Disclaimer: Eh, don't own Naruto.

A/N: Ah, yes I love questions!

JRSG, Psudocode Samurai, Sky Heartnetm, Inuboy86: I will be adding Anko into the harem. She, like Naruto, has had a rough childhood, and if my conversations between the two in the previous chapter are any indicators, I'll have her jump onto the bandwagon!

Youngd2506: Naruto is the third strongest in Akatsuki, only being just under Pain and Madara. As for the Kyuubi, that will manifest later, can't have anymore information leaked. ;]

Characters will be calling Naruto Touketsu until his lineage is revealed. When you read from the Narrator's POV, Naruto will be called Naruto. Just needed to clarify that.

Bolts from the Blue

Fights and Truths

Touketsu vs. Uchiha Sasuke

"Will all of the contestants but Touketsu and Uchiha Sasuke leave the battle floor?" Hayate says, coughing in between words.

People begin to ascend the stairs, taking their spots next to their Jounin instructors. All of them watch as the two boys jump away from the center. The Hokage looks at the blond who supposedly stood up to the Snake sannin and his eyes go wide. He notes the similarities between the boy in the arena and another one he misses so much. That boy is Uzumaki Naruto, a boy who had disappeared 7 years ago. Just the face and the eyes remind him of the boy and he grows sad and this is noticed by Anko.

"Hokage-sama, are you okay?" she says, talking to one of the men in her life who she looks up to.

He turns to Anko, giving her a small smile, "I'm fine, just some sad memories. Nothing to bad."

She smiles back and looks on, staring at the blond. She watches his eyes turn to ice, the normally ocean blue paling to a chilling ice. It sends shivers down her spine, the cold and bluntness of his eyes chilling her to the bone. Kurenai watches as the boy changes from the cheery, happy boy from the couple nights before into that emotionless façade he had when they first met. She watches his eyes change, they become feral, almost to the point where he looks like an animal.

Konan watches as her boyfriend puts on that little emotionless mask bid. She smiles and looks around, noticing the stares her boyfriend draws from two seasoned kunoichi. She chuckles, thinking about the trouble he is in.

'Damn Naruto, you just can't have me can you. You gotta get another two girls on you. I'm fine though, it's always fun to share,' her mind thinks, a wry smile showing on her face.

Back to the two boys in the middle, they stare at each other, ice pale blue eyes meeting onyx eyes. The staring match continues, the blue eyes showing no hints of emotion while the onyx eyes burn with anger.

'How dare he look at me that way! I'm going to beat that dobe into the ground.'

Hayate looks at the two and yells, "Hajime."

"Hey Dobe, get ready to get your ass kicked," he says, a smirk blazon on his face.

Naruto just stands emotionless, not giving into the taunting. It serves to make the Uchiha even angrier, his anger once again clouding his judgment.

"Hey Dobe, answer me."

Silence is his answer, making the Uchiha grunt angrily. With a quick flick of the wrist, he sends shuriken flying, cutting the air like a hot knife through butter. 5 kunais meet the shuriken, the pieces of metal falling to the ground forgotten and useless. Two immediately take off, Naruto blurring out of vision while the Uchiha jumps into the middle of the stadium, his head swiveling trying to find the blond.

He blurs back into vision right in front of Sasuke who barely manages to duck a right roundhouse and jump over a reverse leg sweep. Cocking his head out of pure instinct, he dodges a straight arm punch to the face. This continues for a few more minutes, Naruto just playing with Sasuke as he is hard pressed to defend and find an opening.

Naruto on the other hand, becomes bored and decides to end it quickly, "Fuuton: Kazeryudan no Jutsu (Wind Release: Wind Dragon Projectile)."

The wind begins to whip dangerously, a dragon forming from the air currents. The dragon is totally made of air, its eyes burning yellow as it descends towards the Uchiha. Sasuke jumps back just as the dragon hits the floor of the stadium, dust and debris flying everywhere. Jumping out of the smoke, he looks around trying to catch a glimpse of Naruto.

A second later, he hears him, "Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet)."

A water dragon comes flying at him, making him jump back once again and Naruto quickly makes a couple handseals, "Doton: Yomi Numa (Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld)."

Sasuke descends to the ground, his feet hitting something squishy. He looks down and finds mud beginning to envelope his legs. He tries to force chakra into his legs, only to find pain as he tries to mold chakra. He begins to sink, inch by inch until the only thing visible is his head. He begins to try and wriggle, trying to find a way out but his body is stuck in the swamp, his eyes frantically scanning the room.

Everybody is deathly silent at the display of jutsus used in the match, most of them higher ranking jutsus. Naruto lands in the same spot he starts the match in and watches across the arena, the swiveling head of the Uchiha. The proctor has his mouth open, no words or cough forming.

Rolling his eyes, he deadpans, "Call that match why don't ya? There is no way to escape that jutsus once he is in that deep. He could have escaped if he had seen it earlier, but I can kill him by forcing him deeper."

The words completely tell who the winner is, "Shousha, Touketsu!"

"No, I refuse to lose. I'm a Uchiha. The best clan in Konoha! I can't FUCKING LOSE!"

Releasing a massive pulse of killer intent, his doujutsu shows, the blue slit with four silver tomoes revolving around the pupil. Konan notices, her eyebrows going into her hair.

"Oh shit, this isn't going to be good…" she says, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"What do you mean?" Kakashi says, beginning to uncover his Sharingan.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you Hatake-san. He dislikes Sharingan users," her voice steady, just waiting for what her boyfriend is going to do.

