Hello, folks! I'm glad the last chapter was as well received as it was, though I didn't have much to gauge it on. I swear, less people review every chapter. But, whatever. I'll survive. Sorry for my chronic tardiness in updating, once again. Enjoy!


Naruto drew his sword. "Out of the way, Sasuke."

The Uchiha ignored Naruto. "ANBU, huh? I'm surprised you managed to make it that far. Not Tsumeki, so much, but you...That's really surprising, considering how little you actually contribute to a team."

"Piss off. We have places to be."

Tsumeki's ears were snapping around at lightning speed, and if she had hackles, they'd have been raised.

Sasuke sighed. "You can go if you want, but I've got business with Tsumeki." He moved his body to be perpendicular to the pair, as if allowing for Naruto to pass.

"I'm not leaving her with you."

Sasuke shrugged. "Your funeral." He sprung forward and drew his sword directly into a downward slash. Naruto brought up his sword and blocked it. Sasuke rolled his blade off of Naruto's and brought it back upward in a swipe. Naruto countered and held Sasuke's sword in place.

"Tsumeki," he grunted, "a little help?"

"I can't," she said. "She's here."

"Oh, wonderful. Of course she is," he grumbled.

"Who's here? Sasuke demanded. He skipped backwards and threw a shuriken at Naruto underhanded.

Naruto was stumbling forward at the lack of resistance, and the shuriken scored his flak jacket. It didn't lodge, but it cut deeply enough that it broke skin and started light bleeding. Instead of answering Sasuke's question, Naruto began channeling wind chakra through his sword. Sasuke raised his blade in defense, lightning chakra coursing through it.

"Who. Is. Here?" he asked again.

"Sasuke, we do -not- have time for your shit right now. Get out and we can hash this out later."

Tsumeki hissed and threw a kunai at what looked like thin air. Naruto saw Sasuke's eyes widen slightly when something deflected the kunai. Tsumeki's mother appeared in the spot a moment later.

"One last chance, daughter," she said. Her face was still coated in dry, crusted blood.

"What in the hell...?" Sasuke murmured.

"Come back with me," she continued, "and I won't be forced to Reclaim you."

"Over my dead body!" Tsumeki snarled.

The women flexed their claws and charged at each other. Naruto took off towards their fight, and Sasuke followed him shortly. Afraid to hit Tsumeki with his sword, Naruto instead shouldered full-tilt into Mrs. Shuro, knocking her away from Tsumeki. Before the younger Kitsune could take advantage of the opening, however, Sasuke cut her off, his sword held at the ready and no longer channeling lightning chakra.

(Naruto vs Mrs. Shuro)

Mrs. Shuro recovered from the body check remarkably, turning it into a controlled slide and ending it on her feet. She ran at him as if to attack, but Naruto saw her eyes flick above him. He knew what she would do; ;it was a favorite maneuver of Tsumeki's. She jumped, but Naruto ducked. Her foot, whach was intending to use his head as a springboard, found naught but air. Naruto reached up with his left arm grabbed her ankle to pull her back down. She recovered and freed her ankle from Naruto's grip, but not before he had swung her around so that she landed in such a way that he was still between her and Tsumeki.

"Fine," she spat. "If you wish to die, you insolent kit, then I'll oblige you!" She snapped her fingers, and an orb of Foxfire appeared. Naruto's gaze locked on it, and he could not turn away, no matter how he tried. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Mrs. Shuro charging him. Remarkably, when he tried to move his sword to block her attack, his body responded. The block was sloppy, but Tsumeki's mother retreated to avoid severing her fingers on the blade. She began channeling chakra into her claws. Naruto moved to keep her between him and the Foxfire. She came at him again, swinging her claws madly. Naruto was able to interpose his sword between most of the strikes. Where the sword and claws collided, bright blue sparks flew and chakra flared. Mrs. Shuro sometimes came away from the contact with small cuts on her hands, but more often than not, Naruto was the one who came away damaged. The front of his flak jacket was torn to useless shreds and his chest was covered in cuts.

"I will have your head, human!" she yelled. "I'll kill you for twisting my daughter's mind!"

"You're in denial!" he said. "I'm not the reason she doesn't want to go back with you!"

"I am her MOTHER! Why else would she not want to come back to me?"

Naruto kicked Mrs. Shuro in the gut, and she staggered out of his sword's reach. "Gods, I don't know," he said sarcastically. "I'm sure it has nothing to do with you abandoning her in an orphanage!"

"How dare you! We knew what was best for our daughter! Look at how far she's come!" She ran at Naruto with renewed vigor, but the Foxfire behind her flickered and seemed to lose inensity.

"She's come this far because she has people who love and support her, not because her psychotic parents dumped her off!"

Exerting all of the willpower he could, Naruto tore his gaze from the weakened Foxfire and snapped into a crouch with his sword held out. Claws tore through the air where he had been, and warm blood splashed over Naruto's face as Tsumeki's mother impaled herself on his blade.

