and a half years ago. The young Jinchuuriki had two scents she recognized. The first was of foxes, the same smell Kushina had. The second was of birds, the same smell Minato had. Today, after all this time, she finally made the association. Naruto was the son of these two legends of the shinobi world. Yup, Kiba was right. That boy was definitely alpha.

Mikoto remembered the day the Kyuubi attacked. It was the last time she met Kushina before she died, and she asked Kushina if she already had a name for the child she was bearing. It was Naruto. She wasn't aware of her wedding with Minato, since it was kept in secret, but she suspected. Mikoto knew how Kushina was in love with Minato and that she would never give up on him. She also remembered that Kushina wanted Naruto and Sasuke to be friends. She thanked whatever superior forces made that wish come true.

Aburame Shibi finally processed in his mind a lot of logical assumptions. It was natural that Naruto's similarities with his old teammate Minato confirmed that the boy was indeed son of Kushina and the Yondaime. He also knew Naruto was the most obvious choice for hosting the Kyuubi. Minato had a very strong sense of justice, and he wouldn't sacrifice another person's son if he wasn't willing of doing the same to his own kin. And being an Aburame, he understood that Naruto had a hard time being more associated as the beast itself than rather its jailor. He owned the young Jinchuuriki many apologies for not being able to help his teammate's son as he should, and many thanks for helping Shino with his training.

Hyuuga Hiashi tried his best not to facepalm himself in front of everyone. How in the world did his Byakugan not make the association before? He thought of Minato as a dear friend, specially because if was the Yondaime that introduced him to Hikari when they were Chuunin. Hikari was a Genin just graduated from the Academy, and she was Kushina's friend from a few years behind them. It was love at first sight, and both couples had many double dates before they were married. Hiashi remembered a day in which they discussed about their future children. Kushina was expecting a boy and Hikari a girl. They joked about how great it would be binding their families' friendship through marriage. Fate was indeed a funny thing, bringing Naruto and Hinata together. Hiashi made a note to himself to talk to his daughter about that. She would probably leap in joy.

Some civilian adults whispered among themselves. They heard many stories about the legendary Red Hot-Blooded Habanero. If Naruto was indeed her son, demon spawn or not, he was going to be a fearful shinobi. Some actually considered the idea of stop mistreating him to save their skins, specially since the Sandaime not only motivated the Jinchuuriki to become Hokage, but treated him like a grandson. They thanked Kami for not being among the angry mobs that persecuted him in the previous years, as much as they wanted to. The rest of the ceremony was simply a gathering and introduction of the responsible Chuunins and other members of the Academy staff. After it was over, a bell rang to announce it was lunchtime.

The Fellowship of Fire was gathered around the largest tree of the space, which had a single swing. No one sat there, but Hinata imagined herself being pushed by Naruto. Of course she blushed a bit with the awkwardness of the scene. Naruto unsealed a couple ramen bowls that Teuchi delivered to his house last night, and they were still hot and fresh. He raised a smile for the success of his space-time preservation storage seal. It was one of the final seals on his father's fuuinjutsu book that he actually managed to understand. There were still 5 seals that were impossible to comprehend, and two of them were from the Uzumaki clan, so those would take forever to figure out.

He wolfed down one bowl and he shared the other with Hinata (who tried her best to avoid fainting from utter bliss). After everyone finished eating, Naruto opened the Uzumaki scroll and showed his friends his genealogical tree, and told everyone not only about his relation with Kushina, but also the one with the Shodaime Uzukage. He also showed them the pictures of some Uzumaki members, including the one showing Hashirama and Mito's wedding. Everyone was marveled with the images and the writings they were seeing. Then something hit Sakura. "Naruto... could you tell us about the conversation you had with Hokage-sama?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Why is that, Sakura-chan?", he asked. Sakura simply answered: "I have to make sure of something in my mind." Naruto simply shrugged and sighed. "Okay, then. This was around four days ago... We discussed not only about the Uzumaki clan, but also about the law that was supposed to forbid people to know I'm the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. It was a rather pleasant chat..."

**Flashback – Hokage Tower**

It was a pleasant day for Sarutobi Hiruzen. Everything seemed smooth and even the paperwork piles were growing up slower than usual. Then he came. A young blonde haired kid with cerulean eyes and whiskers in his face. And wrapped around his back, a large beautiful red scroll with whirlpool patterns and the white Uzumaki insignia, that the young boy dropped on the table. Hiruzen couldn't help but notice the insignia marked on the scroll. He looked at Naruto, looked again at the scroll and puffed some smoke from his pipe. Whatever it was, it was probably meant to bring a headache and ruin his calm day.

"Good afternoon, Naruto. Could you kindly tell me what is this you dropped on my table?", asked him. "Why don't you open it and see it for yourself, Jiji?", answered Naruto. Hiruzen sighed. He opened the scroll and scanned through its contents. Each and every line, frame and image he saw made his eyes widen in surprise more and more. After a little over 15 minutes, Hiruzen finished looking through the scroll. He raised from his desk and handed the scroll back to Naruto.

"Well, that's some neat information you got there, Naruto. Would you be kind to share me how you discovered it?", asked Hiruzen. Naruto told him about the scrolls left by his father, and that one of them in particular had a special array of seals that could only be opened by Naruto himself, or any close descendant. Sarutobi listened patiently every word Naruto said and gathered his thoughts. Then he looked at Naruto and asked him.

"So... what are you going to do about your mother's heritage, Naruto? Will you keep it hidden from everyone until the time is right? You father's heritage I can understand, no one wants to trigger a Fourth Ninja World War because of your inability to keep secrets." Naruto simply sighed. He knew that Iwa, maybe even Kumo would eventually hunt him down for being the Yondaime's son. Hiruzen kept talking.

"You mother's clan, though, might be another story. I don't know why, but people seem to have forgotten the existence of the Uzumaki clan. And that in as almost as unforgivable as the people who somehow broke my law and made the majority of the village mistreat you. And for that, I'm truly sorry, Naruto."

"Don't worry about that, Jiji.", said Naruto. "If it weren't for Tou-chan and Kaa-chan, I'd be hating on everyone and probably I wouldn't even be here having this conversation. But they saved me from hatred, and I know that hating on everyone because of the aho-kitsune is pointless. Other than that, Jiji... could you fill me in with all the details of the law? I might be able to help you out." Hiruzen raised an eyebrow.

"Why would you want to do this, Naruto?", he asked. Naruto simply gave Sarutobi his foxy-grin. "I'll never be Hokage if I can't deal with petty laws and screwed up politics, Jiji! -Dattebayo!" Hiruzen burst in laughter. He never imagined Naruto of all people willing to deal with politics. "_I must admit, he's REALLY set on to become a Hokage... Might as well help him._", he thought. Naruto frowned a bit at Hiruzen's reaction, but that was cool with him. A 7 year old interested in politics was a humorous thought indeed. Hiruzen took a deep breath. This was going to take a while.

"Okay then. So... I created the law forbidding shinobis below Jounin rank and civilians outside the council to spread word of your condition as a Jinchuuriki because I wanted to give them time to think over your condition before making the knowledge public. If the law were to let all the adults and teenagers who witnessed the Kyuubi's attack know about you right away, the number of murder attempts would be a lot bigger. Both your father and I wanted to make Konoha see you as a hero, who keeps the Kyuubi at bay. Maybe I should have made that clear at the meeting, but I didn't."

"I wanted you to have a pleasant childhood, making good friends and making the people who knew about you realize you're not a monster, but rather the monster's jailor. In the proper time, I would announce Konoha about your condition, and hopefully the hatred would be ceased by then. But it had the opposite effect. Somehow people managed not only to break the law, but making it in a nearly viral way. Before I knew it, many villagers already knew about it. After you were expelled from the orphanage, I raised some hell in the council, and a few people confessed being responsible for spilling out the beans. I killed them, of course. For some reason, only the children were spared from the truth, although I'm actually very relieved for that."

"But I couldn't tell anyone about your parents either. Not only would many enemies emerge, but the same people that mistreated you would show off their hypocrisy and spoil you to no end. If you made friends, it would not be for granted. I can say right now that the friends you gathered through these last 3 years would care less about who your parents are. Be proud of your achievement, Naruto. Now, about the Uzumaki clan..."

"I personally would like to wait for you to tell everyone about your origins. But right now, you are entering academy, and the council will go mad if a 'no-name demon child', as they would say, shows himself to be as skilled, or even more skilled than, let's say, an Uchiha, or a Hyuuga. So we might as well make sure they won't touch one who is probably the last Uzumaki alive." Naruto nodded in agreement. In fact, the civilian council is stupid, but not to the point of extinguishing long lost noble shinobi clans.

"Well, so... that it?", asked Naruto. Hiruzen nodded. "Yup, that it. Leave everything to me, Uzumaki Naruto. Enjoy the rest of you week, I'll see you again at the Academy."

**Back at present time...**

"And that's basically it. Now, what's in you mind, Sakura-chan? You said you wanted to confirm something...?", asked Naruto. Sakura sighed. "Well, you see... when I heard you talking about your clan, I couldn't help but wonder about how you discovered it. I've been going to the library for a longer time than you did, and I'm yet to find anything related to the Uzumakis. Don't you find that odd, Naruto?"

Naruto gathered his thoughts for a moment. She had a point. Indeed, the Uzumaki clan seemed to be unknown to the large majority of Konoha. Even the Chuunin and Jounin who bore the blood-red Uzumaki insignia on the back of their jacket weren't aware of its meaning. Suddenly Shikamaru answered. "I'm not exactly sure, but I have three guesses. The first one is that everything was lost somehow. Of course, that just seems too convenient, so we might as well discard that possibility." Everyone nodded in agreement. To every single document or alike to be simply lost seemed impossible.

"My second guess would be that they are at the ANBU archives, accessible only to those closest to the Hokage. But I have to discard this guess as well. Even though many information may be secret, around three quarters of Konoha's shinobi force is composed of Chuunin, Jounin, ANBU and other special assignments, and they hold the insignia on their back. There is no way the Hokage would hide the existence of such an important clan. Which leads me to my third and most probable guess..." Everyone was listening to Shikamaru's words attentively. Whatever draw the lazy boy's attention to the Uzumaki matter was just too good to let it slide.

"Someone is deliberately getting rid of the information... and that's really troublesome." The members of the Fellowship gasped in surprise. Sasuke asked Shikamaru to elaborate on that. The lazy boy sighed. The situation would definitely aggravate from that point on. "Let's put it that way. Naruto, when did you find out about your heritage?" "At my fourth birthday", answered the blonde boy. Shikamaru then took a deep breath.

"Now let's put in perspective Naruto's condition as a Jinchuuriki. Even with the Sandaime's law, for some reason many adults know about Naruto. The majority of Konohagakure despises him. They want him dead, imprisoned, away, whatever. What would happen if they ever found out earlier that his parents were from a powerful clan?"

"We would have two possibilities. One, as the Hokage pointed out, is that people would go hypocrite and start spoiling him. Thankfully, Naruto is not a spoiled brat. That would be Konoha's undoing. The other is that his life would be even harsher. Imagine yourself discovering your origins. Wanting to find out about your history, your clan's special techniques, fighting style, special trainings, and influence across the village. Suddenly the people who hurt you for such a long time would have to respect you, maybe even serve you. How humiliating could that be, for instance, to the civilian council? Oyajii tells me a lot about how huge is the pole stuck up the councilors' asses." No one could help but chuckle at Shikamaru's analogy of the old cougars' vanity.

"Of course some people wouldn't mind, mot most of the councilors would hate that 180-degree of power relation. The solution? Erase the possibility of a new clan head to rise. And to achieve that, his clan would have to be wiped out of its existence. Which is the reason I suspect that somehow the absence of any Uzumaki official registers, save for this scroll, was a course of action taken by some members of the civilian council. Thankfully, Hokage-sama just made clear to everyone today that you are the last member of the Uzumaki clan. Somehow I imagine the civilian council calling an emergency meeting in the next few minutes requiring your presence to ask for proof of your heritage, and that will be their undoing. I wished I would be there. I might as well ask Oyajii how did it go." Suddenly an ANBU-nin with a dog mask and physically impossible silver hair appeared. Shikamaru just giggled. "Well, speak of the devil...", he said.

"Naruto, Hokage-sama calls for your presence at the Tower.", said Kakahi. Naruto simply nodded. "Well, I think that's it. I'll tell you how everything ended up tomorrow", said him, wrapping the scroll around the back of his cloak. He gave a thumbs up and his foxy-grin before Kakashi used the **Shunshin no Jutsu** to drag him to the Hokage Tower. Chouji looked at the swirl of leaves left behind and mumbled something around "I hope he will be alright..."

Hinata paid attention to Chouji's mumble. She just smiled and said: "Don't worry, Chouji-kun. If four years of extreme solitude and miserableness didn't bring Naruto-kun down, a bunch of old geezers got nothing on him. He is stronger than that, I believe in him." Everyone nodded in agreement. She was right, Naruto got this. Ino smirked at Hinata's calm and confident expression, and her odd vocabulary, quite unfitting for a girl of her status. She decided to tease her, just for the heck of it. "So... How is the relationship going, _Hinata-chan_?" Hinata's face turned bright red.

"W-w-w-w-what d-do y-you mean, I-Ino-san? N-Naruto-kun and I... I-I mean... W-we aren't... eto..." Everyone sweat-dropped. Hinata was definitely an odd person when Naruto was the main topic. She could be either a convict defender or a helpless enamored girl. Ino loved that side of Hinata. She looked at Sakura, who didn't seem to care about Hinata's attitude, and was just trying to start a conversation with a not so eager Sasuke. She just sighed at the scene.

"_My crush on Sasuke-kun was just that. A childish crush. Of course, I still like him, and he would prove himself to be quite the boyfriend material in the future, but my feelings towards him were never even close to what true love really is. I envy you, Hinata. You love Naruto, and I can see that he seems to return your feelings, although he is a bit too oblivious to notice that you love him in the first place. But he does love you, I'm sure of it. I'm gladly helping you two to get along. You'll owe me, though. I'm gonna need your help to knock some sense into Sakura. I want my friend back_", she thought.

**Meanwhile, at the Hokage Tower's Meeting Room...**

Uzumaki Naruto was accompanied by Hatake Kakashi as he approached the large wooden doors that separated him from the large room where many clan heads from both the civilian and shinobi council. He wasn't nervous at all. He knew why he was summoned and he was sure that everything would be just fine. He already had the proper strategy to take care of the possible issues he would have to face. As the door opened, all eyes were focused on the young Jinchuuriki. Most of them, of course, were filled with contempt and hatred from the near unanimity of the civilian council. The only exception seemed to be from Sakura's father, Sakiri. Despite the girly name, he was a man. Although the pinkish, nearly purplish star shaped hair was something quite unique among men. Ever since Sakura stood against him about Naruto's condition as Jinchuuriki and made her point clear, he acknowledged the fact the boy was more than people made him look like, and gained a new respect towards him. Naruto couldn't help but smile when he saw Sakiri's respectful expression.

On the shinobi side, many looks of respect, but some of them were filled with remorse. Naruto guessed that it was probably because some of these people knew his mother. As he looked at Hiashi, he could see the Hyuuga clan elder with sorrowful eyes, despite his stoic expression. Naruto remembered that Hiashi was his father's teammate and probably already connected the dots. Despite that, Naruto actually had a positive thinking. Hiashi would probably trust him more, to the point Hinata and him could be closer to developing a more intimate relationship, allowing them to marry each other if his other attempts to save the Hyuugas failed. Naruto did his best to avoid blushing in front of everyone, and then it finally hit him. He would have to wait to discuss it with both Hyuugas, though. Right now, he had to deal with the council.

As soon as Naruto stood in the middle of the room, Hiruzen rose from his chair. "Today's emergency meeting concerns the revival of the believed to be extinct Uzumaki clan. As most of you are probably aware, the clan that lived in Uzushiogakure is known for helping the Senjus and the Uchihas in the founding of Konoha. As a sign of respect and specially blood binding, since Hashirama-sama married Mito-sama, the Uzukage's daughter, the blood-red version of the Uzumaki insignia was put on the back of the Chuunin and Jounin jackets. We owe much to the Uzumaki clan, specially if we consider that their village was destroyed during the Second World Ninja War and our only contribution was giving refuge to Uzumaki Kushina, the heiress of the clan."

"A week ago, young Naruto here found in his possessions the scroll you see wrapped around his back, which contains a lot of lost information regarding the Uzumaki clan, including a genealogical tree, pictures of many clan members, the Uzumaki's secret Kenjutsu and Taijutsu stances and a letter from Kushina asking the descendant who opened the scroll to restore the lost clan. Koharu, if you'd please?" After Hiruzen finished speaking, one of his personal advisers and an old teammate, Utatane Koharu, rose to speak.

"The reason this emergency meeting was called, Uzumaki Naruto, is merely to establish your blood relation to Uzumaki Kushina. By proving you are indeed her son, you will be granted a seat on the shinobi council as head of the Uzumaki clan when the time is right. We will also comply to whatever requests a future clan head is granted, such as activating the Clan Restoration Act, and others. Now, if you would please give us your statement?"

Naruto briefly explained the council about his findings of the special sealed scroll he found at his house. He actually showed them the scroll in question and went through each specific fuuin tag connected. Inuzuka Tsume rose to speak. "I can attest to the boy's heritage. I was Kushina's teammate a long time ago, and I know how specialized in fuuinjutsu the Uzumakis are. If a 7 year old gaki is that good in such an difficult art, I don't see room for doubt." Many members of the shinobi council nodded in agreement. It was hard to find seal masters as it is, least of all one as young as Naruto.

"But...", said Dumbo Shihedo (**yeah, the same dumb shithead from the previous chapter**). "As I recall, the Uzumaki clan is composed of solely redheads. He might be indeed specialized in seals, but anyone with a nice guidebook can achieve that. His lack of red hair is not to be ignored." Most civilian councilors murmured, agreeing to his statement. Suddenly, Haruno Sakiri rose to speak. "I was a Chuunin for 6 years before I became a member of the council. My basic knowledge of fuuinjutsu is enough to recognize that blood seals can only be active by people directly related by blood to the original creators. Redhead or not, if Naruto weren't an Uzumaki, he would have never opened such a seal to begin with. I have to agree with the shinobis on that matter."

Some shinobis raised eyebrows. It was not every day that a civilian agreed with them. Then again, Sakura was part of their sons' circle of friends, and Sakiri still held on to his old code of honor. Shihedo was fumed in anger to see that even some members of the civilian council would not oppose the shinobis anymore. Against all his will, he had no choice but to give up. "Okay, then. If Sakiri-san says so, the boy is indeed an Uzumaki, and has the right to pick a seat in the council when he either reaches 16 or becomes a Jounin."

"Now then...", said Danzou. Hiruzen immediately glanced his eyes on his old friend, wondering what he would plan to do. "As you are aware, Naruto, you are the last Uzumaki. We cannot afford losing the power your clan can offer. Would you like to claim for the Clan Restoration Act?" Naruto gulped. He knew where Danzou was heading. The CRA was an act suggested by Tobirama in his time as Hokage. If a shinobi clan had been reduced to as few as five members, the male members were encouraged to marry up to three women and have at least one child with each wife. It was created to avoid the loss of Kekkei Gekkai's, specially in times of war, and also for monetary issues regarding the clans' personal matters.

Naruto knew what that meant. He would be forced to marry girls solely for political issues, no love involved. He remembered his promise with Hinata. "_Funny that I promised to marry her to help her with the Hyuugas' issues and now I would have to be forced into marriage to resolve my own issues... I wonder what she would say..._", he thought. Suddenly Hiruzen raised from his chair, clearly angry at Danzou's actions. "The boy is seven years old, Danzou! What the hell are you thinking, putting him into this situation?" Danzou's only visible eye narrowed.

"I'm just doing what I consider the best course of action for Konohagakure, Hiruzen. You can't blame me for wanting to preserve one of the world's most powerful clans, now can you?" A few civilian councilors nodded their heads. Hiruzen sighed. "_What in the world am I going to do with you, old hawk...?_", he thought. Naruto was biting his lower lip, and his thoughts were at an impasse. He thought about his promise to his mother to restore both the Uzumaki AND the Namikaze clans. To do it, he would definitely need more than a wife. But he was also thinking about his promise to Hinata. He didn't want to upset her with political matters. He would be no different than the elders that made her life so difficult. When all of a sudden, Hiashi rose from his chair.

"Fellow members of the council, I suggest we leave Naruto at peace. He's still too much young to think of matters such as arranged marriages. In fact, he is also, at my personal point of view, too young to fall in love. Let him attend the Academy, become a shinobi and enjoy his childhood and teenager years. Marriage is a matter that should be handled by mature adults, and I believe love should be part of the equation, being him a last member or not. Although I must admit that my own actions are a bit hypocrite, for you see... Because of me, Naruto is already betrothed." Naruto's jaw hit the floor. Hinata couldn't have told him about their promise, could she? Mostly everyone at the council was impressed as well. Hiashi was not done talking yet.

"A long time ago, I was a dear friend to Naruto's parents. When both Uzumaki Kushina and my wife Hikari were pregnant of each one's child, we betrothed them as a sign of fellowship of our clans. For a while I thought the Uzumaki heir was long lost, but seeing him right in front of my eyes, I can now gladly announce that my daughter Hyuuga Hinata and Uzumaki Naruto are to be married by the time they reach the proper age, should the young boy accept." Everyone, specially Naruto, were absolutely flabbergast at hearing Hiashi's words. He then turned his attention to the young Jinchuuriki.

"Naruto-san, as the Uzumaki heir, it's up to you if you want to carry on the betrothal. Since you and and my daughter are such good friends already, I don't suppose you would mind, would you?", he asked, with a curious smirk on his face, like he was about to activate the Byakugan if Naruto didn't please him. Naruto was stunned for a moment, when he came back to reality, with a red face and stuttering as much as Hinata to answer him. "Oh, right... I, um... w-w-well... yeah, sure! I'd like that, uh, I mean... I-I-I'd be... honored, Hiashi-sama! _Hell yeah, now I can fulfill Hinata's promise! Thank you, Hiashi-sama! -Dattebayo!_"

"Well...", said Hiruzen, a bit impressed at the final result of the meeting. "I guess that's a wrap... If there are no more matters to discuss, I'm glad to assume that everyone is in agreement to acknowledge Naruto as the official Uzumaki heir, and future clan head in the future?" Everyone nodded. "And I'm also to assume that everyone's okay with the young boy's betrothal with Hyuuga Hinata?" Everyone nodded again, although it took a bit longer for them to do it so. "Okay, then. I declare the meeting over. Naruto, Hiashi, follow me to my office, if you please." As both were walking with Hiruzen, Naruto told Hiruzen and Hiashi about Sakura and Shikamaru's findings regarding the missing Uzumaki files. Hiruzen was REALLY pissed.

When Naruto and Hiashi entered Hiruzen's office, the Sandaime picked a pencil and stated writing on a piece of paper. After he was over, he simply handed it to Naruto. "What's this?", asked the young Jinchuuriki. Hiruzen simply pointed him to read the paper already. As Naruto scanned through the paper, he simply raised both eyebrows. He looked at Hiashi, who simply nodded with a warm smile on his face. Naruto smiled back as he picked the pencil and signed his name in the designed underscore. Hiashi approached Naruto and shook hands with him. "Thank you, Naruto-san. Your actions today are bringing us one step closer to changing the Hyuugas." Naruto couldn't help but widen his eyes in surprise.

"So Hinata told you about my promise...?", he asked, a bit little nervous. Hiashi smirked. "She only told me about your intentions towards the clan, but I never learned about your promise to marry her until my wife told me before she passed away. She put all of her faith in you two, and so am I." Naruto sighed in relief. If he had Hiashi's approval, then everything would be alright by now. It seemed that Hikari knew it, and she somehow was responsible for her husband's actions today. Naruto took note to visit her grave and thank her. But something was still bugging his mind.

"Ne, Hiashi-sama... did you mean it when you said that me and Hinata were already betrothed?" Hiashi looked at the young boy in front of him, who was curious to know the truth. "Not exactly... you see, back then, Minato and I were only joking about how great it would be to bind our families' friendship through marriage... Who'd have thought that would actually be possible, huh?", answered him, chuckling a bit. Naruto chuckled as well. Then it hit him. "Wait a minute, you know I'm his son?"

Hiashi and Hiruzen looked at each other, and then back at Naruto. They erupted in laughter. Naruto sweat-dropped at seeing the mighty Hyuuga clan head laughing like that. "Yes, Naruto... although I'm ashamed to admit I only put two and two together today. All this time you had his strong will, his guts, his care for others rather than himself and I didn't notice. It wasn't until Hokage-sama pointed out you were Kushina's son that I finally connected the dots. I have to say I nearly face-palmed myself in front of everyone. Of course, that would be very unfitting for me.", said Hiashi.

"Now, since we have this betrothal signed, I gladly ask you to make Hinata sign it as well. And one other thing...", he then approached Naruto and whispered in his ear. "If you EVER hurt my daughter or dishonor her in any way possible, the Kyuubi will be the least of your worries in life, do you understand?", asked him, activating his Byakugan to make his point quite clear.

"**Ooooo, overprotective father. Not as scary as I am in a moody day, but pretty close. Hey Kit, are you hanging in there?**", asked the Kyuubi, growling in laughter at his terrified Jinchuuriki. "_Shut up, aho-kitsune. You got nothing on him!_ Yes Hiashi-sama, I understand perfectly... now if you would all excuse me, I'd love to pick off the rest of my class", said Naruto. Hiruzen was about to say that he didn't need to go to class for the rest of the day, but Naruto disappeared in less than a second, proving that fathers could be scary when they wanted to, and even Naruto would be afraid of something. Either that or he mastered the **Hiraishin**, which of course was merely a thought. "Boy, what a day... I'm getting too old for this sort of thing...", said him, puffing some smoke from his pipe.

"May I suggest you start looking out for a Godaime, Hokage-sama?", asked Hiashi. Hiruzen sighed. He didn't know what to do with Uchiha Shisui, who suddenly gave up his training to succeed the old Sarutobi. "I don't know, Hiashi... Uchiha Shisui was our finest choice possible. A true shinobi, not blinded by the pride and hatred that Madara tainted on his own clan... But something is off, and I don't know what it is yet." Hiashi closed his eyes, gathering his thoughts. Shisui was, indeed, one of the only 2 Uchihas alive that the Hyuugas actually held in high regards. Then it hit him.