Kakashi quickly covers his eyes again, not wanting to be on the end of one of the boy's jutsus, "Well, you still didn't answer my question."

"He's getting serious. If you want your student to live, get him out of there. Well, first off he's got some choice words for the Uchiha if I know him. Listen to the words and as soon as they are over, get him out of there or he's toast," she says, voice deadpan.

Kurenai pipes up, her interest piquing at his doujutsu, "What are his eyes?"

"It's his blood line. Just watch," her eyes are totally focusing on the blond.

Anko and Kurenai watch the boy, their eyes looking at the slits in his eyes. They're cold, chills running down their spines just by the look of them. His eyes pierce the Uchiha's, Sasuke's eyes relaying the fear present in them. The eyes flash gold for a second and the Uchiha falls, his body lying in a heap on the floor.

Kakashi hops into the stadium, rushing towards his student. He kneels next to him, lifting his body and turning towards the boy, "What did you do to him?"

"My eyes put him into an induced sleep. Get him fixed up and use a counterseal for the curse seal. It won't be long until the snake bastard talks to him again. Now go, and teach him some humility so this, "he says, pointing at Sasuke, "Doesn't happen again. His arrogance will be his downfall in the future. Beat it out of his brain, do whatever, it'll be better in the long run."

He disappears in a swirl of ice, his words stunning the crowd silence.

Meanwhile in the Hokage box, the Hokage smiles, 'You're an interesting one Touketsu-san. I'll be keeping an eye on you.'

Naruto reappears in-between Konan and Kurenai with a swirl of ice, Konan greeting him, "Good job sweetie. You did show way too much though…"

"Hey, I got bored playing around with the Uchiha. Letting him dodge everything got boring, I wanted to put on a show," he smirks while Konan rolls her eyes.

"Men… always trying to show their dominance," she says, voice deadpanning.

Kurenai tries to suppress her laughter, but she lets loose a giggle which make the two turn to her, "Sorry, I just couldn't help but over hear your conversation. I have to agree though; men do always have to show their dominance."

It's Naruto's turn to roll their eyes, "Women, angels when happy, scary as hell when mad."

Kurenai blushes and Konan smiles, giving him a kiss, "Thank you sweetie!"

He grins into the kiss, and moves to continue it until he notices their guest on the side, "Sorry about that, I'm just a little overzealous," he says, hand behind his head, scratching his neck.

She smiles sheepishly, shaking her head indicating that it's okay, "Well, since that's over, I'm going to apologize for the training ground incident. I shouldn't have acted that cold, but you understand the necessity that we are from different villages makes me stay secretive."

"I understand, I would have done the same," she says, accepting his apology.

"I just wanted to clear that up. No hard feelings?"

She smiles, "No hard feelings."

They both lean onto the railing, watching the match while Kurenai occasionally steals glances at the boy. He catches her once, winking when he sees her face burn a fiery red. Konan looks over at Kurenai, and Kurenai catches her gaze and looks down, not noticing the smile on Konan's face.

'Oh Naruto, two beautiful kunoichi after your heart. Oh joy, I wonder what a foursome is like…' her mind drifts off, her eyes glazing over.

***

The rest of the fights go by in a blur, the last fight being Hyuuga Neji vs. Hyuuga Hinata, one of Kurenai's students. The girl is currently pushing her fingers together, her face scrunching in worry.

'I can't beat Neji… He's so strong!"

Kurenai notices the look on her student's face and bends down, her face in front of the blue haired girl, "Hinata… don't look so glum. Do your best, that's all I care about. Win or lose, you're still my student and I am proud of you. Just because you're fighting Neji doesn't mean you have to be scared. He may be stronger than you, but you have the heart. Try your best, that's all I care about."

Hinata beams, her smile dazzling, "H- Hai, sensei. I'll try my best."

She notices the blond looking at her and blushes. Naruto notices, chuckling a little bit, "Like your sensei said. Do your best. It's all that matters. Good luck."

She nods her head, and walks towards the stairs and walks on to the battlefield to meet her cousin.

"I'm so proud of her. She's improved so much since the academy. She used to have no confidence and just to watch her grow so much, it just seems like she's the daughter I've never had," she says, voice low so only he can here.

He looks over at her, surprised at her little admission, "You can have yourself to thank. I see how she looks up to you. You're her mother figure, somebody she wants to be like in the future. You're strong, smart, and beautiful; it inspires her to strive to be better. Just keep working at it and she'll eventually break out of her shell."

She blushes again at his comments, and whispers to him, "Thank you."

"I'm calling them as I see them. You'll be a great mother one day, I can tell," he beams down at her, his face radiant.

She is surprised at his comment, "How do you know?"

"You already know. You just need to find it," he says, turning back to the match between the two Hyuugas.

She takes in his words, taking them apart and analyzing them. She can't find any hints of malice or deceit in his voice, all of them seemingly genuine in their nature. His eyes shined when he said those words, telling her that he really meant them. She takes a look at the blond once more before turning to the blunette, who gives her a small smile and a nod.

Naruto watches as Neji beats up on Hinata with a visibly passive face while Kurenai watches, wincing every so often when Hinata gets hit by a Jyuken strike. It continues for a couple more minutes, Hinata being thrown around like a ragdoll. He watches as Hinata tries to get back up, her will almost giving out. He looks down in pity and then looks at Kurenai, her face almost in tears.

