Naruto 1. Fights Usually Contain Lots of Clues

By five, she had already helped 138 elderly on 18432 occasions. She was a very quiet girl, calm in the face of danger, but she was never shy. She always stared at people in their eyes, so fearless it unnerved many people, and she always smiled a kind smile when she was thanked. Then she would nod and slowly walk away. She never blamed the adults for beating her on her birthdays, and she was never in a hurry. She had an air of grace unmatched by any adult, and had succeeded in maintaining that air even when running from the drunken adults with fear on her face.

She had also healed many animals, using any medicine and bandages she had, so she had lots of medical knowledge. She made a grave everytime one died, and she never failed to mourn them, even after she was beaten. As a result, she was loved by all the elders, and always received presents from them. One day, she was helping Mayu-baa-san, when she saw a crying little girl.

She reached inside her pocket and took out a candy, holding it out to the little girl. When the girl looked up with wide, innocent eyes, she smiled a kind smile that was answered by a wide grin. As the girl reached up, her mother snatched her away from the candy.

"What do you think you're doing, you filthy little rat? You think you can poison my little girl, do you? Well, think again! Dear, this monster was trying to poison our little darling! Dear!" shrieked the woman. Instantly, a man was beside her, and a crowd was forming.

"Poisoning your daughter? Don't make me laugh! Where do you think this girl would have gotten the poison? Hm?" Mayu-baa-san retorted. "Youngsters these days, never thinking things through...," as she continued to rant on and on, the woman's face turned steadiy redder and redder.

"Mayu-san, why are you defending that demon? Did you forget that she was the one to kill your husband?" she shrieked.

"Demon? DEMON! How dare you! Stop that filth coming from your wife's foul mouth, Makoto!" Mayu yelled. "Naru-chan, come here! Don't listen to that crazy woman! I swear, youngsters these days need to be sent to the asylum."

"Mayu-san, please don't say those kind of things to my wife! What she says is right! That girl right there is a demon, just like Yumi said!" Makoto exclaimed, and received an appreciative roar from the crowd.

"If this girl really is the demon incarnate, as you say, shouldn't she have lost all her memories? And even if she did retain her memories, don't you think she would have already killed all of you?" Mayu retorted. Makoto hesitated, pondering her words, but Yumi didn't want to lose.

"We're trying to finish what the Yondaime started. Don't get in the way, old hag!" shouted Yumi. The crowd roared in approval again, while she plowed on. "We're respecting Yondaime-sama right now, by finishing her life!"

"Have you no shame?" came a voice from the crowd. "Have you no shame, Yumi, that you would try to finish an innocent life?" A small group of elderly men and women worked their way from the crowd. "Also, if you really respect the Yondaime, you would honor his dying wish! Or have you forgotten that he meant for this innocent girl to be treated as the hero?" the elderly man, the leader of the group, continued.

"Shut up! What do you mean that she's a hero? Have you gone mad in your old age? Are you so blind to not see that she's a demon?" Yumi continued to scream, but this time there was no roar from the crowd as they contemplated the old man's words.

"Are you so blind that you can not see that you're trampling on the Yondaime's wish?" he roared, hurting many ears. "And do you not see that you're doubting his skills as a sealmaster right now? _It_ is SEALED inside of her! Uzumaki Naru is serving as the prison, the only wall between us and _it_! That was what Yondaime-sama meant as the hero!"

There was a deafening silence, one where everyone else was thinking through what the old man said. However, the silence was broken when an ANBU came dropping from a tree branch.

"What is going on here?" he demanded, voice muffled slightly by the dog mask on his face.

"Nothing, ANBU-sama. There is nothing to worry about here," Makoto said with a sigh, and the crowd was dispersed.

"Obaa-san, can you let me see Sarutobi ojii-san?" Naru asked in a quiet, melodious voice. As she got a nod, she whispered an apology and thanks. She turned to the ANBU, who had stayed during the whole time, staring at her. She smiled slightly, grasped his hand, and led the way towards the Hokage tower.

* * *

"Did you listen to the whole thing?" Naru asked quietly, after a while of silent walking. He was startled, she could see, and she smiled slightly, saying, "You've been there the whole time. Even before then, you were always with me."

To say that he was surprised was an understatement, as he stopped for a moment, staring at her now impassive face.