"What about Itachi, Hokage-sama? He is also very skilled, like Shisui, and he is well aware of how a Hokage truly works." Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. Hiashi was right, Itachi did know about the responsibilities that came with the hat. In fact, at 7 he already had a Kage-like mentality in the concerns of friendship, loyalty and true honor. His Will of Fire was probably the brightest in Konoha, with Naruto's being the second. But there was a problem. "He is too young. He is turning 17 this year. And even if it weren't the case, he is under a lot of pressure because of his father to become the clan head and gather more power to the Uchihas."

Hiashi sighed. "What are we going to do with them, Hokage-sama...?" Hiruzen simply sighed again. "I don't know, Hiashi... I honestly don't know. But my experience tells me that things will not end well...", said him. This day was not the finest of all. The matter of Naruto's heritage was solved, but he still had problems to attend, such as the mysterious destruction of the Uzumaki files throughout Konoha, and the trespassers of his law, which in fact made him question if it was worth keeping it active at all. The number of people he punished was but a fragment of the estimated numbers. And there was still the matter of the Uchihas. Shisui's problem was still a mystery, and he didn't know what Itachi would do. And the paperwork just grew on its own in front of him. Yup, he was definitely getting too old for the job.

**10 minutes later, Ninja Academy**

It would normally take about 30 minutes from the Hokage Tower to the Academy, but Naruto was in a hurry, for three reasons: First, he didn't know that he had permission to take the day off. Second, he rushed to tell his friends about what happened, specially Hinata, whom he was now officially betrothed with. And third, he wanted to stay away from Hiashi as fast as possible. He actually created a couple of **Kage Bunshins** to keep a perimeter of sight to warn him if the Hyuuga clan head appeared. Approaching the door 101, he slowly took deep breaths to regain all his lost strength. As he was about to grab the door slider, the door opened by itself, turning out to be Iruka at the other side. Naruto nearly jumped in surprise. Iruka was also startled in seeing the student that supposedly was allowed to take the day off about to enter class.

"Oh, Naruto. What are you doing here? I thought you were allowed to take the day off...", said the teacher, curious about his student's presence. Naruto widened his eyes, he wasn't aware of that. "Oh, did I...? Well, I might as well pay more attention to what Jiji has to say to me. -Dattebayo!", said Naruto, energetic as ever. Iruka frowned for a spit second. The boy still had a few ways to go when it came to treating his superiors. "But anyway, what are you doing, Iruka-sensei? I thought class was only over in two hours."

"We are going to have our first field practices, Naruto. And you're in the way. Right, Akamaru? *bark* *bark*!", said the canine duo, who were standing right behind Iruka. In fact many of the students were trying to make their way our of the classroom, if it weren't for the two on the door. Iruka quickly left the room. "Oh, that's right. Sorry about that everyone", said him. He turned his attention to Naruto.

"Well, since you are here, and so eager to actually study, how about you join us on the field practice?" Naruto's eyes were sparkling. He and his friends would finally show off the results of their hard training over the near 3 and a half years. "YOU GOT IT! -DATTEBAYO!", shouted him with his hand in the air in pure overjoy, making a few people cover their ears for being so loud.

As they approached the practice field, Naruto couldn't help but smirk. His particular training ground beat that every day. The rest of the Fellowship felt the same way. Naruto's training field was far superior in every way. The ring circle was smaller, allowing better focus in true close-quarters combat and resistance, the dummies were better positioned for multiple targets practice and distance practice, and they had trees for the tree walking exercise. The only thing left was a pond for the water walking exercise, but that was okay. As everyone gathered to where Iruka and Mizuki stood, the former said out loud so everyone could hear:

"Okay, everyone. This field practice consist of a 4 part training. Mizuki will teach you about the proper Taijutsu stance of the academy, while I will handle the weapon throwing mechanics. The third part will be a small competition for the weapon throwing to make sure you got the theory down. The fourth and final part will consist of a sparring to see if you handled the stances. Did everybody understand?" Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. "Okay, then. We'll split in two groups. The ones on my left, follow me. The ones on my right, follow Mizuki."

As Mizuki was going through everyone's stances, teaching the basic Academy stance, he notice that a few people had their own fighting styles. He paid close attention to 4 people in particular. Uchiha Sasuke had the **Hangekiken** (Counterattack Fist), proper for counterattack. No surprise, considering the Uchiha clan was very fond of making the second move to overpower the enemy. Inuzuka Kiba had his clan's signature Taijutsu stance, the **Hidoiken** (Beastly Fist), solely focused on fast hits, using cutting claws to hurt vital spots. Hinata had the renowned **Jyuuken** stance from the Hyuuga clan. Its main purpose was not to break bones, but to stop the enemy's chakra flow, killing him with internal damages. It was the strongest style he'd seen yet. Then he looked at Uzumaki Naruto. The Jinchuuriki had a very strange stance, with his right leg way behind his left one, and nearly assuming total left position. His arms were slightly assuming a position much alike his legs.

"Naruto... what in the world is this stance you're assuming? It's really open, and it looks quite uncomfortable in my honest opinion. Why don't you just take the academy stance?", said Mizuki. Naruto noticed the tone in his voice. It was the same tone most adults had when addressing him. He ignored it, since he had better things to do. And he was very glad he could actually lecture the Chuunin. "This stance, Mizuki-sensei, is the **Uzuken**. It's the Taijutsu style created by the Uzumaki clan, and it's based on spinning attacks to break the enemy's balance. And if you think it's uncomfortable like this, try doing it over the water. It's a pain in the ass! -Dattebayo!"

"This kata is the most basic one, and it took me nearly the whole week just to get the first three of a series of twelve moves. Let me tell you, Mizuki-sensei, this is the hardest taijutsu stance I've ever seen in my whole life, hands down! -Dattebayo" Mizuki frowned at being lectured by the demon brat. Naruto had his foxy-grin raised at seeing the angry teacher. That would teach him. "Okay then, Naruto. Keep up the good work", said Mizuki, with a VERY false smile. Hinata noticed Mizuki's expression. She sighed, sad for her crush to be hated even by those who were supposed to support him to become a great shinobi.

Meanwhile, Iruka was paying close attention and teaching carefully everyone about handling kunais and shurikens. He immediately paid attention to Ino, who was actually managing senbon, sharp needles for acupuncture. To handle such a delicate instrument required a very advanced knowledge in human anatomy and have near surgical precision. Sakura was also quite impressive, and so was Shikamaru and even Chouji.

He was also noticing Shino. He seemed to grasp the concept very well. Suddenly the Aburame spoke: "Don't be impressed, sensei. It's logical that my skill with weapons are merely a derivative from what I'm learning with my kikaichuu. My father is teaching me how to use them as projectiles, after all. Obviously, this has led me to the improvement you are seeing before your eyes." Iruka sweat-dropped at Shino's vocabulary, but he got the point. Looking at the taijutsu side of the field, he noticed the stances of the 4 clan heirs. They were far more impressive than anything he's ever seen before in young academy students.

When everyone switched places, Mizuki didn't pay as much attention to everyone's stances like the previous batch. He just focused on teaching the basic katas of the academy stance. He was, however, how flexible the Ino-Shika-Chou trio was for their age. He thought that a fatso like Chouji was not one to show off flexibility, but apparently he was wrong. Sakura seemed to get the academy stance perfectly, and Shino had a very stiff, but somehow efficient stance. He figured that the bugs inside him would guarantee him a nice pack to his attacks.

Iruka was simply stunned with the quartet Mizuki was dealing with before. Hinata and Kiba were far ahead of the other students, but Naruto and Sasuke were in a whole new level. They seemed to be one with their weapons. Looking at the other side that was dealing with the Taijutsu he noticed the other five kids that impressed him before. He was once again amazed by their brilliance at the taijutsu stances.

Then it came the time for the weapon throwing competition. At the first round, all the nine members of the Fellowship had hit a perfect score of five kunais and five shurikens hit. At the second, third and fourth round, it seemed that they were all tied. After a fifth round with only them, Iruka couldn't help but ask them: "Excuse me, but could you guys just end this already and give us a winner?" He was thrilled at his students, but even then, they seemed too good to be true.

"Oh, right... Sorry about that, Iruka-sensei, we're used to a far rougher training with dummies and it was just way too easy", said a very cheerful Naruto. "But if you want a winner, pick Ino. She's practicing with senbon, so I can't think of anyone else with a aim as sharp as hers." Ino blushed at being flattered like that in front of everyone. Iruka didn't like the fact Naruto was in a way mocking the academy's basic training ground, but nonetheless he decided to go along with it. He marked Ino as the winner on his clipboard.

"Now, for the taijutsu sparring. Would you prefer to keep it to your genders, or are eventual boys vs. girls fights okay with you?", asked Iruka. Mostly everyone wanted to test it out with different genders. In the end, all the members of the Fellowship faced random kids and won their fights in a breeze. Well, all except for two.

"Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata. Step inside the circle!", asked Iruka. Everyone turned their eyes to the couple that stood before each other making the Combat Stance. Sasuke couldn't help but smirk. "This is going to be good. They are the best Taijutsu fighters of our group, and both of them hate to hold back against each other."

"Do you know who will win, Sasuke-kun?", asked Sakura. But before Sasuke could answer, Shino answered first. "Normally I'd say Hinata, which should be obvious, since Naruto never beat her once. But apparently he's been practicing a new stance, so my logic is compromised now." Everyone chuckled at hearing Shino's words. Being illogical proved how unsure everyone was about this fight. "I was about to say something like that, Shino", said Sasuke. "That's why I said this was going to be an interesting fight."

As Hinata assumed the **Jyuuken** stance and Naruto assumed the **Uzuken** stance, Naruto raised a foxy-grin. "No holding back now, Hinata.", said him. Hinata merely took a deep breath and smiled back. "Against you I never do, Naruto-kun." As soon as Iruka told them to begin the fight, Hinata rushed against him at a blinding speed, hoping to cancel his attacks and win before she tired herself out. Even though she never lost against him, his stamina overpowered her to the point that she forced herself to assume a more flexible stance that she still wasn't too familiar with to avoid losing.

As she attacked him with a focused fist, he easily blocked with his left arm, and with his legs he quickly spun to attack Hinata with a spinning right kick. Instead of usually dodging, she ended up blocking it, hoping to be quick enough to charge another blow that would surely hit him this time. Big mistake. He didn't stop spinning, and he started using his arms to help with his hurricane-like movements.

Hinata found herself doing nothing but block heavy kicks that tired her out quicker than usual. After about 30 seconds, she decided to step back to regather her strength. She would be the one counterattacking now, and she also decided to try out her more flexible stance. Naruto took advantage of the moment to take a few deep breaths and think over the movements he would do now. If he couldn't do them now, there was no point in prolonging the fight.

Meanwhile, everyone, specially the members of the Fellowship were absolutely stunned at their friends' display. "I never saw Hinata having to block attacks before. Naruto's attacks are now way faster, and are really packing a punch. I'd hate to be in her place now", said Kiba. Chouji nodded in agreement. Even his chubby body stature would not be able to take take on Naruto's improved hits. Sasuke couldn't help but be both happy and envious of seeing his friend becoming much stronger. He hoped he could catch up to him. Shikamaru could only murmur "Troublesome..."

Back to the fight, Naruto was now approaching Hinata slowly. When he thought the distance was okay, he immediately started doing a spinning punch sequence. Hinata easily dodged every punch with her new flexible stance. When she was about to give Naruto a counter punch, she felt a strange gust delaying her movements. Naruto's smirk was the last thing she saw before a very strong kick hit her belly, sending her at a long distance and actually forcing her outside the circle ring, knocked out. Iruka stood silent for a moment, as was everyone. He nearly let the clipboard fall for such a daze he was in, and immediately took note of the details of the fight.

"Winner by knockout, Uzumaki Naruto!", said Iruka. His voice echoed through the silent field. Naruto raised his fists to the air and leaped in overjoy. "YATTA! I FINALLY WON AGAINST HINATA! -DATTEBAYO!" The members of the Fellowship couldn't help but chuckle at seeing Naruto so happy. Naruto took a hold of himself for a while and approached Hinata, who was still not getting up. He crouched to close the distance between them and quietly talked to her.

"Are you okay, Hinata? Did I hurt you?", asked him, worried about the girl he liked... or whatever was the strong feeling he was having now. Hinata lift her head in a daze. Naruto noticed her face was slightly wet by her eyes and cheeks. Was she crying? He cast these thoughts aside, helping her to get up. Hinata looked at the boy she loved and saw his worried face. She held her urge to cry in shame and gave him a false smile. "I'm fine, Naruto-kun. I'm just a bit stunned by your hit, that's all", she answered.

Iruka approached the two students who displayed the best fight he's ever seen at the Academy. "Amazing fight, you two. Now, make the Union Seal so we can finish the class", said him. Naruto and Hinata stood before each other and made half a Ram seal and united them as if they were shaking hands. Naruto noticed how Hinata was trembling, and squeezed her fingers to try to calm her down.

Everyone returned to the classroom for Iruka to give them another another speech about how proud he was of their work today and how he was looking forward to the five years in which they would be his students. He declared the class over and told them to keep on training. As everyone was picking their backpacks and head home (or wait for their parent to pick them up), Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand before she lift up from her chair. She turned around to see Naruto and was blushing a dark shade of red. "N-N-Naruto-kun... w-what are y-you-"

"I need to talk to you. And I'm taking you to the Ichiraku's today, my treat", said Naruto. Hinata didn't exactly want to face Naruto in a conversation with all that was going on inside her head, but she couldn't refuse Naruto's invitation. They went to Ichiraku's and had their meals. After that, Naruto asked her to accompany him for a walk, and once again she couldn't refuse. They ended up at the top of Minato's stone face on the Hokage Monument, with the sky slowly changing from orange to dark blue, with a few stars shining above. They sat on top of the Yondaime's stone hair.

"You really like this place, don't you, Naruto-kun...?", said her. Naruto merely raised a faint smile and looked at his father's face. "Yeah... I love this place. It reminds me of everything my parents stood for. It helps me to think over things I can't seem to find solutions on my own.", said him. Naruto turned around to face Hinata eye to eye.

"How are you feeling, Hinata? You don't need to lie to me, okay? I know you were crying back there at the Academy." Hinata flinched at hearing Naruto's words. She lowered her head and bit her lower lip. Her eyes were slowly filling themselves with water. After a few seconds of silence, she started sobbing and tears dropped from her eyes. "I feel terrible, Naruto-kun... Hanabi finally beat me for the first time yesterday, and now you beat me for the first time today as well... I feel as if my training was all for naught, and I'm not sure if I should keep on with that. I... I-" before she could finish talking, she felt a warm embrace coming from Naruto. Before she knew it, she buried her face on his shoulder. Naruto, as usual, was going to do his best to comfort her.

"For Kami's sake, Hinata. It took me 3 years to finally win against you for the first time and your confidence goes all the way down again. You should have more faith in yourself. You have no idea how truly strong you are. Did you lose? No problem, train hard and tomorrow you might win. Lost again? Train even harder, and never give up, until you finally win. How do you think I was able to win today?"

"I trained. Over and over and over again. Until I exhausted myself. I promised myself to beat you someday, even if just once. And I never went back on my word. Now it's your turn to make yourself this promise. And don't you dare go back on your word, Hinata. That is our nindou, isn't that right?"

Hinata lift her head and looked at Naruto in the eye. She could notice the strength coming from those cerulean eyes of his. She nodded her head, with a warm smile across her face. Suddenly it hit her. "Oh right... Naruto-kun... how was the meeting today? Everything went well, didn't it?" Naruto gulped. He didn't expect that question to bug him so soon. He took a deep breath.

"Hinata... I wanted to tell you... that... Kami, this is difficult.", said him, as he leaned his head to the ground. He wasn't sure how she was going to react to this information. He took another deep breath. "Okay, I think I'm ready... I found out today that... Hiashi-sama knew about our promise." Hinata gasped. She wasn't sure how to face her father now. Suddenly Naruto started chuckling. She curiously looked at him, asking for a reason for Naruto's humorous reaction.

"And then he told me that our parents were good friends. So good friends, in fact, that they betrothed us before we were even born. So, in a way, we were already promised to each other for quite a while. Can you believe that? -Dattebayo!", said him, laughing. Hinata's jaw was wide open. She was taking a while so the information could sink in her brain. She was so happy about it that she started laughing alongside Naruto, until she suddenly felt Naruto embracing her again. "N-Naruto-kun...?"

"I'm really happy, you know?", said him, hugging her with all his strength. "I kept my word, and... I don't know why, but I just feel like hugging you forever. I'm not sure what that feels like, though. Strange, isn't it? I felt this sensation once, when I found out the truth about my parents. I thought my heart was going to explode of so much... Darn it, I don't even remember the word anymore. What was it...?" Hinata widened her eyes. He couldn't be talking about...

"... … … love", said her. Naruto let go of Hinata and looked at her in the eyes. He could see it in her beautiful lavender eyes. It was exactly that. "That's... that's it. Love. Love is the word. Thank you so much, Hinata", said Naruto, with a beautiful smile across his face. Hinata couldn't help but smile back. Before they knew it, their faces were only a few inches away from each other. When Hinata came to her senses, she stopped leaning forward. Naruto came to his senses as well. "Hinata...?"

"Ano... Naruto-kun, I... I..." Hinata cursed herself mentally. No matter how proper the time was, she was still struggling to let these three little words come out of her mouth. No more. He was right there, in front of her, and he would not go away. Her eyes were gleaming with both her new-found confidence and the reflex of the moon, that was making its appearance through the night sky. That was it, the moment to let Naruto know about her true feelings. She finally opened her mouth and spilled the words stuck in her tongue.

"I love you."

Naruto froze. His smile disappeared and the gleam in his eyes vanished. Hinata feared she did something wrong, since Naruto didn't react for nearly a minute. Then it came. Tears flowed from his eyes through his cheeks. His mouth moved ever so slightly to create a faint smile, that was getting bigger and bigger. Naruto looked at the girl who... _loved_ him. Love. He haven't felt anything close to this for years. His heart was beating so quickly that he though it would explode.

"You know...", said him. "It's the second time I feel like that in my life, but I can already say that love is truly strange." Hinata looked at him with a question-mark face. Naruto quickly explained. "In a way, love makes us blind, deaf and unaware of our surroundings. It makes us weak and frail, and anyone could easily break us. However... When we focus our love into something, or someone... We suddenly gain strength. When I think of the things I'd do to protect this village I love so much... I feel like I could face all the Bijuus combined and I'd still win."

"_**Hey, more respect towards your elder demons!**__ Well excuse me, I'm talking to my future wife..._ Anyway... this is how I feel towards you as well, Hinata... Your smile and your kindness are a role model to myself. Your own strength kept me motivated to train harder every day... But most importantly, you filled my life with pure happiness. My life without you would be empty and meaningless. And thanks to you, I'm finally sure of what I feel right now. Hinata, I..."

"I love you too."

It was now Hinata's turn to drop tears of joy from her eyes and smile at the young Jinchuuriki. Their faces were leaning closer to each other once again. Hinata's eyes were half-closed, and so were Naruto's eyes. As they could feel each other's breathing, Naruto and Hinata stood there, motionless, with their eyes now fully closed, and their lips merely a tench of an inch apart, slightly touching at times. Hinata finally gathered her remaining courage and closed off the distance, and their lips were finally locked.

Naruto felt Hinata's embrace, and returned it. Her right hand was caressing his blonde hair, and her left arm was wrapped around his back. Naruto had his right hand caressing Hinata's soft cheeks, that were slightly wet from her tears. His left arm was wrapped around her lower back. They could feel each other's heartbeats. Naruto opened his eyes a bit and could see Hinata's beautiful face. Her cheeks were blushing a faint shade of pink, just as were his. He closed his eyes again and pulled her face even closer. Naruto could sense her smell. Full Moon flowers and soft lavender. He loved it, and refused to let go of her.

After almost two minutes, they broke the kiss to catch up their breath. Hinata noticed the night sky, and looked at her lover. "Ano... Naruto-kun... it's getting late, I should go home...", said her. Naruto wasn't happy with that, but nonetheless he lift himself up. Looking at Hinata, something flashed on his mind. He had his usual foxy-grin. Before Hinata lift herself up, Naruto grabbed her. "N-Naruto-kun... what are you... EEP!" Before she could finish talking, Naruto jumped from the Yondaime's stone face carrying Hinata bridal-style.

A crystal-white full moon stood there, shining above the young couple whose love blossomed that night.

**Omake 1: The Forgotten Kage Bunshins**

On the rooftop of a old groceries store in a fine afternoon, two Narutos were playing a shougi match. Ever since the original (or Boss, as they would call him) went back to the Academy, they've been ordered to keep an eye for a certain Hyuuga clan head. Thankfully, the **Kage Bunshin** is known of having self-awareness and its own personality. With that, both clones thought how stupid the boss' orders were. Then again, the original would have probably thought of that as well by now. One of the clones actually returned to the original's house and picked up the game to enjoy the time. Since both **Kage Bunshins** enjoyed chaotic environments and thoughts, like the original, they decided to play at the commercial district.

"So, do you have an idea how the boss is doing? He hasn't dispelled us yet.", said Kage Bunshin 1, moving the horse and catching Kage Bunshin 2's pawn (**I know it's not chess, but they have similarities, so I'm just going with it, okay?**). "Don't know. And personally I don't even care", said KB2, catching the horse from the previous move with his bishop. "Probably leaving Academy by now. I wonder if he told Hina-hime yet about their betrothal."

"Hina-hime? You came up with that on your own? Nice job!", said KB1. He noticed the opening left for his general to move. "If I place it right here... there! Checkmate! Dude, we are one and the same, how did you not see that coming? -Dattebayo!"

KB2 frowned. "Just because we are the same, we still have different thoughts, you know that...", said him. "Anyway, I'm bothered by the fact that Boss hasn't called us off yet. What do you suggest we do now? Prank him?" KB1 thought for a while. It would be nice to give Boss a lesson, but that wouldn't be of much help. After being dispelled, the next **Kage Bunshins** wouldn't be able to do much. Then it hit him.

"I've got it! Let's actually help him out! That way, he will see how much we help him in his daily life and he will be more respectful towards his clones. Better than hurting him, and therefore us", said KB1. KB2 raised both eyebrows. At first he doubted that would work. But then it hit him as well. After Boss dispelled them, this conversation would be recorded on his mind. KB2 decided to go along with it. "Okay, I'm with you. And I already thought of something. C'mon, let's go back to Boss's house", said him. "Oh, and let's grab some money just in case. I don't think it would be considered theft if we took some of it to buy a few things."

As they returned to the original's house, KB1 returned the shougi board to where it originally was. Meanwhile, KB2 was picking up a vase of Full Moon flowers in the garden. When KB1 left the house, KB2 turned around to face his clone fellow. "Okay, you go and find a fancy restaurant so Boss and Hina-hime can have a nice date. I'm going to Yamanaka's and put these flowers to good use."

"Okay, then", said KB1. As the clones left the house, KB2 went to a special sector of the commercial district, in which most of the stores were designed for attending shinobis, and where some shinobi clans with personal business had their stores located. KB2 opened the door of the Yamanaka's flower store, and the bell chimed, making a young blonde girl with an apron come out of the backdoor.

"Welcome to the Yamanaka's, how can we...", at that moment, Ino paid a clearer attention to the costumer. "Naruto? What are you... I just saw you leaving the academy with Hinata less than 10 minutes ago! What is... wait a minute, are you a **Kage Bunshin**, by any chance?" KB2 nodded. Ino's face changed from pure shock to realization. That explained everything.

"Anyway, Boss ordered me to make good use of these pretty things here in my hands", said KB2. The clone handed the vase filled with flower over to Ino. She was marveled by how well tended they were. It certainly proved Naruto's strong will and dedication. Ino mentally sighed.** "**_I wish I had a boyfriend this nice... Way to go Hinata-chan!_", she thought.

"So, they have certainly grown well, I'll give your Boss that", said Ino. "How would he like them arranged?"

The clone thought for a moment. A bouquet was nice, but it would be too predictable. Then something came up in his mind. He gave Ino the original's usual foxy-grin, as he answered. "I think Boss would give Hinata something fit for... a princess. Think you can handle that?" Ino smirked back at the clone. She knew exactly what to do.

Meanwhile, KB1 stepped inside a beautiful restaurant. It was named "Soothing Hana". The walls had very pretty flower patterns (hana = flower in JP), colored in a nice white and blue mixture. It made the name of the place justice, for the general atmosphere was very soothing. Except for the cashier, which happened to be the owner of the restaurant, a tall and thin man by the name of Hanane Aoi. The small plaque in the counter said it so.

"Hey, what in the world are you thinking coming here, brat? You'll ruin my business! Get away before I kick you out of here myself!" KB1 was not a but worried about the man's reaction. His loss. He approached the man and looked him in the eye. He had a very nice idea, fitting for a foxy boy. "For your information, _sir_, I'm here thanks to a good friend of mine. He recommended me this restaurant, and I was merely trying to place a reservation."

"Well", said Aoi. "Send your good friend my apologies, but we don't serve your kind here, nor his _friends_, if it's actually believable that you of all people would have some. Now, if you would leave now..." KB1 merely smirked. Everything was going as planned. Now for the finishing touch. He turned around, as if he was ready to leave the place, and answered his expelling in a tone of voice enough for half the restaurant and some people outside hear him.

"Okay then... I'm just gonna tell Hiashi-sama he should avoid this place. Too bad, though... This restaurant seemed really nice..." Anyone inside could feel the tension in the air. The source was one VERY worried restaurant manager about the future of his business. He immediately picked his checklist and asked the clone to come closer.

"So, um... which table would you gladly pick... sir?", asked Aoi. KB1 had the original's foxy-grin. That was going to be a good payback. "Okay, then. Let me see... Table 31, the one by the lodge, at 6:30 PM, that should do it. Oh, I should warn you, though... It's for two. And I will personally review the restaurant myself, alongside my company." Aoi looked at the clone with a question-mark in his face. KB1 quickly explained.

