When Naruto's eyes flashed open, the smell of sickness and the second place he hated the most, after the library, obviously, the hospital, invaded into his nose. He felt as though he had chewed and swallowed something truly bitter. His eyes shut in again, trying to feel if his body was fully healed. He could move. He just felt sore. But there didn't seem to be any lingering pain from primary injuries. He tried not to think about what had brought him here. Or the fact that Kakashi had carried him while he was limping through unconsciousness. The thought was traumatizing. It was emotionally taxing. Without the Kyubi he might have been dancing towards death at that point after a lightning cutter had rammed through his chest. The only miracle that saved him at that moment was the cursed power inside of him.

He called it cursed, but it was both to him, wasn't it? It was because of the Kyubi that he was loathed, tormented, called the demon brat and has truly lived a miserably lonely life. But at the same time, it was the power that has saved his life. In all the death matches, and difficult moments with which he had reached his limit, he's always found another gear, thanks to this power. The biggest battles have been won, and survived because of this power. Perhaps, it was not truly a curse, but in some way a blessing. A cursed blessing?

Naruto blinked. Had he just hit his head or something? Had the Kyubi decided to take over his mind? Or was it its influence? When had he started to think like this? He laughed. He laughed really hard like a mad genin who had seen a little too much. Well, he had truly seen much hasn't he? Not just after he became a genin, but from the day he was born. His whole life was one sad, surgically plotted trauma that no psychological medicine could ever mend. After stopping with his laugh, Naruto held out his right hand. Bandages. His whole body was bandages. And this was the result of his zealous dedication to save a friend from walking into a lustful path.

This was the result.

The result of loving the wrong person. Perhaps not. Naruto didn't know at this point. It was confusing. It was maddening. It was everything. But what was factual and clearly drawn in bold fonts that even an idiot like him could comprehend was that Sasuke had nearly killed him, and he had survived because of the power of the Kyubi. The second thing was that Sasuke had chosen revenge over friends, and he was in this place because of that decision. Pained, physically and emotionally because of someone he called best friend.

It was cruel of life to do this to him. All his life. From the day he left the orphaned. Well, to say 'left' was smoothing it a little – if he had not been kicked out for being the one person who killed the parents of the orphans, he would have most likely fled because of the brutal treatment. Those people had never seen him as an orphan, a child who only wanted to be loved – he was the murderer of many. The big bad guru of the 10th of October. Sasuke had been a friend – something he had craved and finally got. But when he had finally got it, he was here in this bed, and for the first time in his life, thinking about his sanity.

"Naruto!"

The blond blinked as he turned to his right side, toward the entrance. Sakura was glaring at him impatiently. He hadn't heard her come in. Knowing her patience levels with him, she probably stopped short of throwing a punch because he was in bandages. For some reason, he could not smile. He really wanted to smile. Despite everything, she had been his beloved Sakura-chan. Yet, no matter how much he desired to smile at her presence, to tell her that although he had failed, he could not fail again, and he would not give up: he could not say a damn word. He could not even afford a smile. His body refused to listen. Instead, his eyes lit up slightly. Strangely, he could sense this sensation.

After what felt like eternity, his lips parted and his sounded.

"Hey, Sakura… chan…" he started in a whisper. "Sorry, I was a bit held up in there," he said pointing at his head, while trying but failing miserably to do his finest foxy smile.

Sakura stared at him. Her irate emotion disappeared all too quickly. It was replaced by a range of emotions. Naruto had become good at reading emotions. He almost laughed at the thought. This ability seemed to have some convenience though. He was only able to do so in a place of danger. In such situations, he was unusually blonde and dense: As he has been rightfully accused. Not that he has ever gotten it anyway. Perhaps it was because for the first time in his life, he observed and thought before speaking. Usually, he would speak without thinking much. With so many expressions flashing through Sakura's eyes, Naruto almost wanted to tell her to stick to one because she was now confusing him.

What was this? The effects of using too much of the Kyubi's power?

Perhaps he has always been like this. And something had just snapped.

"Umm, Naruto," Sakura went silent. She was nervous. Nervous as hell. Naruto was honestly being strange. He said something and then went silent, watching her. Those blue eyes had never been so observant before. She felt like she was being stripped naked. This was not the loud-mouthed idiot that she had come to know. And it was freaking her out. Her inner part just wanted to smack him in the head and then tell him to get his act together. When had she ever seen Naruto was gloomy? Really, the air was chilling in here.

Kakashi sensei had already told her what happened. And the Tsunade had explained it in detail. To say morbid details would be true. Her displeasure of what Naruto experienced in the hands of Sasuke had been clearly expressed. For a moment, when she had tried to defend Sasuke, Sakura had thought the Godaime Hokage was going to crush her with just the flick of her fingers.

A terrifying moment she would never dare repeat.

After a couple of moments, Sakura strengthened her resolve, and the spoke. "I'm sure Sasuke-kun wasn't trying to kill you. We are teammates. We will be get Sasuke. But this time, we will go after him as a team. Tsunade-sama told me that the village will keep a watch on Orochimaru's movements and if they hear anything about him, they would send people after him. She said they didn't want to lose the Sharingan…" but it was obvious that the Godaime didn't like Sasuke one bit. Even the decision to try to bring him back didn't seem to be her favored cause of action.