With a little sigh, his voice perks up, "Hinata, you're not showing us your best. You promised Kurenai-san that you would. Now, are you going to lose without keeping your promise? Kurenai-san knows you can do better, so do it for her. Show her that you are strong, show her that you are a capable, show her that you believe in yourself."

She looks up at the voice, the visibly passive face of Touketsu. Looking at his cerulean eyes, she sees them flicker for a moment. They flash gold for a moment before they burn back to cerulean blue, but it has a positive effect on her. Taking his words to heart, she remembers all the time Kurenai has looked out for her, teaching her to be more confident in herself. She wants to prove to Kurenai that she is strong and is capable of defending herself and everyone she cares about.

Everybody watches as the blue haired girl begins to stir, her knees shaking as she stands up. Her body is hunched, her back arching towards the ground. Her face is haggard, blood running from her mouth with cuts and bruises forming along her cheek. She holds onto her stomach with her right hand, her left arm dangling in front of her body. Her eyes are semi-closed, but she it still coherent enough to see.

He smiles at her determination, "Make your sensei proud Hinata."

She looks up again at her sensei who has tears in her eyes and she smiles, "Thank you Touketsu-san. I will make you proud Kurenai-sensei."

She turns back to find a fuming Neji who looks like he is going to pop a blood vessel. Neji on the otherhand, can't believe that she can stand up after the onslaught he just put her through. All the Jyuken strikes, all the palms, all for her just to stand back up. He closes his eyes, taking a deep breath and releases it all in one go, opening his eyes again.

He sneers towards the haggard Hyuuga girl, "Why do you defy fate? Fate has already chosen me the winner. You couldn't win to begin with, what makes you think you can win now? You're pathetic."

Kurenai's eyes flash anger for a second before a hand on her shoulder stops her from yelling out, "Fate, what a ridiculous concept."

Neji looks up toward the balcony and right into the eyes of Naruto, "What do you know about fate?"

"Fate is only a concept, not a way of life. You use fate as a scapegoat for the failure in your life, believing that fate put you in your place. Well you're wrong; you put yourself in that position. Man up and accept your mistakes you pansy," he says, voice monotone and emotionless.

Neji visibly seethes, his hands curling into clenched fist while he works a retort, "You're wrong. Fate has already decreed me the winner, and I will win this tournament."

He scoffs, and begins to chuckle, "Believe in your delusions of fate. People like you are weak, weak because they can't admit why things have happened to them. You're a pitiful human being and I WILL enjoy dismantling you at the Chuunin exams. Now get your eyes back on the fight, you're about to get a hefty surprise."

Neji quickly turns around to cover his blind spot but it's too late as Hinata shouts," Hakke Sanjūni Shō (Eight Trigrams: 32 Palms)."

Neji is suddenly impacted by palms against his chest, his body stumbling backwards at Hinata continues her palm strikes. He manages to get a hold of himself after 8 hits, and begins to block her strike with his own, their hands colliding and creating blue sparks of chakra. The assault eventually ends, with their palms meeting at the middle, Hinata panting in exhaustion while Neji breathes slowly, his chest rising and falling.

With the close proximity, he decides to end it, "Hakke Rokujūyon Shō (Eight Trigrams: 64 Palms)."

His hands begin to dance, his chakra induced hits impacting Hinata's body tossing her around like a ragdoll. She begins to hunch and move further back as he continues his vicious assault on her chakra coils. With the 64th hit, Neji aims for the heart, his mind going into overdrive deluding his mind. His face is full of malice, the intent on killing his cousin apparent. As his last hit begins to make its way towards her heart, time seems to slow down.

"HINATA!" Kurenai shouts, trying to hop the railings to get to her student.

Naruto disappears and reappears in the middle of the battle, his hand blocking Neji's palm strike. His eyes are cold, colder than ice itself freezing Neji in the middle of his stance. A spike of killer intent envelops the stadium, making everybody visibly cringe and stiffen at it. Even the jounin freeze, the only one who is able to resist it being the Sandaime, Konan, and Kurenai who he exempts from his killing intent.

'Hm, interesting. What a massive amount of KI. I might have to look into this. With the jutsu he performed, his speed, and this amount of killing intent, he is definitely over genin level. Who are you Touketsu? You seem so familiar, yet so distant,' the Sandaime watches on as the killing intent begins to pass over.

The killing intent eventually vanishes, leaving everybody panting and gasping for air. Everybody stares at the boy, wondering how good he is to have that much killing intent.

Kakashi watches the boy who has the killing intent of a kage. Not even Kakashi has that much killing intent and with the way that he ruthless defeated Sasuke with high level jutsus, Kakashi wonders how good the kid really is. 'Damn kid, what are you? First the jutsu and the speed, now this level of killing intent. I might have to look into him…'

Anko looks down at the power of the boy. She stares in awe at the amount of killing intent around the arena, making everybody freeze and begin to gasp for air as the killing intent envelops their bodies. She wonders how good he is and then she remembers back to the questions he gave her.

"Think about what your death would do to them. Think on that and when you know the answer, meet me at this address."

She looks back into her pocket, pulling out the piece of paper with his address on it. She stares at it intently, closing her eyes and then she suddenly opens them, her eyes shining in a new light. 'Damn gaki, you're good. Thanks for this."