"Since Hiashi-sama was the one who recommended this place, I'm thanking him by taking his lovely daughter to dine with me. And I'm not too sure if the Hyuuga heiress and the last Uzumaki alive would be glad to have a meal in standards below our expectancies, you with me so far, Aoi-san?" The manager simply nodded. He was now fully aware of how much his business depended on the _demon brat _now.

**Later that night...**

"I'll pick you up tomorrow morning then... Hinata-chan", said Naruto. Hinata blushed at the new suffix that her fiance was using. Speaking of which, as he was carrying Hinata over the rooftops of Konoha, she read through the betrothal paper. When they arrived at the compound, she signed it. With that, the couple would be married at the right time. Hinata couldn't be happier with the result. The whole act was more symbolical than political, and they were already in love with each other to begin with.

Both lovers had to admit. The hardest part in a relationship was not the external affairs, or the people who in time would bother them. It was the goodnight/goodbye. As Naruto and Hinata had their second kiss, bidding goodnight to each other, neither of them wanted to break it. But after 2 minutes, catching up breath and actually living to tell the tale and have the chance of kissing again tomorrow didn't seem like a bad idea. Then again, they also had to break their embrace. When Hinata's stomach growled, mush to her shame and displeasure, Naruto let go of her and kissed her forehead.

"Good night", said him, dashing through the distance. With his cloak flapping around, he looked like a prince, indeed. Hinata stood there, watching her gallant prince fade away through the night. As she stepped inside the compound and made her way to the dining room, a small Hyuuga girl was expecting her. Meanwhile, Naruto made his way to his house, and was received by the two **Kage Bunshins** he left behind. The interrogatory between both groups was basically the same.

"Nee-san/Boss! How did it go? Did you kiss? Was it good? What does it feel like?", among other questions that kept both lovers blushing a dark shade of red and stuttering to answer the questions all night long.

**Omake 2: The Announcement & The First Date**

**The following morning...**

Hinata stood outside the compound with her bodyguard Ko. Her Byakugan was active, just in case someone used **Henge** like yesterday. When Naruto entered her field of vision, being this time the real one, a smile appeared across her face as she deactivated her Kekkei Gekkai. As the young Jinchuuriki arrived, he looked at Ko and nodded. The bodyguard nodded back and went back inside the Hyuuga manor. Naruto approached his fiance and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"Good morning, my Hime. Did you sleep well?", he asked. Hinata blushed at yet another suffix she wasn't expecting to receive. She only nodded her head and smiled at him. It was enough to make him smile back. He positioned his right arm so she could pick it up and walk alongside him like a real couple. As they arrived at the Academy, mostly everyone was already inside, waiting for Iruka-sensei to arrive. When the door slid open and people saw the young couple together, they couldn't help but gaze at them in awe.

Naruto's improved hearing picked up whispers and murmurs directed at them. Most of them were, of course, people wondering how in the world did Naruto manage to be dating the Hyuuga heiress. A few of them, though, seemed to say things like "They look like royalty.", "If the Uzumaki clan really is noble, no wonder why the noble Hyuuga clan would approve it...", and even "Darned princess, she got herself a prince before us!" Naruto could only raise an eyebrow. Now that he's official nobility, he seemed to have his own fan club.

Naruto and Hinata approached their friends, who were looking at them dumbfounded. Well, most of them, except a certain Yamanaka girl. Naruto looked at them and simply asked: "What? Haven't you guys heard the news? We're betrothed!" Ino's cheerful face suddenly became one of demanding answers. "Whoa whoa whoa, hold your horses right there! I knew you were planning something, Naruto, but... that soon? I mean... we're still children who just started the Academy yesterday! Explain yourself!" Sasuke and Shino looked at Ino, as were everyone else, and then turned back to face Naruto, also demanding an explanation.

"Well, apparently my parents and Hina-hime's parents were good friends and they sort of betrothed us before we were even born, just as a little joke among friends. At first I didn't want that to be only political matters, but since we already cared for each other, AND I already promised myself to marry Hina-hime so I could help her out with the internal conflicts of her clan, Hiashi-sama decided to cut the middleman and officially betroth us right away." Everyone who listened to Naruto's explanation stood there, looking at him with an 'o' in their faces. Shikamaru was the first to raise his voice.

"How troublesome, yet... how great. Congratulations to both of you. It's hard to find betrothed couples happy with decisions that were out of their own control. Love is too troublesome to be stuck on paper, but you two managed it, so I'm happy for you two." Naruto smiled at his friend, and they shook hands. Hinata bowed before Shikamaru, thanking him for his kind words. Shino was the second person to express his opinion.

"I have no logical assumptions to make, because nothing is logical when it comes to love and these other matters of the heart. So I'm just gonna express what I am _feeling_ right now. And it is pure happiness. I care about both of you as dear companions, and seeing you happy makes me happy as well. Congratulations." Soon everyone had to say something. Mostly everyone had congratulations and good wishes for the young promised couple. But the two final statements were the best. The first was from Sasuke.

"Three years ago, when we were gathered for our first training as a fellowship, I remember Naruto eating a delicious cake Hinata made and saying something like 'I might actually consider marrying you'. I never imagined that underneath it was such a beautiful promise like this one. Probably Naruto made that promise being the selfless caring soul he is, not exactly considering his feelings. He just wanted to help a girl who was in trouble. Who'd have thought that they were already destined to be together like that... Good luck to both of you, and may your love burn brightly like the Will of Fire." Naruto couldn't be happier for his friend's kind words. They bumped fists as usual. The final statement was from Ino.

"I'm so happy for you two... I had to admit that Naruto seemed a little clueless, so I figured I'd play a little matchmaker role... *giggle* But everything was so quick for you two, that I wasn't able to do anything. I can only now wish you good luck. Hinata, you have no idea how lucky you are to be with Naruto. He is kind, goodhearted, selfless, and would you look at him! He's a prince, both in his looks, his origins, and most of all, in his heart. It sounds strange to see us, 7 year old children, already discussing these things... But I have a good feeling about what the future holds for you two."

Naruto blushed heavily at the compliments Ino was giving him. Hinata looked at Ino with a curious look, but she knew that Ino had no second intentions whatsoever with her betrothed, so she just thanked her. Then something hit Ino's head. "Speaking of which... Naruto, I see you haven't given your gift to Hinata yet. What are you waiting for?" Naruto suddenly face-palmed himself. How could have he forgotten? Everyone wanted to know what was Ino talking about. Then it happened.

Naruto stood on his right knee, as he picked a small scroll from the pockets inside his cloak and opened it. He performed a Ram hand-sign and shouted "**Kai**!". From the scroll came out a beautiful tiara of Full Moon flowers, with a pair of golden strings tying the flowers together. Naruto picked the tiara as he lift himself up and put it on Hinata's head, who had her mouth making a 'o' and blushing so much one would thing her head would explode.

"There you go. Fit for a true princess.", he said. Hinata was absolutely marveled by the romantic display. So marveled, in fact, that she felt dizzy and was about to fall on the floor. Naruto picked her up. "_Maybe I overdid it... if I knew she would still faint, I would have been a little more careful..._" All the girls in the room sighed in admiration, thinking how romantic Naruto was and how great it would be if all guys were this nice. The guys, except maybe for the members of the Fellowship, were either taking notes or yucking at the young love display.

Suddenly Iruka entered the room and asked everyone to sit down as the class was about to start. He then looked at Hinata, passed out in Naruto's arms. "So, um... can you explain what happened, Naruto?" Naruto quickly explained about his romantic display. Iruka couldn't help but smirk. "_7 year old children are already more advanced in the ways of love than poor me, 19 years old and yet to find a girlfriend... I wonder how they will react when they start learning about the birds and the bees..._", he though, as he bid everyone good morning and started the class.

**Later that day...**

As Naruto and Hinata left the Academy together, they walked throughout Konohagakure for a while. They didn't talk much, just enjoyed the nice breeze, which meant that the winter would be over in a few weeks. As the time went by, Naruto looked at a clock in the park. In 15 minutes they were expected to appear at the Soothing Hana. He grabbed Hinata's hand and asked her to follow him.

As they arrived at the restaurant, Hinata couldn't help but gaze at the place in awe. "_Naruto-kun really made a reservation in a fine place like this...?_", she thought. When they entered, Hanane Aoi saw the young couple and couldn't help but feel pressured to treat them properly. Specially since one of them was the Hyuuga heiress herself. "Welcome to the Soothing Hana, how can I help you, young ones?"

"I made a reservation here yesterday... It's under the name Uzumaki.", answered Naruto. Aoi quickly glanced at the checklist. "Here it goes, Table 31 by the lodge. Have a nice dinner." The couple thanked the manager and headed towards the table.

"Naruto-kun, you didn't have to do this for me... I'm not saying I didn't like it, I loved what you did, but I just don't think you should", said Hinata, worried about how much would the dinner cost, among other things, such as the variety of looks people were giving them. Some of hatred, some of admiration and other of doubt. It was certainly better than many times before, but it still felt kind of uneasy for the young Hyuuga heiress. Suddenly, Naruto picked her hand. She quickly looked at him. He was giving her his usual foxy-grin.

"Hinata...", said him. "I want to do this. I want to make you happy. I want everyone here to see who I really am and how much you mean to me. If we haven't bumped into each other a few years ago... Despite having so many good friends, I don't think I'd be as happy with them as I am with you right now. Remember my 6th birthday, when I... you know..." Hinata nodded.

"Have you ever wondered what was the most painful memory? The one that awakened the monster inside me? It was when 'you' got hurt. I could never, ever bear facing that kind of experience in my life. I was really hurt when 'Sasuke' was wounded as well, but yours was just so much more painful. Seeing you cry, or get hurt, or without your smile... It's something I can't bear seeing. You of all people in my life are the most precious to me. Do you understand?"

Hinata nodded, as a small tear ran across her cheek. It was not a sad tear, though. She was happy to have her feelings returned. The boy that promised to go as far as marrying her to save herself and her little sister from a fate worse than death at the hands of an old twisted system inside their clan that sprout the seeds of hatred and jealousy... He promised to get rid of this evil and unite the Hyuugas so a new age of peace and happiness would be born. He promised to make the elders pay for the pain that they brought upon her parents, her sister and many other people of her family. He promised to do whatever it was necessary, even resorting to what a small twist of fate made possible before they could even do anything about it. Love. A truly powerful feeling, responsible for great changes. Hinata thought a bit more about this feeling.

It was love the main instrument of change that brought an endless war to an end and built this beautiful village they were living in. It was love that brought her parents together, against the will of the elders, that saw those feelings as weakness. It was love that brought Naruto's parents and hers together to joke about unborn children getting married in the future as a sign of friendship. Which came out as reality and to what young Hinata was experiencing now with the young Jinchuuriki that was her lover, her boyfriend, her fiance. She couldn't help but smile again at Naruto.

"So, how did it go after last night, Hinata?", asked Naruto. "I was interrogated by a couple **Kage Bunshins** I forgot to dispel. What about you?" Hinata giggled. Both because of her boyfriend's antics, but also because the exact same thing happened to her, except that "in my case, Hanabi was my personal interrogator", said her. "She couldn't stop asking me about kisses and hugs. She was so cute, though, I couldn't help but answer her. We talked all night long."

"Yeah, the same thing happened to me", said Naruto. "I might get experiences and memories from clones, but they don't get anything from me. So basically I had two copies of me, each one with their own opinions, talking about you. They sounded like gossip girls, I tell you."

"Out of curiosity, Naruto-kun...", said Hinata. "Why did you summon **Kage Bunshins** in the first place?" Naruto went on about what happened after Hiashi threatened to cause him great pain if he ever hurt Hinata and such. Through all dinner, they rambled about many things, and laughed a lot. But one scene was repeated over and over again. Each and every 2 minutes or so, they quieted down a bit and held hand across the table, looking at each other in the eye. They could feel each other's love, and that was the most important part of the date. Nothing in the world was close to it. Both of them thought the same phrase all the time.

"_I love you._"

**A/N: WAIT UP, PLEASE READ THIS! IT'S NOT OVER YET! I present to you, something I was planning to do in this chapter. Actually, I was planning to do a shitload of things in one chapter, but it would end up so ridiculously large I decide to make the 4 chapter arc you guys saw at the beginning of the chapter. And this was the first chapter. Everything you guys can grasp about love was made here. I'm actually quite happy with the result, as I finally managed to bring Naruto and Hinata together. So, I'm gonna put the preview of the next chapter here (something new I hope to do with every new chapter to give you guys a taste of what to expect) and more Author's Note after that!**

**Preview of Chapter 6: Hatred**

**Seven months later, 8 PM, Uchiha Compound**

The same full moon that stood above the blossoming of a young, yet strong love a number of months ago, was now standing far above in the night sky with a bright shade of blood-red above the shadow of what was 15 minutes ago the home of over 100 members of a mighty clan that helped to found Konohagakure no Sato. Out of so many people that were killed that night, only somewhere around half of them were in fact shinobi, who were members of the Konoha Police Force, a special corps founded by Senju Tobirama, the Nidaime Hokage, where the Uchihas were responsible for maintaining the public order. Well, all of them, except two Uchihas in special, who were ANBU members.

The first was Uchiha Shisui, also known as **Shunshin no Shisui**, the best genjutsu user of Konoha, and as his marking said, a very quick shinobi. Probably the second fastest ever, losing only to Namikaze Minato, the **Kiroi no Senkou **(Yellow Flash). But about two months ago, his dead body was found on the shores of the Nakano River. Although a suicide letter was found, matching Shisui's handwriting, the contents of the letter contradicted to some of his beliefs towards the clan, as some members of the Police Force reported. Soon, a certain person would be the main suspect of murdering Shisui.

The suspect was the second Uchiha in question, former captain of ANBU and close friend of Shisui. In fact, they were almost brothers. The same man who stood on top of a streetlight inside the compound grounds, watching a young boy making his way to the resting place of his fellow clansmen, unbeknownst of the cruel destiny it awaited him.

The other man was Uchiha Itachi. And his heart was filled with many things, but mostly sorrow... and hatred.

**A/N: Ooooo, creepy, right? A totally different atmosphere in the next chapter, that's for sure. Now, regarding the things I put up on the chapter you just read...**

**NaruHina: I know some of you will complain about the fact that 7 year old children DO NOT START RELATIONSHIPS JUST LIKE THAT! It's too quick, they're too young, you're just making fluffs on purpose for the hack of it and ruining what promised to be a nice story, bla bla bla... In a way, it kind of reflects things in my own life. I didn't fall in love that young. But I did know how beautiful AND painful it was. My parents separated when I was 5, and got back together just because of me and my sister's sake. Even then, when I was 10, they finally decided to have their divorce, because it got unbearable for them. I discovered too early how wounds could either be closed or opened because of this feeling. In a way, the quick pace on the NaruHina in this story is another reflex of how I tend to fall in love pretty quickly myself. So please bear with me on this one, okay readers?**

**I know some of you might also be wondering... what is exactly Ino trying to do? I honestly have little idea either. She is envious of Hinata because she is so much more mature than her. She is sad because her once best friend became a fangirl over a boy that is a good guy, but haven't proved himself to be quite the boyfriend material either. I believe Ino is as lost as Sakura is, maybe worse. My intentions with Ino are still doubtful. So far, she is dedicated to become a fine kunoichi, but she wants to fill her life with emotion as well, but the things are happening, her quest to find the feelings she is looking for might bother her for a while. But I promise Sakura is not the only one who will be knocked some sense into.**

**Now, why Sakura has become the fangirl she is? Because she is a civilian from a nice family. She is not used with death and pain and mysteries. She is still too superficial. But she will learn her lesson. In a painful way, but it will work nonetheless. I'm sorry if I didn't make that clear in this chapter.**

**As for everyone else, I will go through their evolution. But first I want to end this 4 chapter arc. The main role of this arc is to establish that Sasuke will be a good guy in the story. I will go through the turmoil of feelings and angst Sasuke will go through. I might even do a chapter in which Naruto makes an appearance and then after 10 thousand words, he will go back. Yup, I might go that far, I don't know. Haven't started writing the chapter yet.**

**And don't worry, as I said in the beginning, I will keep up the one chapters per 2 weeks pace. I absolutely DO NOT want this pace to get slower. Well, I'll see you guys later. Next chapter, we have the Uchiha Massacre, with a whole exclusive dialogue that might shake the very foundations of Konoha. Who are the people in this dialogue? Find out in the next chapter!**

**Don't forget to review and send suggestions, CONSTRUCTIVE critique, and compliments, if at all possible. Thanks for reading and I'll see you guys in another 2 weeks!**


	7. Chapter 6: Hatred

**A/N: Hey guys! So... first of all, sorry for being over 3 weeks late. I've been having quite the time at the university and internship. And I've got a girlfriend now, so that's another factor. It's not easy to write a chapter about hatred when your life is filled with love, I suppose... but hey, the chapter is finally done, and I'm sure you guys are gonna like it.**

**It's not over 20k words, so it's a bit more of a relieve for you guys to read, and it's a bit more well-written than my previous chapter (I think), so it's even more enjoyable for you. The whole chapter turned out quite different from what I expected to be, but I'll go over more of that once the chapter is over, so please read the other Author's Note, okay?**

**And now, for my usual replies.**

**Celestial Overlord: I actually know very little about the Warring States and the Three Great Shinobi Wars. My Shikamaru-like laziness got me beforehand, so I'll just be creative and come up with a new set for the three great wars. Don't worry, I got that covered, and I think you guys are gonna enjoy it as well.**

**Anonymous Guest 1: Actually no, he was just curious about his heritage, but he never actually put two and two together. But since he now knows that Naruto is Minato's son, he will give him full support, and his blessings. Love wins!**

**gameipedia: Read this chapter.**

**Anonymous Guest 2: Your critique is EXACTLY the same as that stupid flamer, but you were much more polite. That's what I'm talking about, you guys! I already went over that before, but if you want me to answer a bit more clearly for you, send me a PM and I'll gladly answer your doubts.**

**Also, I recognize that my story started out with a ton of plot holes, and I actually want to ask you all readers a question: should I revise my chapters, both grammatically and story-wise, so I avoid having future issues with people reading? Or should I just fill in the plot holes as the story goes on and ask for forgiveness later? Please, point it out as you review this chapter, I would be very happy with all of your feedback.**

**And overall, my greatest and humblest gratitude to soulfistx, for the best review ever. Your review was precisely what I needed. I've arranged the issues with punctuation and the general text flow. It was awesome, helpful and I'll never forget it (specially when such review is LONG). Thank you very much for your help, and by the way, I want to see the next chapter of "Naruto: A Tale of Those Who Endure" soon! It's a great story, and I recommend it for all of you who are actually reading this.**

**With that said, thank you for all the positive reviews from the previous chapter. And now, we're finally hitting the road again. I'm SamHetfield, and this is another chapter of...**

**The Orange Hokage**

**Love, Hatred, Power, Will – A 4 Chapter Arc**

**Chapter 6: Hatred**

**7 months after the Academy's first day, Uchiha Compound**

It was a cloudy morning, although it had a few rays of sunshine filling the compound where the members of the noble Uchiha clan lived. It was 6 AM, and Uchiha Sasuke woke up early, as usual.

Even though the Academy only started at 8, he enjoyed waking up early, so he could have a chance of seeing his older brother before he could depart for missions at the ANBU headquarters. Today, Sasuke had the chance of meeting Itachi in a small part of the compound's forest, where they used to train their aim with kunai throwing.

It was also the place where he, alongside Naruto, trained for a month around 2 years ago. There, Itachi taught them many important lessons about tracking and assassination, which were indispensable for true shinobis. But most importantly, they were taught about the values and traits that mattered for those who served the Hokage and the village.

When Sasuke arrived at their training spot, he noticed that Itachi was just standing there, with his eyes closed and his breathing slow. Sasuke already knew what Itachi was about to do. Suddenly, the Uchiha teenager jumped at a great height, with six kunai in hand. He threw each and every one carefully, and even picked a couple more from his pouch and threw them at the other blades that were already in midair, altering their course.

Before anyone could tell, the moment Itachi set his feet on the floor, all the 8 targets set there, even one that was behind a large rock, were hit with all perfect bullseye. Sasuke smiled at seeing his brother in action. Itachi was truly the most talented Uchiha in decades.

"Well done, Nii-san." said Sasuke. "I knew you were gonna hit all targets." Itachi turned around to see his young brother walking towards him. Itachi merely smiled back. "You're up early. I assume you want to give that a try?" Sasuke nodded.

Itachi picked a few kunai from his pouch and gave them to Sasuke, who was already in position. He jumped and threw the kunai the same way his brother did, carefully and attentively. When he put his feet on the floor, the result of all these years of training was made very clear. He had hit 6 targets, including the hardest one.

"Dammit... I'm still not getting them all." said Sasuke, upset with his sloppiness. Itachi shook his head, smirking, as he comforted his little brother. "Don't act like that, Sasuke. You're doing great. By the next month you will probably master this training."

"I just wish I had the **Sharingan**... that would make things much easier" said Sasuke. Itachi could not find a way to help him out with that, considering how it was unlocked.

"I'm sure you won't need the **Sharingan** to do it, little brother. You made it this far with your own strength..." he said. "Let's head back home. Neither of us had breakfast yet, and I have a mission to perform, while you must go to the academy."

"Hai, Nii-san!" answered Sasuke. They headed to the main house and had their breakfast. Itachi quickly left the compound and made his way to the ANBU headquarters. Sasuke was still there, since it was still early for him to go to the academy. He wanted to discuss about something he was thinking about for a while.

"Tou-san..." he said. "Can the **Sharingan** reach a higher level?" Fugaku raised both eyebrows. He didn't expect Sasuke to ask him about such things. Of course, he knew about the **Mangekyou** and the **Eternal Mangekyou**, but to reach that level, the Uchiha would have to abandon his humanity forever, because it required the death of precious people by their own hands. He did not want to tell Sasuke about these kinds of things, but he could give Sasuke a small brief.

"There is another level the **Sharingan** can achieve. It's called the **Mangekyou Sharingan**, and it allows us to reach unheard levels of power. Only a handful of Uchihas were able to reach this power, though. It requires some very... unique conditions to unlock it." Sasuke listened to everything carefully. He wondered about the special conditions... He saw this unique shape of the **Sharingan** once...

**Flashback – A month ago...**

"Here is my report card, Tou-san!" said a very cheerful Sasuke, hoping to match his father's expectations. As he picked the report card, Fugaku carefully examined it. Sasuke's grades regarding general knowledge were at maximum.

However, he was placed second in weapon management and ninjutsu, and third in taijutsu, putting his overall score among his colleagues ranked second, behind Naruto. Fugaku was not very pleased with his son, an Uchiha, placed in a position other than first at these particular categories, but he would not scold him.

He knew about the skills of his friends of the Fellowship. Even so, he wanted to know the truth from his son's mouth. "Sasuke, how do you explain these grades regarding weapons, taijutsu and ninjutsu?"

"Oh, that's simple, Tou-san" said Sasuke. "Ino is the best weapon thrower among our friends' circle. She is actually mastering senbon now. Naruto is far better than me at ninjutsu. I mean... he can use **Kage Bunshins** and he's very proficient with fuuinjutsu. He is also better than me at taijutsu. And Hinata, being a Hyuuga, is actually as good as, if not even better than him. She was barely placed first."

Fugaku was still not too happy with his explanation. The days when Uchihas were feared and respected for their power were long over. In fact, ever since Konoha was founded, they were always second compared to the Senjus. Even when Tsunade was the only Senju left, the Hyuugas managed to improve their own ranks and become known as the strongest of Konoha. Meanwhile, the strongest Uchiha ever was Madara, and he was long gone. Other than him, Itachi and Shisui were the most promising members ever, but he had to admit that this next generation was beyond anything he ever imagined. Specially one certain Uzumaki Naruto.

Being the son of Kushina, his wife's old teammate, he would surely inherit her Kage-like chakra reserves, as well as her fuuinjutsu and kenjutsu skills. And if Mikoto's assumptions were true, he was also the son of the Yondaime, which would guarantee him an even greater strength, mostly from his ninjutsu skills and also his will. Not to mention he was the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. Once again, the Uchihas would have to be placed second in the eyes of both civilians and shinobis. He sighed heavily. There was nothing he could do, except hope for the best.

"Well, then... keep doing your best. I expected better results than this, but nonetheless I'm proud of you, my son." Sasuke had an ear-to-ear smile, despite his father's small glimpse of disappointment. Very rarely his father would compliment him like that, although it would be better if he didn't point out he expected him to be the best overall. Sasuke left his father's office, while Fugaku also left, heading to the Police Force. It seemed there was a very serious matter to solve.

As the afternoon was about to end, Sasuke and Itachi were at the backyard, talking about random stuff. Then Sasuke looked at the Uchiha symbol on the wall. "Nii-san..." he said, drawing Itachi's attention to him.

"I showed my report card to Tou-san today, and he seemed a bit upset that I wasn't placed first in the academy ranks. Does he really care so much about showing off how we, Uchihas, are the most powerful shinobis of Konoha? I just want to be the best I hope to be for those I care about, but-"

"Don't worry about that, Sasuke." said Itachi, interrupting Sasuke and catching his otouto's attention. "Tou-san just has a lot in his mind concerning the issues our clan has been facing for all of these years. But please remember what I have taught you and Naruto... Power makes us isolated and arrogant people..."

"At first we think of nothing but achieving our dreams and expectations. But a time comes when our only interest is showing off how much we accomplished. That's when we start losing our friends and the trust they had on us. And before we know it, we are facing solitude and depression."

"It makes us wonder if obtaining power to whatever lengths necessary was worth the sacrifices. Usually the answer is no. Right now, you would probably want to surpass me. And you might even be able to, even if someday you end up hating me for it. But know that older brothers are there for anything, so remember, Sasuke. No matter what happens, I-"

"Itachi, are you there? We must talk to you. Come out!" shouted a voice from the other side. Itachi quickly lift himself up and headed towards the front door. There were three members of the Police Force. The first had dirt-gray hair, with a purplish shirt. The second had long black hair, with a blue shirt. The third had a short dark-brown hair and a green shirt. They seemed very angry about something, and Itachi noticed it in their eyes. He wondered what was that all about.