"...Yes," was all he said, and they continued walking in silence.

In truth, he had been following her, and had been silently agreeing with the Yumi woman, but was startled out of his mind by what the old man had said. Now, he was forced to reevaluate what he thought of her. He had been assigned as her guard from the moment she was sent to the orphanage. All he was certain about was the fact that she was quiet, observant, and undoubtedly kind and understanding. Could a demon really do that? But he already knew what the seal did; it was that obvious to see in Kushina. So now, he was forced to admit that Naru is definitely _not_ a demon.

Before he knew it, they had arrived in front of the Hokage's office door. He had been so out of it that he had let Naru lead him. As she opened the door, he took his time studying her. She was short, malnourished, and thin, but she was graceful, quiet, balanced, and observant. She moved like an experienced fighter, avoiding objects with practiced ease. She walked silently, like an assassin, and she noticed every space in the floor boards, deciding in split seconds whether or not they would make a sound. As a result, Sarutobi only noticed her when she was right in front of him.

"Ah, Naru-chan," he said, totally calm, as though this happened everyday. On second thought, it probably did.

"The Kyuubi's sealed inside of me," she said bluntly. The statement surprised him so much that the files fell from his hand, along with his pipe. He looked at the ANBU, begging an explanation. "There was a fight between Mayu-baa-san and a woman called Yumi-san. They talked about it, seals, and the Yondaime's dying wish. It wasn't hard to connect the dots," Naru shrugged, explaining before the ANBU could.

"Inu," Sarutobi sighed, sending a disappoint glance towards him. Inu instantly felt guilt swell up inside of him, but pushed it down forcefully. "Okay then. I suppose it's time to tell you of the truth. You'd have found out about this either way." He gestured both of them to follow him, and led them to a hidden room.

It was bare except for two scrolls atop a desk at the middle of the room. "These are letters from your parents. You can take them with you, but you'd have to destroy them afterwards," Sarutobi explained, looking towards Naru. She shook her head and said, "I'll read them here." She took the scroll with the word 'father' on it and opened it with only a second of hesitation.

* * *

'Father'

_Hello, my daughter. I'm sorry I can't be there with you. I wish I could, but, well, there's a rampaging beast out there, destroying my home. I'm writing this with you beside me. You look so cute; you have my hair and eyes, but your mother's nose and mouth. You look so tiny, tinier than a normal baby, but I wouldn't have you any other way._

_But first, I want you to know this. There is a man claiming to be Uchiha Madara controlling the Kyuubi. He put the Kyuubi under a powerful genjutsu, one that neither I nor the beast can break. I'll be sealing the Yin half of its chakra in me, while I seal the Yang half in you. I'm putting it inside you because I trust you to use it in the right way. With the way the seal works, the Kyuubi's chakra will be converting into your chakra, so it should cease to exist by the time you're twenty. However, I cannot guarantee that effect of the seal, because I've never tested it out._

_Anyways, I gotta run. Your mother is in another room right now, also writing a letter to you. I just want to say this: always, always protect the people you love, and never forget that I love you._

_And I'm sorry I'm condemning you to this fate._

_Love,_

_Namikaze Minato_

* * *

She cried. It wasn't the kind of all out bailing that five years old do; it was the silent kind, one that gave out an aura of immense sadness. She shook her head at Sarutobi, who was trying to comfort her.

"I'm... fine," she choked out. She reached out for the second scroll, which had the word 'mother' on it, and put the first scroll back on the table.

* * *

'Mother'

_Hello, Naru, my love. I don't know how old you are, but I would have liked you to read this when you are at least a genin, or twelve if you chose to be a civilian. You're in another room, with your father, who is also writing a letter to you. It'll be short, because there isn't much time left until he has to seal the Kyuubi, but he'll definitely tell about the truth of tonight, and that he loves you._

_You know, I was the previous Jinchuuriki of Kyuubi. A Jinchuuriki is a 'human sacrifice', one that has a tailed beast sealed inside him or her. I came from the land of Whirlpool, Uzushiogakure, and was the princess over there. I was sent here to Konoha when I was young because there was a war going on. I met your father in the Academy, but Sarutobi-jiji can tell you more than this letter will._