Kurenai's eyes open in shock at the scene before her. She feared for the worst when she saw Neji aiming for her heart. She screamed out and began to hop the rail in a futile attempt to get to her student. Then in a split second, she sees Touketsu in the middle of the battlefield with his hand blocking Neji's palm strike. Her heart begins to return to its normal beating, the scare of her student's death increasing it. She is grateful to the boy, no man, for saving her student. 'Thank you so much Touketsu-kun.'

Konan watches as her boyfriend goes and saves Hinata from sure death. She looks over at Kurenai who has tears in her eyes, seemingly scared for her student's safety. She follows the raven haired woman's eyes and Konan finds them glued on her boyfriend. She smiles, knowing that he has found a second wife, albeit it may take a little bit of time for her to develop feelings for her blond lover. 'Oh my Naru-kun, you've gone and gotten your self a second girlfriend. Now, we need to work on the third which I think you have covered, but you don't even know it yourself.'

Back down on the field, Naruto watches the panting Hyuuga. Blank white eyes stare back at the blue ones, and if anyone is to read Hyuuga Neji's mind right now, they would find: fear. Fear at what Touketsu can do. He moved from the balcony to stopping his palm strike in the blink of an eye. How is that possible? He eventually lowers his hands, his arms falling limply to his sides.

Naruto stays silent for a moment, contemplating on what to say, "Killing your own clan member, how far have the Hyuuga's dropped. I wonder. Wait I know why. It's because of people like you. You arrogant little pricks who believe in fate and let it dictate your life. You're weak, you're a nobody like that loser Uchiha up in the stands. Going so far to kill a clan member out of spite makes you nothing more than a bloody murderer. You're lucky that you weren't my opponent today. When we meet again at the third part of the exams, I will enjoy beating the shit out of you."

The words send shivers down his spine, but Neji is still full of himself, "Don't think because you have speed and jutsu can defeat me. Fate has already declared me the winner of the tournament."

The only thing that can be heard are the sounds of crickets chirping, the calm before the storm. The storm is bearing down on Neji.

"Still talking about fate? You're even more delusional then I made you out to be. I'll see you at the third part of the exams. I want to see the look on your face when I FUCKING destroy you and your little eyes," he bellows, the words electrified by rage.

"The jounin-sensei of this little prick, get him under lock and key. Teach him some humility, same goes for the jounin instructor of that prick of a Uchiha. The use of their doujutsus have made them irrational, they believe they are above everybody because of their superior bloodlines. How naïve. Now, can we get some medics for Hinata here?"

Everybody visibly becomes unfrozen after the boy's tirade of words, the medics rushing in to begin Kurenai hops the railing, rushing toward's Hinata's side. Naruto sets her down on her back, allowing the medics to work on her. He watches as Kurenai runs over, her face visibly worried for her student. He stops her while she protest, wanting to see her student.

She pounds on his chest, wanting to get by but he endures it, whispering in her ear, "Kurenai-san, calm down. She's fine, just chakra exhaustion and cuts and bruises. She'll make a full recovery. Let the medics work on her, then you can follow them to the hospital. Don't worry, she's okay. She's okay Kurenai," he cradles her head against his chest, tears streaking down his shirt.

He hugs her closer, murmuring, "Let it all out Kurenai, let it all out. I'm here for you."

Everybody stares at the two on the floor, the boy comforting the obviously older kunoichi. He strokes her hair, the action instantly calming her and her sobs die down. She begins to become exhausted from crying, her eyes drooping until she begins to lightly snore against his chest. He smiles, still cradling her and pulls her into a bridal carry.

He turns towards the Hokage, "I'm sorry Hokage-sama, but it doesn't look like I'll be present for picking matches. I want her to wake up to a familiar face. I'm going to take her to the hospital."

"That is fine. She'll need to see a familiar face after this. You're allowed to go," he says, smiling at the thoughtfulness of the boy.

'Is he really only fifteen? He acts like he's at least 20.'

He then turns to Konan, "Tell me who my match is against. Find me at the hospital after okay Kona-chan?"

She smiles, "Okay Touketsu-kun. I'll see you there."

He nods and walks towards the exit, but is stopped by a man smoking a cigarette with a goatee, "I think I should take her."

He looks at him with a deadpan expression, "Why is that?"

"I'm one of her friends, so stay here and I'll take her."

"Well, I didn't see you helping her when she was crying. Now get out of the way, I'm taking her to the hospital," he says, voice angry.

He continues to block the entrance until the Hokage clears his throat, "Asuma, let the boy through."

He growls, and reluctantly moves from the exit, allowing him to pass but not before shooting him a glare. Naruto walks by, totally void of noticing the glare. He jumps into the forest, moving through the trees, jumping from branch to branch to get to the hospital. He looks down at the tear stained face of Kurenai with a sad smile before tucking a stand of stray hair behind her ear. She snuggles into his chest, but he takes not notice and continues to move, wanting her to wake up to the face of Hinata.

***

Kurenai opens her red eye to the dim lights of the hospital. She opens them slowly, allowing her pupils to adjust to the light piercing her eyes. When her eyes are fully open, she looks around at the white walls, wondering how she got there.

All of a sudden a voice says, "Glad to see you're awake sleepyhead."

She turns her head to the left, following the voice to a person sitting in a chair next to her.

She yawns, putting her hand over her mouth, "What happened? Why am I in a hospital?" Where's Hinata?!"

"Calm down, calm down, Hinata is okay. As for why you're in the hospital, I took you here after your fell asleep. Get up, we're going to go see Hinata!"