What could he say to that? Maybe it was jealousy, but Sasuke has always been the village's prince. The beloved Uchiha. It was ironic. Maybe even laughable that the loved Uchiha was the one who stabbed the village in the back and then went on to join a notorious criminal who is wanted in this village for inhumane crimes, while the pariah gets to remain, loyal to a fault and hopelessly dreaming for the day the village will see him in a good light and accept him as Naruto Uzumaki, not just the Kyubi brat.

But then again, he could never run away from what he was. Perhaps he was being mad, but he was a brat, and the Kyubi was a part of him.

"Naruto..?"

This time, a smile came. He felt relieved that it came just when he really needed it. "I know, Sakura-chan…" he said quietly. There more he thought about it, there was no need to comfort Sakura was there? If anything, he was the one who needed to be comforted. Although it was closed within seconds, he was the one who had a gaping hole in his chest and lying in a hospital bed, bandaged from head to toe like he was about to be mummified while still breathing.

'This is awkward,' Sakura thought as she thought of a reason to make a quick escape.

But she didn't have to think of anything, as Naruto suddenly got up and then stretched his body. When he jumped out of the bed, and walked towards the window before climbing it. He then turned to Sakura. "Don't tell anyone I ran. I really want to eat some ramen now…" the blond said, smiling.

"She is going to find out soon enough," Sakura said. "You have never been a subtle person," she said in a light tone, a small smile on her lips.

Naruto smiled as he chuckled lightly, scratching the back of his head. "Well, that has always been the intention… even when hiding."

"That doesn't make sense!"

"I know," Naruto said before jumping away.

Sakura held out her right hand. She had wanted to stop him. Not that she could keep him from leaving the hospital but to join him for Ramen. Her left hand quickly slapped the hand away. What was she thinking? Was she acting out because Sasuke had left her behind? Since when did she eat Ramen with Naruto – just the two of them? What were they going to be talking about while he was eating like an animal? She would be too disgusted to swallow or even look at him.

Still, something seemed to have changed with Naruto. She shook her head. He would go back to normal. Being an idiot. That she could handle but that Naruto she could not handle. Not when he was looking at her like one of those kunoichi in charge of mental evaluation.

The streets of this village had been one case of despair for him. Before, he could never walk freely at this place with people staring at him with hateful glares. They still were but not as prominent as it was before. He could now breathe. It was his simple showing at the Chunin exams. Ironically, it was a showing, helped by the power they resented. His life was an irony. What was going to happen in the future, to his tomorrow? Would he win the village's affections? When was he going to take a pause, and just think, something selfish? Always, he was putting others first. He was even hurt, and now had a memory of a gaping hole in his chest because he had been selfless and hopelessly stupid.

He laughed inwardly.

He was truly an idiot. Sasuke had not been wrong to call him an idiot. And he could not fault anyone for his stupidity. Instead of studying, learning as other children, he been making jokes, trying hard to be liked. Trying to draw people's affections to starve of his bitter loneliness. But loneliness was a part of him. He really should not be trying suicidal things to starve of his loneliness. And it was going to be his shadow now, since his only best friend had run, to chase his dreams.

The future looked bleak. But there was hope. There was always hope. Naruto stopped as he came to the view of the Hokage Monument. He held out his right hand, trying to touch the Yondaime's head. He was going to get there. He was going to make it. That was his motto. Never give. Never go back on his word. He would not give up, not until he became the greatest. So great that his shadow would dwarf anyone who stands in his presence.

He would become the greatest. He would make it. There was no one who was going to stop him. This was all he could do. With his miserable life of loneliness.

Still, what a life awaited him. He had to face this reality. His best friend gone. The grandfather who has always loved him since birth, despite the many secrets that maddened him, the Sandaime Hokage had always been his grandfather. But now, thanks to Orochimaru, he was dead. He had lost someone dear to him. And Sasuke had gone after that very person who has caused him so much hurt. If Orochimaru had not come here, baring his fangs, none of this would have happened.

But it had happened.

He could only march now. Head on to his tomorrow alone as he was.

But now, he was starving. And the only thing that could fill him up was ramen.

Present Day

Naruto stared down at Konoha's pacy streets; the village built upon the foundations laid by Madara and Hashirama. History tends to remember the First the most than the infamous Uchiha. Yet, he was a part of history. A part of the history of this great village. Without him, this village would not have been formed. Both Uchiha and Senju were the most powerful clans in the warring tides. Their 'peace' forced others to join in. no one wanted to be their enemies. It was best to join them. It was truly sad, that despite their greatness, both clans were mere memories now. There were just two Uchiha remaining, well, three counting the one who released the Kyubi the night he was born.

Shaking his head, Naruto placed his hands inside the pockets of his pants. He hadn't come back to this village to admire anything about it. Despite everything, the treacherous treatment, he had been born into this village, its hero – even though ignorant people failed to recognize. If it had not been his father, his mother, and him being born into that night, this village might have been reduced to ruins – just like his ancestral home of Uzushio.

After disappearing from the Hokage Monument along gusts of winds, Naruto appeared at the memorial stones. He did not stand where the Yondaime laid to rest but where the Sandaime Hokage rested. The old man had been his only family when growing up. But there had been lies. Now, Naruto wondered just how much of what the old man told him had been the truth. He wondered if the Sandaime had even loved him. But Jiraiya had said it again and again that the old had loved him. Yet, it was the same old man who allowed him to live his whole life being called a demon, a murderer, without telling him that the Kyubi was sealed within him. He had let him live like he had simply dropped off the sky, when he had been birthed by Konoha's hero. Reasons be damned. No one had a right to keep from him about just who his parents were. If he had known, maybe he might not have been so miserable – at least, he would have known that he did have a mother who loved him.

