Yellow eyes with horizontal pupils met blue eyes as Toad Elder engaged in a stare off with resurrected, time-traveling summoner. He'd been in contact with Minato a few times, trying to caution the boy to not engage in this plan of his. Willful Minato could be but never this obstinate. He'd changed and Fukasaku didn't think it was for the better.

"The world had peace, Minato. You said it yourself, there was peace." Fukasaku said, deciding to start. "It was a shame you lost Naruto-chan to achieve it but he wasn't more important than that. You used to understand this."

"Oh, I understand it perfectly. Tell me, what is Naruto more important than?" Minato asked the sage. And while the villages were at peace, the world was not. Momoshiki and Kinshiki had saw to that.

"I don't know how to answer that."

"Not more important than peace, yet the key to obtaining it. Not more important than Konoha but was the key to protecting it. Not more important than his team and yet he was the one to lose his life trying to salvage it. What isn't more important than Naruto? For one that is expected to do so much he seems relatively worthless to everyone."

"That's not fair, Minato."

"Isn't it? I make him a Jinchuuriki and leave him with nothing. No words, no guides, no protection. Oh, no, my chakra imprint told him how proud I was. I'd done nothing but make his life difficult what right did I have to be proud? Jiraiya and Kakashi both didn't meet him until he was twelve and neither trained him well. You didn't meet him until he was sixteen, after Jiraiya died. If peace were so important why did none of us do anything but the bare minimum for him? Why did we leave him to his misery? His only support an old man too weak or too blind to keep his villagers in control."

"I understand you regret not having done more, knowing what you told me I do too. We could have been there earlier, should have and not left it to Jiraiya but even with our mistakes he achieved something great."

"And imagine what he could have gone on to achieve. If only people wanted him to fulfill his potential instead of being ok with him just making it through. I won't accept that. I sacrificed him when he was hours old, he never had a choice but to live as one. I won't accept it was his fate to die as one. Besides, there is no going back. I've issued my challenge and Naruto has four years to be better than he ever would have been."

"At what cost! What happens when the absence of an overriding threat leads the nations to go to war?"

"If Naruto is fated to bring peace then what does it matter?"

"You don't know if this will be for the better, Minato. You could have doomed us all to something so much worse."

"Worse?" Minato asked, voice raised. "You want to know worse? Everyday I was trapped in the Shinigami's stomach I could feel Naruto's negative emotions. I had no sense of time so I couldn't track his age but I know at a certain point it was constant. It never ended, I had to feel the sadness and despair my only son felt. His heartbreak, his insecurities. All of it. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is worse than that. I'll make sure my son gets the future he deserves even if I have to go to war with every Hidden Village in existence, your prophecy be damned." Minato was breathing hard now. He hated those memories, of the powerlessness he felt as his son suffered. So lonely and distraught with no one there to save him, not really.

Fukasaku couldn't counter that, he didn't know what to say as watching your young struggle and grow was the responsibility of the older generation and it could be heartbreaking. But truly feeling the emotions Naruto felt in his isolation and knowing it is partially your fault and you had no way to change it? It'd drive one to madness. And Fukasaku had to wonder if that's what this was, a crazed father trying to fix his mistakes and the perceived mistakes of all around him.

"Minato, I can't begin to know how you feel and I know you mean well but… this could prove dangerous to so many. Why not just tell Naruto who you are. He'd be over the moon to have you and Kushina-chan back."

"And he'd lose his motivation to progress. The threats would be theoretical and he'd always have in the back of his head that he could rely on us, that he could fail and it'd be ok. Until his issues are resolved, he can never believe he has the option to fail, that he is expendable. Eventually, he'll understand it from those that love him that he has value but that'll take time. Now? If he loses, if he dies he knows he risks leaving his precious people to a madman."

"I hope you know what you're doing, Minato-boy." Was all Fukasaku could say before he returned home.

"There is something else I need to report, Tsunade-sama." Kakashi started. Naruto had just vacated the tower, all still surprised by his lack of reaction. They were used to him being loud and reactive so him being so subdued was still hard to accept.

"What is it, Kakashi?"

"When I was retrieving him I did so by shunshin. Somehow he knew I was on my way and had a rasengan waiting for me. I was fast enough to grab his wrist but he likely performed it one handed and on instinct. I doubt he's even fully aware he did it."