"What brings you all here, fellow clansmen?" he asked.

"Two people did not come to the clan meeting yesterday." said the first officer. "Why weren't you there?" Itachi took a deep breath. He knew he would be bothered because of that.

Sasuke was sneaking behind them, listening to everything. "_It seems that Nii-san really didn't go to the meeting Tou-san ordered him to..._" he thought. The second officer took one step forward. "We understand that your missions at ANBU keep you very busy. Your father made it clear that he's worried about you. But that doesn't mean we'll give you special treatment because of that, understand?"

Itachi leaned his head to the ground. "I understand." he answered. "From now on I will be more careful. Now, if you'd please leave..."

But before Itachi could turn around, the first officer raised his voice again. "Before that... there is something else we need to ask you. It's about a suicide by drowning at the Nakano River. The deceased is Uchiha Shisui." Both Itachi and Sasuke raised their eyebrows in surprise. They knew Shisui very well.

"The other person who didn't attend the meeting was Shisui" said the second officer. "In fact, you two were really close, almost as if you were siblings." Itachi closed his eyes. He seemed somehow shocked and hurt by these news. His best friend, once candidate for Godaime Hokage, dead.

"Is that so... That explains how I haven't seen him lately... That's very unfortunate, indeed..." said Itachi. Sasuke also couldn't believe what he had just heard. "_Shisui-san... is dead?_" he thought. Then the second officer started talking again.

"That's why we, members of the Police Force, started a investigation surrounding his death." Itachi widened his eyes. "Investigation?" he asked.

The first officer picked a small piece of paper from his pouch. "This is the suicide letter left by Shisui." he said. "By analyzing the handwriting, we concluded that he indeed wrote the letter."

Itachi seemed confused at hearing this. It made little sense going further with this, so he asked: "If it's not a murder case, then why investigate?"

The second officer answered him promptly. "If someone uses the **Sharingan**, the handwriting becomes easy to copy in a flawless way, you know that."

Itachi picked the suicide letter to see what was written, and it was as it follows: "_I'm sick of these missions. If the Uchihas keep walking towards this path, they are forever doomed... and so am I. That is why I will stop walking... forever._"

The second officer kept talking. "He was one of the most skilled shinobis of the clan. He was known as **Shunshin no Shisui**. Not only that, he would do any mission for the benefit of the Uchiha clan. I don't believe someone like him would write something like that and commit suicide."

"Looks can be deceiving..." said Itachi, taking another look at the contents of the letter. His eyes expressed a certain tone of sadness and sorrow. The first officer stepped back and turned around, ready to leave.

"Keep the letter with you for now. Report it to ANBU and ask them to cooperate in the investigation" he said. Itachi nodded his head in agreement. As the three officers were walking outside, the second officer turned his face to give Itachi some final words of advice. "We hope you can find more evidences. Remember that we have our own contacts inside ANBU, so don't try do hide anything from us."

Itachi clenched his fists, crumpling the letter he held in his hand. "Why don't you say it right away?" he asked, making the three officer turn around, with their **Sharingan** activated, as well as Itachi. "I'm the main suspect, aren't I?"

The third officer finally raised his voice for the first time. "The only one, as a matter of fact. And you will be properly punished if you betray the clan, you fucking brat!" At hearing that, Itachi took immediate action. He quickly dashed towards the three officers and took them out in a few blows. Sasuke watched everything flabbergast. He could never believe what his brother did if he didn't see it.

Itachi stood calm as always, as the officers were groaning in pain. "As I have said... looks can be deceiving" said Itachi. "You thought I would be patient, and look how it turned out..."

Watching his surroundings, and giving the officer a cold glare, Itachi took a deep breath. "Clan this... Clan that... How dare you show up here, with your limited skills, to accuse me without proofs? And now you face the floor, defeated."

Sasuke was still staring at Itachi, not believing what he just saw. "_I never saw Nii-san like that... what could have happened?_" he thought. The first officer raised his head from the floor.

"Shisui..." he said. "was very worried about your well-being, even though he had his own issues. It's been nearly 4 years since you entered ANBU, but you've been acting strange these past months... Just what do you think you are doing, Itachi? You know your position within the clan."

Itachi opened his eyes, his **Sharingan** flaring in anger, as he answered the officer, coldly. "Your only thoughts concern the force, the clan and yourselves. Don't you realize that these thoughts shouldn't exist? They are the reason you are all so weak... And to fear what you don't know, or you don't see, is well beyond stupid!"

"Itachi! That's enough!" a voice raised from a distance. Itachi turned around in surprise towards the origin of the shouting, which turned out to be his father Fugaku, with his Jounin jacket, trying to understand what was going on.

"What is happening here? Why have your words and actions been odd lately?" he asked. Itachi merely looked away, leaning his head to the ground, with a sad look in his eyes.

"I've been merely doing the tasks entrusted to me, and that's all. Nothing strange as you believe, Tou-san" answered Itachi.

"If that is what you've been doing, then why have you missed yesterday's meeting?" asked Fugaku. Itachi closed his eyes, as he gathered his thoughts and took another deep breath.

"To surpass my limits..."

Fugaku wondered what was he talking about, when suddenly Itachi picked a kunai and threw it at the wall of the compound. Everyone flinched in surprise at Itachi's action, as the kunai embedded in the thick wall, right in the middle of the Uchiha symbol, leaving a crack on it.

Itachi leaned his head to the ground again, and he clenched his fists, which seemed to be trembling. "I surpassed my limits... and threw all my hopes for this ridiculous clan away..." he said. His voice had a very negative tone.

Sasuke could only think about something Itachi said a few months ago. "_Our relationship with Konoha is not at the best terms yet... but we can at least say that our symbol and our job makes us proud to be part of the Uchiha clan._"

The young Uchiha was seeing something he thought hard to believe. His older brother was aware that the needs of the village outweighed the needs of the clan, but he never held grudges against, as far as he knew, anything or anyone in regards of the internal problems of the clan. Seeing Itachi so angry about his clan was a sign that something very wrong was happening.

Itachi kept talking to Fugaku. "You have all forgot about the things that matter the most, all because of this infamous clan. And the worst is that because of your superficial knowledge of the world, your premonitions, rules and guidelines make things impossible to change. For a clan proud of its powerful Doujutsu, you are all blind!"

Fugaku could only narrow his eyes. The second officer had enough. "Your arrogance ends here, Itachi. Cease these insults to the clan right away! Taichou (Captain), we await your orders to arrest him!"

At this moment, Sasuke knew things were only getting worse. He was worried about the outcome of these events. "Nii-san! Please, that's enough already! STOP!" he shouted. Itachi flinched at hearing his little brother's plea. He leaned his head to the ground and deactivated his **Sharingan**. Itachi suddenly bent himself on his knees before his father and the officers he himself assaulted, surprising everyone.

"I did not kill Shisui. Please believe me, and forgive everything I said and done to you" he pleaded. Fugaku was at a loss of words. He thought it over and took a deep breath.

"You've been working nonstop with your missions at ANBU, and you're probably tired. I understand." The three officer gasped in surprise. Before they could protest, though, Fugaku merely shook his head.

"Being a member of ANBU, Itachi works under the orders of Hokage-sama himself. Even we of the Police Force cannot arrest him without his express order. As for Itachi's actions... I will take full responsibility. It's my job as both a clan leader, and a father. That is all."

The officers simply nodded their heads in agreement. Their job was done, and they left the main house. As Fugaku entered it, clearly tired of today's events, Sasuke slowly turned his gaze back to Itachi, who was just standing on his knees.

Suddenly, Itachi turned his gaze to them. Sasuke noticed his **Sharingan** taking another shape. The tomoes increased their size, and they took the shape of a slightly curved three-pointed shuriken. The black pupil became blood-red, just like the overall eye.

It was a very frightening sight, and Sasuke felt intimidated by his brother's strange eye. "_That's not a normal __**Sharingan**_" he thought. "_Nii-san... I wonder what happened to you..._"

**Back at present time...**

"What was your doubt about the **Mangekyou Sharingan**, anyway?" asked Fugaku. Sasuke was done with his reminiscence of that day. He wasn't sure if Itachi would have told anyone about that, so he just decided to keep it to himself.

"Just curious, that's all..." he answered. "Even though my **Sharingan** is not active yet, one day or another I'm going to have it. I might as well understand how it works now so I can get used to it in the future."

"Very well, my son. Spoken like a true Uchiha." said Fugaku, proud of Sasuke's cleverness. Mikoto stepped away from the sink with a small package in her hands.

"Here is your bento, Sasuke" she said. "Have a nice day at the Academy. Give my regards to Naruto-kun, it's been a while since the last time he joined us for a dinner." Sasuke merely snickered before he left the compound and headed towards the academy to meet his friend.

Ever since Naruto's heritage as the Uzumaki heir was revealed, he gained some respect from a small, but considerable part of the village. Specially since his report card placed him as the best student of this year's first semester.

For the last 7 months, Naruto had dinner at the Uchiha compound around once or twice every month. Every time, Mikoto would share some story of her times in Team 12, composed of her, Kushina and Tsume, Kiba's mother. Kushina and Tsume were a pair of prankster and tomboyish kunoichis. Mikoto and Tsume were the Yin-Yang duo, due to their different personalities complementing each other on the battlefield.

Last, but not least, Mikoto and Kushina were the official matchmaker duo. Nearly every single date from most of the clan heads of today were arranged by these two women. Mikoto took care of setting up the dates for the members of the Ino-Shika-Chou trio and, of course, her own date with Fugaku. Kushina took care of Tsume, as well as her own boyfriend's teammates, Hiashi and Shibi. They seemed to have a keen eye to find the right twin soul for themselves and their friends.

As Mikoto saw her son leave, she sat over the table, right beside her husband. "I'm happy for Sasuke..." she said. "He has everything a child deserves to have in the world we live in... a peaceful life, with many friends and a promising career as a shinobi."

Fugaku merely nodded in agreement and retired to his office. Getting there, he sat over his table and closed his eyes, as he gathered his thoughts. Sasuke was indeed a promising shinobi. But he loved Itachi too much, and the older brother seemed to have some sort of grudge towards the clan. As was the majority of Konoha.

One of the few survivors of the Kyuubi attack, a Jounin by the name of Reisei Nami reported seeing a **Sharingan** pattern in the eyes of the Bijuu. Ever since that, there were people accusing the Uchihas of trying to control the Kyuubi to raze the village and take it over, becoming the rulers of Konoha and with that, fulfilling Madara's revenge.

For a number of years, the Uchihas were forced to keep their activities in closure, being limited only to the services of the Police Force, and trying to make amends during the council meetings. When Itachi was promoted to ANBU captain and Shisui started receiving training to become Godaime, the Uchihas became notable once again. It seemed that the Will of Fire finally managed to overcome the Curse of Hatred.

But when Shisui gave up his training, and a few months later was found dead, all hopes for the Uchiha clan to restore their lost strength and pride were lost. To make matters worse, some people inside the clan suspected Itachi of being the one who killed Shisui and forged his suicide, making shinobis and villagers alike to question the loyalty of the clan towards Konoha.

Would they solve this issue and prove themselves worthy of the village's trust? Many doubted it. In fact, for Fugaku himself, things were not going to end well...

"_Please forgive me, my sons..._" he thought. "_I gave a chance to Naruto to get rid of our curse, but since _he _came into the picture... things have changed. Now I count on both of you to prevent chaos... forever._"

**Meanwhile, somewhere within Konohagakure no Sato...**

"Are you sure about this, Itachi?" asked Hiruzen. He and Itachi were inside a subterranean building inside the ANBU headquarters that was meant to hold secret meetings, as well as war prisoners. Around eight fuuin tags of sound and sight sealing, as well as detection, made sure that they were absolutely alone. Hiruzen did not trust anyone to listen to the report Itachi was handling, specially Danzou.

"I'm sure, Hokage-sama." said Itachi. "This masked man came promising the restoration of the Uchiha's power and glory. Tou-san at first refused his offer, but after Shisui's death, he ended up accepting it. The clan is now planning a coup d'etat, which is to take occurrence next month, at the Fox Festival."

"According to what I've been able to investigate, every shinobi of the clan is ready to take arms and participate. The clan civilians will be at a safe zone of the main compound and are to run away through the secret passageway in case of failure."

Hiruzen took a deep breath. His bad omen came true. The Uchiha clan would rebel against Konoha, and with that, a civil war would wage. He was not worried about who would be victorious, but rather the reaction of the other hidden villages. Kumo and Iwa would surely take advantage of Konoha's state. Kiri was not to be ignored either, even with the civil war that was taking place there. Suna was allies with Konoha, but alliances would be easily broken according to the village's needs. And Suna's state was fragile because of Konoha's prosperity, meaning that Suna would also take advantage of Konoha's civil war.

There was one thing certain. If the Uchihas were allowed to rebel, a Fourth World Shinobi War would take place. Hiruzen was also worried about the description given to him. Just like eight years ago, a masked man was the source of the upcoming chaos.

He thought about it for a second, as he remembered the letter Minato left for him back then. What if they were the same person? What if this messenger of destruction was now using the Uchihas to make sure his plans succeeded? Hiruzen decided to cast these thought aside for a few seconds, as he now was about to ask Itachi something very serious.

"Itachi... What do you think we should do with the civilians? As you said, they are supposed to run away in case of failure. But what will they do after that? Can you spare me your thoughts? As an Uchiha yourself, your decision would be of utmost importance." Itachi stood silent for a few seconds. It was indeed a serious matter. The civilians had to have a role in all of this, but there was no telling of what could possible be.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Hokage-sama." he answered. "They could somehow be used for ransom, they could be scapegoats, the masked man could go as far as pushing them and the Uchiha bloodline towards another hidden village. The possibilities are endless. But there is one thing that concerns me..."

Hiruzen was now paying very close attention to whatever Itachi was about to say now. "When that masked man... came to Tou-san... he introduced himself as... … … *sigh* ...Uchiha Madara."

Saying that Hiruzen was absolutely terrified with what Itachi just said was an understatement. He was downright urging himself to avoid putting Konoha in a SS-rank emergency alert right away. That name alone was a symbol of power, hatred and fear. Fear of what the legendary Uchiha was able to do.

To even consider the possibility of the shinobi that faced against Hashirama himself to be alive after all this time was enough for Hiruzen to stay silent for nearly two minutes to think over what would be the best course of action. Then the old Sarutobi took a deep breath. He hoped he could parlay with Fugaku before it was too late, but with Madara involved, things changed.

"If what you say is true..." he said. "then we're up against not only the greatest threat Konoha ever faced since its founding... We're up against the whole cycle of hatred that started with the Rikudou Sennin's older brother. I hope, for all that Kami deems worthy of belonging in this world, that I'm wrong by saying this... but I'm afraid that, with Madara involved, there will be no tomorrow for the Uchiha clan as a whole."

Itachi only closed his eyes, with a painful expression in his face. He knew what Hiruzen meant. Even if the masked man didn't turn out to be Madara himself, that name alone would be more than enough to ignite the darkness inside the hearts of his fellow clansmen. Shinobi or not, the decision was final: The Uchiha clan would not survive after tonight.

"Hokage-sama..." said Itachi. "I will personally take care of this. I have to ask you a favor, though. It will be the first and only favor I ask of you for the rest of my life." Hiruzen nodded. For Itachi to implore like that meant only that it was something of utmost importance.

"My little brother... please take care of him. As much as I love Konoha and I swore to protect it with my life, I am ashamed to admit that I would choose him over my village. Please forgive such foolishness and treason coming from your former ANBU captain."

If anyone could tell something about Sarutobi Hiruzen, is that he despised traitors more than anything. Ever since his former student Orochimaru betrayed Konoha, he swore himself to cast aside personal feelings and others to cloud his judgment.

Seeing the second most loyal shinobi ever conceived in the long years he's lived so far begging to take his personal feelings in consideration would probably be downright ignored by him. He had his own share of pain because of that. But something about Uchiha Itachi made Hiruzen give him the benefit of doubt.

He could only ask: "Why sacrifice everything for him, Itachi? Why spare your little brother?" Something inside Hiruzen told him that he already knew the answer, but he wanted to see Itachi's resolve.

Itachi was quick enough to answer. "The reason has a name. Uzumaki Naruto." Sarutobi couldn't help but raise both eyebrows in surprise. Itachi kept talking.

"Naruto-kun single-handily ignited Sasuke's Will of Fire. Thanks to him, my brother is stronger, smarter, and most of all, an honorable fully seasoned shinobi-to-be. More than that, his bond of friendship towards Sasuke is as strong as our bond of brotherhood. In fact, Naruto-kun is like a brother to me as well. I hold him in high regards, and there is no doubt that he will become as great and honorable as his father."

"Before you say anything, Hokage-sama, yes, I knew for a while who his father is. Kaa-san told me about how her teammate Kushina was in love with the Yondaime, and I personally met him a few times when I handed my mission reports as a genin and chuunin. The gleam in his eyes, his passion towards the village, the strength of his will... Naruto-kun has inherited most of his best traits, and it was easy for me to associate them. Besides, Naruto-kun's resemblance with him is remarkable."

"Personally, I can't believe how most villagers haven't figured it out by now, but seeing that they also can't figure out that he's just a boy, rather than the beast he carries within, it's not much of a surprise, really... Well, anyway... I humbly ask you, Hokage-sama, to listen to my foolish plea. My otouto can be free from the Curse of Hatred that runs down the veins of the Uchiha clan, and that is why I believe he can be spared. Besides, he is not aware of Tou-san's actions. He doesn't deserve to be punished for our father's crimes."

Hiruzen thought about it for a second. Itachi was right. Naruto's influence was responsible for spreading the Will of Fire to what was probably the most talented generation of future shinobis yet. He was a natural leader and his resolve was strong.

The young Jinchuuriki overcame the village's hatred and was already a promising candidate for Hokage. And Sasuke was as promising as Itachi himself, if not more, with the bonus of having many friends to help him in his life. Sarutobi made his decision, and couldn't help but raise a smile.

"Okay..." he said. "Uchiha Sasuke will be spared. He can be our last hope to bring a new age to the Uchiha clan. After all, you're not staying in Konoha after slaying your own clan, isn't that right, Itachi?" Itachi just nodded in agreement, with a warm smile across his face, and a expression that said 'thank you'.

"Besides," said Hiruzen. "this masked man who calls himself Madara... I don't think that he would do all of this alone. I want you to go after him and make sure you protect Konoha from any external issues."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." answered Itachi. "I have one question, though... Why haven't you summoned the elder advisers? Couldn't they have a say in this matter?" Hiruzen merely chuckled. He tried to puff some smoke from his pipe before he could give Itachi his answer, but he ran out of tobacco. Again.

"_Maybe I should control my smoking habits..._ Well. You know better than I do, Itachi... even being advisers and former shinobis, Danzou, Koharu and Homura are still from civilian families. They seek the power and influence that we shinobi clans have."

"As much as Hashirama-sama wanted peace and balance between those who could follow the shinobi career and those who couldn't, it was only natural that we had the most benefits. After all, we do most of the heavy work and Konohagakure is a military dictatorship. Despite that, the civilian council slowly, but gradually, had its way of gaining power."

"Since Tsunade is the only Senju alive and she left Konoha, one of the most important pillars of strength on the shinobis' side was practically wiped out. The other main pillar is the Uchiha side, and because of this blasted Curse of Hatred, this pillar will also be in the same situation. But I figured that I wouldn't give them a say in this."

"As much as I respect them for being former teammates, we shinobi will always have something that the majority of the civilians don't have: a VERY strong sense of honor and justice, which guide us to take the most beneficial decisions for the greater good."

"Last, but not least, just like you, I trust Naruto. After all, the Uzumakis are the third and final pillar we have. And his condition as a Jinchuuriki gives the civilians a sense of fear. They were, at first, eager to get rid of him since he was just a child."

"Thankfully, he's proven himself as a force to be reckoned with, thanks to his grandiose training and the fact that his condition as an 'orphan prince', in a way, makes the civilian council's life a bit more difficult. They will never be able to control Naruto, and he is already set on to get this big hat that I'm wearing right now. I can only imagine what will happen when his Namikaze lineage comes to light."

"To sum it all up, we will keep this matter for us, shinobis, to solve. And I trust that you'll be able to keep up the good work of protecting Konoha. I just ask you to forgive this old fool for not doing anything about it over the last 40 years, and the fact that you're becoming a nuke-nin for the greater good."

Itachi couldn't help but smirk at Hiruzen's last remark. He would, in fact, have to become a "fugitive" and a "traitor" in the eyes of the people. He would, however, make sure of two things tonight before he "defected" Konohagakure It was for the greater good after all.

**Meanwhile, at the Shinobi Academy...**

"I tell you, that guy has a ten-foot pole stuck up in his ass. -Dattebayo! Maybe it was Fate that put that pole in there, who knows?" were the words of a very pissed off Uzumaki Naruto as he went through the dinner he had the previous night at the Hyuuga compound. Everyone gathered to listen to his story burst in laughter after this remark made by the young Jinchuuriki. Well, almost everyone.

Hyuuga Hinata was a bit upset with Naruto's remark and her arms were crossed. "Naruto-kun..." said the young heiress. "I know you're upset with Neji-niisan, but he's my cousin. I don't like the way you keep saying these things about him."

"Oh... sorry, Hina-hime" said Naruto. "But he kept saying 'Fate this', 'Fate that'... He went as far as saying that 'it was Fate that brought you two failures together'... I just wanted to kick his ass right there for insulting you like that. Why don't you or Hiashi-sama do anything about it?"

"He has his reasons, Naruto-kun..." answered Hinata. "But his hatred is not towards me, but rather the Main House. But I can't say much about it right now, it's family issues, after all... I'm okay with the way things are. Other than that, thank you for joining me and my family for dinner last night, Naruto-kun."

"It was the least I could do, my hime" he said back, putting his hand over her cheek. "You know that I'm very fond of Hiashi-sama and Hanabi-chan, because they treat me well. Speaking of Hanabi-chan, I loved the way you managed to defeat her. It almost reminded me of when I first defeated you. You've been working a lot with that flexible stance, haven't you?"

"Ahem..." said Ino, getting the couple's attention. "I know you two lovebirds love to talk, but you're among friends. And every time you two talk, your faces get closer to each other so you can kiss. I love the romance and all, but you're starting to make quite a scene."

With that remark, both Naruto and Hinata blushed a dark red and turned their heads away from each other. "K-k-keep it to y-yourself, Ino-san..." said Hinata.

"Sorry, no can do, Hinata" answered the Yamanaka girl. "Besides, Iruka-sensei is coming any minute now. He's upset enough that we've been slacking off class as it is, and you two rub off in his face – and everyone else's – that we're all single!"

Hinata only answered by sticking her tongue. Naruto snickered. "Well, here's a solution for you. Why don't you date one of the dudes?"

"Oi, Naruto!" said Shikamaru, who seemed like he had just woken up. "Stop right there. *yawn* These troublesome things can wait." Chouji nodded in agreement. Shikamaru kept talking. "Besides, if there's anyone here who might actually have a chance of getting a date would be Sasuke. Heh, look right there. He's got a good lead already."

Everyone chuckled at Shikamaru's remark, except Sasuke of course, who had Sakura hugging his right arm, and two other girls arguing with Sakura about who should be hanging with "their Sasuke-kun". The young Uchiha boy, however, had its daily dosage of fangirls for the day. "Okay, that's enough. Now, if you would please let me go, Sakura..."

"Oh, I'm not letting you go, Sasuke-kun." she answered. "Not until I make sure these nasty girls stay far away from you." The two girls protested with their own screeches. "Says who, Forehead Girl!", "Sasuke-kun is not yours!" and "YOU stay away from him!" were some of the phrases that the two, three, now six girls were screeching, making poor Sasuke cover his ears because of so many high-pitched shouts. Naruto also had his ears covered because of his higher senses.

"_**Kami dammit, don't you have some bright idea in this thick head of yours to save all of us, Yondaime spawn? You DO want to be Hokage after all, don't you?**_" the Kyuubi asked, growling in anger for that dreadful scene.

"_You know what... I've just had an idea. Let me tell you..._" answered Naruto, filling the Bijuu with the details. When he was done, Kyuubi gave Naruto his creepy chuckle. "_**Keep going like that, kozo, and I might, just MIGHT, consider the idea of letting you live after this seal is ripped off.**_"

Naruto headed towards Sasuke, who was trying to get rid of his fangirls and whispered something in his ear. The young Uchiha widened his eyes with what Naruto was saying. "Are you sure about this? This is the craziest idea you ever came up with!" he said.

Naruto merely sighed and shrugged before he answered back. "Well, it's gotta work. You could either follow up my plan and save every one of us... or spend the next 4 and a half years dealing with that..." as he pointed his finger towards the fangirls. "every... single... day. Good luck. -Dattebayo." For a moment, anyone could see Sasuke's face turning blue before he leaned it towards the ground.

"_If anything goes wrong, I'm definitely going to find something, ANYTHING, to blackmail on you later for making me do this! Curse you, Naruto!_" thought Sasuke.

He took a deep breath, and as the fangirls were trying to get closer to him, he simply raised his hand, asking for permission to speak. They all silenced before their beloved Uchiha. Then he cleared his throat.

"Now... I've had my patience with you girls already. I'm throwing an ultimatum. You can either leave me alone, or _I_ leave _you_ alone, by quitting the academy" he said. Of course, with every action comes a reaction, and the fangirls' reaction was one that no one would forget so soon.

**Meanwhile, in the Land of Iron...**

Mifune, the commander of the Samurai army in the most important neutral non-shinobi country in the world was skimming through a dew stacks of paper. Apparently, anyone whose position was the equivalent of the position of a Kage had to face these blasted things. Suddenly, the door knocked. "Come in" he said. As the door opened, it was a samurai, with its gray armor all covered in the eternal snow of the Land of Iron.

"Mifune-sama," said the samurai. "our scouts have reported hearing several damsels in distress screaming in desperation from the southeast. I humbly ask for your permission to search and rescue them. As samurais, it is our code of honor, am I right, sir?" Mifune gathered his thoughts for a moment. Indeed it was their sacred duty. But there was something off about it. Several screams in such a short amount of time? It sounded like...