_Being a Jinchuuriki does not mean you are the beast itself; I'm sure you know that. You can talk to it by going inside your mind, but I suggest you not to try it before you are a Chunin. However, if you have already found out about your status as the Jiinchuriki, you would have dreamt of the Kyuubi that night, because you would be unconciously trying to search it out. But be careful; foxes are tricksters. They're cunning liars, almost always getting what they want._

_I haven't had the chance to really look at you, but I just know you'd grow up to be a cute girl. If your father lives after the sealing, he'd be chasing off your suitors with a stick! I just wish I could be there too... I could feel my life ebbing away. But I'll tell you two more things. Uchiha Madara knows when a Jinchuuriki is weakest. He pulled the Kyuubi out of my body right after I gave birth to you, and that was when the seal was weakest._

_Be careful of him. He was supposed to have died when the Shodai Hokage killed him, but he had lived somehow._

_The last thing is, I love you. I don't know how many times I have already told you this, but I'm certain you won't remember. That's why I'm telling you again in this letter._

_I love you, Naru. I swear on my name as Uzumaki Kushina, I'll never hate you._

* * *

"I love you too... Mom, Dad," was heard in the silent room. The plitter platter of teardrops never ceased, echoing in the room.

Sarutobi embraced her, never saying a word, just letting her cry it all out. For the first time, she acted like a five years old. She bawled her eyes out, demanding why her father had to be the Hokage, had to stop the Kyuubi. Why did her mother have to be the previous Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi? She cursed her father for sealing the Kyuubi inside her, for having that sense of duty that would in the end kill all compassionate leaders, and for telling her he loved her, making her unable to truly hate him, because it would have been so much easier if she hated him.

She cursed her mother for conceiving her, for being the previous Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. She cursed the Kyuubi for existing, for being fooled by the genjutsu, for being sealed inside of her mother. But most of all, she cursed Uchiha Madara for ripping the Kyuubi away from her mother when she was most vulnerable, for putting a genjutsu on it, pitting her father against it.

The flow of questions never ceased, and neither men in the room said anything. Why did she have to be born? Why were her parents Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina? Why did the Jnchuuriki have to have that kind of weakness? Why did the Kyuubi have to destroy Konoha? Why did that damned Uchiha Madara have to live on, even after he was supposed to be dead?

After a long while of wailing and demanding, Naru fell asleep in Sarutobi's arms. He scooped her up, passed her to Inu, and whispered a command.

"Bring her to her home. Guard her, never leave her side, so that when she wakes up, she'll have someone beside her. Comfort her when she needs comforting. Be the big brother you had never been for her. Tell her who you are, what relationship you had with Minato and Kushina, then send a message to me so that I can know that she has woken up. She's going to want some explanations, and I don't want her to get out of bed. She's been keeping all of this inside her for so long."

Inu nodded, and proceeded to walk towards the door, but he stopped when the Hokage said one last thing that filled his whole mind with overwhelming guilt and shame. "And during the time she sleeps, think about whether you were right or wrong about hating her."


	2. Ignorance and Dwelling

He was guilty. He was ashamed. He knew all that, but would never admit it. Hatake Kakashi, code name Inu, would never admit that, because then he would be admitting he was wrong. And he's never wrong. His pride would never survive that blow. But he knew. Oh, of course he knew. How could he not? In fact, it was because of this that his former rival, his best friend and teammate died. Pride doesn't mean anything when in a life or death situation. And this, right now, right here, may not be a life or death situation, but he would have died if Sensei and Kushina-san were alive. But he would have to admit it, sooner or later...

"Nngh...," came a quiet voice from the bed. He'd been beside the bed for the whole night, observing her. It was almost dawn now.

He looked at her. Her brows were furrowed, not in a painful way, but in a thoughtful way. She must be talking to the Kyuubi, he realized. He just hoped she survived the encounter...

* * *

_Naru's Mindscape_

She was in a sewer. It was dirty, the pipes were torn, and it was all so grey. It was all just so... dull. She didn't like this. Sure, she liked things simple, but that didn't mean she like things _dull_ and disgusting. She heard the sound of metal being scraped, and followed it through the dull, lifeless sewer. The sound echoed off the wall, louder and louder with each step she took. When she turned around a corner, she was met with the sight of a tall cage, its endless bars stretching towards a height she could not see.

