"Hime-chan, hear me out!" Jiraiya waves his hands, ducking under the paperweight. Tsunade still behind her desk giving him a deadly look.

"I said no! I've got things to do Jiraiya, so stop wasting my time," she stands abruptly grabbing the stacks of folders in her desk rounding the piece of furniture ready to march out the door before.

Jiriaya intercepts her. She glares. "I have patients who need my help, the boy from Iwa is barely alive."

"That's exactly the reason I'm bringing this up to you! We can't have Naruto end up like that." She moves to open the door when Jiraiya's hand slams into it, holding the slightly ajar door in place, despite her strength. The slab of wood creaks in protest as they both contest eachother.

She whirls her head around to glare at him and Jiraiya is as serious as she's ever seen him. "Naruto is going up against Garaa. The boy is dangerous, you know that. He needs to know now I have to start training him now!"

"I'm not going to put my son through that you damn idiot. Jinchuuriki don't get the luxury of normal lives. Jinchuuriki are made to exist for one purpose and that is to kill! I'd sooner find Orochi-teme and burn this whole place to the ground! He has a chance!You can't take that from him! Convince the toads to give up the sage secrets already!" She snarls out, almost desperately.

"Hime-chan this is entirely different, Naruto is still too young for sage techniques his body isn't fully developed yet. Its not a mater of secrets and you know that! We need to eliminate the seals I put on him and let the Fourth's seal do what it was meant to do at its fullest capacity. We're hindering his progress by continuing this! I've got to release it and tell him now."

"Did you forget the reason why we placed it on him in the first place? Orochimaru is still out there and even with the seal he still has nightmares. Who knows what'll happen if you just take it off.?!" The woman is beyond angry, the folders in her hand have been bent in half. Normally, that wouldn't be a big deal. But considering the stack in her hand was about as wide as a cinderblock...Yeah.

"No! Just listen to me woman!" Jiraiya is desperate now, trying to keep Tsunade in front of him. "I haven't forgotten about Orochimaru but that's part of the problem. Him and Onoki! They both know! And its better that he find out from me than him finding out from them! Not to mention that if he goes in blind versus Gaara he could die." He repeats once again, trying to get his point across. Tsunade lets out a quick breath.

The hand is too quick gripping Jiraiya by folds of his attire he could feel it scrunch up almost chocking him. "You breathe and I'll snap you in half damnit!"

Jiraiya isn't stunned or even surprised he raises his hand in a placating manner. Staring at her with that grim face. Trying to look smart...This moron...he...

Her eyes are boring holes into his skull.

The hand on her cheek is sudden, her eyes widen, feeling his finger wiping at tear she didn't realize escaped her. "You know it has to be this way Hime."

The enormous strength gave out...Jiraiya's feet touch the floor, her grip on his clothes slackens.

She is not crying...she's not.

He reaches forward, hugging her and she lets him...an apology for the threats she assures. Because this isn't helping her keep the fragile grip on her shaken composure right.

Jiraiya doesn't say anything else, she's clutching his shirt with all the strenght of kitten. He places an arm on her back massaging small circles to assuage the woman. She doesn't answer at first, "Promise me, that we'll be able to keep him safe." The sentence is unexpected and muffled.

"We will."

She pulls away. All traces of her emotions gone from her face as she stares up at him.

"Promise me Jiraiya..." She demands and its stupid and naïve but...she needs to hear it.

Because if he makes a promise to her...

He nods "I promise."

She gives a sniff, a small one, and that's all that's left to show of this. "So when will you tell Naruto?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hiruzen painted.

Onoki played the Koto.

He picked up the instrument after the third war. After nearly 2/3rds of his villages ninja were put to the sword of the relentless Hiraishin no jutsu of the Yondaime Hokage. After every funeral, every crying family, every broken team.

He just needed something to get away from his job. Music had been his outlet.

Even after all these years, he was still average at best. Sometimes he missed a string, skipped over a note...

His hand's were made for killing.

Not for music.

The string thrummed as he pulled at it. The vibrations moving through the box and into his small legs, up into his torso. It was a familiar sensation that may have helped him think more clearly...or distracted him enough from the guilt to let him act as he needed to.

He sucked in a breath. Taking a moment before looking down at the scroll at his side. The one he'd dragged down here from Iwa.

Just in case.

Except that now, there were two Jinchuuriki to deal with.

Not enough to safely handle two and guarantee his granddaughter's safety in the process.

That Sabaku boy was unstable and he, and he was certain Sarutobi as well, were stupid or blind enough to not pick up on Suna's movements.

This could go to hell fast.

He pulled at the zither strings.

When he finished the next measure, he paused again, thinking.

Finally he seemed to nod to himself coming to a decision.

