Naru gulped, helplessly staring at the floor as she listened to the agony filled screams—and was it just her, or was there the sound of bones cracking?

Today was the day.

The only thing that separated herself and Jiraiya from Karura, the Kazekage, and the nurses was the thick beige cloth that divided the hospital room. Naru looked up from her lashes to see Jiraiya's slightly pale face, and concluded that this was the only thing the man was bad at handling when it came to women.

She adjusted the big clay pot in her arms as she sat on a hospital bed, trying to loosen her death grip on it. The sounds coming out from the other side was causing her hands to clench onto it harder and harder, and Jiraiya had repeatedly scolded her for it.

It must have finally gotten on the last of his nerves, because the taller sennin had snapped and snatched the sealing kettle away from her.

"That's it, Karura-sama! Just once more!"

After one last pain-filled groan, a loud wail that shattered the tense atmosphere was heard. A blink, and then a large beaming smile gradually formed on Naru's face.

A tired-looking nurse took off her mask to reveal her grin as she slid the barrier, "You may enter now."

The blonde scrambled to her feet as Jiraiya did the same, though a lot more carefully with the pot in his arms. They rushed in on the scene of Karura adoringly holding her and the Kazekage's newborn baby, Gaara.

A blurry, vague picture of a redheaded man flashed in Naru's mind. Her lips parted slightly at the small, frail looking infant.

"Sabaku no… Gaara."

Jiraiya looked down at her, having barely heard her whisper, and his eyes softened at the tears that were swelling in her eyes. He then turned his gaze to the married couple in front of them; the Kazekage was having his turn at holding Gaara, while Karura held Kankurou and Temari adoringly, crying in bliss.

Naru looked back up at them as well, and broke into a weak laugh at the sight of the village leader's badly bruised and swelling hand―that was where the sound of cracking bones came from.

Wiping her eyes with her sleeve, Naru looked up at Jiraiya. "Come on, we should hurry with the sealing process while they rest."

"A-Ah, yeah, we should."

"I wonder how she's doing right now…"

"…"

"Ah, I wonder if she's getting asked out by guys there…"

"…"

"Hm... I wonder what type of guys are there in Suna… it's only three days away at most… I wonder if any of 'em are cute…" A pause. "I would personally go there on a visit to find some boys if I had the time… even I might find someone worthy."

Kakashi glared, snapping, "Would you shut up, Anko? I don't care about your love life—Oh, my bad. I should say the absence of your love life in this case, shouldn't I?"

"Why you—!"

"Maa, maa, Anko-chan!" Rin, who was sitting between them, laughed nervously, "I don't think Naru would appreciate you beating him up—"

"Who said I cared about what she appreciates or not!" The purple haired hothead ground her teeth harshly, and the only thing keeping her from slamming her foot on the table was Obito and Rin holding her back. "Heck, she'd probably be rooting me on about all this anyways!"

Obito gulped; he swore he saw fire burning through the Mitarashi's light brown eyes. "Anko… why don't you order some dango? That's what we're here for, remember?"

"Yeah, sure, sure, Pansy."

Despite how much that nickname annoyed him, Obito decided to suck it up and ignore it. He didn't want to irritate the Hatake sitting next to him even further by making the she-male scream all day long.

"Well, you're getting rather snappish lately." Kakashi commented disinterestedly. "Dumped one too many times and just wanted to take it out on us, perhaps?"

"Kakashi… you bastard! What about you, huh? Weren't you having your monthly mood swings?"

His glare only succeeded in getting her even more riled. "When do you ever be quiet?"

"For your information, Naru and Obito's louder than I am!"

"At least she knows how to 'read the atmosphere' unlike you." Kakashi retorted back.

Rin's brow twitched uncontrollably as their voices' volumes rose higher and higher, knowing that at this rate, they would be kicked out of the shop. "Would you two—shut up!"

Her palms slapped them across the room and out of the store. The two came back limping, gingerly touching their burning cheeks as they sent each other death glares.

Obito laughed, fully content with the slight swell of his stomach. Rin had gone off on a long lecture at Kakashi—Anko escaped from her wrath as soon as she finished the last batch of her dango.

"Honestly! Are you two stupid?"

Kakashi bit back the urge to say that Anko had started the whole argument, and, instead, he chose to ignore Rin's question.

"Ah! I forgot that I had a shift in—" she checked her watch, "—five minutes! Bye Obito, Kakashi!"

The two watched her run to the hospital, and the latter deadpanned, "Shouldn't she just use the Body Flicker technique to get there instead of running all the way?" He started walking, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Obito smiled affectionately after her, before falling in sync with his best friend. "Maybe she's trying to save her chakra?"