"You don't have to worry, honorable soldier. I'm sure these damsels will be fine. They're fangirls, after all." he answered. The samurai sweat-dropped from inside his armor and merely left the room and returned to his post. He swore himself to commit seppuku if he ever bothered his commander with such a request again.

**Back at the Shinobi Academy of Konohagakure...**

The room 101, and many adjacent rooms, looked like a war zone. All the glasses were shattered in pieces, and many desks and tables were turned upside down, thrown around the floor and out of the room as well. After what seemed like hours of desperation (which were, in fact, 5 minutes), Iruka and all the other Chuunin teachers were able to end the chaos and turmoil of the Academy, although the end result was that Iruka and the others ended up exhausting themselves after repeated usage of the S-rank kinjutsu **Dai Kitou no Jutsu**.

"**_Ugh... That's why I hate humans!_**" growled the Kyuubi. "**_When desperation hits you hard, you somehow manage to do some very horrible things. And you call us demons..._**" "_Oh, just shut up, aho-kitsune..._" said Naruto. "_You have to admit that it was fun... until the wreckage part, that is._"

The young Jinchuuriki walked around the classroom, which was a mess. Some classmates were covering themselves in fear of the fangirl war that laid waste. The only people who seemed normal were the members of the Fellowship. Then again, they did witness Naruto awakening the Kyuubi's chakra for the first time, so a fangirl wreckage was not that much of a big deal.

"Well," said Shikamaru. "It seems that we have the rest of the day off. Probably the week, who knows? If I knew that would happen I wouldn't have left bed today. Troublesome... Oi, Chouji. How about we eat chips and watch clouds at the usual spot?"

Chouji quickly nodded and both kids left the wrecked room. Shino merely adjusted his glasses as he also lift himself up from his chair. "I'll be taking my leave then, if you all excuse me. If you want to find me, I will be at training ground 22. Why? Obviously because-"

"You will be training, yeah, we get it..." said Kiba. "Don't need to go over the small details, Shino. Anyway, I think I'm coming with you. Let's go, Akamaru! *bark*!" And so, Shino, Kiba and Akamaru also left the war zone, or rather, classroom, leaving Ino, Naruto and Hinata by themselves.

"So... I think I'll be helping Tou-chan with the store." said Ino. "I also want to see what happened with those two. You lovebirds wanna come along?" Naruto and Hinata looked at each other for a while. They could very well spend their time hanging out by themselves, but they decided to come along and see how Sasuke and Sakura were doing, among a few other things.

As they left the building and were out in the open, a considerably large mob of girls was gathered around the spot where Hiruzen gave his opening day speech seven months ago. A pink spot indicated that Sakura was among the giant flock.

Sasuke was standing where the old Hokage stood, trying to talk to the fangirls and soothe them. The young Uchiha took notice of his friends' presence. "Naruto! Hinata! Would you please come here for a second?" he asked. Naruto already knew what Sasuke was about to pull off, so he just decided to play along anyway, taking Hinata with him.

"Okay, girls..." said Sasuke. "Now... Here we have a couple. A _real_ couple. They love each other, they stand up for each other, and most of all, both of them went through a lot. People mostly looked down upon them because of something they had no control over. For Naruto, it was the majority of Konoha, as for Hinata it was the stupid traditionalist bunch of old geezers from her clan. They found comfort on each other."

"They could relate aspects of their own lives on each other, and with this special understanding they created this bond between them. The fact that they were betrothed for as long as their mothers were pregnant was merely a funny coincidence and twist of fate. They were meant to be together, and that's final."

The young couple was a bit embarrassed with Sasuke's display, but they couldn't help but smile and nod in agreement. It's not like he was saying anything that wasn't true. Sasuke nodded at Naruto and Hinata, and with that, the couple went their own way, leaving Sasuke alone with the fangirl army again.

"Now... where am I heading with this?" he asked, making the fangirls listen to him carefully. "I figured that I should tell you that swooning all over me _is NOT going to work_! I need my personal space, I have other priorities in life, but most of all: I am definitely not looking for a girlfriend this early in life. I'm 8 years old, for Kami's sake! What happened with Naruto and Hinata was something special, that doesn't happen very often, and for once, I know that's not gonna happen with me."

"Besides, as much as you don't want to admit, it's obvious for everyone to see. Not a single one of you wants to date Sasuke from Konohagakure. You just want to date Sasuke from the Uchiha clan. And I can't let that happen. I'm sorry if I sound like a cold bastard, but life is not that much of a nice lady, specially in the world that we shinobi live."

"I appreciate that you're all so fond of me, but you're doing it the wrong way. And since we probably have the whole week off, I'm leaving so I can train, become stronger and actually _do_ something for the sake of Konoha. Now, if you'd all excuse me, I wish you all a nice week, and I ask you to just think about what I said, okay? Bye for now!"

And with that, Sasuke dashed through the distance, leaving a mob of fangirls with their head facing the floor, in both sadness and shame. Everything Sasuke said was overly cruel and hurtful, but no one could deny that he was telling the truth. Sakura was the first to leave the fangirl mob and walked towards Ino.

"Ino... Sasuke-kun... I don't understand, why is he-" before Sakura said anything else, Ino patted her shoulder and started talking.

"Sasuke-kun is a good guy, Sakura. He ditched every single one of you for your sake, and Konoha's. Didn't you notice how weak you've become by just fawning over him and not focusing on your training? He doesn't want you, or any other colleague, to stay like this."

"In a way, he's just like Naruto. He wants to protect everyone he considers precious. But most of all, I think he wants people to be strong and stand up for themselves. If Naruto and Sasuke-kun are the only ones who can protect us, who will protect them, right?"

It was this last statement that made Sakura raise her head, with a gleam of realization in her eyes. "_Of course... the strength to protect people! _Gosh... I think I am the stupidest girl in the world!" she said. "How on Kami's name have I not noticed this before? I've been hanging around with you guys for nearly four years and I never even thought about that!"

"I wanted to impress the civilians, and show them that people from non-shinobi clans are capable of great things. I wanted to stand out in the crowd, and make the shinobis notice my presence. Among them, the one who caught my attention was of course Sasuke-kun. He's from the Uchiha clan, so even among shinobis, his status and natural talent are remarkably high."

"But he never cared about status, or clan name. He just cared about being nice to people and at the same time improving himself through the ways of others, being them Naruto and Itachi-san. He... inspired me. But at the same time, he was against everything I thought a shinobi should be: cold, distant, emotionless. I might not be from a shinobi family, but I do know a bit about the things that stand in their way, such as emotions."

"But both Naruto and Sasuke-kun were becoming stronger and stronger every day by acting the same way I thought it was wrong. Naruto and Hinata have a wonderful relationship, and yet love makes them stronger, instead of weaker. Sasuke-kun doesn't have a girlfriend, but he loves his family and Konoha. And that love makes him stronger."

"I could never understand the decision Sasuke-kun made to gain the strength he has now... And he became even more mysterious to me, and I started to become nearly obsessed over it. But now I understand. As a matter of fact, everything Naruto said at out very first gathering finally hit me."

"The Will of Fire... It was all about finding something, or someone, you'd gladly give your life for. And becoming as strong as possible so you can protect what's dear to your heart. And at the same time, it's this urge to protect, to care, to... love. That is what gives us true strength."

"Ino, I... I'm so sorry. I neglected yours and everyone else's friendship because of a stupid crush over Sasuke-kun. I was living these stupid childish fairy tales, and now I don't even know how I'm supposed to have a true conversation with you guys anymore. And for that, I hope you forgive me."

Ino approached Sakura and gave her a hug, surprising Sakura. "All is forgiven, Sakura" she said. "I've had my fangirl days too, you know that. My Tou-chan gave me some real training to get over it and stand up for myself. It was about time you had your little therapy as well. Now, how about you and me have a nice spar, for old time's sake? I guarantee you'll lose, Dekorin-chan!"

"Oh, yeah?" said Sakura. "We'll see about that, Ino-bunta!" And with that, the two girls walked alongside each other, heading towards an empty training ground, with their friendship restored.

**Meanwhile, at the Hokage Monument...**

"So... yeah, it was my idea making Sasuke talk to them." said Naruto. "Sure, the Academy is now crumbled in pieces, and our senseis have to take the week off,, but at least Sasuke will no longer have problems with fangirls! I think..." Hinata giggled at her boyfriend's antics. They were sitting over Minato's stone face.

"You never change, Naruto-kun..." she said. "Your attitudes either bring world peace or overall chaos, maybe both at the same time... The only thing I don't understand is... why being so drastic about it?"

"Why not being drastic?" he asked back. "We are set to become shinobi. We will be forced to take decisions that could very well cost ours and everybody else's lives. We must be ready for the events that will follow up once our decisions are made. Sasuke had just lived through a hellish experience, but after that I'm sure he'll be able to handle more extreme cases with ease! -Dattebayo!" he said, with his usual foxy-grin.

Hinata could only smile back. Naruto never ceased to amaze her. He was a Jinchuuriki with an unimaginably heavy burden, an heir of a noble ancient clan, and still managed to be the number one hyperactive, noisy and cheerful knucklehead in Konoha. Not to mention a promising shinobi, a caring human being and a romantic soul.

She leaned her head on his right shoulder and wrapped her arms around his waist as they stood there, feeling the wind blow and watching over their beautiful village as long as they felt like it. After what felt like hours, but were in fact around 30 minutes, Hinata turned her face to meet Naruto's. As blue met lavender, she could feel his joy, and most of all his love. But there was something in her mind that she was a bit unsettled with.

"Naruto-kun..." she said, getting Naruto's attention. "Eto... I'm happy to be here with you, I'm happy with our betrothal, but I still wonder... how would things turn out... if we've never bumped into each other... I'm sorry for thinking over things like that, but-"

"Hinata-chan..." said Naruto, interrupting her. "I... My life has been pretty rough. The fact I had friends like you, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Ino and all the others raised my spirits quite a lot. But it never changed the fact that I never grew up with parents, and was barely able to find love. It's pretty sad to come home after a long day and not being able to say 'I'm home'..."

"But they... Tou-chan and Kaa-chan... somehow, they knew what I was going to face throughout my life... I don't know how, but they left a bunch of things waiting for me. When I reached the peak of my loneliness, of my sadness... They came for me. Sandaime-jiji made sure of that, and I'm also grateful for him. Every one of them saved me from the darkness that awaited to devour me."

"And then it happened. The second I met their love, things started to change. I got a home, friends, tools for training, and I learned about the legacy I carry with me. I learned about the Will of Fire, and I came to realize that hatred doesn't take you anywhere. I stopped hating on everyone who was mean to me, and learned about compassion, and thanks to you and everyone else, friendship and love. That is why you don't have to worry about how things turned out, Hinata-chan..."

"As a matter of fact, the second I learned about my origins, I kinda gained a free pass to get to know you and your parents in the first place. They were close to mine anyway, and as Hiashi-sama said, we were, in a way, betrothed before we were born. It's not like we needed to bump into each other, but I suppose that one little incident just made things faster! -Dattebayo!"

"But I think the most important thing I should tell you is that... Everything happens for a reason. Maybe you are right, things would be different if we never met that day, nearly 4 years ago. But what happened then is well over our control now. As I said just a while ago: we gotta be ready for everything that follows up once things are already in motion."

"Right now, I'm happy how things turned out between us, and I wouldn't ask for anything different. Because I love you, my Hime. And I'm happy to be the one who will marry you in the next few years."

As he was done talking, Naruto leaned his face closer to Hinata's and kissed her. She returned it right away, closing her eyes and caressing his whiskered cheeks. A few tears of joy ran across her cheeks. It was still hard to believe how easy things turned out between them, and it almost felt like a dream. But one thing was for sure. That was no dream. It was the most wonderful reality, and it would remain this way for as long as they were together. As they broke the kiss, Hinata lift herself up.

"Well..." she said. "Since you're my betrothed, why don't you treat me for lunch? I'm hungry, Naruto-kun." Naruto gave her his usual foxy-grin. "Of course, my dear Hime." he answered, taking her hand. And with that, the young couple made their way back to the village. The rest of their day was going to be a great one. But little did they know that not everyone shared the same luck they had.

**That night, at the Uchiha Compound...**

"Itachi... are you there?" asked Mikoto, banging the door of her son's bedroom. "I'm leaving your dinner here. I know you've been busy with ANBU and all, but it's not too much to ask you to have dinner with your family once in a while. Now hurry up and eat it before it gets cold."

Itachi was sat down on his futon, reading the suicide letter written by his best friend Shisui. As much as he didn't want to admit, the officers were right. If someone used the **Sharingan**, copying handwriting was very easy. He raised a small smirk at this thought.

He picked up and wore all the pieces of his ANBU gear, except his Weasel mask, which he had already returned to Hiruzen, after all he would no longer be able to use it. He would now start his two first and final SS-ranked missions. The first mission was to kill all of his fellow clansmen, except Sasuke, to avoid a civil war, and by extent, a possible Fourth World Shinobi War.

The second mission was to become a nuke-nin and secretly investigate the one responsible for corrupting the Uchiha clan. The masked man who called himself Madara and promised to give power, glory and everything else to the clan.

This was the most dangerous and difficult mission for Itachi, for it required two particular skills to successfully perform this mission: being emotionless and being a deceiving actor. Lucky enough, Itachi was trained to kill his emotions and being a great actor soon enough. Before he left his house to perform his missions, he thought over a bit about how life treated him over the years.

His first contact with death was around his 4 years, during the chaos of the Third World Shinobi War. Many family members and other people that he knew were sent to fight and never returned. He started to hate war, and the overall shinobi system, for being the responsible for spreading hatred around the world and bringing death and destruction. It was then that Itachi decided to train and become a shinobi that would strive for peace, and try to change that dreadful system.

When Itachi became Genin at 7, in less than a month he performed his first C-rank mission, and made his first kill. He didn't unlock his **Sharingan** right away, but the feeling of having blood in his hands was too strong to bear, considering how much he wanted to avoid that kind of thing. He trained harder than usual and started meditating and seeking advices from both the Sandaime and the newly appointed Yondaime. He learned a lot about the true traits that a shinobi should strive for, and he already grew a Kage-like maturity.

A year and a half later, when he was 8, about to become 9, his mother got pregnant, and Fugaku never ceased to point out that he expected his second son to become a great shinobi and honor the Uchiha name, just like his older brother. That's when Itachi's hatred allowed him to awaken the **Sharingan** at its first tomoe.

He hated that. He hated being an Uchiha, and not a normal shinobi. For other people, he would never become strong by being a talented shinobi and a devoted follower of the Will of Fire, but by being a blessed Uchiha. Even his father would not recognize his own efforts, but rather his stupid bloodline. That's when he decided that he would take care of his otouto and not let him befall the same fate.

After he awakened the Sharingan, a few months later, being 9 years old, he entered the Chuunin Shiken, and easily enough, he passed the exam with flying colors. He already knew that the secret to be a Chuunin rested in his knowledge and skills as a captain and strategist, not just being strong. Again, no one acknowledged his own efforts, but rather his bloodline. That's when his second tomoe was unlocked.

After the Kyuubi attack, he spent a while with his family. He loved taking care of Sasuke. It reminded him of the promise he made of doing his best to prevent Sasuke from being tainted by whatever ran through the veins of his clan. He also spent some time comforting his mother, for she had lost her best friend Uzumaki Kushina. He learned from his mother that Kushina was supposed to have a son named Naruto, that was being taken care of in one of the village's orphanages. He wondered if Naruto and Sasuke could become friends.

A year and a half later, at 10 years old, almost 11, he performed two very difficult A-rank missions. Meeting life-or-death situations, he awakened his third tomoe in those missions. Hiruzen was impressed by his performance, and granted him a field promotion to Jounin. Itachi was really happy. He knew that the Sandaime was not like the others. He acknowledged Itachi for who he really was, and not because he was an Uchiha. His gratitude made him even more loyal to Konoha and the Hokage. He decided to train even harder and try to make it to ANBU.

As he was promoted to Jounin, Hiruzen told him about Uzumaki Naruto and his condition as Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. Itachi couldn't help but be surprised about it. He wondered about how hard Naruto's life was. He heard of Jinchuurikis before, heck, he actually met one. During his Chuunin Shiken, he met an old Jounin sensei from Iwa called Roushi. Itachi noticed how many glares and looks of disgust, fear and hatred he received from the shinobi of his own village and even his students, despite being a calm and respectful shinobi. He learned back then that Roushi was the Jinchuuriki of the Yonbi, whatever that meant.

He made a research about these so called Jinchuurikis, and found out about the power that they held within them, and how truly powerful the Bijuus were. He was impressed that people would go far enough to obtain power to the point that they would seal demons inside people and turn them into weapons for military advantages. Itachi also learned that it was Hashirama himself that distributed the Bijuus around the other hidden villages, and that it was a failed attempt to improve relationships, form alliances and promote peace.

At the same time, he couldn't help but feel pity for them. They had the opportunity to become stronger than anyone, or anything known in the shinobi world, and they would be rather hated than loved, even when the Jinchuurikis were supposed to be the ultimate sacrifices for the sake of the villages where they lived. Once again he felt terrible for his own condition, in which people would also never acknowledge him for his own sacrifices.

Itachi couldn't help but be curious about the young boy. He took his time to watch him from a distance, and he still had a hard time to believe that people would scorn and mistreat such a young child, Jinchuuriki or not. For him, Naruto was already the hero the Yondaime wanted him to be. Speaking of which, Naruto had some very disturbing resemblance to the late Hokage.

That's when it hit him. He remembered his mother talking about her past with Kushina. Apparently, the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero was in love with Minato. But even Mikoto wasn't 100% sure if Minato returned her feelings, even when Kushina was pregnant. Maybe they kept it secret because he was the Yondaime and all, who could say? But Itachi was clever enough to put two and two together, as he saw Naruto and noticed how much he looked like Minato.

Itachi thought about it for a while. It made perfect sense. Minato was Hokage, after all. It was part of the job sacrificing everything he cherished for the greater good, even his newborn son. The Uchiha also noticed how Naruto's attitude was. He was a very talented prankster, and very loud, noisy and hyperactive. Yup, he was Kushina's son, alright. The kid would make a great shinobi, if he lived that far, that is.

Two years later, at 13, Itachi managed to become the youngest ANBU member ever. It was a memorable day. A fine afternoon of October 19, he left Sarutobi's office and went to the playground, where Sasuke told him he would be waiting for him. That's when he saw his otouto playing with Naruto. They seemed really happy, as if they were already brothers. Itachi was very happy about Sasuke. He was also happy about Naruto, who at last managed to find happiness and friendship, despite his harsh life.

The next afternoon, Itachi received a mid to long-term S-rank mission: protecting Naruto. Hiruzen pointed out where Naruto lived, where he would hang out at his free time, and the very few shops and others that would offer him services. He also received instructions from the other ANBU designated for the task: Hatake Kakashi, Minato's student. Itachi enjoyed the mission to watch Naruto and the Ino-Shika-Chou infants train. He was impressed that one as young as Naruto could already perform **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**. He was also impressed with the fact that he already managed to make more friends, and ignite their Will of Fire.

When he watched Naruto bump into the young Hyuuga heiress, take her to the playground and promise to marry her for the sake of the issues surrounding the Hyuugas, he couldn't help but chuckle at the very cute scenery. Itachi wondered when was the last time he actually chuckled like that and felt warm on the inside. That young Jinchuuriki was responsible for slowly cleansing Itachi of his hatred. That's when he decided that he was the one destined to take care of his otouto Sasuke, and with that, preventing him to suffer from the burden that Itachi already suffered too much.

Itachi already had an idea that the Uchihas were supposed to fill their hearts with hatred. As his **Sharingan** evolved, so did the hatred within his heart. When his father told him about the tale of the Rikudou's two sons, his assumptions were finally confirmed. Pride, arrogance, hatred... everything was gathered within a terrible curse that was the one thing that granted them power. But even so, he sought to free Sasuke from such a fate. That's why he humbly asked Fugaku if Sasuke were to be allowed to train alongside Naruto and his friends. He was more than happy when Fugaku said yes. One big step has been taken.

When Shisui started training to become Godaime, Itachi couldn't help but feel proud for his best friend. He remembered something that Shisui told him after he first awakened his **Sharingan**: "_I understand your pain, Itachi. I know you hate the fact that no one takes you for granted as a shinobi of Konoha, but rather for our Uchiha bloodline. But as long as we hold Konoha dear to our hearts, the hatred will someday go away. And when the hatred goes away, we will become more powerful than Madara himself._"

Since Shisui first said that, Itachi wondered if he was indeed right. For some reason, that hatred seemed to never go away. As Itachi started to follow Naruto around, his heart was being slowly soothed, and he felt as if he was becoming stronger, and his mind was calmer and sharper. He realized Shisui was right. Indeed, the hatred was necessary for gathering strength. But after a while, when you started purifying it and transforming it in love, the original strength would almost double. That's when Itachi realized that his true training had just started. But then something happened.

Shisui gave up his training to become Godaime. Itachi sought Shisui and he learned the truth about it. Shisui had awakened the **Mangekyou Sharingan**, a level of the doujutsu only reached by Madara and his younger brother Izami. As part of the training to become Godaime, it seemed that Shisui had to personally execute a traitor of Konoha. It just so happened that the traitor was a old schoolmate from the Academy who he was in friendly terms for quite a while. Killing him caused Shisui's heart to reach a high level of grief, and with that, the **Mangekyou** awakened.

Shisui's heart was filled with hatred again, and it was so much stronger than last time, that not even holding Konoha in his heart was enough to soothe the pain. That's why Shisui gave up his training. Itachi came to his friend and tried his best to cheer him up and cleanse his hatred. He wanted Shisui to meet Naruto, but ever since the duties at ANBU were taking its toll and Naruto would soon start to attend the Academy, neither of them had the time and means to meet the young Jinchuuriki.

Then things have gotten worse. A masked man appeared before Fugaku, proposing for the Uchihas to take arms and stage a coup against Konohagakure. Shisui and Itachi immediately started to spy on the meetings of the clan. Everyone was against the coup in the beginning. Suddenly, around a month ago, Shisui called Itachi to meet him at the Valley of the End, the place where Hashirama and Madara had their last fight nearly 100 years ago.

It was there that Shisui and Itachi had their last conversation, and where Itachi killed his best friend. As much as it was necessary to kill him for the greater good, he now knew how Shisui felt. Grief. An unimaginable grief and sorrow. Everything else was gray and lifeless. After you murder someone dear to your heart, any form of happiness if nonexistent. The power you received was exhilarating, almost godly, but the means were absurd. And that was the strength his clan was so proud to show off. It was downright disgusting. He just wanted to beat everyone to a bloody pulp and knock some sense into their foolish minds.

But he couldn't. For there was one single ray of hope inside the clan that promised to become an even greater shinobi than himself. And it that was not enough, he was probably the closest person to Naruto, aside from the young Jinchuuriki's fiancé Hinata. It was his otouto Sasuke. He had the Will of Fire, and with Naruto's help and friendship, he would overcome this curse and become the beginning of a new Uchiha clan. A clan that did not to feed itself from hatred to become strong. A clan that would devote itself to the village's needs and strive for world peace. The clan Itachi dreamed about his whole life. He had no hopes of being the one to build this clan anymore, he had to trust Sasuke.

The masked man approached Fugaku again. Itachi remembered the look in his face when he heard that man call himself Uchiha Madara. His hands were trembling, and he knew right away that there was no way that his father would refuse the offer anymore. He heard about how powerful Madara was. He knew no one stood a chance against him. Even if he wasn't truly Madara, he was brave and power-hungry enough to use his name. That was it. He would talk with Hiruzen. Chances are that the Uchiha clan would have to be extinct now. He hoped to spare Sasuke. Thankfully, Hiruzen showed Itachi why he was the Sandaime Hokage.

It was now. The hour of the deed. He would start with the shinobis of the Police Force. Hopefully, not one of them was stronger than mid-Jounin level. They were only specialized in investigation, really. Not very suited for combat, unlike the former ANBU captain. After that, he would start killing the retired shinobis and the younger ones. Itachi wanted to spare the civilians, but with Madara involved, it was beyond help. He could only ask to whatever lived above the heavens to forgive him. He would end the massacre with his parents. He hoped to have one last conversation with them.

"_Why did things turn out this way, I wonder..._" he thought. "_I feel sorry for Shisui. He didn't deserve to gain _that _power... He was far too loyal to go through what he went. I will never forgive those two bastards. They were the ones responsible for all of this. And now, I just hope that my otouto forgives me in time... That's why I have to put matters in _his _hands..._"

"Thank you for everything... Kaa-san. Please forgive me..." it was all Itachi said before he performed the **Shunshin no Jutsu** and started his mission.

**Around 30 minutes later...**

It was a cold September night. The wind was strong enough to make leaves dance in it. The moon was bright and full, with a faint tone of red. Uchiha Itachi stood above a streetlight, watching over the aftermath of his work. Blood painted the walls of the Uchiha compound. And from a distance, Itachi could see his otouto, making his way towards the district. The older Uchiha took a deep breath. There were two targets left to clear the mission. He quickly vanished using once again the **Shunshin no Jutsu**.

Sasuke was running at a fast pace. Even after training all morning and afternoon long, he still had energy left to run and make his way towards his house. He was late for dinner, and he wanted to tell his parents how he managed to get rid of his issues with the Academy's fangirls (well, actually it was Naruto's idea, but he still was the one who faced most of the hardships, so he'd brag about it). But as he was approaching the Uchiha compound, he felt there was something wrong. It was too dark and gloomy. His pace slowed down.

The second he entered the main gate, he could smell the blood sprayed over the walls. He ran to the source of the smell and saw 4 dead bodies, all belonging to members of the Uchiha clan. Sasuke put a hand over his mouth to avoid throwing up. It didn't work too well. He ended up puking the bento his mother made for him in the morning. Thankfully he got used to the awful sight, for it repeated over and over again as he walked through the compound, and the pile of bodies would just increase.

"_What happened here...?_" he thought, with tears running across his face. "_Who could be able do this to the entire clan...? It's not possible!_" His thoughts were becoming more desperate and his tears would not stop flowing. Every person was either someone he personally knew or he met more than once. As second son of the clan head, he knew just about everyone in the clan, and every person he saw lying dead on the ground would increase his desperation and sadness.