He turned, staring straight at a spot on the wall.

"Come out here."

There was nothing.

The Tsuchikage pursed his lips Pushing the zither away to stand marching over to the spot on the wall, his tiny hand reached out with the speed of a striking snake, grabbing the young man by his cloak and quickly throwing him to the floor.

Instantly five more were surrounding him, their swords at the ready. The Ryoutenbin looked decidedly bored, despite the fact that two of them, he hadn't sensed at all.

I really am getting old. He thought bitterly.

"Tell the old Monkey I've got a message for him."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto kicks a pebble in front of him. He could feel the occasional congratulatory slap on the back but could only give them a forced grin, his mind occupied. He places both hands on his head staring up at the sky, He tried being happy or even thrilled about the circumstances but something was plaguing his mind since the end of the exam a few days ago. A month of training for the final bout of the chuunin exams, was the furthest thing on his mind.

His mom and Ero-sennin had been arguing... It was usually never the case, Jiraiya and Tsunade knew their "roles" so to speak and despite all the verbal bluster and posturing between the two of them, especially with the yelling and screaming and busted down walls, Jiraiya and Tsunade got along very well. The most he'd ever heard them fight about was if toads or slugs were better summons.

If they ever did actually fight they did it far away from either him or Shizune. So they didn't even catch wind of it until weeks or even months or years later.

He wondered if he should try to talk to one of them about it. Ero sennin he normally didn't know where to find during the morning hours but his mom had been holed up in the hospital for the past few days.

After the third portion of the exam. Bodies had piled up, from the forest of death and the brutal rounds in the third.

He kicked the pebble down the street, then he scratched his head before shrugging his shoulders, "To hell with it."

He marched across the village, finding and stepping inside the building, placing his hands in his pocket, he looked around the area before the clerks waved to him catching his attention, "You're here to see your mom Naruto?"

Naruto nodded grinning sheepishly, the young girl only smiled, "In her office right now I think. I'd wait awhile though Jiraiya-sama is in there."

"I'll surprise 'em. Thanks Ami." No surprise there...He gave a small wave behind him continuing his trek towards his mom's office. His eyes are down cast avoiding the numerous numbered doors he was passing, or the occasional open door with occupants on the beds.

He gave short sniff, the smell of the hospital always irritated him.

He rounds the corner and stops almost instantly. He sees two of the iwa nin standing outside a door. His blood freezes up almost instantly, but with a quick genjutsu he'd masked the headbands. It helps almost instantly, the pulsing in his veins slow to soft rhythm.

It was the older jounin, and the girl. She had her head down glaring at the crack on the floor as if willing it to beat the thing into itself. Her eyes are red, but no tears were visible.

He's quiet, he knew who they were waiting on, the large boy in their group. Akatsuchi. He's about to turn to go the longer route when he stops when she looks up at him.

Momentarily stunned, they just remain locked, before Naruto gave a quick sigh he continued on the route he was heading. He's close to the door, not really sure if he should say something or completely avoid them. The older man simply nodded his head continuing to look at the girl who was gripping her forearms. She's still watching him...

Naruto is about to pass them, when he subconsciously peeked into the room, his heart clenched involuntarily. The boy was covered in bandages, blood still seeping, one of the nurses was working on some of the iv drips.

The monitors beeping. Too slow...even for someone unconscious. Naruto passes the door before stopping, he breathes an abated breath before turning towards them.

He knew what he would say would bring little comfort to the whole situation but apparently a bleeding heart was something he'd always been. "I'm...I'm sorry about how...umm...I'm sory."

Smooth, Naruto winces. But his mouth wouldn't stop there for some damn reason. "How's he doing?" He could only berate himself inside his head, stupid.

Kurotsuchi doesn't answer just continues to look at the blond headed boy. He wasn't sure if it was a look that was contemplating murder or disection.

The older jounin interjected. "He's stable...thank you."

"Uh..." Naruto scratched nervously behind his head, "If it helps my mom is best damn medic! She'll do her best..." This time Naruto just shut himself up before he bluttered any other insensitive words that would follow. She was still watching him, "I...I hope he gets better."

Naruto continues, turning the corner again heading to his mom's office. He hears faintly from the older jounin saying, thank you. He walked further from the Iwa nin trying to reach the office as fast as possible. The door is ajar slightly, he's about to push the door open, when he stops completely hearing the two occupants inside.

"So when will you tell Naruto?"

He marches up to the door, pushing it open to peek his head through. "Uhh...tell me what?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Inuzuka, you're up for first watch," The chuunin commander known as Takaishi calls out dropping his bag at the designated campsite they set up hours before they'd departed to undertake the mission. The sun is just beginning to fall now.