Grunting, Kakashi shrugged, his previous irritation gone. He looked onwards, suddenly serious as he took on a more straight posture, "Hey, Obito."

"Hm?

"Do you want to join ANBU?"

Obito blinked, "Why the sudden question?"

"It isn't much, just… wondering."

The Uchiha hummed thoughtfully, "Well, I would, since it's an organization full of awesome ninjas, but… I heard it's pretty stressful." He brought his hands together behind his head casually, looking at the other from the corner of his eyes. "What about you?"

Kakashi looked down at the ground, organizing his thoughts. "I… want to. I want to be near Naru to help her during her birthday this year—it's likely that our age group along with the younger ones would be held back from the attack, so I want to get into a higher rank to prevent that."

Obito pondered for a moment. "Rin's probably going to be with the medical team, and as much as I want to help them, I'm useless in that area. I'm probably going to be helping to subdue the… you know." He pointed to his right eye, "After all, this is probably going to be of some use, right? So Sensei would probably bunch me up with the rest of my clan."

"Maa, we'd probably think of something better later on, so all we have to do is train, I guess."

Naru let out a breath of relief; the sealing process was finally over. She gently passed Gaara to the new father, and grinned at the joy that entered his eyes. Karura was sound asleep in another room. "This seal is very, very similar to the Hakke no Fūin Shiki, but it doesn't take the life of the user. It just requires much more time and a lot more chakra."

Jiraiya had gone off with Yashamaru to return the pot to its original place, so she had to do the explaining. "The only difference between that sealing technique and the one I used on Gaara is that this is weaker. Even the Hakke no Fūin Shiki would weaken over time, but this one's easier and quicker to break; probably when he becomes the age of ten, at least." She smiled, waving off their worries with her hand. "For that, I'll make a 'key' so that you can fix it when it cracks; you'll know by his chakra. When the seal is damaged, his chakra levels become hectic because Shukaku's sucking it up. The time will come for him to try and control the demon, so, until then, make sure the seal's in perfect condition."

The Kazekage nodded, and Naru blinked, just remembering.

"Oh, and another thing; I'll make sure that the Nine Tails is controlled, so we'll be prepared to help Gaara control Shukaku."

The man looked down at his child lovingly, a tear slipping from his right eye, making Naru wonder if the myth about teardrops was true. She followed him out of the room, and they parted ways; she to Jiraiya and him to his wife. She really needed to get some sleep soon—but before that, she had to go to the old pervert and report. Plus, she didn't feel like letting the perfectly made bed soak up all her sweat. It would definitely feel disgusting the next morning, and she would feel sorry for the cleaners.

Jiraiya nodded, patted her on her back proudly, and grimaced at the sweat patch of her tanktop—she had taken off her jacket and shirt during the sealing process. Ignoring his reaction to her state, she had a tired grin on her face at the sennin's full acknowledgement and approval.

After crawling into the guest bathroom and sluggishly washing then drying herself, she threw some pajamas on and flew to her bed.

Naru had lost consciousness before her head even hit the pillow.

Genma raised a brow at Anko's uncharacteristic quietness. "Something on your mind?" He asked, leaning back on the grass, his palms pushing against the rocky hair of the Sandaime. Anko had drawn her legs to her chest, her head resting on top, and her arms squeezed around them. When Genma looked down to her face, he saw a cloud of emotions in her light brown eyes. The most distinct was the loneliness and confusion.

Noticing his gaze, she looked to her left, away from it. "It's… nothing."

"I thought you knew me better than that." He sighed, "Aren't we childhood friends?"

Anko scoffed, "You were barely around."

"Oi, I'm five years older than you. Of course I would have been busy with the academy and all that."

"Yeah, so that wouldn't make us 'childhood friends'. If anything, you're my sempai—but you know I refuse to acknowledge you as one."

"Just because you got promoted to chuunin before me?" Genma rolled his eyes. "You were so sweet and cute when you were four. What happened?"

"I matured."

"Yeah, having Orochimaru-sensei around makes you aware of the world, huh?"

That comment instantly shot away any positivity the girl had. Cursing inwardly, Genma frowned as he turned back down to the village. "Sorry, Anko. I didn't mean to upset you."

"Didn't I say it's nothing?"

"Aa."

"That—was a lie."

"I know."

Anko bit her lip, before dropping her forehead on her knees. "Sensei feels far away. I don't like it."

Genma brought his eyes on the sunset, "I see." He said, knowing that Anko didn't want pity. She never did. "Now that I remember, you really admire him. You once said that you wanted to be just like him, an excellent shinobi."

"Mm."

"Why's he being distant?"

Her voice came out muffled. "I—I don't know."