It was in this moment that Sasuke remembered that he was still a few blocks away from his house, and ran as fast as his legs would carry him. "_Tou-san... Kaa-san... Please be alive! PLEASE! I cannot possibly be able to lose you too!_"

As he arrived in the main house, Sasuke saw that all the light were out. "Tou-san...? Kaa-san...?" he shouted. For some reason, he knew that it was not the best course of action to take, but his mind was not thinking straight, due to the situation he was into. He slowly entered and made his way through the dark corridors. Something inside him told him to search his parents at Fugaku's office. That's when Sasuke heard a loud noise coming from it.

*THUD*

Sasuke froze in fear at this very instant. It was the noise of something... or someone... falling over the tatami floor. Then, it happened again.

*THUD*

He gulped. There was definitely people inside the room. His breathing was faster and more agitated. The rate of his heartbeat was as fast as a humming bird. Sasuke gathered his final ounces of strength to raise his hand and open the door. The room was pitch black, except for a faint moon ray that was shining on the center of it. The sight in front of Sasuke's eyes was one that would burn in his mind forever.

His parents, Fugaku and Mikoto, lying dead on the floor, with a large pool of blood below them. His aniki, Itachi, standing still in front of them, with a ninja-to in his left hand, blood dripping from the tip. His face was that of a shinobi. Emotionless, cold, distant... His blood-red **Sharingan** eyes were flaring through the blue moonlight. The older Uchiha took notice of his otouto's presence.

"...Nii-san...?" said Sasuke, not wanting to believe the sight his onyx black eyes were seeing. "What... what happened...? Tou-san and Kaa-san... dead... Who..."

Before Sasuke could make up any more words, Itachi threw a kunai at his general direction. The kunai ripped a piece of his cloth, and cut through his left shoulder. Sasuke winced in pain, and as he tried to make sense in everything that was going on, Itachi looked at him, unleashing killing intent. "Foolish otouto..." he said. In a span of seconds, Itachi's eyes started to spin and the tomoes started to take another shape.

"**Mangekyou Sharingan!**"

In a blink of an eye, the flow of time seemed to revert, and the colors of the world were put on negative state. When Sasuke came to his senses, he was once again at the main street of the district. All the dead clansmen were back on their feet, but an air of uncertainty and fear were spread all over it. Suddenly, Itachi's voice was heard, roaring as a thunder.

"**Welcome to the world of Tsukiomi, otouto...**" he said. "**In here, I control time and space themselves. In here, I am the supreme master of reality. And for you, my little brother, I have a special treat... For the next 24 hours, you will see how I managed to kill our clansmen... All of them, including Tou-san and Kaa-san. Have fun...**"

As the scenes of kunai and shuriken flying and brutally impaling many Uchihas flew through Sasuke's mind, he could only pale in horror. But when the image of Itachi slashing their parents brutally and effortlessly, he snapped.

"No... No... NOOOOOOOOOOOO! WHY ARE YOU SHOWING ME THIS, NII-SAN! PLEASE! MAKE IT STOP! STOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!"

Itachi merely chuckled. "**It will stop, little brother... in 23 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds...**" he said, as the **Tsukiomi** repeated the whole process again. And again. And again. Until the colors and the flow of time went back to normal, as reality came back to both brothers.

In a span of what seemed like 3 seconds, Sasuke fell on the floor, with his mouth drooling, and his onyx eyes shaking from both the terror and the exhaustion of going through such a powerful genjutsu. Sasuke knew it was just an illusion. But at the same time, it felt so real, so vivid... as if Itachi really did kill every single Uchiha save for him. But one question flew through his mind more than anything. It was the question he gathered strength and caught up his breath to ask Itachi.

"Why...?"

"Why did you do this... if it was really you... then what was the reason...? And why did you have to kill everyone, including Tou-san and Kaa-san?"

Itachi could just say the truth. That it was because they were planning to revolt and that it was for the greater good of Konohagakure. But that wouldn't suffice. For Itachi's plan to work, he needed to lie. And lie is what he did.

"To measure my strength... and surpass my limits..." he answered. Sasuke flinched at hearing his brother's shallow and cold answer. Could someone really kill his whole family just for the heck of proving himself to be powerful? Sasuke questioned him again. "That's it...? You killed Tou-san, Kaa-san and everyone else... so you could test your limits...?"

Itachi closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. "It was necessary, Sasuke. You wouldn't understand..." he said, as if it was the simplest thing in the universe. Sasuke would be dumbfounded, if it wasn't Itachi's cruel and cold statement. He was feeling anger, but most of all... betrayal. Such an atrocity... for power? After all of those words about not falling into shadows and trying to follow the path of justice and righteousness?

That's when Sasuke's eyes were boiling with something else. Something he never felt so much before in his life. He wasn't sure of what was that, but he knew that he wanted to hurt Itachi. As much as he had hurt him, if not more. Sasuke drew a number of shuriken and kunai and launched them at full power towards Itachi, as the older Uchiha merely moved his ninja-to to block them, and dodge one extra hidden kunai Sasuke threw.

"Very clever, otouto..." said Itachi. "but futile, nevertheless. Let me show you the difference between us in a more clear way." With that remark, Itachi dashed towards Sasuke so quickly that the young Uchiha couldn't even flinch at his brother hand on his shoulder, as Itachi used the **Shunshin no Jutsu** and they were at the street, where Itachi kicked Sasuke in the gut, who was sent flying towards the thick wall of the compound.

Sasuke felt the pain coursing through most of his bones. He probably broke a rib or two, and he was barely able to move. He felt his hands trembling from the pain, but his heart was aching with something new. His mind was set in hurting Itachi. "_Hurt him..._" he thought. "_He deserves it... hurt him... give him pain... give him hell... hate him... kill him... hate him... kill him..._"

"I'LL KILL YOU!" he shouted. He overcame the pain in his arms and made the proper hand signs as he focused as much chakra as he could in his lungs and mouth. "**Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!**" Sasuke spat out a giant fireball, the largest he ever managed to create. Itachi widened his eyes at seeing the strength of his brother's jutsu. He quickly went through a series of hand signs. "**Doton: Doryuu Heki!**" A large earth wall sprouted from the floor and stopped the fireball from going further.

"_I thought he would just run in terror, not try to kill me..._" he thought. "_Anyway, it actually helped a lot. I see that my mission with Sasuke is now complete. Because of the distance, I think I have around, I would say... 7 minutes before ANBU make its way here. I must finish this and leave the village quickly..._"

Itachi quickly dismissed the wall and dashed towards Sasuke again, and punched him in the chin. Sasuke felt the blood spewing from his mouth as he was once again sent flying through the street and fell on the ground. The pain was unbearable, he couldn't even lift himself up anymore. He started crying, both in pain and angst. Was this it? Would Itachi finish his job and kill him as well? He didn't even care anymore. If the pain would go away he would gladly go with it.

"Is... this... it...?" said Sasuke, who was barely able to speak due to the pain in his body. He lift himself up with the last ounces of strength and looked at Itachi in the eye as he kept talking. "My kind and caring brother... became a psycho... and a murderer... all for the sake of power...? Who are you, Itachi... what have you become... _Nii-san_?"

"You still don't get it, do you, Sasuke..." said Itachi. "I merely acted like the brother you always wished for so I could measure your true strength."

"You will become someone worthy of rivaling my own powers, such is your potential. As much as you don't want to admit, you're envious of me. You've always been, and you dream of surpassing me... And that is why I'm letting you live, you see? It's for my own well-being, otouto, that I'm letting you become more powerful. So I can test myself further. Don't you believe it? Look at yourself."

Itachi threw a kunai towards Sasuke, who barely had enough reflexes to catch it before it hit his forehead, hurting his hand and bleeding a little. As he looked at the steel weapon, he saw his own reflex on it, and he noticed something was different in his eyes. Or rather, his eyes were different. The onyx-black iris was now blood-red, and a single tomoe in each eye was going around the small black pupil in the center.

"This is... no way, I have... I have-" before Sasuke could finish realizing what happened, Itachi interrupted him. "That's right, little brother. You have awakened your **Sharingan**. At the same age I unlocked mine. You can now consider yourself a true blessed and talented Uchiha now."

"But there is more than that, you know...? I'm sure you realized that there is still much to learn. You are yet to unlock the other tomoes. And not only that, I see in you the potential to unlock even the fabled **Mangekyou Sharingan**. But there is a certain condition to unlock such power..."

Suddenly the wind became stronger, and the leaves started to dance and swirl through the night. Some lights and chandeliers turned off, and Itachi's eyes were shining brightly, like the eyes of a night demon. Needless to say, Sasuke was terrified at that vision of his brother. His caring, gentle and tender brother was long gone. It only remained that cold monster who had just ruined his life, and was now about to reveal the dark secret behind the Uchiha's legendary doujutsu.

_**You must kill... your closest friend...**_

Sasuke's eyes widened. Such power came from this sort of sacrifice... it was twisted, ruthless and downright evil. Then Itachi said something else. "Just like _I_ did..."

Then Sasuke remembered the events of last month. How Itachi was the main suspect of a murder case. The victim was Uchiha Shisui, someone who Itachi considered his older brother. "So... It was true... You did kill Shisui-san, didn't you...?" he asked.

"Yes..." answered Itachi. "As a result, now I own this power in my eyes. Listen now very carefully, Sasuke... At the main room of the Nakano Sanctuary, under the seventh tatami on the right column... you will find the secret meeting room of the Uchiha clan. Inside, there is a stone tablet, in which is registered all the secrets of our doujutsu, and its true purpose in the shinobi world."

"If you manage to unlock such power, there will be three of us able to wield the **Mangekyou Sharingan** to its fullest. And then... *chuckle* Maybe there will be a reason why I let you live in the first place..." Itachi took a step back. Sasuke stiffened, thinking he would be attacked, but Itachi merely turned around as he kept talking. "But right now, you're so weak that there is no point in killing you..."

"My foolish otouto... If you really want to kill me, you must curse me... hate me... and barely survive within the darkness. Run away, and keep running... and hold on to your dear life... And then one day... you may show your face to me... once you own the same eyes I do."

And with that, Itachi opened his eyes, **Mangekyou** ablaze, casting one last glare filled with killing intent, which made Sasuke pale in terror once again, and slowly make his way to unconsciousness. But before he hit the ground, Sasuke raised his head once again and threw three kunai at Itachi, who barely had time to dodge them, since he was surprised with Sasuke's perseverance.

One of the kunai hit Itachi's hitaiate, which fell on the ground. Sasuke was panting heavily and fell on the ground, exhausted after all the beating and psychological pressure. He looked at Itachi one last time before losing consciousness. The image he saw would be the last time he saw his brother, and it would burn deep into his mind: Itachi putting back his hitaiate and shedding a few tears before dashing through the night.

**A few minutes later, on top of the Hokage Monument...**

"**_Wow... you're a thinking type... Feh, that's new!_**" said the Kyuubi, chuckling inside Naruto's mind. "_Shut up, aho-kitsune!_" said Naruto, upset with the Bijuu's remark. "_It's just that... I don't know, something sounds awfully strange tonight... I'm not sure of what it is, but it feels... _dark_... I've been having this sensation for, I don't know, over a couple hours... Thank Kami I already escorted Hinata-chan home, otherwise I think that things would not end well..._"

"**_I see you're actually making good use of my senses, Yondaime spawn. You know that animals have a sort of a sixth sense, right? Whenever shit is going down, or will be going down, our furs start tingling. Think of it as our own animal way of foretelling._**"

"_So you think that something bad is happening?_"

"**_Nope... I think something _has_ happened already. Can you smell that, kozo?_**" As the Kyuubi said that, the young Jinchuuriki immediately started sniffing around. His eyes widened as he picked up the strange scent in the wind. It was the scent of...

"_Blood... That's blood. A lot of it!_" he thought. "_Just... what in the world has happened for so much blood to be spilled tonight? And where is it coming from?_" Before he could figure out the answers to these questions, a strange blur came in front of him, startling him. Naruto lift himself up and turned around to face whatever appeared there.

It looked like an ANBU-nin without the mask, with the hitaiate placed slightly rightwards, so Naruto could see it even when the person had its back turned on him. This person also had a long dark-raven hair with a ponytail. And on the back of the shirt, the crest of the Uchiha clan. Naruto recognized the person right away. He felt the strong scent of blood coming from him. It should be normal, coming from an ANBU-nin, specially one who was once captain of the force.

"Itachi-sensei..." said Naruto. "What... what are you doing here?"

"It should be obvious, Naruto-kun..." answered Itachi. "As an ANBU-nin, one of the many S-rank missions I receive in a regular basis is to watch over the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi and protect him if at all necessary. It means that I have to know about the places you would often visit, such as Ichiraku Ramen, or the Hyuuga Compound." Naruto blushed as he imagined Itachi or any other person secretly watching Naruto and Hinata kissing. He would have a talk with Hiruzen about that.

"Besides... I have to go away on a mission for quite a while, and I figured I'd ask you to watch over my little brother. You're his best friend, after all." he said. Usually that would be the part where Naruto would give a thumbs-up and say 'You got it. -Dattebayo!' with his foxy-grin, but Naruto felt something strange about the older Uchiha. He sniffed the air to catch some of the scent of blood impregnated in him. It smelled an awful lot like Sasuke's blood, although it definitely wasn't it. But it felt the same nonetheless.

"_**You feel it, don't you, kozo...**_" said the Kyuubi. "_**That's Uchiha blood, alright... I should know, I smelled Madara's blood before. It feels the same to me as well. This guy just killed his clansmen. And an awful lot of them, by the strength of the blood. What are you gonna do about it, uh?**_" Naruto though about it for a while. He took a deep breath. It would surely not end well. At all.

"Itachi-sensei... Why did you kill your own kin?" If Itachi was taken aback by this sudden question, he didn't show it. He had a very faint smirk on his face. "I'm impressed, Naruto-kun... you noticed. Yes, I did kill my clansmen. In fact, Sasuke is the only one I left alive." Naruto's eyes widened in surprise and terror. Did Itachi really admit killing every single member save for Sasuke? Even his own parents?

"I can't believe it... you even killed Fugaku-sama and Mikoto-san! You own parents..." he said, pain coursing through his voice, and anger through his clenching fists. "Why did you do this? What reason did you have to kill your family? And why is Sasuke alive? So he can suffer and agonize?"

Itachi stood there, motionless. Naruto was about to unleash Kyuubi's chakra and pummel him. And to think that he called that young man 'sensei'... "ANSWER ME, DAMMIT!" he shouted. Itachi closed his eyes. He opened them, showing off his **Mangekyou Sharingan**, which Kyuubi clearly noticed.

"To measure my strength... and surpass my own limits..." he answered, as he took a small step back.

"_**Oh shit, the Mangekyou Sharingan. That's it, we're both dead. Nice knowing ya, Yondaime kozo! Just kidding... RUN!**_" Before Naruto came back to his senses after Kyuubi's shout, Itachi quickly dashed towards him and went for an uppercut, which hit Naruto in full strength. The young Jinchuuriki flew for a few seconds before he puffed out of existence. Itachi couldn't help but smirk at Naruto's fast thinking.

"_**Kage Bunshin**__... Clever as always, Naruto-kun!_" he thought, as he threw a couple kunai towards a tree. It seemed to have been the right choice, since Naruto had to jump out of the tree to dodge them, and found himself dashing towards Itachi and punch him in the face. Itachi didn't even blink. He merely stretched his hand and grabbed Naruto's fist, launching him towards a tree. For some reason, Naruto's reflexes weren't as sharp as usual, because he hit his back in the trunk, groaning in pain and barely moving.

Itachi noticed this. That wasn't the Naruto he knew. This Naruto was deep in thoughts. He wasn't even trying to run away and survive, but he wasn't fighting for his life either. Itachi stood still for a while. He decided to see how this turn of events would end. "You disappoint me, Naruto-kun." he said. "I taught you and my foolish otouto to be strong and determined, and yet you face uncertainty when facing the enemy. This is not a training. I'm here to hurt you for real, after I've already dealt with Sasuke and the rest of my clan, and you do nothing. Is your Will of Fire so weak? Is your love for me, you former sensei, so big that you refuse to hurt me, even when I'm hurting you? Is your resolve so weak? Maybe I was wrong in teaching you after all..."

Naruto was mentally tormented. Why was Itachi doing that? He was an honorable ANBU-nin. Heck, Naruto actually admitted that Itachi would make a far better Hokage than he could ever hope to be. He was strong, smart, kind, peaceful, patient and most of all: he was the most loyal shinobi in the village. His Will of Fire was the brightest of Konoha. So why was he saying those things? Why did he kill his clansmen? And even if he felt relieved at knowing that Sasuke was spared, why was he so? What would Itachi gain by letting him live in this miserable situation? What was Itachi truly after? Was it really just for the sake of power? Was he really that power-hungry and Naruto never noticed? These questions kept torturing him to no end. The once great and inspiring Itachi seemed to have disappeared. It only remained... _that_. Whatever it was. But it wasn't Uchiha Itachi. Suddenly said Uchiha appeared before him in a mere instant and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"You are weak, Naruto-kun..." he said. "My foolish otouto was weak as well, but I managed to bring his true powers to light just a few minutes ago. You, on the other hand, are a bit more troublesome. You keep building your own strength in the wrong way. Your relationship with the young Hyuuga heiress just makes things more difficult. Do you know why you are weak, Naruto-kun? I will tell you why..." Itachi leaned his head closer to Naruto's ear.

"_**You lack... hatred...**_" The coldness in Itachi's voice made Naruto shiver. He couldn't believe that Itachi had just said. The source of such power came from that? From the same feeling he's been working so hard to let go? Then he noticed Itachi was facing him eye-to-eye. That's when Itachi's **Mangekyou Sharingan** appeared once again, and started spinning in front of him.

From a certain distance, shivering screams could be heard in the cold night. A strong and malicious presence of a long forgotten terror was also felt. For some people, it was as it all the evils of the world had risen from the depths of hell. For other, it was the revival of the most dreadful night ever. Whatever it was, once thing was certain. It was the same presence felt nearly eight years ago, and it was terrifying, to say the very least. The fully-seasoned shinobi and some older civilians were unaware of the truth behind the rise of that cold atmosphere, but they recognized it, so they had one thought in their minds:

The Kyuubi has returned.

**A/N: Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! Evil cliffhanger! I wanted to do that for a long time! Well, anyway...**

**This was a much more different approach of the Uchiha Massacre. Previously I was going for the basic events in canon, but it made no sense to me. Naruto and Sasuke were already friends, and both of them already had the Will of Fire. But neither of them truly know the "power" of hatred. That's what I wanted to bring forth in chis chapter. I was trying to put up Naruto and Itachi in a fight, but then something came to me...**

**Naruto is not invincible. Naruto is not yet fully matured, despite his nearly unrealistic mental growth (yeah, sorry about that). And he was facing his former sensei and fellow carrier of the Will of Fire. I wanted to point out how Naruto is still not strong enough to protect those who are precious to him, and how his resolve will become somewhat stronger as we go on with the story.**

**Sasuke reacted the way he did because, for once, he is not a wimp. He is also a lot stronger than canon, and more determined as well. He also holds his brother and his family in an even higher regard than in canon. His loss and betrayal made him snap for a moment before he came back to his senses. And now begins his trial of enduring his hatred. This will be his ultimate test within the Fellowship and it will determine him as a good guy in the story.**

**Sorry, no previews for next chapter. But I can point it out that next chapter in the arc is about power. What is it? How will our heroes obtain it? When and why would they use it? All of these questions, and regards of what happened with Naruto, Itachi and the Kyuubi in the next chapter.**

**On a side note, I'm working on a side project. It's called The Trial of Time. The plot will be focused on Naruto preparing for his 3-year journey with Jiraiya. I got the idea of this fanfic as I was playing one of my favorite video games of all time. I'm sure you guys are gonna figure it out once I upload the first chapter (Prologue, as usual – I like them). I plan to upload it by the end of the month, if at all possible. Stay tuned for that, and the next chapter as well. As usual, don't forget to review and tell me if you liked it or not.**

**Thank you, and I'll see you soon!**


	8. Chapter 7: Power

**A/N: Hello everyone! I had a hard time trying to write this chapter. It doesn't help too much having 3 different ideas for side stories and wanting to write them all at the same time, alongside having to deal with my college schedule. Even when I was allowed a 2 week recess from my internship there was little I could do to keep this chapter from taking too long to be updated.**

**Also, Kenchi618 is to blame for my delay. I mean... For all that is holy, his stories are just too fucking awesome to read just 4 or 5 chapters and be done for the rest of the day. Props to you, man, although I doubt you'll ever read this, anyway... Oh well. If any of you guys notice some changes throughout the story about how I write, and some extra bitterness and smartassness in the storytelling, you can blame him... again. **

**Now, before you start this chapter... Yes, I read Chapter 646 and 647. Around 99.99% of the theories regarding the Rikudou Sennin and its true origins were completely razed to the ground and I can stop wondering when the hell would Kishimoto put a reference to Christianity in the story. Not that I'm that much of a religious guy, but it was, in a way, a bit predictable. At least we finally know why Mokuton is so OP in the Naruto saga. But I'm still going through it, and just like the anime/manga is filling the plot holes, I can't help it but go with the flow.**

**And that's basically it. Let's keep up from where we left off. Fair disclaimer, though. Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, and every time someone writes this on FanFiction, Kishi-sensei's bank account smiles, and mine weeps a little bit. Such is an intern's life... I'm SamHetfield, and welcome to another chapter of...**

* * *

**The Orange Hokage**

**Love, Hatred, Power, Will – A 4 Chapter Arc**

**Chapter 7: Power**

**September 16, The morning after the Uchiha Massacre**

Sarutobi Hiruzen had many thoughts as he walked down the corridor towards the meeting room, where the councils and advisers awaited his arrival. Last night, Uchiha Itachi killed almost every single member of the Uchiha clan, save for his young brother Sasuke. Of course, Hiruzen was the only one who knew the truth behind this "betrayal". But he knew that would not be the first issue to be brought to the meeting. That would be definitely the report about a strong and evil chakra felt that same night, a few minutes after the massacre, which most people have recognized it as the Kyuubi's chakra. Naruto's situation was not a pleasant one.

Over the years, the law forbidding anyone to discuss openly the matter of Naruto's condition as Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi has been slowly, but gradually broken. It was inevitable, specially when you considered the civilians. One person or another would look at the young boy at the middle of the street and before you knew it, they would whisper in another person's ear, or talk about it at home. Even with his influence and power as Hokage, Hiruzen could not simply change people's hearts. They had to accept Naruto by themselves, not by force. And that was the main problem Hiruzen faced.

As one of the ANBU-nin opened the large iron doors, Hiruzen glanced at the two large tables. He noticed the vacant spot at the shinobi council, which previously belonged to Uchiha Fugaku, who was killed last night. The old Hokage sighed. He wondered once more if everything could have been avoided. He wasn't ruthless and merciless like his old companion Danzou. He liked to take the peaceful approach. But as he sat on his chair, he put these thoughts aside. First, because of the 'Madara factor'. Second, because he had to start the meeting. He cleared his throat and started talking.

"Today's emergency meeting will now begin. Before anyone says anything, I would like to start with a report given by the ANBU-nin Inu, Neko and Kitsune." he said, not giving any room for protests and shouts from either sides of the council. "At 7:30 PM of yesterday, the ANBU captain Kitsune arrived at the Police Force for the daily report, only to find all the members of the force dead."

"From there, he called Inu and Neko to the headquarters to plan the counterattack against whoever invaded the village. A few minutes later, they sensed bursts of chakra coming from the Uchiha compound and rushed to find out the source. Arriving there, they found all the remaining members of the Uchiha clan already dead, save for one single survivor, that being Uchiha Sasuke, who was immediately carried to the Konoha Hospital by Neko and is now on intensive care for 3 broken ribs and minor fractures on the legs and the back. Normally that would not be critical, but he is in a coma, due to the psychological damage he's suffered."

"As Inu and Kitsune started their investigation, a large spike of demonic chakra burst from the Hokage Monument. They rushed to the source and saw Uzumaki Naruto unconscious. He was also carried to the Hospital with no major injuries, but with the same psychological damages that the young Uchiha had, and is also in a coma. It's safe to say that they were attacked by the same person, who we believe to be the author of yesterday's slaughter, after analyzing the nature of the attacks and the stipulated time between them."

"But that's not all..." Hiruzen paused for a moment, as he signalized an ANBU-nin to hand over to him a small box. He opened it, and inside the box there was a mask, which made many people gasp. It was a Weasel mask, and there was only one person in ANBU who used it, and he was all too well known.

"Yesterday in the morning Uchiha Itachi departed to a secret mission and had not returned since. But as Inu and Kitsune investigated the incident of yesterday, Itachi's body was not found. And the mask was found at the headquarters, meaning that he did return to Konoha and did not report to me after the mission was over. Not only that, it seems he departed once again without my authorization and left his ANBU mask behind."

"Also, judging by how the massacre was carried out, it was nothing short of impossible for someone weaker than ANBU level. And to kill the entire Uchiha clan effortlessly, knowing what they were capable of, the one responsible knew how to deal with the **Sharingan** very well, if not too well to be true."

"And I'm worried about the two young boys. A quick medical checkup states that the damage in their brain was way too heavy, even with the circumstances of the event. They might have been attacked with a strong sort of genjutsu that boosted the effects of the massacre. And to cast a genjutsu of this magnitude, I know of only three people, one of them bring Uchiha Itachi."

"If I may, Hokage-sama..." said Nara Shikaku, rising from his chair. "I reckon that all of us gathered here are aware of what you are getting at, but I just want to make things less troublesome for everyone. Are you implying that Uchiha Itachi is the one who killed the entire clan save his young brother? His own clan?"

Hiruzen puffed some smoke from his pipe before he answered. "Yes. I'm also holding him responsible for what happened with young Naruto regarding the strong burst of the Kyuubi's chakra."

Needless to say, the room was dead silent for about 10 seconds while everyone digested the shocking information. As the council's voices were once again heard, Hiruzen paid close attention to whatever people were talking about. He noticed that the shinobi side was actually very silent, save for one 'troublesome' from Shikaku and a few murmurs of agreement from a few other members.