Maeda stops, Haku matching his step right next to him. They drop their bags as well, Taka starts a small fire, while the other konoha kunoichi Koata opened the pack of supplies.

They sit in companionable silence eating their warm meals, as the moon finally reaches its apex. Each individual yawning, they each move towards their side of the camp. Maeda makes it a point to keep away from the group, sharpening his weapon. It was no surprise really. He and Takaishi didn't get along ver much. Haku is sitting a few feet away eating her remaining meal, watching the dwindling flame slowly flare out.

Soon enough, the two other companions set themselves into their makeshift sleeping bag leaving only Maeda on his watch and Haku finishing off her meal.

Silence overtakes the camp, the breathing of the remaining two squadmates slow, the beginnings of light snoring reaching both Maeda and Haku's ears.

An hour seemed to pass, Maeda still sharpening the weapon in his hand. Haku walks back to Maeda's side, having finished her meal she snuffed out the rest of the embers making it a point to completely extinguish the thing. Not wanting to draw attention to themselves. She sits a bit closer, watching the boy man move with practiced motions. The pike beginning to shine in the moonlight.

"What're ya staring at?"

She looks up eyes widening, Maeda giving her a pointed look at the position he was in. He raises the pike up sitting it by his side. "Just watching. For someone who is impatient in a fight, you...really make it a point to keep this thing clean."

Maeda snorts, the girl was getting good at delivering compliment with a slap to the face as backup. "Should I feel flattered?"

She lets a small smile appear on her face before disappearing. "If it helps."

The Inuzuka barks out a laugh, stirring the others "Girly's got jokes." He echoes his previous comment in the village.

"What's bothering you," She asks uninterested, taking out a pack of her senbons looking intently at them for bends, or dull tips.

The Inuzuka tossed the chuunin commander a glowering stare.

The mission was a success and was finished efficiently.

It'd been been simple. Infiltration. Find a thug who was making a name for himself and take him out.

Overkill to send four chuunin. But Konoha protected its investments. Wave was now an investment. They'd never pay the interest on that A rank if another Gatou crawled out of the ashes too quick.

After the mission though, when Maeda had asked the commander for leave to visit Zabusa's grave the man had said no, and the Inuzuka had nearly gone to blows over it. If it wasn't for her and the other Kunoichi she might have.

To be fair it seems like there was just bad blood between both men rather than an inherent disrespect of the chain of command.

"It's fine," Haku placates, "Thank you for trying."

"Trying? Girl if I gave up that easy to half the shit I wanted to do I'd never get anywhere" Hakus stares up immediately, eyes wide. Maeda was giving her sinister grin, the canines fully showing giving him the look of a mischievous child.

"Maeda...I don't think-," she's silenced with a look.

"Oh my." He interrupts. "I just seem to be so very distracted by this tree." He turns to stare at the rough bark. "Its so very...woody..." He snorts with a chuckle at his own joke. He wouldn't be able to recognize this thing if a botany book walked up and hit him in the face. "I'll cover for ya. Get here by day break."

Haku can't speak a word, emotion stuck keeping her from saying what she wanted to say. "Maeda...it's fine...we can" She starts automatically, trying to find a different course of action, but she's not really putting much of a fight. Her head is swimming with different actions what it would entail. Does he know that she may possibly not return? That she could escape and they'd never find her again? Is the boy that naïve with that gruff bravado...

The young man rests his pike over his shoulder. Leaning back.

"Get going girly...you're wasting moonlight." She nods her head unknowingly. Standing slowly she starts walking away.

She tries to say something or will herself to open her mouth but words don't come forth. She disappears into the trees losing herself within the shadows. Maeda looks up at the moon, the luminiscent orb seeping into his body, it held her sway over him, like it always did and always will. Calming the inferno all wrapped in his body. He could hear the pulsing of his heart beat in his ear, he gave a snort.

"Stupid..."

Now he just had to decide who he was talking to.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Uchiha district had long since changed.

After the Massacre, the first thing done by the clan head, Mikoto Uchiha, had been to tear down the surrounding walls. Part of Itachi's ability to slay most of the clan in a single night, consisted largely of his skill at stealth.

The walls had let him conceal the bodies of his victims from the rest of the village until it had almost been too late.

Inside her house Mikoto's hands glided over the parchment. Caligraphy was always one of her hobies. Each measured brush stroke was precise and soothing. No matter if she was reciting a poem or a letter.

Complements on her brushwork were very nearly the only kind things people could bring themselves to say of her these days.

Her once lustrous beauty was dimmed, it could not be denied. The once healthy pale skin was now more sickly, dark rings under her eyes from too many nightmares.

She'd aged more than just six years since the night of the massacre.

What few clan members remained had very nearly abandoned the district, too many memories...too many ghosts.