Genma's eyes softened as he watched her form; no matter how strong she was, no matter how much of a shield she had from being with Orochimaru, even she had her weak points. Said man was one of those main points. He straightened and tenderly ran his hand up and down her back. He closed his eyes, feeling her shake.

"Genma… What do you think I should do?" She sniffed. "If you're my sempai, you should know the answer to these sorts of things, right?"

"Sorry, I don't. Kurenai or Asuma's probably better at things like this." He said slowly, before drawing her to his chest and patting her head comfortingly. "But, as a friend, I'll let you use my shoulder. Is that okay?"

She shook her head.

"Fine, I'll let you use my jacket as a tissue."

She nodded. Genma knew a small smile had formed on her lips at her words. "Kidding; I brought some tissues with me."
"Well, aren't you prepared?" He asked sarcastically, his face holding its own smile.

He patiently petted her as he let her cry, her words bubbling out on their own accord.

Naru grinned; Kankuro was so cute and tiny!

And Temari was probably the most beautiful baby she has ever seen. Her rosy cheeks when she laughs, long lashes framing wide, innocent, forest green eyes.

Setting her down in her crib, she watched Temari yawn and slowly blink. The baby gradually succumbed to sleep, leaving Naru with stars in her eyes. She quietly left the room, and cautiously closed the door.

"You must really love children, huh?"

Jumping, Naru mock glared back at Jiraiya, "Don't scare me like that, Ero-sennin!" The man twitched an eye.

"How many times have I told you to respect me?"

"Too many times that I have lost track." She answered, disinterested.

Grinding his teeth together, he slapped the back of her head. "You brat!"

Biting down on her lip to prevent herself from yelping, Naru brought a finger to it. "Shush! The babies are sleeping!" She whispered harshly.

Raising a brow, he started walking, knowing the blonde would follow without looking back. "You sure are mindful around them. Do you want to have a family?"

She was caught off guard at the question, but grinned softly and nodded. She scratched her cheek, "I've always wanted one. Since I was a kid—though, during then I wished for a sibling or parents."

"Hmm. Children, huh?" Jiraiya chuckled, "I can see silver haired children blue eyes jumping around causing trouble already."

Naru blinked, registered his words, and her face blew up. Beet red, she mustered the best glare she could.

"Minato probably wants grandchildren—after you're married with your man, of course." He grinned, the movement of his waggling eyebrows sending shivers up her spine.

Naru decided that this embarrassing torture was enough, and fled, hearing Jiraiya's boisterous laughter fading behind her.

Having completely forgotten that they were only a room away, Jiraiya woke the babies up again, the loud wails seeming endless. So the gods were punishing him, were they? The sage grumbled, grimacing when the cries increased in volume as he entered. He didn't look that bad, did he?

Though, judging by the way Temari kept trying to throw toys—which was absolutely amazing for her age—like how Kankuro was trying to blow spit bubbles at him, he probably did. He watched as a stuffed pig soared a few centimeters above the girl and back down on her face, a lousy aim especially when he was a few meters away. He sighed; well, at least Temari will lose her energy quickly—she was already yawning.

He looked at Kankuro, whose crib was right next to Temari's, and saw that the infant's eyes were cross-eyed as he attempted to make more bubbles.

Jiraiya now knew without a doubt that kids of all ages were a hassle.

"P-Pein… No, Nagato… why are you going against his orders?" He weakly looked up at rippled, violaceous eyes that stared down at him.

"For peace, Zetsu."

The white Zetsu's eye flashed in anger, while the other half's monotone voice spoke. "So you took action before Tobi got back, then… while he was still researching about Konoha's jinchuuriki…"

"You and Tobi… trusted us too much." Konan said at last, having not spoken as she walked out of the shadows. As Zetsu was pinned down by Pain's chakra receivers, Konan lifted her hand up and spread her fingers, directing her paper butterflies.

They surrounded him, unfolded, and stuck, revealing explosion seals. The white Zetsu's half's eye widened in horror, and the last of the butterflies stuck over it.

He was now fully wrapped in white, '爆' seals all over his form.

"Scatter like the leaves then crumble in fire."

The silhouettes of the childhood friends walked away from the explosion, unresponsive to the sounds it made.

Rubble of various sizes were messily scattered around the muddy area, three people in the middle of it all.

Gold hair swayed softly, the rare sunlight making her seem to glow as the girl got up on her feet again, panting hard. Sapphire orbs watched them with determination, though they were drooped in exhaustion; she was quite low on chakra, and had many cuts littered on her skin and tears ripping her shirt. She had lost her jacket in the midst of the aggressive fight. Konan straightened from her tired posture, and Nagato's response was immediate.

Black rods pierced through air as its spiked tip aimed straight for the young girl's heart.

Instead of it stabbing through cloth and skin, the kunoichi had caught it swiftly with her hand.