She smiles, swinging her legs up and over and following him out of the room. They walk down the hall while Kurenai inquires, "How is she Touketsu-san?"

He smiles, "She's fine, she passed out from chakra exhaustion and won't be up and at ems for 2 days. Come on, she's in this room."

He opens the door, beckoning her to go in first, his hand gesturing. He follows quickly after, grabbing another chair as Kurenai takes a seat next to her fallen student. Setting it down next to her, he watches as Kurenai picks up the blue haired girls limp hand, giving it a squeeze and a smile. He watches as Kurenai begins to stroke the girl's hair, a loving mother caring for her daughter. He smiles, thinking to him self, 'You definitely will be a great mother.'

They stay silent for a couple moments before Naruto speaks up, "Say, you're the Genjutsu Misstress right?"

She looks up at Naruto, continuing to stroke her hair, "Yes, why?" she asks, quirking an eyebrow.

"I know some genjutsu you might be interested in. Two A-ranks actually. Since you're the Genjutsu Misstress, I wouldn't mind sharing," he says, a kind smile on his face.

She is surprised and shocked as he reveals that he knows A-ranked genjutsu, "Two A-ranks? I only know a couple A-ranks, a few B-ranks! What are they?"

He watches her continue to stroke Hinata's hair, her hand trailing absently on the girl's head, "Ninpou: Kokuangyo no Jutsu (Bringer of Darkness) and Ninpou: Rando Aisu (Land of Ice)."

Her eyes widen, already knowing the first one because of the second hokage, "What!? You know Kokuangyo? That's the Nidaime's genjutsu! I've never heard of the second one before. What is it?"

He laughs at her enthusiasm, lips upturned in a smile, "I roamed a little bit, picking up things here and there. As for the Bringer of Darkness technique, I picked that up through some scrolls written about it. As for the second technique, that is my own personal genjutsu."

"You created it?! What does it do?" her eyes widen in curiosity.

She literally bounces in her seat a little, making him burst out in laughter, making Kurenai give him a look, "What?"

"Are you always this enthusiastic about genjutsu? You're like bouncing on your chair. I don't mind the dazzling smile though," he says, making her blush when he speaks about her smile.

Finally calm enough to talk, she picks her head back up, "Well, that comes with being the Genjutsu Mistress of Konoha doesn't it?"

He chuckles, a deep masculine sound that makes Kurenai want to rip off his clothes, and ravage him all night with a primal hunger.

Wait… where did that come from?

"Did I really just think that?" she unwittingly says out loud, making Naruto cock an eyebrow.

"Think what?" he questions, wanting to know.

She looks over at him, and realizes her mistake. She immediately turns a bright red, a color that puts her eyes to shame. He really is interested now, wondering what her mind though to make her turn such a bright red. And it hits him, and he laughs, making her narrow her eyes.

"What?" she brusquely asks.

"Are you a pervert?" he asks, still coughing from his laughing tirade.

A vein pops on her forehead, her eyes narrowing, "I will have you know I am not a pervert!"

"Are you sure? That bright red blush on your face doesn't support your case!" he chides, making her fume.

She smacks him on the shoulder and he yelps out loud and begins to rub his shoulder, "What was that for?"

"For calling me a pervert."

"I didn't call you a pervert! I merely asked if you were."

This earns him another smack on the shoulder, this time with a little more force, "Do you want me to smack you again?"

He looks at her eyes, a hint of anger in her eyes and he audibly gulps, "No Kurenai-san. I apologize for calling you a pervert."

She smiles, changing her tunes in an about face, "Good!" she says happily, her voice far from the threatening tone before.

He sweatdrops, thinking to himself, 'Damn, women are troublesome.'

***

A boy with pineapple black hair all of a sudden sneezes. The boy sitting by him looks over, watching the lazy Nara boy wipe his nose.

Choji teases playfully, "Somebody is thinking about you Shikamaru."

Shikamaru rolls his eyes, continuing his cloud watch and mumbles, "Troublesome."

***

Back at the hospital, Naruto begins to explain the Land of Ice genjustsu, "Well, the Land of Ice genjutsu affects the body directly. The illusion transports the victim to the Arctic Tundra and it slowly affects the functions of the brain. It begins to drop the temperature of the opponent and they begin to freeze over. Their body functions begin to fall one by one and they eventually die of the cold. This takes a massive amount of chakra and is only used if there is intent to kill. Unlike most genjutsus, there is no way to dispel the illusion unless the user dispels it, or the victim uses a doujutsu like the Sharingan."

She drinks in the information, readily eager to learn, "You created it by yourself?"

"I had some help. They helped me develop the basis for it and then I finished it off myself. We can go learn it now if you want?" he says, cocking an eyebrow, waiting for her answer. (When I refer to they, I'm referring to his Kekkei Genkai. This will be revealed later on in the fiction, as well as Kyuubi.)

She is eager to, but then she remembers her fallen teammate. She looks down at the girl she taught before and she's seen how she's grown out. Her body a little more slender, her bust starting to grow. Her legs growing longer to accommodate her rapidly growing height. She smiles as the once shy and downcast girl begins to season into a beautiful, well-rounded kunoichi. She can't bare not being there for her after all those months of training. She has grown attach to the young kunoichi, never wanting to see anything to happen to the girl.