"Hm? What's this? Has my container finally decided to come meet me?" it was a voice full of malice, and she could hear the sneer on his face even without looking up.

"Hello."

"What, no screams of fright? No scrambling away? Do you not feel my power, _girl_?" Indeed, it was a fearsome thing. Bloodred fur, pointy ears, slitted eyes, and sharp, glinting teeth and claws. The pressure she felt was overwhelming, but nothing can be done if you're runing away all the time. Better spend that time asking, rather than cowering in fear. She didn't have a whole day, after all.

"Do you... want me to be afraid?" she asked, frowning. "I am, but nothing can be done when you're cowering in fear."

"Why have you come? Do you not hate me? Loathe me? You cursed me when you read the letters, but you did not feel any real hatred towards me, only towards Uchiha Madara. How is that so?" he purposefully avoided her question. He didn't know why, but he just didn't want to hear her answer if he said 'yes'.

Yes, what he said was true. She could not help but feel sorry for the Kyuubi, even while she cursed him for... everything. What does it feel like, to be out of control? To realize that it was all an illusion, but unable to break away from it? Oh, she was sure the Kyuubi knew of the genjutsu. She was so very sure of it. How, she didn't know. It was just a feeling in her gut.

"I don't know. You knew of the genjutsu, but you could not break away from it. So you took out your fustration on Konoha, right? I feel sorry for you. What did it feel like, to lose sight of yourself?" she asked, stepping closer to the cage with each syllable, until she was right in front of it. She put her hand of one of the bars, never breaking eye contact with the beast in front of her.

Why wasn't he attacking her? He normally would have, but he couldn't. Or rather, wouldn't. He had been so ferocious to his previous hosts, so hostile that even the previous container, Kushina, didn't dare come close to him. She would always be right out of his reach when they talked, but this girl, this five years old girl, was walking right towards him, never looking away. He liked that.

He felt so... docile now. Her voice, although quiet, was able to gain his unwavering attention with just one syllable. Her eyes, so bare, so open, showed all of her emotions. He knew that everyday, she would guard her features, her eyes, her face, so that they showed nothing other than what she wanted them to. But he appreciated the fact that she was not doing anything like that right now. He had never felt this trusted before. He liked that as well.

The first and foremost thing he saw in her eyes was trust. That surprised him. He had expected fear. There was fear, he could tell, but it was pushed aside with her trust for him. Even now, the trust was growing, and the fear disappearing. He layed his head down on his overlapped paws so that she didn't have to crane her neck just to stay in eye contact with him.

"Why do you trust me?" It was a simple question, but one that held much more meaning to him than her.

"You didn't hurt me." A simple answer. But that was not what he meant. He must have frowned, because she smiled. "I won't hurt you. You don't have be afraid."

What did that mean? How could she see through him so easily? But what she said was true. He had waited for so long for someone other than Rokudo Sennin to trust him, to love him. And he knew, he just knew, that she would never betray him, that she'd do anything she could for him. So he nodded, and so they talked.

She asked his origins, so he told her all about the Rokudo Sennin, the Juubi, and the splitting of its chakra.

"So you're a hero. You were made to prevent world destruction. You saved the world, along with all the other Bijuus." She never ceased to surprise him. He felt good, being called a hero. That was what the Sennin said they were.

They continued to talk. She asked how he became so hateful, so scared of trusting. He told her of all the people that feared him, loathed him, and struggled to use him. When he told her of how he killed them all, she only had a very sad, yet understanding look, as though she knew of what he was talking about. She did, at least the being feared and loathed part.

He asked her why she did not hate the villagers, the ones responsible of her past five years. Her answer was very... enlightening.

"Some say ignorance is bliss, but in the end, ignorance ony causes fear. The villagers were ignorant of what the seal did, and they didn't know that I was not you. But hopefully, they'd come to their senses, what with that fight between Mayu-baa-san and the woman Yumi. Isn't it better to... enlighten them, rather than killing them and causing even more fear?"

She asked him about that night of sealing five years ago. He answered in great detail; what Madara wore and said, how he felt, what her father and mother did...

She was yawning by the end of his recounting, and he told her to go to sleep.

"Sleep is used to regain your energy you used during the time you were awake. It comes in two parts: physical and mental. Right now, your body is resting, but your mind isn't, so you'd still be tired if you woke up like this, no matter how long you slept," he lectured.