Her eyes never swayed from them as she stabbed the weapon into her thigh, but she grimaced in pain. Breathing becoming harsher, she continued to stare at them, eliciting their curiosity.

"You are?" Nagato demanded calmly. "Coming here despite the traps I've personally set… and for you to be able to survive to this extent after fighting both of us—" His eyes widened as he clutched his head, falling to his knees immediately as a surge of images crashed into his mind.

"Nagato!" Konan rushed to his side, ignoring the cries of her own injuries, worried creases forming in between her thin brows. "What happened?"

The blonde continued to watch them silently, and, after a moment, pulled out the chakra receiver. She waited a few seconds for the sharp pain to dull into throbs. "Do you know who I am, Pain? Or may I call you Nagato?"

"How…?" Nagato's voice ground out, confusion evident in it. Konan looked between the two, unsure of what had happened.

"I'm sure you know."

"How you came to be here in the past—a jutsu with such power shouldn't exist. And," He furrowed his brows, "you shouldn't be able to let me see such images."

"Yes I can," she replied simply. "I have a copy of all my memories sealed right here," she tapped her head, "so I just broke the seal a bit and showed you the ones I needed you to see; your invasion on Konoha, Tobi's plans, and how I was sent in this time period."

Konan's eyes grew wide as she stared at the blonde, before the woman schooled her expressions. Her voice was just as emotionless as her face, "It would be mindful of you if you would explain to me what is going on at this moment?" One corner of Nagato's lips tilted upwards as he turned to her in amusement, but the action was gone in an instant.

"I'm Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto, nicknamed Naru. I came from the future to stop bad things from happening—"

"I'm not stupid."

Despite the serious situation, laughter appeared in shiny blue eyes. Nagato shook his head, turning to the woman. "I'll explain to you later, Konan. For now," he turned to Naru, "I'll ask you a few questions."

"Go ahead."

"How did you know they wouldn't be here?"

She scratched her cheek, her smile turning sheepish. "Well… Lucky guess? I figured he would be going around searching for information and stuff—just a hunch, though. I wasn't totally sure about it. And Zetsu… I thought he'd be around, but I didn't sense him using Kurama's chakra."

"Kurama?" Konan repeated the name. "Who is he?"

Nagato answered for her. "The Nine Tails."

Her eyes grew wide, settling on Naru again. This child controls that bijuu? The strongest tailed beast of them all; of course she can't believe it.

"You guessed right." Nagato's deep voice snapped the woman out of her thoughts. "You're lucky Zetsu is gone—he would have been able to teleport to Tobi without you noticing. He's away spying on another village."

"Are you going to help Konoha? We would really need your help, Nagato."

Said man and Konan whipped their heads toward the owner of the new voice, eyes round as their eyes landed on a unique figure with white hair. "Jiraiya… sensei?" The origami user whispered. They hadn't been able to sense him.

"How was life treating you two?" Jiraiya smiled down at her, before facing Nagato. "You didn't think this brat came all the way here by herself, did you?"

"I'm capable enough. What took you so long?"

"Hey, I just managed to convince Tsunade-hime to work with us and brought her here so you'd be safe! Be appreciative, brat!"

"How many times have I told you to stop calling me a brat, Ero-sennin?"

Nagato's eyes were full of disbelief at her blatant show of disrespect as the taller man went off on a tirade.

"Ero-sennin?" He said incredulously. Shaking his head, he turned back to Jiraiya. "I… will do what I can to help Naruto achieve her goal of bringing peace to this world. With what she has shown me… Now that I think about it, Yahiko probably would have told me to believe in her, so that's what I plan on doing."

A relieved smile appeared on the girl's face, and Jiraiya's panicking face was the last thing she saw before she succumbed to darkness.

"You should come to Konoha to meet Kushina and Mikoto-neesan! You would surely become great friends with them."

Karura smiled, "I'll keep that in mind, Naru-chan." She then bowed to both her and Jiraiya deeply. "Thank you two so much for saving me and Gaara, and the village." Then the Kazekage took off his hat, brought it to his chest and followed Karura's actions.

"Yes, I would also like to thank you as the leader of this village, a father, and her husband." He straightened and a small, grateful smile was on his face.

The two Konoha ninjas left Sunagakure, the warm goodbyes said to their retreating backs. Naru smiled contently to herself, as she gazed up at the blue sky.

Gaara… She thought, with this, you'll live a better life. A large part of her, despite the fact that many of her memories with the redhead were faded away, was elated.

Ugh, I really am not looking forward to high school anymore...

There's way too much stuff to study for the exams...

Anyway, the exams would end by next, next week, so there would be faster updates after that. Thank you for your patience T^T

Reviews give me energy and motivation to last for the next fourteen days―just saying :)