She shakes her head at his statement, saying in a low voice, "I'd like to stay with Hinata. I've watched her grow and I don't want to miss when she becomes a strong kunoichi of the village. She's like a surrogate daughter to me, I hold her close and my heart broke when I saw her haggard form on the stage."

Tears glisten in her eyes, but she wills them not to drop and then she feels an arm wrapping around her shoulder. It pulls her into the warmth of a body, the heat emanating from it overwhelming. The heat calms her tense muscles, her body relaxing and easing into the one armed hug. She's never felt this level of intimacy before, let alone in just a hug. The act is just so unsullied, so undeniably comforting that she can't even bother to tell him to stop. Instead, she wraps her free arm around his waist, anchoring her to him like a raft in a storm.

He rocks her back and forth all the while whispering, "I'm here for you. Everything is going to be alright. Everything is going to be alright."

This is the scene Konan watches through the window of the door and she puts a smile on her face. Just to see her boyfriend become comfortable with another human being other than her make her heart soar. She watches them rock back and forth while he whispers in her ears, low promises of everything is going to be alright. Opening the door, they look up and Kurenai automatically jumps away from him like he is scalding her hand. Her face burns a bright red while he sits with a smile on his face like its natural for a woman to mosey up to another woman's boy friend in presence of said woman.

She sheepishly looks down, not noticing the smile on Konan's face, "Yuuhi-san, it's alright. I'm not mad that I watched my boyfriend comfort a woman. That's what's expected. Besides… I wouldn't mind if Touketsu-kun here picked up another one or two woman. Do you know any eligible woman Yuuhi-san?" Konan takes a thinking pose, her hand going up to her chin while her index finger hovers over her lip. Her eyes go into a pensive expression, her head looking up at the ceiling while her left foot taps on the floor.

Her face shoots upwards, her face turning bright red and she stammer, "W- W- What?"

Konan shoots her a sly look, "I asked if you know anyone that would need a boyfriend?"

Her mind mentally says, "Me!" while her actual mouth stumbles, "N- No, s- s- sorry."

Her voice ends with a squeak, making Konan giggle and Naruto laugh. Naruto wraps her in another hug, "She's just teasing you. No need to worry."

Konan's smile turns into a serious expression and she mouths, "No I'm not."

He audibly gulps and looks down at Kurenai who obviously didn't see Konan's lips move. He sighs and lets go, letting her sit back up while asking Konan, "Who do I get?"

"You're in the first match. Your opponent is Hyuuga Neji."

His eyes spark to life, and his hands begin to rub together like an evil genius, "Oh, I'm going to have SO much fun. I can't wait to take his ego down a notch or two."

She laughs at her young lover's devious expression and hang gesture while Kurenai merely cocks an eyebrow, "He does that all the time, trust me."

He shoots her a glare, "No I don't."

"Yes you do."

"Nuh uh."

She rolls her eyes, "Well, what about that one time when you figured out the plan for the mission?"

"That was a one time thing!"

"Then what was this?"

"Um…" he drifts off, letting the sentence hang.

"Ha! I win," she shouts, pointing a finger at him.

"Whatever. You're so childish," he fake pouts, making Kurenai laugh at his cute expression.

'Wait, cute?' she mentally asks herself.

'I can't be… be attracted to him now can I? He's not even a ninja from here and he's going to be leaving soon. I just… don't know anymore. Everything he does just throws me out the window. Comforting me, holding me, not wanting me just for my body. He's kind, caring, compassionate, everything I want in a man. Is it worth it?' her mind mentally tirades again.

She comes back to the world of the living when a hand moves up and down in front of her face, "Anyone alive in there?"

She blinks a couple of times to get adjusted and then sheepishly smiles, "Sorry, kind of lost myself in my thoughts."

He smiles back, "Happens to the best of us."

Konan looks out the window and she looks at the sun low in the sky, "Touketsu-kun, want to go get some food?"

He looks up, nods, and then turns back, "Kurenai-san, let's get some food ne? I'm pretty sure you're hungry."

She looks up, disrupting her ministrations on Hinata's hair and smiles, "Okay, where are we going?"

Konan immediately says, "Dango and Soup."

He rolls his eyes, protesting the decision, "We always eat dango…"

"Well, we had ramen yesterday. Stop complaining or you're in the doghouse," she says, smiling wryly. She knows she has him trapped.

He gulps, not wanting to be in the doghouse, "Fine, we're going to get dango."

Kurenai laughs and stands up, giving Hinata one last look and a quick squeeze of the hand before she walks out of the room with the others. She quickly meets up with them, telling them there's a good dango shop around.

***

The trio end up in front of the same shop Konan and Naruto had their date on. Holding the door open, he lets two women in first, acting like the perfect gentleman. He then follows them, catching up to them quickly. Stepping inside the dimly lit restaurant, Kurenai spots Anko at the counter while the other two find a table to sit at. She takes a seat next to Anko, who has a stick of dango hanging out of her mouth.

"Hey Anko-chan," she cheerfully says.

"Hi Nai-chan. What's got you in a good mood? Finally get laid?" Anko teases, wearing a shit eating grin.

She blushes, the temperature in her body rising to the atmosphere, "N- No…"

A voice from the back of the restaurant calls out, "Kurenai-san, back here!"

She turns around to find Naruto waving for her to join them. Anko raises an eyebrow, shifting her head to look over Kurenai's shoulder. She sees the blond gaki waving at Kurenai and remembers the question she gave her. Her mind swirls in different directions, taking bits and pieces from her subconscious to put together a half way coherent answer for him. She still has a day left to answer him, but even her brain can't figure it out.