This was his life, his journey. One filled with lies and pain. Treachery even. There was nothing wrong he did. He just had to be a child of Kushina, and Minato, and had a 'grandfather' figure who preferred lies than the simple truth. Why hadn't he shouted when Mizuki told him the truth? Maybe he hadn't done anything then because he had been happy to know that even Iruka sensei cared for him, even knowing about the Kyubi. He could have even be afraid of losing the Sandaime Hokage.

Two masked shinobi flashed behind him without warning. Naruto's eyes only narrowed ever so slightly, and then stared back at the stone. Well, at least then, he did have someone he could speak with and some things were better with the Sandaime Hokage.

"Tsunade-sama has summoned you."

Impatient woman: It was apparent that the Godaime Hokage had not worked on her patience issues. It was not like he had run off or done anything wrong. He was here. She just had to wait for him to catch his breath before seeing her. Sighing, Naruto nodded and then closed his eyes. Could he still visualize the office? Could he got there? The short-distance teleportation required he see where he had to go, and then he could just disappear within the blink of an eye, without any trace. There would be a gentle breeze upon his disappearance.

And then there was.

Hokage Office

Tsunade didn't know what to say. The child she had last saw, filled with innocence, wearing a cheerful smile had been replaced by a man. He was fully grown, cheeks flat, right hand fully bandaged. The orange jumpsuit was replaced a dark orange coat with black stripes and dark blue shinobi pants, along with a long-sleeve t-shirt with the Uzumaki symbol along the chest. He truly looked like a proper shinobi. How long has it been? Three years since she last him? In the shinobi world, three years was a long time. You could even go for a simple mission and never even come back. Every day was worth enjoying – and living because if you did not, you never know when the last one was going to come.

"You didn't tell me you'd be returning today," Tsunade said in a flat tone. Even getting a response from him, if a letter did manage to find had been difficult. He was supposed to have returned to the village some time ago.

"I didn't think there was a need," Naruto then smiled. "Besides, I wanted to surprise you. If you'd simply frozen in shock over seeing me, I would have had an easier path at becoming Hokage," he added with a slight shrug.

Did he not understand that the situation was dangerous for him in the village? She didn't care that he didn't speak about the Hokage position with the same energy as before when she had come to collect her along with Jiraiya. He was grown now.

She banged her hand on her desk, expressing her anger, disapproval and frustrations. "You refused to listen to orders to return to the village. That is insubordination, do you know what happens to insubordinate shinobi?!"

Not he reaction he would have expected.

"Jiraiya tells me that you are not the same stupid brat that you once were, so I will make this very clear to you and I will tell it to you once: You are not the most trusted person in the village and the fact that you were on your own, most of the time, and refused to come back when ordered to do so, has created some tensions amongst the clans. It had been suggested that you be brought back to the village by force after your refusal."

Naruto raised an eye brow; that was honestly not something he had expected. But then again, was it really a surprise? From what he has come to learn, politics in this village work very differently. Still, what had he done for them to think he would betray this village? Hasn't it been this village that not only betrayed its greatest Hokage but also betrayed him?

"I suppose you stood firm," Naruto said in a quiet tone. He bowed slightly, "You have my thanks. I guess I have put you under undue pressure by my actions."

"You guess?!" Tsunade snapped, glaring heatedly.

Naruto held up both his hands, smiling apologetically. "At least on the bright side of things, I know that you will always have my back, Ba-chan. There are not a lot of people to trust in this world, and just returning to know that I can always trust you makes me happy," Naruto said with a foxy smile, with a hand at the back of his head, just to lighten up the mood.

Tsunade paused. Those words were touching. It was sad really, that the child of one of Konoha's Hokage had to feel like this, atop of the great burden that he carried within. The anger that had been bubbling within her dispersed quickly as it was replaced by a look of concern. True, she had faced of some political attacks and the situation was delicate around Naruto but he's still suffered enough in this village. If he had been able to stand free while away, even in her anger, she welcomed it.

"I'm just glad that you returned safely, Naruto. I was worried about you, especially given the state of mind when you left the village," Tsunade said quietly. "I hope your training was successful and you learned a lot."

"Of course," Naruto said with a toothy grin. "It was my goal to train to become strong. I still want to become the greatest. If I'd remained as weak as I was, my dream would have been a pipe dream," he said firmly. "You haven't aged a bit. I trust the job has treated you well…"

"It's a pain!" Tsunade exclaimed. "What happened to your hand?"

"A bit of accident," Naruto said dismissively. "I will give you a report about my years away later. I'm sure Jiraiya has already furnished his…"

"He has," Tsunade said. She then paused, trying to study his expression. There wasn't much to tell. He was reserved, and just like how he was when he left. She wondered though, what were his thoughts about Sasuke? The Uchiha has been seen around with Orochimaru's people, roaming around the shinobi world doing some dirty works for her former teammate. On the occasions that he did meet with Jiraiya, he must have been told about it. But the Toad Sage never said anything about it in his report. Tsunade decided to be on the safe side and not talk about it unless the blond started or the situation forced it. "I will wait for your report before putting you back on duty for service."

Naruto nodded and then disappeared from the office.