"Hmm.." Tsunade said sounding as if she were in deep consideration. She knew some features of the seal Minato applied, including providing Naruto with a supplementary chakra network to ease the burden on his naturally existing one. It wouldn't give him perfect chakra control but it would give him the ability to achieve the elusive fine chakra control. Gen and iryojutsu would no longer be outside of his abilities if he dedicated the time and shadow clones to it. There were other changes but how it would affect Naruto in the long run would be unknown as Kurama's affect on Naruto's chakra and therefore chakra expression couldn't be predicted but whatever attributes that would have been there would start to reveal themselves in the coming months.

But the hyper awareness and being on edge my point to something else. Given he was nearly killed by his friend and attacked within the village may point to some post traumatic symptoms. Finding out about his family would certainly be a shock as well. Tsunade sighed again, he was such a ball of sunshine that when this happened originally she never thought to send him to talk about it, Sakura either. It was a mistake and potentially fueled their obsession with saving the Uchiha traitor. Reaching a decision she responded to Kakashi,

"I'm going to set him up with a few sessions with Inoichi. Sakura, too. Hopefully that mitigates everything they've been through. Now, how are you two going to train Naruto?"

"Kakashi won't be involved." Jiraiya stated immediately in response. "I know the kid is going to want to delve into what his parents left him so I'll see what that includes before making too rigid of a schedule. I have a plan on how to conditioned him and work his chakra control at the same time. I also know Genma, Raido and Iwashi have agreed to spend an afternoon each with the gaki teaching him their specialities but that'll be after I get him alone for a few months.

I'll iron out his basics, get him in tip top shape and then start his advance studies. It shouldn't take longer than three months to get his physical conditioning and calligraphy to where I want it. Then I'll be increasing his ninjutsu arsenal and getting used to working with the toads."

"That sounds fine, Jiraiya, but why can't Kakashi be involved? If nothing else, he'd make an excellent ninjutsu tutor." Tsunade reasoned and Jiraiya scoffed.

"If he were going to do it he'd have done it and I don't have time to waste on this brat getting his head right. I'll be too busy pulling my head out my own ass."

"Kakashi, how do you feel about that?"

"I stand by how I instructed my genin. I didn't advance Naruto as fast as he could have, I didn't just pump him full of skills because I was focused on the ethics of being a ninja. Lessons I believe all need to internalize so future skills can be used responsibly. And before Jiraiya replies, I wasn't playing favorites. Admittedly, Sasuke needed those lessons more than either Naruto or Sakura but they still needed to learn to work as a team and they were getting there. Whereas the other Jounin sensei could rely on clan training or their students being one dimensional I had to resolve a host of psychological issues."

"Those fire jutsu Sasuke just started winging when he hadn't demonstrated a knowledge of them beforehand, those were self taught?" asked Jiraiya, figuring Kakashi would try to pull something to cover his ass so he read carefully over every mission briefing and update involving Team 7.

"No. After he achieved his Sharingan I taught him two katon jutsu as, at the time, I pegged him the leader and most capable of the three."

"And this is why Naruto won't need him. He plays favorites with the genius, just like Sensei did. And said genius turned traitor."

"You admitted had it not been for the additional seal you were going to primarily focus on Naruto using the Kyuubi's chakra. You've never trained a jinchuuriki before and I highly doubt you got information from Kiri or Kumo so how are you any better, Jiraiya?" Tsunade asked.

"In many ways, I'm not. I can admit as much and in hindsight, having him rely on the chakra the Akatsuki was prepared to suppress wasn't the smartest idea I ever had. But fortunately I have a chance to amend my approach."

"Kakashi would have time as well, especially since you aren't leaving the village for three years."

"He made a choice to hold Naruto back. I would have never thought to speed up his development with shadow clones, Kakashi knew and said nothing. Not one hint. He could have had Naruto working on soft or fine motor skills. It didn't require pumping him full of ninjutsu but for the boy with oceanic chakra reserves to only have his repertoire increased when he met me is inexcusable."

Tsunade knew Kakashi was hands off with his team's development, leaving most of it to Jiraiya and her. But she was getting a second chance and so was Jiraiya, without him knowing it. Didn't Kakashi deserve one as well?

"I understand your argument, Jiraiya, but I want Kakashi to be involved anyway. Whenever you start on his advanced skills I want Kakashi to contribute. Kakashi, the world doesn't just hand out second chances, I expect you engaged with training both your remaining students."

"I thought she was going to be your apprentice."

"And that means you just cut off all contact? You are still her sensei, Kakashi. Start acting like it." Seeing the man nod, she dismissed them both and returned to her stack of paperwork, cursing it to eternity.