Kurenai breaks her out of her little world, "C'mon Anko, let's go talk to Touketsu-san. I'm aware that you know him. Am I correct?"

"Yeah, he was the one who saved me from Orochimaru."

Kurenai's eyes open in shock, and she begins to stutter, "Wait, he saved you, or you saved him?"

"He saved me. He took out Orochimaru as he was about to go…" she trails off, not wanting to relive the memory.

She looks back at the blond in amazement, wondering at who he is, "Well, if he saved you from Orochimaru, he can't be all that bad. C'mon, let's go eat and talk with him."

She looks up and watches her best friend gesture for Anko to join them. She reluctantly stands up, ditching the sake and dango on the counter. They mosey over, Anko sitting next to Konan with Naruto and Kurenai sitting across from them.

Naruto looks up at the newcomer and gives her a warm smile, "Oh Anko-san, I didn't know you were joining us."

"I didn't know either," she deadpans, shooting a look at Kurenai who sheepishly scratches her head.

"Hey, the more the merrier, besides, it's my treat," he grins cheekily.

She perks up, smirking, "Your loss."

He quirks an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

Kurenai sighs, "She likes to eat a freakish amount of dango. I think the most she ate was 35 skewers in one sitting."

He winces, and he swears his wallet cringes, "Um, I think I hear my wallet cringing…"

Anko and Kurenai laugh while Konan shakes her head at her boyfriend's antics, "He's lying. Eat up; he'll pick up the tab."

He swears he can feel his wallet twitching in his pocket. He suppresses a shudder, trying not to think about how much this is going to cost. The waiter shows up, and no surprise, Anko orders a freakish amount of dango. Konan and Naruto stare wide eyed at how much the purpled haired kunoichi can eat, while Kurenai shakes her head.

"I told you. She can put dango away like nobody else," she says, Anko smiling brightly at Naruto.

"Damn, my wallet is going to be considerably light for a while."

They end up chatting a little bit, creating small talk and sharing missions. Of course, Konan and Naruto stay silent about their other occupation. A couple minutes later, the waiter comes back with their orders. They dig in, staying silent as they eat their foods with their fingers. While they're eating, a slow trickle of male Jounins begin to enter the restaurant, taking refuge in the back. Among them, the more notorious ones: Hatake Kakashi, Sarutobi Asuma, Maito Gai, Hayate Gekko, and Genma Shiranui.

The group in the back sit and chat, minus the two women who normally join them. They all notice their absences, but wave it off to being late, which is uncharacteristic of both of them. 15 minutes into their little nightly meeting, they all ask the same questions, "Where are Anko and Kurenai?"

A burst of female laughter mixing with a man's laughter floats into the back, their voices easily recognizable. Asuma stands up, walking out to the front and seeing if the ladies are there. Sure enough, he spots them at a table in the front, but they are accompanied by a woman with blue hair and the blond brat from before. He seethes when he sees Kurenai laughing at a joke the blond haired boy told.

'That should be me making her laugh,' his mind tirades possessively.

Stepping back into the backroom, he plops back down on a seat and breaks out he news, "I found them in the front."

All of them cock their eyebrows, "What do you mean "in the front?""

"As in, they are hanging out in the front with the blond and blue haired woman from the Chunin exams," Asuma mumbles, barely audible.

"Wait, why are they hanging out with a couple of Ame nins?" Kakashi asks, wanting to know why.

"Who knows? I for one really want to beat the shit out of the kid," Asuma says firmly, images of a broken blond lying in the street running through his head.

"Are you sure you won't get your ass kicked Asuma?" Genma says.

"The kids like what, 15? No way am I going to lose. He may have some fancy jutsus, but I doubt the kids got anything against my trench knives.

Gai, who is normally loud and always talking about the flames of youth, chooses to stay quiet. He inwardly sighs at the cockiness of his fellow jounins. He can feel the power rolling off the blond boy and he knows that isn't even the tip of the iceberg. By the way he moved and the usage of such high level jutsus makes sure he isn't just a pushover. Gai knows he can probably hold his own against Neji if the fight against the Uchiha is any indication. Sighing again, he begins to down some sake and listen in on the conversations going on.

"You seriously want to fight the kid Asuma? This might put you on a bad place with Kurenai, she obviously likes the kid," Hayate says, as he is the one who proctored the boy's match.

Asuma scoffs, "Hm, whatever. When she sees me put this kid in his place, she'll come running."

Gai sighs again, shaking his head at Asuma's arrogance. Those damn cigarettes are going into his head and turning his brain to mush if Asuma's words are any indication. Kakashi listens secretly wanting to see some of the jutsu the boy knows. The Fuuton: Kazeryudan no Jutsu is one that he hasn't seen before and he didn't have a chance to copy it. He's never heard of a wind dragon jutsu and the Doton: Yomi Numa peaks his interest. Maybe he'll catch a chance to copy some later. His little chibi begins to laugh deviously, making plans for the jutsu.

Meanwhile in the front, the four begin to tire out, all of them tired from laughing and sharing stories from their life. Kurenai and Anko learned a little bit about Touketsu. He was a boy who had no parents, no friends, and the village despised him for an unknown reason. Now though, he's a seasoned shinobi, a strong one at that. Through hard work, he overcame the hatred and achieve his dream of becoming a shinobi. It really was a heartwarming story.