The cursed home that housed him for his childhood. He was just a brat, and yet, he was living by himself, receiving an allowance from the Sandaime Hokage. But how could he eat nice things? How could he even get the best care of supplies when people either overpriced him or outright refused to sell to him? His childhood was one miserable fate he'd been tossed into. There was nothing he could change about it. Still, how brutal was for the Sandaime to put him in this cold palace when his father had left a house, purely intact. The Kyubi rampage had not touched it. The invasion from the Sound had not touched it. At least as far as Jiraiya had explained to him.

Naruto just stood in the kitchen, motionless. There was nothing really he could take here. Aside from Ramen actually, but aside from that, there was nothing. This place would remain like this. Perhaps when he was feeling sentimental, he would return to sleep here. There was a hole inside of his heart, and this place could remind him, of the many miserable nights he had, alone, bundled up in that bed wishing he had a mother to give him comfort, to whisper to his ears that she loved him and all would be well. He had wished for the nights and days he could simply return home to someone, to tell them about his day at the academy, but he had no one. There was no one to comfort him when he had a nightmare. He could only stay in a corner, covered in a blanket, miserable, and yet when tomorrow came, he would have to shove it all in the back of his head and pretend as if he was fine by wearing a huge grin that would make the Kyubi giggle with excitement over just how fake he was.

Just being here was making him miserable already.

'Why did you even return to this village?'

The deep voice from within, bored – perhaps. Or maybe it was just a projection. Naruto could never really tell what the Bijuu was thinking. It has over time, told him, repeatedly, that it was nothing but hate. And there was truly nothing more than contempt in its eyes, even for him, for using its power, for keeping it locked up.

'This is my home. I was born into this village. Besides, if I end up leaving, Sasuke will just say that I am following after him. I would rather not let that bastard think I am running after him. And, I don't want to live the rest of my being on the run.' Konoha was not going to allow the treasured Bijuu to fall into any other village. They would never permit it. Besides, it would defeat his purpose. The reason he had even left along with Jiraiya in the first place.

'Then be miserable,' the Kyubi said.

'Just like you,' Naruto shot back. 'Since when have you cared about my well-being?'

'I don't, but I am merely curious about your decision. Humans never change. They will never accept you. Even if they do today, the moment you do one little wrong that strokes their fears, they will turn on you.' The Bijuu said in a measured tone before admitting honestly. 'Besides, if we are outside the village, things become much simpler for me.'

Naruto didn't need to think what the Bijuu meant by that. He knew, it meant escaping. While in this village, there was a chance of being resealed if it ever came close to escaping from the seal. It was already weakened. The ghost of the Yondaime Hokage had come to strengthen it after he nearly let it lose, but his chakra was no more. And Jiraiya refused with the key that his father said he had created to release the Kyubi from its cage for him to be able to release the power. Perhaps it was trust issue, but that refusal had hit home. But the toads were especially the ones who didn't want to release it over some fears. Perhaps it was because he had nearly died, and released the Kyubi into this world before the ghost of the Yondaime saved things that they were truly afraid.

'There is no master of Fuinjutsu in this village, well, aside from Jiraiya and perhaps Danzo. But I doubt Jiraiya has the capabilities to seal you…" the necklace that Tsunade had given him was crushed long time ago. It had done the trick a couple of times, but the Kyubi had finally gotten around it and snapped it into pieces.

Naruto ended up deciding against cleaning up the cupboards. He had to go out in stealth mode. He didn't want to deal with the reaction of the villagers on this day. Not before he was able to fully rest in his father's house. The home that would have probably filled a void in his heart had these people not decided to keep it from him. Even Jiraiya would have probably not said anything to him. he had confronted the Sannin when the ghost of the Yondaime had appeared before him to strengthen the weakening seal.

The safe houses his father had were destroyed. But this house was just fine. At least from the looks of it on the outside. It really looked normal. Then again, his father was not from a clan. He had been merely an orphan. The Sandaime Hokage had a compound – he was from the Sarutobi clan.

Naruto saw a flash of a memory; him running outside, with his mother chasing him. Another with him rushing to welcome his father from another hard day in the office, with his mother leaning against the door frame, watching as her boys hugged happily. Later, she would yell at them for not wanting to bath or washing their dishes as they tried to make time for father and son moments, which were not often because of his father's work. The thoughts, the 'ifs' it made him hesitant to go into the house. Maybe he was just going to be miserable in there. Maybe he would only dream about the life he could have had if both his parents had not died.

After a long minute, Naruto forced the door open. There was dust everywhere. No one was taking care of it. Yet, he didn't notice much of it. He would even lie on the cold floor, regardless of how dirty it was, because this was home. His parents had breathed the air here. They had laughed, planned and thought of how they were going to raise him in this house. This was the life he could have had. But he was denied.

Naruto wanted to cry. But the tears would not come out. When had he stopped crying? Long ago. When he had been just a little boy. He had realized, if he did not, he would have been miserably crying every night. And worst of all, there would have been no one to comfort him; no one to wipe off his tears and tell him it was going to be alright.

After a couple of minutes, Naruto finally decided to look around the house. There were three bedrooms. A large kitchen, and a dining room. there was a sitting room, an office and a weapons room, along with an underground training hall, warded with seals and with those three pronged kunai stabbed all over it. The room that had left him motionless, and in dreamland was the room with the crib. A very large crib, suited for him, a prince in his parent's lives. He would have had many nights in it. Crying for their attention, crying because he needed to go, or just because he felt like crying. But he didn't have any of it. None. He had been forced to live in an orphanage, and then an apartment with a careless landlord. In the orphanage, when a demon cried, it had to be either hit or sent into a cold dark room until it stopped crying. Because no one had the heart to love it. To care for it.