Feeling overwhelmed Naruto headed to his apartment. His emotions fluctuated so violently that he felt he was being torn apart. He knew he should find Sakura-can, she deserved to hear about Sasuke from him. A piece of him wondered if she'd blame him for failing, for holding back instead of going all out. He couldn't handle her disappointment, not right now. Normally, when he had negative emotions he could push them down or look on the brighter side.

He'd finally found out about his parents and they loved him. He was wanted. Not some accident or mistake, not something that emerged from the earth, a ready vessel for the Kyuubi. It was in black and white, in their own words. HIs heart soared, initially. Not even the Old Man lying to him brought him down. But how Kakashi and Jiraiya treated him nagged at him, how he always felt he had to earn their approval when his parents believed they look out for him. That hurt. A lot.

Not as much as seeing Sasuke displayed for all to see. Not as much as this mystery person wanting to harm everyone he cared or would care about. That still made no sense and it scared the blond. Not so much the challenge, he promised himself after the Demon Brothers he'd never allow that kind of fear to stop him, even if Gaara tested his resolve.

The fear was relying on Jiraiya or Kakashi when they'd shown they weren't always as attentive as he'd like. And if they changed, then why did it take a threat of this kind to get them to do so? Did they believe because of the Kyuubi he likely wouldn't die so they didn't have to try? Did they blame him for his parents' deaths? Was he just a reminder of what they'd lost or did they feel embarrassed that those two could have a dobe for a son?

So many thoughts, doubts and conflicting emotions. He truly just wanted to lie down, to have a peaceful sleep and worry about everything later but his doubts were insistent. Nagging, pestering and refusing to go away, no matter what he did. He tossed and turned, finally going to his living room in defeat. He went to the scrolls his parents provided him. He figured if he wasn't going to be able to sleep he'd, god save him, read.

It wasn't so much that Naruto hated reading, truthfully someone handing out knowledge without judgement or bias was great, conceptually. And while he liked to be on the move, his long last plants demonstrated he could be still and quiet. He just felt like writers often didn't get to the point, preferring two hundred words when twenty would do. Everyone chalk it up to a lack of patience, Naruto thought he just had a low tolerance for bullshit. Hopefully, his parents shared his opinion on the matter.

He pumped chakra into his mother's scroll and several emerged but it was the orange trimmed one that caught his attention. The note was brief but it said the materials contained in this scroll would help Naruto understand his clan, his people and his mother heavily suggested he start with this because cool ninjutsu could wait.

He'd normally argue with this sentiment, cool ninjutsu could never wait. It was the piping hot bowl of ramen of shinobi matters but his mom advised he start here and he would. Naruto, once again, pumped some chakra into a seal at the bottom and several books were released, stacked. The first of the books was titled, Enduring Spirals: A People's History of the Uzumaki Clan and it was written by someone named Ashina Uzumaki. Naruto had never even met another Uzumaki so of course he'd read a book written by one. It beat his inner turmoil. He opened to the introduction to the book and was immediately hooked.

If one were to objectively judge the Uzumaki, almost nothing about us lends itself to the Shinobi lifestyle. Our fiery red hair is not ideal for stealth. Our even more fiery tempers even less so. Our abundance of chakra makes us beacons for any halfway decent sensor. We prefer ink and brush over steel. We live on a freaking island. No, the Uzumaki are not the model for shinobi; our cousins, the Senju, fulfilling that role much better. And yet, we'd still kick their asses!

The Uzumaki is not a ninja clan. We're a clan that just so happens to be ninja. And if this were an age of Piracy, we'd be pirates. If it were an age of Artisans, we'd be that. But, more than anything, we'd be Uzumaki. An island of weirdos and malcontents that don't comfortably fit in to any mold but our own. So, settle in as you learn the story of the most un-ninja ninja clan in existence.

It was one thing to be told he was from a clan but to see a history dedicated to it made it so much more real. And they, apparently, didn't have a stick up their ass about being a clan. He was thankful his clan wasn't like the Hyuuga, all tight assed about their "nobility". How a ninja clan could be noble was beyond him anyway. Naruto sat and read the tomb, getting absorbed in the stories of a home and a people he'd never know. But for some reason, it didn't hurt like he thought it would.

They were gone, mostly, but they made their mark while they were here. And in keeping with the philosophies of his clan, he wouldn't dedicate his life to demonstrating how awesome they were. He'd show how awesome he is. Past glory should only be the foundation from which the next generations builds on. Naruto liked that. He didn't know when but soon his internal dilemmas slipped to the back of his mind and he was able to get that bit of sleep, sitting on his couch clutching his book.