She was the only one left tied here really.

More out of duty than any personal preference.

She and Sasuke hadn't stayed in their old home. Neither of them could bear it. They'd moved instead to a smaller home near the very edge of the district, barely a stones throw away from the village proper with the wall torn down now.

Even so, her visitors were few and far between.

So she was reasonably surprised when there was a rather loud knock at her door.

She glanced up at the clock, knowing that it was still far too early for Sasuke to be back yet.

Standing, she took the brush with her.

When she opened the door she was startled to find none other than-

"Tsunade-sama?"

"Can I come in?" The slug princess asked.

Mikoto's Sharingan flared to life, dimming after a moment when the three spinning Tomoe detected no genjutsu.

She stepped aside.

She closed the door as the legendary medic stepped in. "Would you like some tea Tsunade-sama?"

The blond haired woman seemed to stand stiffly in her home, fowning before nodding sharply. Mikoto half suspected that it was just so she could gather her thoughts.

She went about making the tea.

Minutes later the two were sitting at her table, a kettle resting on an iron stand, tea cups with steaming liquid in their hands.

"Is it your day off from the hospital today Tsunade-sama?" The Uchiha matriarch ventured hoping to break the ice.

"Not in the least." She answered stiffly.

"Then what-is it Sasuke?"

The woman quickly shook her head. Haven't seen your kid since he fought in the exams he's fine...though...what I came to talk about does involve him..." She said, though the last part ventured off into uncertainty.

"How?" She set the glass down, staring at Tsunade intently now.

The blond haired woman took a breath, staring into her cup.

It was not in her to ask for help.

"When...After what happened with Itachi...how-what did you do to help Sasuke through it?"

Mikoto blinked. "Why do you ask? Does this have something to do with your Naruto?"

The medic nodded, sighing again. "Its nothing on the level of Sasuke...I hope. But it is some bad news and I'm just hoping-" She trailed off.

"He cried." Mikoto admitted. "He cried and I...I held him."

Tsunade looked up, raising an eyebrow. "That's it?"

Mikoto shrugged. "We were both mourning...there wasn't much I could say to help him when I didn't even know how to help myself."

Tsunade looked back down.

Mikoto picked her cup back up again. "Didn't help as much as you thought did it."

The woman gave a small smile. "Not really..."

Mikoto smiled back.

They spent a time in companionable silence before Mikoto ventured another question.

"Can I ask you why you think you need help in this."

The sannin's fingers nursed the teacup. "Because I'm not good at this at all."

"Not good at what?"

"Being a mother." She answered bluntly shrugging her shoulders. "Jiraiya takes to it more than I do. I don't give pep talks. I don't give hugs. I don't tell him I'm proud of him as often as I should or that I love him. I don't do any of these things. I didn't even go with Jiraiya to talk to him today. I don't work with emotion...I don't like it. I've had to be that way because if I didn't I'd never be able to do my job as a doctor...you can't let your patients in because when they die...so its difficult to let Naruto in sometimes too."

The Uchiha matriarch let out a laugh, full of self depreciating humor. "And so you came to me? With my track record I'm no better."

For a moment Tsunade wanted to correct her. To tell her just why Itachi did what he did. That she hadn't been a failure of a mother with one son traumatized the other dead and reviled throughout the village.

What she said instead was all too insufficient. "You are better. Sasuke is proof of that..." And maybe Itachi too.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Lets sit down kiddo."

Naruto obeyed. Sitting on a rock on one of the more out of the way training fields. Looking at his father figure. The man was nervous, eyes going this way and that way, doing everything possible to avoid looking at him at all.

Needless to say, it set the blonde on edge.

"What's up Ero-sennin?"

Jiraiya finally, finally turned to look at him. Working his jaw before he finally sat down across from where Naruto was. "Alright kiddo. You know how Hime and me would always tell you about your parents when you were older?"

Naruto nodded, excitement brimming under his skin, heart hammering inside his chest with nervous anticipation.

Jiraiya saw Naruto's eyes light up and couldn't help but smile at the sight. This was the easy part of the conversation.

Reaching into a pocket he fished around for a moment before finding what he was looking for. "Here they are."

Naruto reached forward, gripping the picture and bringing it closer to look at.

"Huh...hey Ero-sennin this is the Yondaime!"

Jiraiya laughed. "You didn't think hair like yours was normal eh." He ruffled said hair for emphasis.

Naruto smiled staring at the picture. There was the Yondaime Hokage, his chin resting on the shoulder of a woman with the most startling shade of red hair he'd ever seen. His eyes were closed and his teeth were showing. Her eyes though were open, her smile small as she gripped Minato's hands infront of her, wrapped around her stomach.

Her eyes were the color of amethysts.