Hiruzen had been naïve. Why had he not just not announced it? His mother had lived comfortably because no one had known she was a Jinchuriki. Perhaps he'd trusted too much on stupid people to look past their hate and see the work their Kage had done. Had he told them, this is Minato's son, he made him a Jinchuriki, to contain the Kyubi, to save this village, to save all you, that you may have a future while his life ended, and he has died, living his son an orphan, hoping that you may become his parents. Maybe then, things would not have been so miserable. But what was he thinking, hate was truly a powerful thing.

He shook his head. That was the past. This was now.

Naruto created clones, sent them out to begin the clean out. He needed to make sure the electricity was still working. The fridge was empty and dead, the cupboards didn't have any food in them. He would have to go out and buy some. He wondered, how was the service going to be? Perhaps things would be different.

While the clones cleaned, Naruto went outside through the backdoor. There was a very small and modest garden – or at least it once was. Yet, he didn't feel like taking something to remove the weeds that he may bring back its glory. He just settled down and laid on his back, eyes closed. They were not closed for more than five minutes before Jiraiya welcomed himself and then settled on his left side.

"I thought you were still in the lightning country, sensei." Naruto asked without opening his eyes. "You reek of alcohol…"

"I don't want to hear that from you. There had been moments I found you drunk, lying in some corner… with a man…" the Sannin said with a glare. Perhaps it was a coping mechanism. All shinobi had one. The blond was not a drunk, but he did have his days of drinking, and he didn't just take a taste. He really drank until he couldn't even stand.

Naruto winced at the memory. "Please don't remind me. I dare not think about what could have happened that night," the blond said.

Jiraiya only smiled. "It would have made a great piece for my book…" the Sannin said. "I left the lightning some time ago. There was nothing interesting happening."

Naruto snorted. "You probably got yourself kicked out of the country for doing something lecherous," the blond said. Maybe it was his copying mechanism. The real world had too many troubles that naïve people failed to see. People died every day. The art of murder was no trivial thing – but shinobi were faced with that choice whenever there was a mission. Sometimes living a life of ignorance saved you from the pain and the despair that came with being a shinobi – a trained killer.

Jutsu were not simply designed for 'defending,' they were for killing. Why did these villages opt to make Jinchuriki weapons? For the simple purpose for wreaking havoc along enemy lines, leaving only despair and destruction in their wake. He could thank Hiruzen, because of him, the lustful madmen of this village had not wormed their way into his life to produce Konoha's most powerful weapon.

Jiraiya stared at Naruto for a moment. He knew, their relationship was not that great. But being here must have been an emotional journey for Naruto. For him, it brought many memories he had buried and the regrets of his failures – his failure to protect his favored pupil. If he had done things differently, he would be having another pupil to follow after his dreams – but Naruto was following his dreams. When they had spoken about peace, the blond had simply said: "Why would I think of peace in the shinobi world when I have no peace in my heart? Not to mention, there is no peace for me in Konoha."

It was a response that hit hard. But the truth, even though it was something he would have never willingly confronted head on.

"I'm truly happy that you have returned home, Naruto," the Toad Sage said with a smile. "Hime must have told you that had things not changed sooner, we may have been forced to use force. I know that would have been unfair to you, but I don't need to tell you that this life is not fair."

"She only told me that there had been calls to use force," Naruto said in thought. It would have been a twisted turn of events for him to be declared a missing-nin. He didn't want that cloud hounding him. He needed to be free. Anywhere he went, they would only welcome him because he brought the power of the most powerful Bijuu. "But honestly, I am not too thrilled that I am home. Perhaps I resent this place a little, but my greatest challenge is being alive with my burdens, my dreams, and the shadow of the Kyubi hanging over me. I resisted coming back earlier because I was perhaps I afraid of what would await me," the blond said in a quiet tone.

At least, even though there were issues, Naruto still talked to him. Within two months, after he had left the blond alone in a town, they had already gone their separate ways. He found the blond five months later. He hadn't tried to run, but merely surprised that it took so long for him to find him. He had been merely training, and pointed out that despite spending a month with him, he hadn't learned anything 'hard' and Jiraiya's obsession has always been for him to be able to use the Kyubi's chakra.

Flashback

The past months had been nerve wrecking. Jiraiya had been experiencing hell. There had been many nights he saw the ghost of Kushina chasing him with murderous intentions. There was no telling what could have happened to the blond. He didn't know. Nothing had been said. He had suddenly just returned and suddenly, the blond was gone. No word, but his clothes had been packed – his only hope. He hadn't told Tsunade. She would murder him. His fears were that something bad could have happened after Naruto left. Naruto didn't know the Elemental Nations and yet, he had simply vanished without a trace. He had even gone to the Cloud to see if they had not abducted him – the Raikage's thirst for power was unmatched.

His hope had returned when one of his spies had informed him that they saw someone like Naruto training in an abandoned town. Jiraiya had quickly rushed like lightning. There had been many false hopes before. The months had felt like years. He may have even aged drastically over the period of uncertainty and nail-biting tense months. The only clue that made him rush was that there had been a clue of the menacing chakra of the Kyubi. His fears had compounded then. Anything could happen. Naruto had been depressed then.