All four stand up, Naruto leaving some bills to pay for the food, leaving his wallet a little lighter. Anko is a little more than buzzed is in no way shape or form capable of making it back to her apartment. Sighing at her drunken friend, she helps her onto her feet and they all walk out of the restaurant into the cool night air. The wind caresses their skin, bringing shivers when they come into contact with the stark contract of their warm skin.

Before parting ways, he grabs her hand, "Be at the place where at second meeting took place at 11. Bring your team if you wish. Anko can come too. Now, I think I'll be on my way. Goodnight Kurenai-san, Anko-san."

Kurenai, Anko, and Konan bid each other goodnight and they walk in separate directions, Kurenai towards her apartment complex while Naruto and Konan walk towards their hotel room. A lone figure stalks the two women through the streets towards their apartment, the figure staying a distance behind. While sitting in the shadows, a figure taps on his shoulder, making him turn around. Upon turning around he doesn't find anyone and he turns around again to meet a fist.

He sprawls on the floor, nursing a bloody lip from the punch, "Hey what do you think you're doing?"

The figure stays in the shadows, eyes clouded by the shadow, "It's not nice to stalk women you know. Especially the son of the Hokage no less."

"Who the fuck are you?" Asuma yells from his place on the ground.

"Your worse nightmare if you don't leave RIGHT NOW," the voice says menacingly.

"What are you going to do about it?" Asuma sneers.

"Nothing yet. If you continue your little perverted escapades and they transgress into a little more… how should I say this… a little more unsavory acts, I won't hesitate to beat the shit out of you. Now get out of here before I change my mind."

The eyes flash gold for a second, scaring him from his spot on the ground. Quickly getting to his feet, he watches the figure slink into the night, disappearing when it turns the corner. Asuma stands there, wondering who and what that is.

'Kurenai, you will be mine. Even if I have to beat that kid to a living pulp.'

***

Setting down Anko on her couch, she sneezes, 'I hope Touketsu-san is thinking about me.'

Her eyes gain a dreamy glaze and she stalks off to her bedroom, stripping herself of her clothes and drifting into a dreamless sleep.

***

Meanwhile on the other side of town, Konan and Naruto take a stroll towards their hotel building when a clone confronts Naruto.

"Sarutobi Asuma was found following the girls. I scared him off with a few choice words. Anything else master?" the clone says.

"That will be all. Thank you for watching out for them."

With a bow, the clone poofs out of existence, leaving Naruto and Konan alone once again to discuss the new situation.

"So, the son of the Hokage stalking two women eh?" Konan quirks an eyebrow.

"Guy can't get laid so he has to stalk them," Naruto rolls his eyes.

"Well, technically, you were stalking the stalker, so what does that make you?" Konan chides.

He shoots her a glare, "Oh shut up. I was watching out for them. I can assume they're my friends by the way we talked tonight."

"You want it to be more than friendship don't you?" Konan teases.

He rolls his eyes, "Come on, I'm tired and I gotta wake up early tomorrow."

Stepping inside their hotel room, he walks into his bedroom and begins to strip off his shirt while Konan takes a shower. After pulling off his shirt, a knock comes to the door. Walking back out, he opens the door and finds an ANBU waiting for him.

"What is it Anbu-san?"

"The Hokage would like to see you," the ANBU says before poofing out of existence.

"Well, shit. This is going to suck. I might have to reveal my plans to him. I gotta play my hands right."

Knocking on the shower door, he yells, "The old man wants to see me. Depending if I can trust him or not, I might have to reveal our plans."

The shower turns off and the door opens to reveal Konan with a towel clad around her body.

She sighs while walking into the bedroom, "Give me a second. I'm coming with you."

Walking out into the living room, he flops onto the couch while rubbing his temple. A few minutes later, Konan walks out with a skin tight shirt and a skirt, her headband around her forehead.

He ogles her for a second before saying, "Are you trying to give the old man a heart attack?"

She bats her eyelashes, "Who says I'm not trying to give you a heart attack?"

He mock clutches his chest and slumps down, eliciting a few laughs from Konan. A few seconds later he pops back up and walks over to Konan. Grasping her hand, he shunshins them out of their room and to the front of the Hokage tower.

"Alright, we have to play this carefully."

"Yeah," Konan nods.

The two walk into the Hokage tower, and stop in front of the office door. Taking a deep breath, they turn the door knob and inch the door open. Sitting their reading an orange book is the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. The two step in, taking a seat on the chairs in front of his desk. The Hokage continues to read, not noticing the entrance of the two. Clearing his throat, Naruto watches as the Hoakge fumbles with the orange book and puts it away.

Putting on a serious face, Naruto asks, "What do you need us for Hoakge-sama?"

"Well, I was wondering how could you, a genin take on a sannin like Orochimaru, Touketsu-kun. Or should I say, Uzumaki Naruto?"

The two eyes open wide, staring at each other and then back to the Hokage.

"Would you like to explain how you're here 7 years after your disappearance?"

Quickly making a few hand seals, Naruto erects a sound barrier, "Ojiji, this can't be told to anyone. Since you already know who I am, I trust you with this information. Any leakage of this information can put a dent in my plans. Swear to me that this will not get out, if it does, there will be hell to pay."

The Hokage nods while Konan stays stoic, "Well, it all started…"

A/N: And that's a wrap. I go into the backstory for the whole next chapter. Yay! Remember to R&R!