"They took that the day they found out they were having you." Jiraiya recalled fondly. "I don't ever remember seeing Minato or Kushina so happy."

"Kushina was her name."

Jiraiya nodded. "Yeah. The red hot blooded Hanabero. That's what they used to call her."

"Why?" Naruto asked. He knew all about his father, having studied him from the history books. But his mother was just...he had nothing about her.

"She had a temper." Jiraiya nodded to himself. "And when it went off even your dad would have preferred to fight Iwagakure all over again than to try and face it. She wanted to be Hokage when she was younger."

"Bet she was mad when dad took the spot." He smiled.

Jiraiya smiled back. "Not really. What few people don't realize is that she helped him create the Hiraishin no jutsu."

Naruto blinked. "She did!?"

"Yup. The Uzumaki have always had a strong affinity for seals. And your mom was one of the best. Other than being one of the best Kenjutsu masters Konoha has ever known she incorporated seals into everything, and had one of the most unknown abilities in the Shinobi world since the fall of the Uzumaki clan."

Naruto's mouth hung open. "W-then why don't we hear about her more."

The lie came far too easily for the toad sannin's liking. "She wasn't in a great many battles during the third war. And even though she help Minato create the Hiraishin after he stumbled on the Nidaime's old notes, no one really wants to hear the story of the hero that had help making his most devastating jutsu. It's always "cooler" to just have him come up with it himself."

Naruto frowned at that. "That doesn't seem fair."

'If you only knew'

Deciding to get off this increasingly uncomfortable subject the toad sannin shifted forward sliding inch by inch closer. "That's not all I brought you out here to talk about kiddo."

"Hmmm?"

Without preamble he reached forward, grabbing Naruto's shirt and lifting it up.

Pressing three fingers onto his stomach the toad sannin spoke a simple "kai" and the runic symbols emerged to play out over the youth's stomach.

Naruto gaped, grabbing onto his own shirt and staring down. "What the-" He blinked. "Ero-sennin...is this a seal?"

The toad sannin nodded. "Yeah it is."

Naruto's nose crinkled. "It looks funny."

The toad sannin slapped his forehead. "Seriously. You have a seal on your stomach and that's the first thing you can say brat?"

"Well it does." The youth responded. "I mean just look at it. There's two different styles here.

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "You can recognize that."

The gennin laughed sheepishly. "I...I kinda snuck into that chest you keep at home back when we started the academy. I wanted to have something extra I could show off in the academy.

"Huh...so that's why Hime forced me to put locking seals from that point on."

"Yeah." Naruto nodded. "I didn't actually get to read any of your old manuscripts but mom didn't wanna take any chances.

"Still you couldn't have gotten very far in just a few days."

"I didn't." He answered. "Just up to basic structuring of the seals themselves. You said that-"

"There are four basic structures." The sannin recited. "The four of them come from..."

"The Senjuu, the Uzumaki, and uhhh..."

"Families from Suna and Iwa." He nodded. "Senjuu is the most widespread since the Shodaime shared his knowledge with some of the other villages to promote peace. Therefore its considered the "weakest" since its the most familiar and so most people learn its most basic functions like explosive tags and sealing scrolls."

Naruto nodded. "And the Uzumaki..."

"They were the rarest and most reclusive." The toad sannin answered. "Even Suna had to give up some of its secrets and the Iwa clan died out around the time of the foundings. There's is a lost art outside Iwa. Uzumaki unlike the others though had the reclusiveness of Iwa, and the time to refine their techniques to perfection."

"Before they were wiped out."

"Yeah." He said stiffly. "So what do you notice wrong here."

Naruto looked back down into the seal, furrowing his brow. "Well...this pattern right here." He pointed. "It just looks like-"

"Like someone painted over what was already there?" He nodded. "Yup. That's what happened."

Naruto's brow furrowed. "I don't recognize it at all though."

"The man who made that designed all of his own seals. They all essentially do the same thing as the Senjuu once you've figured out the pattern like me. But it makes it that much harder for others to decipher."

"Sounds like a smart guy." The blond nodded.

"He is." Jiraiya said. Even though he hated the man, he could admit his brilliance. "He's also very dangerous."

Naruto looked up at the white haired man, then back down at his seals and then back up to Jiraiya before letting his shirt fall. "So what do they do? And who put that second one on me?"

"To answer the second question since it'll be simpler, it was Orochimaru."

Naruto paled.

Being the son of the last two loyal Sannin, he knew a great deal about Orochimaru. Though Tsunade only spoke of him rarely, and Jiraiya not at all, it wasn't long before his classmates started asking him to sate their curiosity and he in turn asked them, and then turned to books when they kept avoiding the subject.