When Jiraiya arrived at the town and walked into a clearing, he would have went on his knees, and sent a message to Kushina that she had found her son, but the situation before him was alarming. His hair stood up, his guard went to maximum security. His instincts screamed at him for the danger that lay ahead. His heart pounded heavily, as his thoughts ran wild, thinking of the worst possible scenario.

There had been many worse moments in his life, but not like this one.

He had clearly found Naruto. But there blond was standing there motionlessly inside a large crater, shirtless. His usually short hair was a little long, his body full of cuts and the unmistakably presence of the Kyubi was clearly felt. It made him afraid. Afraid that he was looking at the Bijuu – than Naruto. What reinforced his fears were the silted crimson eyes, the cold look in them, the fangs peeking slightly under his lips, and the sharp whisker masks. What made him nearly jump were the words that came next.

"I have been waiting for you, human. You will humor me with a test to see my limits while constrained in this meat suit."

Jiraiya tensed, and immediately took a stance. The Kyubi could not have broken free of the cage and then took over Naruto's body, could it? The seal was designed in such a way that such a reality was possible. Jiraiya was afraid. "N-naruto?" He asked in a whimper.

'Naruto' grinned, revealing sharp teeth, holding folding his clawed hands across his chest. "Try again."

Jiraiya's eyes widened and he took a single step backwards. "Naruto! Can you hear me?!" He shouted, a little pale.

"Yes, ero-sennin!"

Jiraiya blinked.

What followed then was a loud laughter from Naruto. He was even on his butt, laughing. Looking closely, he was back to normal. Well, the animalist characteristics were now gone. The Sannin frowned. That hadn't been funny. He had been truly frightened. What was this? First the blond leaves him without saying a damn word and then now scares him by making him think that he was being controlled by the Kyubi?

Jiraiya wanted to rave and rank, but Naruto was laughing. He was truly laughing. It was not a mad laughter but a truly person laughing hard. When was the last time he saw the blond laughing? Not since they left Konoha and certainly not after Sasuke drove a Chidori through his chest.

"You should have seen the look on your face, sensei!" Naruto exclaimed as he stood up, walking toward the Sage.

Jiraiya glared. "Are you going to tell me why you ran? Do you know how worried I was when you didn't find you!?" Screw that Naruto was happy, Jiraiya was honestly angry that Naruto was making light of the situation. He could have been attacked while away from him!

Naruto stopped walking for a moment and stared at the Sannin before shrugging. "I wanted to show you that I don't need you, sensei. Besides, in the first week alone and way from you, I learned much more than I have learned from you. In the battle with Neji, I realized just how flawed my fighting style was. In my victory against Gaara, it was simply the raw power of the Kyubi that pulled me through, and not my skills. Kabuto was right when he said I had no skills. Even Sakura has a more refined fighting stance than I do. You saw that, even before my battle against Neji, and yet you failed to correct that. Kakashi-sensei failed me, do you want to fail me as well?"

Jiraiya froze. Those words pummeled him like Tsunade's punches. They were cold, and the hard truth. He could have done better. There was a chance that Naruto could have fought both Gaara and Sasuke in the Chunin exams, and what could he have done any better? Naruto was slow, too slow. In an all-out battle with Sasuke in that stage, were he could not use much of the Kyubi's chakra, he would have lost. A summoning would not have been an ideal thing at that stage.

He smiled bitterly - thinking of Naruto's fighting style - he realized, maybe that man would have done a better job. He may not have given Naruto the tools to use the Kyubi's chakra, but he certainly would have driven home the basics and formed a foundation in which Naruto could have developed into a proper shinobi.

"You have a point," Jiraiya bitterly admitted. "I will take your training seriously but promise me that you will not mention this to Tsunade and you will not run away again."

Naruto smiled. "Of course, sensei. And from now on, you will pay for everything. I will simply train."

"Pay with what money?!"

Naruto only smiled and asked. "When do we begin with the real training?"

"Sometimes, no matter what you do, people or at least many will never change. Hatred is such a strong emotion that completely blinds you from reality. I know you understand this better. You have lived your entire life breathing it, harboring it within. I won't give you answers," not that he hadn't tried before. He had done so, before, and they had been rejected. Naruto was not looking for a god in his life, but a friend, someone who could offer honest opinions based on reality not some fantastical ideologies that even he could not cope with. "But you know yourself better than anyone, else. You are strong. You lived in this village despite everything being hurled toward you without losing your mind. You survived the worst, being lied to, being betrayed. I'm sure, I know you will live to the best to achieve your dream," the Sannin then grinned. "Who knows, maybe one day, your father's shadow may become too small for you."

Naruto chuckled lightly. "I think I was insane long time ago. I learned to completely mask my pain, my loneliness from everyone when I was just a child. But whenever I returned home, alone, there would be no one. I would be alone, there would be no one to see me. My misery would just pour out. Do you know the despair of sitting at home, late at Friday, eating the same meal you've had for the past seven days, not knowing what to do tomorrow because really, you don't have a single friend, everyone else shuns you, those who accept you, just end up sending you to the forest of death. And ultimately, you resort to pranks, for amusement and attention, because, you are crying for the village to start acknowledging, just that you exist, not anything else, but that you are alive."