The civilian council was filled with unintelligible gibberish, but if you paid enough attention, you could hear one person saying that 'the demon tricked Itachi-sama to kill his clan', while another said that 'it's only a matter of time for the demon to attack the civilians next'. It pissed the old Sarutobi to no end to hear all that nonsense about his surrogate grandson.

"Okay, that's quite enough for now." he said, silencing the councilmen. "From this day forward, the former ANBU captain Uchiha Itachi will be considered a nuke-nin. Given his skills and crimes, he is now a S-rank criminal. Anyone care to share his or her opinion on the matter?"

"I do, Hokage-sama!" one civilian councilman said. "Itachi-sama was an honest man, loyal to Konohagakure and beloved by most people who knew him. To suddenly become a traitor, just like that... it's really strange. Don't you think the demon brat is responsible for-"

"Need I remind you, Eonuki-san," said Hiruzen. "that I have not yet made a public announcement regarding Naruto's condition as Jinchuuriki. Talking openly about him in such careless manner will grant you a death sentence." the foolish councilman winced in fear and shrank himself on his chair. Hiruzen sighed. He was getting too old for that shit. Inoichi rose from his chair to speak.

"I don't believe Naruto could ever, as some of you put it, 'trick' Itachi in such a manner..." he said. "If I recall correctly, Naruto's skills in genjutsu... for a lack of a better word, they suck. Terribly. And Itachi-san is one of the most skilled genjutsu users in the Elemental Nations. The only one who bested Itachi in that subject was Uchiha Shisui, and he's dead for over a month. As a matter of fact, there have been rumors around that it was Itachi who murdered him, despite the lack of evidences."

"Not only that..." said Tsume, also rising from her chair. "Itachi is an Uchiha. The **Sharingan** is known for being the ultimate anti-genjutsu tool in the shinobi world." Hiashi's scoff was barely inaudible at that remark. "In fact, it's common historical knowledge that the Uchiha's doujutsu was capable of not only suppressing, but also subduing the power of the Bijuus. Uchiha Madara was a living proof. He single-handily controlled the Kyuubi to attack Konoha in the days of the Shodai, I'm sure most of you know about that story. If one would think about it, it should have been Itachi controlling the Uzumaki pup, not the other way around."

"And if that is not enough..." said Hiashi. "The boy has proved himself to be quite promising in the shinobi arts, despite being a first-year student at the Academy, and he is grateful and loyal to Hokage-sama and the village, despite being mistreated for his condition. And he has gained my blessings as my future son-in-law. Do you really believe that such an honorable young boy would do something of that nature?" he asked, with his **Byakugan** flaring at the very soul of the civilian councilmen. Some people came close to fainting from the killing intent displayed by the Hyuuga clan head.

Hiruzen had a faint smile across his face. The shinobis supported Naruto all the way, and the fact that their sons were close to him was not the only reason. The shinobi saw the Will of Fire within the Uzumaki heir. It was bright and strong, and it was already being spread around the new generation. But there were some who weren't too happy with that. And Shimura Danzou was one of them.

"Meaningless..." the old war-hawk said. "Itachi was also a promising shinobi, beloved by many, carried the _Will of Fire_... and yet it did not stop him from turning this fire against us. And let's not forget that the boy is still young. He can be easily reshaped. The Kyuubi's burst yesterday is proof of that, Hiruzen." Sarutobi's smile vanished from thin air after his old friend's remarks. Danzou kept talking.

"You should have listened to me all those years ago, Hiruzen. If negative emotions take over the Jinchuuriki, he will eventually lose control of the Kyuubi and cause more troubles than solutions. I insist on putting him on my Ne program. Emotions are useless for him. And loyalty to Konohagakure is unprecedented, since he is expected to be a military advantage. The Jinchuuriki will be the perfect weapon."

Hiruzen could have acted peacefully, the way he always did for all of these years. He could have knocked out some sense into Danzou by just talking his way out. But after the old war-hawk's statement, he snapped. He already had to take drastic measures yesterday because of the Uchiha clan. He would take another drastic measure for Naruto's sake. The boy deserved to live life to its fullest. Hiruzen would atone for whatever sins he committed against the young Jinchuuriki he thought of as a grandson, much like Konohamaru, who was already 4 years old by now. But right now, he thought it would be best to remind Danzou that HE was the Hokage.

In the blink of an eye, Hiruzen had Danzou slammed against the table, with his robe and hat flapping over the meeting room. He was wearing his old battle gear beneath the robes. He always wore it, just in case if anything went wrong. His left hand was holding an iron bo-staff, and his right hand was squeezing Danzou's throat. "_Took ya long enough, old man!_" was what the shinobi members were thinking at the same time. The old war-hawk's only visible eye was widened in terror, as he felt Hiruzen's grip on him. Hiruzen was emitting so much killing intent that put Hiashi's to shame. Those who didn't faint before fainted right there.

"Now you listen to me Danzou, and listen very carefully." said Hiruzen. "You came with the same talk years ago, and I made myself very clear that Naruto will become a shinobi through the teachings of Hashirama-sama and Tobirama-sensei. The same teachings that drove our village to victory in so many conflicts, the same teachings I passed on to my students, the same teachings Jiraiya passed on to Namikaze Minato, and the same teachings that enabled Minato to stop the Kyuubi nearly eight years ago."

"Naruto suffered too much in his life. Suffering that he never deserved it. Every day he lives and breathes, and keeps the Kyuubi at bay. His job is even more demanding and dangerous than my job as Hokage but he makes it through every day. He has friends to support him, he has strength, talent and legacies that drive him further, he has love to stand up against the Kyuubi's hatred. He is the definition of power by itself!"

"I don't know what you believe in, Danzou... but I've had enough of your shit. Power is not something that you draw out of the blankness that is the heart of your Ne soldiers. It's something that grows and lives inside us. It needs to be filled. It needs to have drive and perception. It must be clean and pure. It comes from inside our hearts, minds and souls. Power is the sum of our impulses, faiths and wills, bringing forward greatness in our lives. And that makes Uzumaki Naruto the most powerful _human being_ in all of Konohagakure no Sato!"

"And I swear to Kami, Danzou... if you EVER suggest taking away Naruto's power away from him... You, your Ne soldiers, and anyone foolish enough to fall for your talk will be reminded, once and for all, why I am known throughout the Elemental Nations as the **Shinobi no Kami**, ARE WE FUCKING CLEAR?"

Danzou was, for a lack of a better expression, shitting in his pants right now. That was not the Hiruzen in his old, gentle way, solving things peacefully and with both a smile and a pipe in his mouth. Far from it. In front of him was Sarutobi Hiruzen, the **Professor**, master of more than 1000 jutsus. Sarutobi Hiruzen, the **Shinobi no Kami**, veteran of two great shinobi wars, sensei of the **Densetsu no Sannin**, three of the greatest warriors alive. Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, personally chosen by the Nidaime Senju Tobirama to carry on the Will of Fire. Sarutobi Hiruzen, his friend and rival for almost 65 years. And he was PISSED.

"...Yes...I understand... Hokage-sama..." he whispered, loud enough for most people in the council hear him. Shikaku, Inoichi and Chouza tried their best not to snicker at seeing Shimura Danzou with his tail between his legs. Hiashi had a faint smirk, Tsume... not so much. Shibi's expression was hidden in his trench coat, but they knew that he was at the very least smiling mentally. If Fugaku was alive he would have probably smiled as well. But the happiness in the room wasn't shared by everyone.

Save for one Haruno Sakiri, the civilian council was fumed in anger. The civilians wanted power more than anything, and Danzou was their good luck charm. He would act in the shadows and do his thing to obtain the absolute control of the greater schemes. He liked to grant benefits for the civilian families, since they were as ruthless and merciless as him, and he liked that. As long as Konoha stood proud and strong against the threat of the other hidden villages, he would step on others and let other people step in as well, if he so chose to.

But right now, the members of the civilian council had a VERY bad feeling with how everything would end. First the Jinchuuriki they so feared and hated was free. Not only that, he was seen in high regards by a large part of the shinobi, who truly commanded everything. And to top it all off, he was officially recognized as clan heir of the noble and once believed to be extinct Uzumaki clan from his mother's side. What was next? The father's side from the also extinct Namikaze lineage? (Oh the irony...)

The second great factor was the Uchiha clan. No one liked the Uchiha clan, but they could never deny that it was a strong foundation of Konoha, and it was now gone. And Sasuke was part of the Jinchuuriki's famous Fellowship of Fire, the group of remarkable academy students who would certainly be loyal to their shinobi roots. Any attempts of the civilians to kiss Sasuke's rear bottom for their own benefits were crushed as long as Naruto stood by his side.

And last, but not least, the general shinobi side of the council. Since Danzou's strength was drained only a few moments ago, the decisions taken by the shinobis would now have little to no resistance. All of them so powerful by themselves already, and things would only get better for them, while the civilians would simply stay where they belonged in the grand scheme of things. This was certainly a meeting the civilians would not forget so easily.

**Unknown time and place...**

The sound of water dripping from the sewer woke Naruto up. He lift himself up, feeling really groggy, with a heck of a headache. The faint growl startled him for a bit until he realized he was inside his mindscape again, after nearly two years. He never paid the Kyuubi a visit again, and it's been but a few months since they managed to reestablish contact. He walked over to the source of the growl, followed by the Kyuubi's chakra and some nasty killing intent.

He approached the golden bars that separated the Bijuu from the Jinchuuriki. The fox inside was laid down on all four, with its front paws crossed. It seemed pissed. Well, more than usual, anyway. But then again, Itachi managed to get Naruto in the first place because he decided to stay there and not run away. "So..." said Naruto, with a sheepish face. "Ano... Sorry?" The Kyuubi merely emitted a faint growl, as if it was sighing.

"**I swear to Kami you'll be the death of me, boy... 1000 years in this world and I've never seen anyone as idiotic as you. What were you thinking? Being Jinchuuriki doesn't make you strong like Oyajii, you know?**" Naruto blinked at hearing Kyuubi mentioning that it had a father. "Oyajii? You have a father?" he asked. The Kyuubi face-palmed. He was always the brash and reckless one amongst the nine Bijuus.

"_**Me and my big mouth...**_** I suppose you were meant to know that sooner or later, Yondaime kozo, but... yes, I have a 'father'. He is the Rikudou Sennin. I think that even you would know about him, right?**"

Naruto put his fingers to his chin, and a single sound left his mouth. "Huh?" The Kyuubi sighed again. Of all the Uzumakis he could have been sealed into, Minato had to pick the dumbest of them all.

"**Okay, then... I suppose it's story time again for you, so pay attention! Now... where should I begin... Oh, right. Around 1000 years ago, the world only knew war and hatred. Many sorts of demons walked amongst you humans, and no one believed in good. But it all changed when one single man appeared and started spreading the seeds of peace and love. This man showed and taught humans many secrets on what was the chakra, and how you controlled it to shape the world around you, as well as yourself. This man created in his teachings six arts, six truths, six paths. Hence his name: Rikudou Sennin.**"

"**In that time there was only one Bijuu in the world, created from the world's hatred. You see, back then things were so ugly that the nature itself was filled with hatred, making the creature use both demonic energy and natural energy to destroy the world. This creature was known as the Juubi. The Rikudou had no choice but to seal it inside himself and become the world's first Jinchuuriki to save the world. Since then he was praised and hailed as if he was Kami itself, and his teachings became widely spread around the land, creating the shinobi world you humans live in today.**"

"**But he was no Kami, he was just a mortal human like you. So before he died and passed on his legacy to his youngest son, he took its power and divided it in ten pieces, so the Juubi would not destroy the world again, and gave us names, shapes and personalities. That's how me and my eight brothers and sisters were born. The tenth part was sealed in the skies, becoming the moon that you humans know and love. Oyajii was really something else. The only human I'll ever respect as long as I'm around.**"

"Wow..." said a flabbergast Naruto, as he just listened to everything. He couldn't even imagine doing a tenth of the things the Rikudou Sennin has done. His dream of becoming Hokage seemed so... little, compared to what the Holy Sage did. But what the Kyuubi just said was a bit off. It seemed to miss one detail or two, so he asked about it. "Wait... you said that he already had a son... maybe two, seeing how you just said he was the youngest. What's that about?"

The Kyuubi wasn't taken aback by Naruto's question, although he didn't quite see it coming. "**Clever kozo... Maybe you are slowly becoming worthy of being my Jinchuuriki after all... *ahem* Anyway... You are right. Oyajii did have two sons before me and the other Bijuu. Just like us, he created them through a series of techniques he developed, the ****Banbutsu Souzou**** (Creation of All Things) and the ****Izanagi****.**"

"**The eldest was created from his eyes. He inherited his ****Inton**** (Yin Release) and his Doujutsu, although it was not the complete form of Oyajii's one. He also had a strong belief in finding world peace through strength. Now the youngest one was way different. He was created from Oyajii's body, inheriting his ****Youton**** (Yang Release) and his physical traits, like longevity and stuff. And he chose to walk the path towards peace through love. That is why Oyajii chose him to be his successor. And that's when things went south.**"

"Why?" asked Naruto. "I mean... sure, the firstborn should be top priority. I'd be pretty pissed if I were in his shoes, but... it was the Rikudou himself who made this choice, based on a logic and sound argument. What did the eldest brother do, then? Ran away from home?"

"**Worse, Kit.**" answered the Kyuubi. "**His hatred consumed him and he sought vengeance. He actually tried to kill his brother. But he never made it. As a matter of fact, the fight goes on and on through the generations. The eldest brother's legacy was passed on to what until yesterday was the Uchiha clan. Meanwhile, the youngest brother's legacy was passed on to the Senju clan, which if I recall correctly, is also in the brink of extinction.**"

Naruto stood still for a while, processing the information given by the Bijuu in front of him. It took around 7 seconds for Naruto to give an answer. "Wow..." he said. "I didn't know that Sasuke descended from such an lineage, even if it is an asshole one. It makes my somewhat 'noble' status be... well, dull."

"**I wouldn't say that if I were you, kozo...**" answered the Kyuubi. "**As I said before, the Uzumaki clan is closely related to the Senju, making you a part of the grand ramification as well. And if you talk about the main traits and inheritance of the six truths designed by Oyajii, the Uzumakis are actually as good, if not even better than both clans.**"

"What do you mean?" asked Naruto. "What are these six truths, anyway? And what do they have to do with the creation of the shinobi system in which we live in nowadays?" The Kyuubi smirked as the Uzumaki boy showed so much interest in knowing about the truth of the world. It almost reminded the millennial Bijuu of the old Sennin. But he put these thoughts aside. He preferred to keep hating the boy for being stuck with him and his attitude for Kami-knows-how-long. The Kyuubi took a deep breath. It would be quite a long answer.

"**Tell you the truth, the Rikudou began with one single truth: the Ninshu. The existence of chakra, and how to control it according to the five main elements of the world, alongside many mixtures developed throughout the years. Not only that, the ****Inton**** and ****Youton**** could either be used separately, creating a vast amount of secret techniques using and abusing many properties of the world, or they could be used together, becoming the ****Onmyouton****, which would simply null everything else. Certainly the most badass thing I've seen in my long life. This great truth for which Oyajii prayed to all the time became the Ninjutsu you humans use every single day.**"

"**The second truth was a derivative of the ****Inton**** element that was able to distort reality as we know it. Basically you twisted one's mind from the truth and you could use it to your advantage. This truth was the Genshu, now referred to as Genjutsu, the art of illusion. The third truth, however, had little to do with the ninja techniques. It was focused on how your body was built to become sturdy and strong to overcome many challenges. The Taishu, the path of the body, now known as Taijutsu.**"

"**The fourth truth was the the path of the weapon. It could be a sword, an axe, a couple of broken ninja tools, whatever. It regarded the wielding and respect towards these weapons, so they could fit and be one with you and overwhelm you adversities. The Kenshu, now known as Kenjutsu. The fifth truth was a variation of the ****Youton****, to turn commands written on paper in something physical and real. It was actually the very truth that allowed Oyajii to overcome the Juubi, creating the system for the sealing arts. This truth is the Fuuinshu, the Fuuinjutsu.**"

"**The sixth and final truth was the path of being one with nature itself. When the Rikudou became Jinchuuriki of the Juubi, the overwhelming power of nature became part of his own chakra system, allowing him to absorb and feel the energy the planet itself contained. With that, the ninja techniques received either a boost or a new implementation overall, becoming harder, better, faster and stronger. It made Oyajii realize that the nature was also a part of the grand scheme of things regarding the use of chakra. This truth is known as Senshu, and these techniques that combined a person's chakra with the nature's chakra became known nowadays as Senjutsu. The Senju clan was named like that because of their skills with manipulating this energy. It it NOT easy to deal with such energy.**"

"**Whew! I hope that's it for now... damn, Yondaime kozo, I've never had a conversation this long before with a human. Consider yourself privileged.**" Naruto merely scoffed after hearing what the Kyuubi had to say. "Oh, right. I have a history sensei from hell and he's the reason the villagers want me dead. Privileged indeed." he said. "But you know, you still haven't fully answered my question. About these six paths... what do they have to do with the Uzumaki clan, all in all? How do they fit in alongside the other two great clans?"

The Kyuubi growled loudly. "**Damn you, gaki! I have better things to do, you know? Why don't you just leave me be and go back to your silly life?**"

Naruto burst in laughter. "Like what, huh?" he asked between the laughs. "You're stuck in here, in case you forgot. And since this is MY turf, you might as well pay the rent, not only with your chakra, but with your knowledge as well. Don't worry, I'll make good use of it and try not to die early."

The Kyuubi snickered. "**Feh! Like you did with that Uchiha? As if... But you're as stubborn as Kushina, so I might as well have to deal with that... *sigh* Okay, let's get this over with. I'll just begin with the Uchihas, if you don't mind...**" Naruto rolled his eyes with what the Kyuubi said but he decided to listen and gather as much knowledge as possible. He had a feeling that he needed it like his life depended on it.

"**It is said that the Uchiha clan inherited dominance over the Ninshu and Genshu like no other clan in history. Not only that, they inherited the hidden seventh truth. The path of sight. The Doushu, now known as Doujutsu. You see, Oyajii had an ocular power known as the ****Rinnegan****. It allowed him to do absolutely everything you could ever imagine with chakra manipulation. Since the Uchihas came from the eldest son, they gained an incomplete version of it, which in time became the ****Sharingan****. Do you know how it works, right?**"

"A bit..." answered Naruto. "I know that it improves reflexes and eyesight in a way that almost predicts the future. And it casts some nasty genjutsu. Sorry again about that."

"**In time I **_**might**_** accept your apology, kozo... Anyway, the ****Sharingan**** also has photographic memory not only for the physical stuff, but for chakra as well. It means that whenever someone uses hand signs to mold chakra and cast jutsus, or position themselves in a fighting stance, the Uchiha will memorize them. Basically they are the major copycats of the shinobi world. It's also the reason why Uchihas are so arrogant and power-hungry. Imagine yourself being able to do and learn everything you can with these eyes. Most people would consider themselves blessed by the Rikudou because of that. And that is precisely why I hate those sons of bitches. They have no shame in stealing other people's hard work and labeling it as their divine right.**"

"**Not only that, most of the ninjutsu and genjutsu cast by the ****Mangekyou**** and the ****Eternal Mangekyou**** are ****Onmyouton**** based techniques. That's how Madara was able to control me so easily. I suspect it affects the other Bijuu as well. And I know I told you this before, but the ****Sharingan**** is awakened and improved by the 'hatred' factor, which makes dealing with Uchihas difficult. I know you'd be pissed if I say this, but good riddance for those cursed bastards. They just had it coming. Their hatred knows no bounds, Madara was a living proof of that.**"

"Oh, shut up!" said Naruto. "You just said that the Juubi was made out of hatred, which means that you and your brothers and sisters are also created from it. As a matter of fact, in our first encounter you told me that you were the one with the greatest amount of hatred and evil amongst the Bijuu. What makes you able to say that the Uchiha clan had it coming? Shouldn't you be getting your just deserts as well?"

"**I'm a demon made of chakra and negative feelings, kozo. Yes, hatred makes me stronger and I don't trust humans at all. But humans were the ones who put me in this position to begin with. I could very well live my life free of hatred, but you humans make it impossible. And among you all, the Uchihas were downright the worst. They were power-hungry and disgusting, to the point that they would kill family if it granted them power. If they were allowed to live longer, who knows how the world would end up? Face it, kozo, they had it coming. And the two brothers you are acquainted with are part of this curse, and they won't get away from it. You yourself know what 'Itachi-sensei' did. That WAS predestined to happen. It was part of their curse, and that's why-**"

"Will you shut up already? You're pissing me off!" the blonde Jinchuuriki shouted. "I don't know that much about this curse... and frankly, I don't care. You almost sound like Hina-hime's cousin, babbling about how inevitable fate is and all that nonsense. I do things my way. And trust me when I say this. I WILL break this curse and Sasuke WILL be free from it."

"**And what makes you think that this will work, huh? Once you wake up and see for yourself how your efforts will be in vain, what will you do?**"

"I won't do anything. Basically because nothing will be in vain. You think you know me just because we've been together for all my life, but you underestimate me, Kyuubi. I never showed you how powerful I really am. It's about time you see for yourself."

"**Feh. Whatever... well, why don't you wake up for now? I reckon we've been talking for quite a while, and some people have been missing you.**"

"Yeah, you're right... Wait a minute, you never fully answered my question. Just where in Rikudou's lineage are the Uzumakis really-"

"**I will answer that next time we talk in your mindscape, kozo. We've had a conversation long enough as it is. I wonder how many bowls of miso ramen you might have missed... He he he he he...**"

"GYYAAAAAHHH! I HAVE TO WAKE UP NOW!"

**Konoha Hospital, room A-113, 2 PM...**

Room A-113 was part of a special set of rooms inside the Konoha Hospital destined for shinobi. In there, some of the finest medic-nin had the mission of attending and treating shinobi of all ranks for all kinds of treatments. Right now, it had 6 people inside the room, including the 2 who were in medical care. In one side of the room Naruto lied on the bed, with Hinata holding his hand and Hiruzen watching over his surrogate grandson, after just leaving his office to check on young Naruto, and hoping for him to wake up so he could talk about the incident involving Itachi. The emergency meeting from yesterday ended up quite well, though it still required a report from both young boys about the events of the Massacre.

The other bed on the other side of the room was occupied by Sasuke, and Sakura was sitting on a chair on his side, hoping for him to wake up. In the middle of the room Kakashi with his Inu mask stood guard. He was charged with the mission of protecting both the last Uchiha and his sensei's son, Konoha's Jinchuuriki. He could only wonder what drove Uchiha Itachi not only to kill his own clan, but to put those two young boys in such state. It's been two days since Itachi left the village, and they hadn't woken up yet.

Suddenly, the machine monitoring Naruto's heartbeat almost went skyrocket. Everyone inside the room was worried about what would have happened to him when he suddenly woke up, shouting:

"FOR KAMI'S SAKE, TELL ME I'M NOT LATE FOR LUNCH!"

Everyone gasped in surprise by his outburst. Naruto was panting heavily, like he just went through some kind of nightmare, until he took notice of his surroundings. "Oh... Hey guys, um... sorry about that, I just- oof!" Before he could say anything else, Hinata wrapped her arms around him tightly, sobbing. Naruto felt guilty for making Hinata cry, so he just returned her embrace and started caressing her hair.

"... … I'm sorry, Hinata-chan... I-"

"Shh..." she said. "Just... *sob* don't do that again... Baka! *sob* I was so worried... when I felt that chakra burst... I knew something happened to you... just like two years ago... *sob* then I was told that you were in the hospital, and I... I..."

"Hey, hey..." said Naruto, trying to comfort his princess. "I'm alive and I'm okay... well not A-okay, my head still hurts like hell because of Itachi-_sensei_'s nasty genjutsu... It really did a number in my brain and I had to use the Kyuubi's chakra to break it... But all in all, I'm doing just fine, Hina-hime. Just a question though..." he patted his stomach, and it responded with a loud growl.

"Wow, I didn't know Fuzzball talked outside my head, -Dattebayo! Either that or I am just THAT hungry..." he said, his cheeks a bit red from the embarrassment caused by his growling belly, and everyone chuckling with Naruto's antics. Meanwhile, the Kyuubi was pissed off at his new nickname. "_**Okay, let's resume our conversation... AFTER I KICK YOUR SORRY ASS!**_" But before the mood could be a bit more lightened up, Hiruzen had no choice but to start the serious business.

"Now then..." he said. "Naruto... Tell us everything that happened. You said something about Itachi casting a genjutsu on you...?" The young Jinchuuriki leaned his head down, a bit saddened by the fact that he had to remember the events of that night. "Yes, Jiji... Let me tell you what happened..."

**Flashback – 2 nights ago...**

"**_You lack... hatred..._**" were Itachi's final words before Naruto felt something really dark in the air. Before he could make sense of what was going on, he noticed that the colors of the world have gone negative, and time seemed to flow so slow that it was actually going backwards. Then he heard Itachi's voice filling all of his surroundings.

"**_Welcome to the world of __Tsukuyomi__, Naruto-kun... In here, all time and space are mine to control... And I have something to show you..._**" when his words finished echoing, Naruto saw himself and his friends at 6 years old, running away from the mob that chased them. They were just **Kage Bunshins** that he created for distraction while the original and his friends were at his house, but the memories he received that day were not pleasant ones. It was the day he first awakened the Kyuubi's chakra.

"**_Today... for 24 hours... you will remember everything Konoha has done to you and your friends... that'll remind you that Konoha has no love for you... The Yondaime's sacrifice was all in vain... Your actions will never grant you recognition from the villagers... and even your friends are not safe around you... Jinchuurikis... are not meant to be happy. Have fun, Naruto-kun..._**"

He saw everything again. 'Ino' and 'Sakura' were not treated with mercy, despite being young girls. 'Chouji' and 'Shikamaru' were even more brutally dealt with. 'Kiba' and 'Akamaru' were mistreated like street dogs, and 'Shino' was blown up like a bug. But worst of all were 'Sasuke' and 'Hinata', who despite being royalty in a way, were as scorned as Naruto himself was. He got over the fact that Konoha didn't like him too much, he was fully aware of that. But seeing his friends being tortured, maimed and killed because of HIM... it was HIS fault that they suffered... and he couldn't take it. His piercing screams echoed throughout the night sky.