The talk of Orochimaru's exploits ranged to two distinct tracks. Either glowing praise for his brilliance and power on the battlefields of the second and third wars. Or utter loathing for his cruel and vile experiments on children.

Jiraiya continued, ignoring the boy's fear. "As for what it does...I don't know."

If Naruto was worried before, he was downright petrified now.

Jiraiya scratched at the back of his head. "This is a two piece seal. One piece is on you, the other is somewhere else. I can't determine what one does, without the other and vice versa. Its why I locked both seals when you were two. After your body had fully adapted to the other seal on you."

"And what does the other seal do?"

Jiraiya sighed. Here came the hard part of the conversation.

He shifted his place again, now coming up to sit next to the blond. "Well..." He sighed. "You know when Minato died right?"

He nodded. "October ten-" He paused. "My birthday?"

"Yeah. Now, what happened October tenth?"

"The Kyuubi attack."

Jiraiya nodded. He was never very good at mincing words. "You were the only option he had."

He poked his finger on the boy's stomach. "He had to put it inside you."

The blond looked startled, blinking at the finger before looking up to Jiraiya, his eyes turning sad. "I...so he-"

"No one is really sure what happened." The toad sannin clarified. "Your mom was about to have you, Minato was with her. The next thing anyone knew, the Kyuubi was rampaging through the village. An hour later, it was done."

Naruto blinked. There were no tears, no rage...just a strange numb feeling. He felt worse about the fact that he wasn't feeling anything than any emotion the revelation should have brought up.

He looks back up at the toad sannin. "So...why are you telling me now?"

The toad sannin sighed. "Well...truth be told I probably would have waited three more years before telling you. By then you'd hopefully be Jounin level. Strong enough to defend yourself against anything once this got out but with that Gaara kid around..."

"Hmm? Gaara? That crazy guy from Suna? What's he got to do with this?"

"He's like you." The man answered flatly. "You've got the Kyuubi...he's got the Ichibi."

That definitely surprised the blond. "What? And they let him into the chuunin exams?"

Jiraiya shrugged. "Technically there's no law against it. When the charter for the exams was drawn up at the end of the war no village wanted to potentially cut off an asset by deigning that no Jinchuuriki could compete. They'd prefer everyone see that their people were the strongest. With the civilians not knowing much about Jinchuuriki they'd be suckered in by some flashy techniques and overwhelming power."

"Jinchuuriki?"

"Its the official name for...well...people like you."

Naruto nodded. Then he started, jerking up to look at Jiraiya. "Hey wait! You said that none of the villages wanted to cut off an asset! That means Konoha must have had a Jinchuuriki before me! Who was it?"

Jiraiya winced. Damn kid was getting sharper. Kushina was a subject he didn't want to touch with a ten foot pole.

"It was your mom." He answered.

Naruto reeled. "Kushina?"

"Your mom." Jiraiya corrected. Tsunade and he both loved the boy. But the fact was that he had parents. Both of which he was sure loved him even more. Short as their time with him might have been.

He pressed on, hoping to steer the conversation back to where he needed to to go and away from where he didn't want to go anywhere near. "Her seal was a lot different from yours though. Yours is-"

"Was it my fault?"

Jiraiya jerked, swiveling his eyes to stare, startled at the blond genin who's face was twisted into a horrified realization. "What?!"

"Was it my fault?" He asked again. "You said she was gonna go give birth to me. Next thing Kyuubi's attacking! Did...Could I have-"

Jiraiya moved from his sitting position, kneeling infront of Naruto and placing both hands on the boy's shoulders. "No! Don't you dare ever think that!"

"But you said no one knows what happened! And...And this happened right when I was born! How could-"

"Listen to me!" The sannin hissed, shaking the boy once, and gripping him by the chin to make him look up at him. "Don't you dareever think that. Anything could have happened. And even if it by some miracle actually had been your fault. Then they knew the risks and went through with it anyway. They loved you and I have no doubt they'd do it all over again if either of them had a choice. You have to know that."

After a second the blond boy nodded.

He didn't look convinced.

Jiraiya sighed, standing up. Reaching down he offered a small, brittle smile at the boy. "Come on kiddo. This is enough for today I think. I'll make your favorite when we get home.

The blond nodded, the smile not quite touching his features as he stood and both males made their way back into the village.

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"Are you joking?" The Inuzuka sits on the log, his back turned at the angry commander. "You seriously let her go? Even you can't be that moronic!"

The sun was shining brightly now, he's eating the meager rations they had on them using the food as an easy distraction. "She'll be here. Don't get yur panties in a bunch." Maeda simply turns giving the man sideways glance, smirking at him. Koata watches silently, shaking her head.