If Jiraiya said he knew, he would be lying. He didn't know the despair. He could only guess what must have been on Naruto's mind. Worst, he could have done something about it. As the blond's godson, he could have taken him out of the village to prepare him mentally. He could have been around to show the blond that there was someone who loved him. He could have done something – but he did not. He did nothing but just watched, feeling sorry for himself. Maybe did not deserve calling himself Naruto's godfather.

"We all should have done better to ensure that you did not suffer as you did…" Jiraiya said in a bitter tone after a long minute of silence. "I shouldn't have expected the old man to do everything. He already too much on his plate," the Sannin swallowed hard before glancing the round of weeds that had taken residence in the garden. The Sandaime had managed to at least look after this place while he was still alive, but with him now dead and no thanks to his former teammate, no one was looking after it.

Naruto smiled. He stopped short of laughing. His thoughts were bitterly amusing after all. "I want to say the past is the past, but it was the past that shaped into what we are now," he said before releasing a long breath. "Well, we shall see what happens in the comings days. But there had never been doubt on my return," he said in a firm tone. "Then, what brought you running all the way from the Cloud country?"

"We need to talk about Orochimaru and his student," Jiraiya said in a hardened tone. "I know this is still a touchy subjet-"

"It is not, I just prefer not to talk about it," Naruto cut in before Jiraiya could finish talking. "What has he done now? Or is it perhaps Sasuke you are concerned about?"

"I can't say I am concerned," Jiraiya stressed. "But the village is concerned. He has recently been making too many movements. My guess is that he is still chasing after Itachi."

The infamous Uchiha. He was truly an interesting person.

Flashback

"You're a hard person to track down, Naruto-kun."

Naruto nearly fell from the tree branch he had been lying on when he suddenly heard the voice. He hadn't felt or sensed the presence but when he heard the voice, he now sensed a presence. Who could walk upon him like that? When he looked down, he saw those blood-red eyes of the Uchiha and realized he was dealing with what apparently was Sasuke's older brother. He immediately looked away to avoid being caught in a Genjutsu. His skills were still lacking in a very offensive way. He made ready to make a run for it. If this person could sneak up on him so easily, he was surely not going to fare well in a battle against him.

"I'm not here to attack you," Itachi said, seeing the subtle defensive movements. "There is no need to look away. You are already in my Genjutsu."

Naruto blinked and then frowned deeply. After two full years of training with clones in a training regime that was worth more than ten years, he would have thought he would be able to tell the difference between reality and Genjutsu. It was massively disappointing. But when had he been caught in the Genjutsu? Shaking his head, Naruto decided to ask. "What do you want?"

"I want to talk to you about my brother, Sasuke."

Naruto's frown deepened. "What about him?"

End of Flashback

Naruto glanced at Jiraiya through the corner of his eyes. "What has the village decided? No, it should be obvious. The village still wants Sasuke back." But if Sasuke continued on his path, things could get to the point where he could be beyond saving, not unless the village was willing to pick fights with others. Orochimaru was a criminal, if Sasuke pissed off other villages, they would go after his head and Konoha would get drawn to it.

"There is the issue of Orochimaru's intentions to make Sasuke his host," Jiraiya said. "In terms of security, that is the biggest worry. If Orochimaru succeeds, he will become very powerful, and his reign of terror will only continue unabated. It will only cause chaos in this world. We have to stop it before it gets to that point."

It was not like many people have not yet suffered because of Orochimaru. But of course, this village would only worry if it became a subject to his threats. Not that he hadn't already led an invasion that resulted in the Sandaime Hokage dying.

"I doubt Sasuke will have gone to Orochimaru with any intentions of allowing himself to become a host. Orochimaru is weak at the moment, and Sasuke is a cold bastard with a superior complex. He only went to Orochimaru for power, and once he sees he has had enough and believes himself to be superior to Orochimaru, he is going to move his way," Naruto explained with a bit of indifference. "What do you want me to do?"

"I will tell you once you have resettled and have been put back on active duty. At the moment, you are just a genin who is off-duty," Jiraiya said, while mocking the fact that Naruto was still a genin. The only genin in his group.

Naruto blinked with shock. "Hell!" He exclaimed. "How come I didn't get promoted for my showing at the Chunin exams? I did more than anyone in my generation, and some Jonin. My efforts should have been recognized!" No doubt, if it was Sasuke, he would have received a full paid promotion with badges and a royal procession to officially crown him Crown Prince of the Hidden Leaf.

"I thought rankings didn't matter to you," Jiraiya said with amusement.

Naruto glared for a second before getting. "I guess I must rack up hard missions to get that promotion. To think that I would become the lowliest ranked of those people. At this stage, even Konohamaru might have a higher rank than me," Naruto said with a slight shake of his head. "What else?"

"There is one of Orochimaru's former lieutenants. She is rumored to have fled from him. I am busy looking for her whereabouts, if we find her, we might be able to learn more about Orochimaru's objectives and be able to track his movements," Jiraiya said as he stood up. "I have already warned you about Danzo. But I want you to be careful of him, Naruto. Don't trust him. Stay as far away from as possible."

Naruto nodded. "Just tell me this before you leave," the blond said. "How are things in this village?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "You will find out eventually but you will realize that things have changed in many ways than one."