After what had felt like an eternity, it looked like it was over. That's when Naruto saw that the six year old gang was back on its feet. When he tried to make sense in all of this, Itachi's voice echoed once again around him. "**_23 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds left... Take your time and enjoy it, Naruto-kun..._**" That very instant, Naruto KNEW he was doomed. He had no hope to escape, unless...

Naruto decided to go over the torture session once more. This time, though, he was sure to get out. Reviving those dreadful memories made him remember something deep down inside him... something powerful... and dark. He channeled all of his anger, sadness and angst in one single burst. He never tried to channel Kyuubi's chakra through his free will before, so this time he had to let the negative feelings take over him, as the red chakra burst from within him, and his appearance changed to become more fox-like. When he took a clearer notice of his surroundings, the eerie feeling from the **Tsukuyomi** was gone. He was back in the real world.

Itachi just stood there, amazed by Naruto's determination. His sheer will and well-timed use of the Kyuubi's chakra dispelled the Uchiha's powerful genjutsu, despite the fact that the **Tsukuyomi** was actually made to try to suppress the Bijuu. But then again, it was the second time he used it in his life, so he was still getting used to it. "_Such an amazing power..._" he thought."_...and that's not nearly a hundredth of what he's truly capable of... By the time Naruto-kun learns how to fully control it, he'll probably become more powerful than Madara and even Hashirama... Uh-oh., heads up!_"

Itachi barely avoided Naruto's fast punch, and before he could counterattack, Naruto quickly span and went for a kick in the chin. Itachi had no other choice but to block it. "_Is this... the __**Uzuken**__?_" he thought. "_Wait... it's not that... he's just using whatever his instincts are telling him to do._" Naruto kept attacking with fast and hard movements, and Itachi kept dodging or blocking them, hardly finding an opening to go to the offense.

That's when Itachi noticed a pattern within Naruto's attacks and decided to work on breaking it. All he had to do was block the third punch instead of dodging it, and he found an opening to kick Naruto in the jaw, which sent him flying towards a tree. Naruto quickly span, stuck his foot on the tree and dashed from it, aiming a punch towards Itachi, who simply dodged it and kicked the young Jinchuuriki in the gut. Naruto fell on the floor, and he winced in pain from the strength of both the kick and the fall. Before he could move any more, the Kyuubi's chakra started to fade, bringing him to exhaustion.

"_He's still not used to channeling this chakra... Well, at least now I can take my leave..._" he thought. Naruto tried to lift himself up, but he was unable to. Before he passed out, he saw Itachi ready to leave, turning his head back towards him. As darkness claimed him he swore he heard Itachi's voice saying: "Take care of my little brother, Naruto-kun... Forgive me for what I've done to you..." Before he could make sense of what he heard, he finally lost consciousness.

**Back at present time...**

"...And that's it." said Naruto, while Hinata, Sakura, Kakashi and Hiruzen listened to everything. Naturally he skipped Itachi's 'plea for forgiveness', first because it sounded weird, and second, because he wasn't 100% sure he heard it right. "After that, the Kyuubi and I talked a lot inside my mindscape, and then I finally realized I've been sleeping for quite a while. And I'm really hungry." Naruto's stomach growled loudly to confirm that statement. Everyone couldn't help but chuckle.

"Alright then, Naruto." said Hiruzen. "Before you woke up, the nurse came by and she said that once you've been checked after you wake up, you're good to go. Now we only have to-"

Before he finished talking, they heard a faint mumble. Everyone turned around to hear the source of it. One groggy Sasuke rose his upper body from the hospital bed. Sakura was the first to approach him, handing him a glass of water. "How are you feeling, Sasuke-kun?" she asked. Sasuke merely leaned his head towards the young girl at his bedside. He took the glass of water and drank it. He took a deep breath before answering her question.

"I've been better. What are you doing here, Sakura? I understand why Hinata is here, but you-"

"Cut some slack, Sasuke, she is worried about you!" Naruto cut him off, getting his attention. "You know, people do worry about their friends, right?" he asked, earning a nod from everyone inside the room. Sasuke merely scoffed. Before he could talk back to Naruto, Hiruzen cleared his throat.

"Now, Sasuke... I know this will be hard for you, but I want you to tell me-"

"What can I tell you, Hokage-sama?" asked Sasuke. "Itachi went nuts, killed our whole clan just because he wanted to test the limit of his power, cast the worst genjutsu I've ever seen on my life, and told me that there was only one way for me to face him and avenge the clan..." this statement earned a few seconds of silence. Hinata couldn't say anything. Her family had a few issues, sure, but it was better than having no family at all. Naruto just stood there, thinking and trying to find a way to help him out. He knew better than most what if felt like to be alone. Sakura felt awful for being there simply because. Hiruzen wasn't over questioning him yet, though.

"And that is...?"

"… … _killing Naruto, which is impossible..._ hating him, and training to become stronger. That was what he told me. Oh, and by the way, I finally awakened my **Sharingan**." he answered. "...But I have no idea how to activate it again, so I'm at a stalemate as far as getting stronger with it goes..."

"_**Bullshit...**_" said the Kyuubi, getting Naruto's attention. "_**One does not simply fight a **__**Mangekyou**__** user just like that. If I had to take a guess, Itachi probably put your head as a prize for Sasuke to go after. You DO remember how the **__**Mangekyou**__** is activated, right?**_"

"_We'll talk about that later, aho-kitsune!_" answered Naruto. "_For now, we just have to make sure that Sasuke is good to go. Whatever problems with this damned curse will have to wait for now._" The Kyuubi snickered. "_**Damned Uzumaki, stubborn just like his mother...**_" Meanwhile, everyone was just thinking about what the young Uchiha said.

"I see..." said Hiruzen, taking a deep breath. Oh, how he craved for some tobacco to relax. Too bad he was in the hospital. "Well, for now the only solution I have is for everyone to work hard, like you've been doing for all these years, and in time, you'll reach him."

"...everyone?..." he mumbled high enough for everyone to hear. "Sorry, Hokage-sama, but there's no 'we' this time around. I'm the only one who can kill him. The only one who has the right to do it. He himself told me."

"I'd rather listen to reason, Sasuke." the old Hokage answered. "Your brother became ANBU captain at just 13 years old. He's talented and well-rounded in every single aspect of the shinobi arts. The only person that I know who could deal with him was the Yondaime, and he died a long time ago. I recommend you to swallow your pride as an Uchiha and admit that you need help for this task."

"And another thing.." he then approached Sasuke and put his hand on the Uchiha's shoulder. "If you're set on walking the path of the avenger, you'll be strictly forbidden to become a shinobi, do you hear me?"

Sasuke gasped hearing this. Him? Forbidden to become a shinobi? "But I-"

"No buts!" Hiruzen shouted, surprising everyone in the room. "After you kill him and have your revenge... then what? There will be nothing left for you, save for a life filled with blankness. I won't have avengers inside my village. In here we only have full-fledged shinobi, set on protecting Konoha and the people who live within, are we clear?"

For a few seconds, silence filled the room. It was not what Sasuke wanted. He wanted to get out of there and graduate the Academy early. He didn't want anyone to stand in the way of his revenge. Itachi made it clear. He was the only one who could kill him. He had the Sharingan, the pride and joy of the Uchiha clan. He had the talent, the promise of becoming powerful. And many strong people to teach him and help him becoming stronger so his revenge would be successful.

And yet there was the matter addressed by Hiruzen. After he killed Itachi... then what? That was obvious. He would be at peace. He would restore his clan, reopen the Police Force and become clan head. He could help out everyone and... wait, what? Yeah, maybe the old Hokage was right, he couldn't see himself doing these things after his revenge was over.

But the hatred was unbearable. He wanted to get out of there and hunt down Itachi at once. Damn his young age! Damn his brother's incredible strength and talent! How the hell was he supposed to stand up against him without the **Mangekyou**? He didn't want to kill Naruto, he couldn't do it anyway. Jinchuurikis are not just for show, they were supposed to bring down whole armies. If there was anyone who could, in time, kill Itachi, it was Naruto. Wait a minute...

What if Naruto was there for him? If he was there in the hospital with him in the first place, maybe Itachi did something to Naruto as well. Maybe he would also be set on targeting Itachi in the future. Maybe he could help him becoming stronger without resorting to the **Mangekyou**... Yeah, that would do for now. Sasuke had finally made up his mind.

"I understand, Hokage-sama." he answered, earning nods and smiles from everyone in the room. Yeah, that's more like it. Things are smoother this way. The old Hokage called a nurse and they had their check up. Since Naruto was already recovered, he was clear to go and have his meal outside the hospital. Sasuke still had to stay one more night before being allowed to leave. As Hiruzen, Naruto and Hinata left, Sasuke saw himself with the other two remaining people, Hatake Kakashi and Sakura. As much as he didn't feel like talking, the room was way too quiet even for his own liking.

"So... you're Kakashi, if I recall correctly, right?" the Jounin simply nodded. "You are Itachi's senpai, so... do you have an idea on how far Itachi's skills stack up?" Hey, he knew his brother well, but he might have been hiding something, if the massacre was proof enough of that. Who could say now if Itachi ever showed off his big guns, right?

Kakashi shrugged. "Hmmm... I don't think there's anyone who could match up his skills inside ANBU... I've been in ANBU ever since Minato-sensei passed away, and he easily surpassed me shortly after he joined the force... Sorry to say this Sasuke, but it's up to the new generation now."

Sasuke sighed. Yup, his revenge would take quite a while. At least more than five years, if he had to guess. He looked at the girl at his bedside. What was she doing here anyway? Didn't he bash her and all the other fangirls two days ago? Yeah, it was kind of Naruto's idea to make the girls focus more on the Academy than him, making everyone's time much more enjoyable, and probably have a few more promising genin in the future, but he'd never admit that in front of the guy. Well, just glaring at her wouldn't do any good. He would knock some sense into her dummy skull as many times as he believed it would be necessary.

"Sakura..." he said. "Is there any reason for you to be here? Shouldn't you be training, or at least with your parents, since you still have them...? I'm fine already. Aside from Kakashi here, I would rather prefer to be alone..." Then she did the one thing Sasuke absolutely did not expect. She giggled. Considering what he said to her, and how he assumed she would react, it was... kinda creepy.

"Is that right...?" she said. "Okay then, Sasuke-kun... Sorry for bothering you. Everyone's been worried about both you and Naruto, and I just volunteered to stay around here because someone from the Fellowship had to stay with Hinata. But I figured I could say a few things I've wanted to say to you since your 'lecture' two days ago..."

The young Uchiha thought for a while. Sakura sounded different. If it were two days ago, chances were that she would do everything in her power to make him feel comfortable. But she hadn't done much, aside from handing him over a glass of water and give him, or rather Hinata, company. Ever her tone of voice wasn't as loud and screeching as before. But then again, they were inside the hospital, so he figured she was trying to keep her voice down anyway. And he was stuck in here for at least one more night. Dammit. "*sigh* Okay... so, what do you want to talk about?"

"I just wanted to say thank you." she answered. Sasuke raised both eyebrows. He looked around the room to ask Kakashi to leave them alone, but he was already gone. The cunning bastard... He turned his head to face Sakura again, asking her with his eyes for an explanation.

"After your small lecture and general _bashing_... I tried to make sense of everything you said, and Ino helped me to understand that you are just like Naruto. You did this for us. You helped us, well, me at least... I wasn't paying attention to my training, or to whatever Naruto preached so much about the Will of Fire... I was being ignorant to you and to everyone else in our friends' circle."

"As a matter of fact, I finally remembered why you had my attention in the first place..." she paused and took a deep breath. "You were against everything I thought a shinobi strives for. You know... I never told my story to anyone, but... oh well, I might as well tell you a little about me, Sasuke-kun... But before that, I should tell you a bit about my family..."

"Otou-san was not always a councilman. For 3 years he was a Genin, and another 6 as a Chuunin. But since ours is a merchants' family, he had to inherit the family business. Around two years later or so, he married my Okaa-san, and soon enough Yondaime-sama called him to be part of the civilian council. Apparently, he needed someone who could empathize with the shinobi to make matters easier for both sides. That way, the village would be most benefited."

"Otou-san tried his best to help Yondaime-sama to look for new councilmen, but before he could be of more help, the Kyuubi attacked, and... well, we all know how that happened. And since Sandaime-sama had to be reinstated, most thought it would be better to keep the old members of the council, who knew him better, to help handle things. But we all know how that turned out to happen."

"For shinobi clans it's easier to keep a line of order. Since they usually pass on the position of clan head in a hereditary fashion, the ideals are passed on and there's a sense of union. For civilians it's a bit more difficult. Since the people help out in the process, the usual games of power and control get in the way of the greater scheme of things. Otou-san knew that, and Yondaime-sama knew that. But since Otou-san was no Yondaime, what could he do, right?"

"For a while, he hardly had any time to show up for dinner, and I hated that. For a while I didn't like the fact that he would rather deal with politics and shinobi than spend some time with his family. And I was never properly taught how to interact with people, aside from the family business, but I was just 3, maybe 4 years old. And the kids around my age didn't feel like hanging out with me, first because of my social status, and second because of my shy attitude, as well as this big forehead of mine, which they always liked to tease..."

"And then, I met Ino... She was the one who introduced me to the life of the shinobi. She told me about how we are supposed to keep our emotions bottled. How people's opinions matter little to what we really think. I learned how to love myself, and that I should hold on to my beliefs strongly if I wanted to survive in the kind of life we have in a shinobi village."

"I made amends with Otou-san, because I finally understood what he worked so much for. He... sacrificed his emotions and his spare time with me and Okaa-san so he could do the best he could for Konoha. That's when I decided that I would become a shinobi and help him... And show everyone that we civilians are as strong-willed as shinobi are, even if it meant sacrificing my emotions as well. I was preparing myself to face that, sooner or later."

"Then I met you, Naruto, Hinata and everyone else. When Naruto told us about how he would be Hokage... I thought he was joking for a while... And then everyone else had their own dreams and inspirations... and my dreams seemed... small. I lied through my teeth sating I just wanted to know the thrill of the shinobi life, because for a moment, I thought you were gonna laugh at me, saying that civilians like me would never understand how shinobi like you live."

"And to make matters worse, I... I couldn't believe how you all acted. Everyone seemed so... normal to me... Sure, we were just kids. We're _still_ kids, for Kami's sake. But you were never cold, distant and emotionless as I always believed that shinobi and their children were. Even when I met their parents one time or another, I saw normal adults, with bonds of fellowship and love. And I couldn't understand. Was there anything at all in the bigger picture that I missed? Was there something that I failed to see?"

"And that's when I noticed how you and Naruto would always strive forward... becoming stronger than all of us, and doing it by loving and caring for the village. Just like Otou-san. But those were different cases. Sure, Otou-san was a shinobi for a while, but the foundation of his teachings came from civilians. It just felt right that he had to love the village to protect it. But I never figured out why shinobi would need to love Konoha as well. Aren't they strong and gifted already to do that without emotions? Then why?"

"The day before yesterday, when Ino told me that you, just like Naruto, wanted us to find the strength to fight and protect Konoha... it hit me. Everything that Naruto told us about the Will of Fire 4 years ago... it all made perfect sense. We love Konoha, and that love is what grants us the strength to protect it."

"That's why I should thank you, Sasuke-kun. You put me back on the track. And now you better get ready, because I'm not falling behind you guys anymore! -**Shannarou**! Well..." in that moment, Sakura got out of the chair and headed to the door. "I think I'll see you next week, then. Get well soon, Sasuke-kun!"

And she left the room, leaving one very impressed Sasuke on the bed, thinking over about what she told him.

Seriously though, what was up with these people? Loving Konohagakure? Urging to protect it, and creating bonds of fellowship to become stronger? That's not what Itachi told him to do it... Severing bonds is painful. And once the pain goes away, the only thing that's left is new-found strength. After all, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? It should be like that.

But then... In a way, what did it matter whatever Itachi told him? He lied before, he could be lying again this time... He could very well trick him to do some nasty shit that would break him, and his friends as well. Yup, he wasn't going to make a decision in one day, after all. He had to think. Think. And think. A lot. Oh, and the silver-haired ANBU-nin returned to the room. Damn, that guy was fast, he didn't even notice him...

**3 weeks later, October 9...**

Naruto stood there, sitting on top of his father's head at the Hokage Monument. Tomorrow is his birthday, and... well, he wasn't sure of what was gonna be like. For the last 4 years, the mood and cheerfulness on every one of them have been nearly bipolar.

In his 4th birthday, he was kicked out of the orphanage, and left to die in the streets. Thankfully, Hiruzen and even Minato saved him and gave him the opportunity to make a 180-degree turn in his life. He made friends, he met Sasuke and Hinata and most of all, he gathered everyone together to create the Fellowship of Fire. On his 5th birthday, things were smooth. He got his first birthday cake ever, along with a fine evening with all of his friends and others who cared and looked out for him.

His 6th birthday started as a pleasant one, with great gifts. And even better, even after his friends were told about the Kyuubi, they stood there, supporting him. Best birthday gift ever, once again. Although it could've gone better if it weren't for one particular mob who hunted him, and even his friends down. Oh well, at least he got to meet the Kyuubi, which turned out to be a nice history sensei, even with all the fur and aggressive personality.

Before he could think about how nice his 7th birthday was, though, the one who made it nice to begin with was standing by his side, with that strange orange book in his hand, although Naruto was pretty sure he was in fact looking at the great view, rather than reading. Naruto smiled at seeing his protector only in his non-ANBU mask. "Heh... you're up early, Kakashi-niisan. Way too early, in fact. You know my birthday is only tomorrow, right?"

"Maa, maa... can't I even perform my mission peacefully?" asked a bored-looking Kakashi. "I'm never late for S-rank missions anyway, so I might as well meet you here. Tomorrow I'll be busy, and I might not show up at whatever you might be planning to do."

"Oh... okay, then. I was expecting you'd tell me another great story about Tou-chan and Team 7... Oh well... Oh, speaking of your S-rank mission... you and the other ANBU are supposed to keep an eye on me, right?"

"...Yes..."

"So... does it mean that... you guys are there even when I'm taking Hinata-chan out on a date?"

"… … …"

"Answer me, Kakashi-niisan..."

"Hmmmm... Yup, we do. Sorry about that, but those are orders from Hokage-sama."

"Meh... I'll talk to him tomorrow about that. Anyway... if you're here early, does that mean story time?"

"Hmm...? Oh... no. Actually, I've been thinking of giving you your birthday gift earlier, that's all. Here, make good use of it." Kakashi handed him over a small wrapped box. Naruto opened it, and to his surprise, there was a carefully handcrafted tri-pronged kunai. "No freaking way... that's-"

"Yup. That's the **Hiraishin** kunai your father gave to me when I was promoted to Jounin. It helped me out in that one battle at the Third World Shinobi War, and I figured you might need it sometime in the future. Even if you don't know how to use the **Hiraishin no Jutsu**, you might as well use the kunai. It's heavier and these two extra blade ends make it very useful for defense as well."

Naruto examined the kunai very carefully. It was well crafted, and the grip was very sturdy. The marking of the most terrifying space-time ninjutsu in shinobi history was carved on the grip, and the blade was still very sharp. It was simple awesome. "Wow..." he said. "That's... quite a gift. Thank you so much, Kakashi-niisan."

"Think nothing of it, otouto." the gray-haired ANBU-nin answered, with his visible right eye in a upside-down U, meaning a happy face. "Well, I suppose you should head over to the Academy now, right?" he asked, putting his Inu mask on.

"I think you're right. Wait a moment... **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!" a single clone was created. "Take the kunai home, and scan through Tou-chan's fuuinjutsu book. If I somehow missed the **Hiraishin**, let me know." The clone simply nodded and went home. "Well, let's get going now, Kakashi-niisan!" Kakashi had his eye-smile on his masked face as he nodded and vanished, although Naruto knew he was nearby. Damn it, he couldn't even kiss his girlfriend because Kakashi was nearby. He definitely had to talk to Hiruzen about this...

**Later that afternoon, at the Academy...**

"Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, enter the ring!" Iruka said, making both boys frown, for very different reasons. Sasuke quickly made his way to the ring, while Naruto approached Iruka. "Ne, Iruka-sensei..." he said. "It's the third time this week we've been put up against each other. Why is that?"

"I honestly don't know, Naruto." the Chuunin answered. "The Academy schedule is set up by the Headmaster and some assistants, and most of the matters attending the institution's administration stopped being shinobi issues for more than 15 years. So if you wanna complain to someone, you can either talk to someone on the civilian council, or Hokage-sama himself..."

Naruto nodded, a little begrudgingly. "_Who do those old geezers think they are?_" he thought. "_They're trying to make a show out of us, instead of putting the effort of helping the students who need the experience..._" Oh, he was talking to Hiruzen alright. NO ONE made a spectacle out of talented kids. He finally entered the ring and made the Confrontation Seal, while Sasuke made the same. "Okay then..." said Iruka. "Hajime!"

Both Naruto and Sasuke, as well as anyone from the Fellowship had a inner rule: whenever they'd have to fight against each other, they'd only use their respective clans' katas if the fight lasted longer than 90 seconds. It was a way to keep the element of surprise, and see how much each one of them was evolving, and it was a nice measurement to evaluate their dedication to the training. Oh, they'd be Genin, maybe even Chuunin any time of the day now. It's just that they wanted to enjoy the social experience of the Academy. Besides, you're only young once in your life, and they would enjoy it a little more.

After the first 90 seconds of the fight passed, Naruto and Sasuke stood in front of each other. Naruto assumed the second kata of the **Uzuken**, which he took around 3 months to master, even with **Kage Bunshins**. It had around 13 steps and required inhuman speed to get the dizzying typhoon effect to paralyze the enemy during the fight. Oh, and he had to train while over a body of water, to make sure he could get the typhoon effect. It made him ask who the fuck came up with this taijutsu in the first place. Oh right, his ancestors... Well, never mind. He studied Sasuke's position and distance and made the mental image.

"_Dash. Left foot. Spin. Right fist. Right foot. Jump with the left foot, despite the uncomfortable position. Spin arms and legs. Man, I won't even need to finish off the kata, the next punch will get him._" and with that, Naruto made the punch, and sure enough, it hit Sasuke right in the chest, who flew a few feet and landed on his knees. He cut his lip during the fall. Iruka quickly stepped in between and announced. "Victory by first blood, Uzumaki Naruto!"

A few people cheered for Naruto, and other groaned because they expected a fiercer fight. Naruto and Sasuke approached each other and made the Union Seal. The young Jinchuuriki looked at his friend in the eye, and he saw _it_.

"_It's been three weeks..._" he thought. "_And his eyes are still filled with hatred... I've never seen that much of it, even among the villagers who mistreat me..._"

"_**I told you, Yondaime-kozo... this is the curse of hatred that infects this damned Uchiha clan... no matter how much you try, their hearts will always seek power through this curse...**_" said the Kyuubi.

"_Yeah, yeah, I've heard it before... not that it matter much, anyway. I'm finding an end to this... And I'm doing it today._"

"_**How, may I ask?**_"

"_You'll see..._ Hey, Sasuke." he said, getting the Uchiha's attention. "I know this awesome place that I love to spend the morning before I go to the Academy... wanna come with me?"

Sasuke thought for a while. It didn't sound like Naruto to train just before the Academy, despite all the years they spent together doing exactly that in the morning. But it sounded important to him, anyway. And if it was important to him, it had some link to how Naruto's personality, and therefore his attitude and resolve might have come from. "… … Sure." he said, with a smile on his face.

As the day went by and the class was over, Naruto and Sasuke walked around Konoha. They saw how people would look at them. The villagers felt pity for the poor Uchiha who lost everything because of a barbaric act of treason. Meanwhile, the Jinchuuriki had a few looks of disgust, as always, but also a few other of respect and regret. Having his Uzumaki heritage revealed had some benefits, after all. Stores and people greeted him and a few girls and women took a few glances. Naruto could hear a whisper here and there, saying something like 'Can you imagine how he's gonna look like when he becomes a teen, or an adult?'. It kinda irked him. He was still a kid, and he was already engaged, dammit!

In the end, Uzumaki and Uchiha stood at the summit of the Hokage Monument, as the sun was starting to set down. The Kyuubi had quite the opinion about this scenery. "_**Feh, dumbass... As if that could possibly work! Talking your heart out in a nice summit at sunset is a terrible scenario. I told you that watching too many of those lame-ass romantic movies with the Hyuuga girl would fry your braincells!**_"

"_Thanks for the tip... not._ And here we are, Sasuke." he said, sitting on top of his father's stone head. Sasuke followed along, unsure of what would happen next. Why did Naruto bring him here? Was there something he missed in the big picture when Naruto told him to come along? As his eyes gazed the village below, Naruto cleared his throat.

"Well, then... I guess it's time we have the conversation I've been longing to have..."

"And what do you want to talk about?" the Uchiha asked. Naruto turned around to face his brother figure.

"...It's time you made your decision, Sasuke. You'll either get rid of your hatred... or I'll do it for you."

* * *

**A/N: Yay, cliffhanger again! You must be hating me by now... I wanted to write a lot more, and include an Omake telling Kakashi's story, and how Naruto now calls him nii-san. But I decided to stop here, for three reasons: First, most of the content I would put in this chapter would be more fitting in the next chapter, which is 'Will'. Second, I need to recheck a few things here and there, regarding not only this, but the other stories I'm writing. I'm also considering to put Kakashi's Gaiden as an overall whole chapter, because it is quite a large story.**

**And last, but not least, I've got a symposium tomorrow, and I also have to study for exams. So I'll be taking yet another few weeks to update the next chapter. But as soon as I'm done, I'll update all of my stories AND I'll probably even have one new story ready to publish, just to please you guys.**

**Next chapter: Will. Sometimes we have the love to move forward. Sometimes the hatred is a key factor. And power, either as an ambition or as a mean, also helps. But everything depends on your drive to do it. Sometimes... it's not about what do you _want_ to do, or what _can_ you do. It's about what _will_ you do. That is what the next chapter is about. And you, reader? Will _you_ look forward to the next chapter? If you do, I _will_ see you next time, then...**


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Naruto, Adventure, Romance