It never failed the palapable hate between the two never disappeared since their genin days. Born when Maeda had beaten Taka at his very first chuunin exam, while Taka was older, more experienced and the favorite to win the chuunin spot. The nicknamed "Berserker" had thoroughly trounced the older gennin using little more than his butchered Inuzuka style and becoming chuunin before he did.

Then it'd evolved into pure hate when Maeda had thoroughly humiliated him again at the Jounin exam try outs. The combat test had been to fight a group of chuunin volunteers. A group that Maeda was most often a part of since the moment he was old enough to qualify. Viewing it as the best place to test his skills by comparison to aspiring Jounin.

The Inuzuka had stepped up, demanded his teammates step back and once more made a repeat performance of that chuunin exam all those years ago, thoroughly humiliating Taka.

"You insubordinate bastard!" the man called out "I'm reporting straight to the Hokage we get back."

"Don't you do anything more than flap your gums all day." The dark haired chuunin raised an eyebrow. Chewing on his food. "I swear you're worse than a woman on her period. All you do is bitch."

It was too fast, she couldn't do anything before Taka was kicking the bowl of food out of Maeda's hand and into his face.

"You listen to me you inbred little reject! This is-...

The sentence never fully came out when his wind pipe was shut tight, he grasped at the large arm with one hand before drawing a kunai with the other, ready to stab Maeda but held back tightly by Kouta.

The Inuzuka slowly stood up, cracking his neck as he smiles, at the struggling chuunin. He lifts the man one handed. All one eighty pounds, plus gear, resting on the "Berserker's" limb.

"Easy there bub...People are hungry"

"Stand down both of you!" Kouta all but screaming beside them, still holding tightly to Taka's armed hand. "Let him go Inuzuka!"

Maeda's eyes are smoldering. That smile becoming something twisted as the man squeezes a little tighter.

Then Haku landed by the clearing looking at the scene before her. She's staring owlishly at them, she was lack of a better word...mildly surprised.

The massive Inuzuka's mood immediately changes, his dry humor returning, the frenzy bleeding back to the dark place where it'd been uncoiling as he pushes Taka away with a harsh shove. "Well don't you have good timing." He turns back at the commander, he gives him an enigmatic smile. "Princess."

Taka catches his feet, almost taking a step forward. Kouta holds tightly on his arm, shakes her head. "Go!" She demands. "Cool off, that's enough." Taka gives both Kouta and Haku a glare, he's about to run on her, when Kouta once again pulled at his arm. "I said go cool off!" She demands Taka turns spitefully at Maeda "The Hokage will hear of this!" He turns abruptly and heads off to his side of the camp.

Haku walks gingerly towards her wayward companion who was stuffing the last remnants in his pack. She also gathers her things making it a point to stay close by his side, he slings his bag on one shoulder holstering his large pole arm at his back.

He looks at her. Smiling "Well now color me surprised..."

Haku looks up at him this time, she's quiet giving him a questioning glance. He smiles a little wider. "I kinda figured you'd turn tail..." She's stunned for just a second before composing herself, she closes the pack zipping the contents within.

"Then why let me go at all? Or are you lying and you thought I'd come back..."

"Not gonna lie, I had a feeling. And look who likes to prove me wrong and annoy me at the same time," Maeda smirks. "Honestly even if ya woulda run I'da found ya." He taps his nose for emphasis. "Wouldn't have gotten too far. Then I'd know for sure if we could trust ya as far as we could throw ya."

She raises an eyebrow. He'd manipulated her?

"I didn't think you would think that far ahead." She blurts out.

He grins. "We can't all be perfect like me."

"You're insufferable you know that..." She bites out, giving him glare, only making him chuckle at the diminutive figure by his side.

"Heard that one before," he retorts, raising his eyebrow in thought. She's tempted to roll her eyes, but didn't intend to stoop to his level.

Soon enough they're on their way back, and its a while before the Inuzuka speaks again, breaking the silence. "It help?"

Haku actually turns and gives him a wide glance, "Come again?"

Maeda ignores her stare, "Did it help?"

Haku looks down staring at the ground letting the question mull within her mind.

She was tempted to run and disappear from Konoha when she visited the man who gave her a second chance at life.

And yet...standing before the man's grave, tending to it. Visiting the man who raised and cared for her.

She spoke...to a shadow, a ghost she could never know. She spilled to this imaginary being for so many hours, her fears, her heartbreak, and the loneliness she felt losing him, Zabusa.

As she spoke everything seemed to be resolved as if listening, the silence she was met with kneeling before his grave placing the crystaline flowers around it proved to be her answer.

Maeda looks down at the girl. She smiles, and it brings out his own smile in response. "Yes...it did...thank you..."