Tsunade tossed a hard stare at Jiraiya the moment he landed on her window, smiling stupidly. Perhaps he was trying to soften up the mood, but she really had no reason to be happy about his presence. The Godaime placed down the report she had and leaned to her chair. Hard decisions had to be made in this village. When it comes public knowledge that Naruto is the son of Minato, there was going to be shock going through the village, external factors in the Fire capital would come to play. No doubt, those people would demand to know why the son of a man who saved the Leaf had been hidden away. At least it would be laughable to see his reaction when he realizes just how this village treated the son of a man they worshiped. Their ignorance to the fact could not be excused as a valid reason.

With Naruto back in the village, the political factors that have been working behind the scenes with frustratingly – impressing – efficiency were going to be at full-force now and she would have to deal with it. More challenging was Naruto's situation. He may have returned, but his Anbu evaluation risk factor still named him a flight risk. As it has always been since he was a little brat. Of course, her sensei had concealed such reports from never seeing the light again to avoid predators like Danzo from taking any action that would have been detrimental to Naruto's well-being. Not that being left to live a 'normal' benefited him in any way.

"I thought your report was exaggerating things. A part of me truly wishes that he would revert back to normal once he was out of the village," Tsunade said after a couple of moments of silence.

Jiraiya nearly rolled his eyes – he didn't show this to Tsunade. Naruto had explained to him in detail, the treatment, the pain that he suffered. There was nothing normal about Naruto's life. "Do you prefer him wearing a mask every day of his life when in front of people and then being miserable when he goes back to his apartment? Because for Naruto, that was the normal thing in this life."

Tsunade flinched. What people saw wasn't always the truth. She should have known better. But he had looked genuinely happy when he came to convince her to return to this village. He had been stubbornly stupid, and brave. "I guess that episode was the last straw…" she said with a slight shake of her head. "What do we do now, Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya shrugged. "I'm not too concerned," he said. And then smiled. "Naruto is a lot more appreciative of the things he has in his life. He isn't the naïve the brat who always trusted everyone and refused to see the evil in people. There are some red flags, but he is capable of watching over himself… but he needs to re-familiarize himself with friends, and be with people he can trust. But you can't force him to do it. Aside from that, we can only offer him support."

Tsunade was silent for a moment before responding. "We have to protect him, Jiraiya."

"And we will, hime. I have failed him before, I won't do it again. I know the politics in this village have changed after the invasion, but nothing will happen to him."

Perhaps Danzo could call it a coupe, and Hiashi would call it the greatest thing that has happened since the demise of the Uchiha clan. The clan heads had more power now. Hiashi was able to flex his political muscles as being the strongest clan in the village now. The Hyuga have always been politically powerful, but not like this. They now even wanted to revive the Military Police Force and run it. They argued that they their Byakugan made them the perfect guardians of the village's security. Had they been in charge, the incident that saw Sasuke leave the village through the gates would not have happened, or the fact that it seemed possible for illegal people to come in and go without the Anbu knowing. They had made some valid arguments but the intentions were not entirely pure.

It was the mess that resulted from the invasion. And there had been pressure to make Suna pay for what happened. The freak of nature called Danzo had even proposed invading the Sand. But the village would have surrendered quickly as it no longer had a Kage, and its supposed weapon was defeated by a dead-last of the Hidden Leaf. But Tsunade had stood firm to the pressure and reminded everyone she was the Hokage.

In her silence, Sakura walked into the office with a stack of papers from the hospital. The girl had grown over the years. She had become a far better student than Shizune. Her learning ability was truly amazing. It had taken some doing to get to grow, but she was still a child and the world still turned upside down whenever there was a mention of Sasuke. But overall, she had truly become a kunoichi she was proud to call her pupil.

"Jiraiya-sama," Sakura's eyes lit up slightly at seeing the Sannin. Every time she saw the man, it was always news about either Sasuke or Naruto. She had missed both her teammates and really wanted to see them. She would show them that she was no longer the burden that she once was.

"Sakura," Jiraiya greeted the girl with a smile. "I will be leaving later on today, hime. I had just come to see if Naruto had settled."

"But you just returned."

"There is something I am following regarding Orochimaru's movements and the troubles brewing between Iwa and Kumogakure." And just like that, the Sannin disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Before Tsunade could even say anything, Sakura was in her face with huge eyes. "Naruto is back?" She asked with excitement.

Tsunade smiled. she looked like a little girl who has been waiting for her parents to come back from work to play with her. "Yes," she said. "Naruto returned earlier."

"Does this mean that team seven is going to come back together? We can look for Sasuke better," she said.

"Team 7 is still a member short," Tsunade said. "And that is a discussion that is for another day. Now, what about this?"

"Oh, these are the cases that you said you wanted to look at," Sakura said, a little put off by Tsunade's response.

Tsunade nodded. Her focus was now on what she was going to read, given that there seemed to be something going on that gave her an itchy feeling and that pervert had left before she could tell him about it. Tsunade didn't know what to call it. aside from some people disappearing, there was an admission of genin suffering from chakra poison. Even some experienced shinobi were suffering from this 'epidemic.' Tsunade didn't want to think that someone was doing experiments in this very village.

I'm trying something a little different. In almost all of my stories, Naruto leaves Konoha, but I wanted to try one, were he actually stays but has to deal with the hate, and the challenges while trying to achieve his dreams. The Akatsuki will be a little different and there will be chaos or something like that if i manage to bring it out within the shinobi world.

Obviously, Naruto will be strong. And in terms of pairings, this story may not have any. But we will see what happens. The pace will be a little up compared to some of my stories.

The Omnipresent Sage