She looked around the sewer, and asked if she could change this place. Of course she could, this was her mindscape. She changed the sewer into a field surrounded by trees. It was all very beautiful, and big enough that he could be in his full size and still have some room left. The cage had disappeared, but there was a collar on his neck with the kanji for seal. She looked aroung, satisfied with her work, and went to him, lying against his fur to sleep. Suddenly she looked up at him and asked the two questions she always wanted to know.

"Does the seal work? The part where it takes your chakra and converts it into my own."

"No, but you already have large reserves. You don't need my chakra."

"Well then, do you have a name? I don't really want to keep calling you Kyuubi, you know."

"...Kurama." And so she fell asleep.

* * *

She had been sleeping for twelve hours on her mindscape, but in the physical world it had only been two. Wehn she woke, the first thing she realized was that she was in her home, on her bed. Then she saw the man beside her, staring at her. She immediately knew who he was, even without the ANBU mask. She smiled at him.

"Thank you." That startled him. His eyes went wide with surprise, and as he opened his mouth to ask, she answered it before he could voice it out. "You're Inu, right? You always saved me after the beatings. So, thank you."

He almost cried. This girl knew what he always did, but was still thanking him. "I didn't save you. I let you be beaten before jumping in. I shouldn't have let you be beaten in the first place. I'm sorry," he cried out the last part, almost begging to be hated. Then he wouldn't be feeling so ashamed, so guilty. This girl was thanking him for something he didn't do, something he should have done. But she was still smiling.

"But you always took me back to this place. You always dressed my most serious wounds, when you could have left me there, being beaten to death. So, thank you." That was the last straw. He cried, apologizing over and over again, not just to her, but also to Sensei, Kushina-san, and the Sandaime Hokage. He knew he was wrong then, and he admitted it, but it didn't hurt as much as he thought it would. In fact, he felt relief when he admitted it, like a big weight had just been lifted from his heart.

She let him hold her while he cried, all the while smiling as though nothing was wrong. And to her, nothing _was_ wrong. Maybe, through this, she would gain an older brother, one she would have had if at least her father was alive.

After he calmed down, they talked about her parents, how he came to know them, and what they would have thought about her.

"Hm? They'd be proud, of course. You're very forgiving, calm, kind, courageous, and understanding. And you'd make a good kunoichi, too." She had laughed slightly, happy about this revelation.

"Onii-chan, what's with your left eye? Are you blind?" The question, so innocent, had made him freeze. He looked at her with sad eyes, and she immediately said, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," giving him a look of understanding.

He shook his head and just told her. He knew she wouldn't judge him, so he told her how guilty he felt, how he caused his friend's death, and how he should have learned that lesson about pride but didn't. She didn't say anything for a long time, and he was starting to think she's hating him, but she suddenly said something, something that stopped his sulking he did from the moment Obito died.

"You know," she said, "onii-chan is a really nice person. But if your teammate, Obito, really is as you say, then shouldn't he be wanting to kill you right now? You're sulking, onii-chan. If, as you say, you caused his death, then shouldn't you be living for him right now? You have a heavy burden on your shoulders, Kakashi-nii, and you shouldn't have to bear them alone. I can help, so could Sarutobi-jii-san, and your friends. Don't dwell on the past too much, or you'll lose sight of your surroundings. Why don't we all live for him, Mom, Dad, and everyone else that died?" She added, "And look around you for someone to share the burden with; someone you never would have befriended in the past, but doesn't seem so bad now."

Kakashi laughed at the simplicity of the answer he'd been looking for. He had been dwelling on the past so much, thinking of a way to get away from the haunting, going in circles for the answer. And yet, you could never get away from the past, so why not just accept it? He chuckled as Naru's stomach grumbled and summoned Pakkun so deliver the message to the Sandaime Hokage.

After Sarutobi got the message that Naru's awake, he Shunshin'ed to Naru, arriving just in time for breakfast. They talked and laughed like a real family, and Nau told them about Kurama at his urging, and they had readily accepted the explanation after a few minutes of shocked silence. Naru had heard mad cacklings from inside her mind at their expressions, and she sighed at Kurama's antics.


End file.

Naruto, Adventure, Family