She's staring at him and the Inuzuka soon enough walks by her. "Don't mention it girly. Got a reputation to keep." She stares after him for a moment and runs next to him, she stares up at the boy man, as he continues to stare straight ahead.

The smile is still at the corner of her lips, she doesn't know what took a hold of her but she let instinct do what it was telling her.

The punch to Maeda's side is definitely unexpected, but infinitely satisfying "Oi- The hell kinda thanks is that?"

She laughs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When the door opened that night Naruto was wide awake lying on his bed, his eyes were wide open, and it was only when he felt his bed shift did he turn around, just in time to feel Tsunade's hand brush across his hair.

"Hey"

"Hey." She said back, leaning down to plant a kiss on his head. "How're you feeling?"

He shrugged. "I'm fine."

"Fine huh?" She smiled, shifting her position before lying down beside him her larger frame swallowing half the bed as she moved her hand to keep playing with his hair.

"The last time you told me you were fine like that you were six, Maeda and Toushie were fighting and you'd stayed up the whole night before crying because you thought they wouldn't be friends anymore."

He smiled, though there was a bit of a cringe there. "You remember that?"

"Hmm." She chuckled somewhere in the back of her throat. "I remember every day kiddo."

They were quiet for a while nothing more than the sound of their breathing and her fingers brushing over his hair.

"Do you wanna talk to me Naruto?"

The boy was quiet for a long time, so much so the sannin half thought he'd fallen asleep when he finally spoke up.

"Mom..." His voice was choked, and the blond haired woman couldn't help the clench in her chest at the sound. "Did...did...what was the reason you adopted me?"

'Oh god.'

She sat up, pulling the blond with her, staring at his tearful eyes in a manner far too similar to Jiraiya earlier.

"You listen to me." She implored. "I was brought here to protect you. I would never have kept you. Never love you like I do...if you weren't my son!"

He sniffed, the tears coming down his cheeks as he lowered his head.

He cried.

She pulled him close and held him.

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The next morning had Jiraiya scratching his head in frustration. "Naruto-"

"No!" The blond shouted, stubbornly crossing his arms. "I'm not going to use it!"

The toad sannin huffed, frustrated. "That thing is one of the most powerful-"

"That thing killed my parents!" He interrupted. "I'm not going to train to use it! Train me in something else!"

The toad sannin stared at the boy. "Ok look lets make a deal. We won't train in using the Kyuubi's chakra, at all this month. We'll train with wind chakra instead ok?"

"What's the catch."

"You at least let me take off that old suppression seal I've got on you."

"Open it up to let Kyuubi out?"

"The way your dad designed his seal. He intended for you to use this thing Naruto."

He'd cracked down some of the boy's stubbornness with that, that obtuse look in his eye faltering for a moment.

"Look. I can give you time to get used to the idea but somewhere down the road you're gonna have to tackle this brat."

The blond's lips pursed, staring at the ground. "What about Orochimaru?"

"You let me worry about that scaly bastard alright? I'll be keeping all my eyes on you and I'll make damn sure you're ok. Alright?"

After a fierce few moments, the blond finally nodded. A sharp jerk of his head indicating his consent.

The toad sannin stood, marching around to stand behind Naruto before brushing up the hair at the nape of his neck, exposing the tiny suppression seal he'd drawn on a decade ago.

"Kaiin" He said, two fingers pressing against the boy's neck. With a burst of chakra, the seal went away.

He saw the blond go rigid, the strange, yet familiar sensation of demonic Chakra flooding through his veins mingling with his own reserves.

The sannin waited a moment. "How do you feel."

"Wierd." He answered bluntly. Clenching and un-clenching his fists as he stood up. "Its like...I'm on a sugar rush or something." I feel like I could run around Konoha full sprint right now!"

The sannin nodded. "That sounds about right. Now tell me-" He stopped, eyes turning to stare into the forest a second before a familiar kunoichi dropped down from the trees.

Naruto turned to look, mouth droping open in stupefied surprise. "Huh, Kuro-"

"There you are!" The Iwa kunoichi snapped glaring at him as she stepped closer, ignoring Jiraiya completely.

"You've been looking for me? What for?"

"You and me are gonna make a little deal Senjuu!"

Naruto blinked, Jiraiya just raised an eyebrow.

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The heavy iron doors creaked open, rusted hinges squealing in protest from so long having been sealed.

The light from the hallway glinted off of cold dark steel and rusted chains.

The figure's head rose, glaring at the glinting Iwagakure headband of the man in the doorway.

He smirked. "Looks like the rabid dog's gonna get off the chain. Tsuchikage's orders. You get to see the light of day again."

The thing in the cell let its head fall.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

And so truths are revealed, others still stay hidden. Things will prove...more than interesting in the coming chapters. That much I can promise you. And yes. I am smiling.