Naruto stood up and pushed the Kitsune off of his sword. He started to turn towards Tsumeki and Sasuke, but the hair on the back of his neck suddenly stood on end.

He was in a Kitsune Illusion.

"Oh, no..."


(Tsumeki vs Sasuke)

Tsumeki watched Naruto barrel down her mother over Sasuke's shoulder. "Out of the way," she said. "I need to take care of this."

"I'm not going to pretend to understand what's going on, but Naruto is preoccupied and nothing else is stopping me from taking you."

"What do you even want with me?" she growled in frustration. She had a sinking feeling that she already knew the answer, but she couldn't bear to ask the right question.

"Orochimaru has told me all about the Tailed Creatures. I know the sort of power you wield, and I want it. You can either come quietly or we can do this the hard way."

She was silent for a moment. "You know, Sasuke, I always used to defend you when Naruto would say mean things about you."

Sasuke blinked. "What?"

"He seemed so sure that you were no good. I thought it was just some guy thing, but I'm starting to think he just had a strong insight of your character."

"Quit stalling for time. You can walk or I can drag you. What'll it be?"

Tsumeki sighed. "If you insist." She struck up a fighting stance with her claws stretched out.

Sasuke growled and sheathed his sword.

Tsumeki smiled. "There's a good boy. Wouldn't want to damage me too much, would you? Now come on. Come here, boy." She whistled at him.

As soon as he took his first running step forward, two Tsumekis jumped out of the standing Tsumeki, each heading to hit Sasuke on a different flank. He had taken two more steps before he had fully processed what had happened. He glared briefly at the Tsumeki who hadn't moved before flinging his right fist around to the Tsumeki on his left. She ducked and slid while kicking out her legs in an attempt to bring him down. The other two Tsumekis disappeared, their usefulness expired. Sasuke jumped over Tsumeki's leg and attempted to come back down on top of her. She rolled, dodging his stomps. As she rolled, she made several hand signs.

"Fire Style: Flailing Flames jutsu!" She rolled up onto her upper back, puttering her legs directly up into the air. Then, she pulled them apart as if doing the splits upside down and spun. Fire lashed out from her feet in two great streams. As she spun, she got her hands under her and sprung up back onto her feet. She saw Sasuke had dropped onto his belly to get under the fire. When it stopped, he pushed himself back onto his feet. Tsumeki started another series of hand signes, but Sasuke rushed forward and engaged her in hand-to-hand combat. Tsumeki did not go on the offensive right away. At first, she allowed herself to be pushed back. She danced around his punches and kicks while offering no reprisal. Instead, she watched and waited.

"What, can't you fight someone directly?" Sasuke taunted. "Are you scared?"

Tsumeki's primal side roared back a challenge, but she squelched it. She focused on her movements, pivoting away from a kick, gently redirecting a punch. Several openings came through, gaps in his defense around his chest or his arms, but she passed them by. She was waiting for a very specific opening. As she moved back, her foot came to rest with her heel touching a body. The next time Sasuke punched at her, she skipped backwards over it. Sasuke lunged forward, but his foot landed on the body and his balance was unsteady. He leaned forward slightly to stabilize himself, and Tsumeki literally leaped into action. She vaulted over him, her body parallel to the ground. As she rotated, she reached up, grabbed the hilt of her sword, and drew it. She used the momentum of both her jump and her spin to power her downward swing of her sword at Sasuke's neck. However, before she could complete the stroke, something slammed into her. Her sword jumped from her hand and clattered upon the stones away from her. Base instinct screamed at her and it was deafening. She knew what was coming. She brought her hands together, even as her sword was flying through the air, and swapped herself with a corpse using the substitution jutsu.

As she regained her senses, she got her feet under here and tried to make sense of her surroundings. Sasuke was regaining is balance after losing it on the body. Naruto was sprinting towards her. Her mother was drawing her claws out of the body; they were coated in blood, and Tsumeki knew not all of it was the corpse's. She balled up her fists.

She was sick of running from her mother.

She was done.

This time, she ran at her mother.


(Naruto vs Sasuke)

Sasuke was running at Tsumeki, who was paying him no mind. Naruto growled and sent a burst of chakra through his feet, launching himself into a flying somersault that landed him on Sasuke's shoulders. His weight bore the Uchiha to the ground; his head connected with the paving stones with a meaty crack. Though he must have been dazed, at the very least, Naruto had to give Sasuke credit for his tenacity, as he managed to throw Naruto off of his body before the blonde could run his sword through Sasuke's head.

Sasuke rolled and got to his feet, red the shade of his Sharingan eyes streaming down his forehead. He drew his sword and swung it at Naruto, lightning crackling up the blade. Naruto reinvested Wind Chakra into his own blade and blocked the strike.

"I am getting sick of these diversions!" he growled. Then, the markings of his curse mark began crawling over his skin. As they spread farther, Naruto felt Sasuke starting to drive him back. Naruto slid his sword off of Sasuke's and jumped back, skipping several times more to make more distance between them. He drove his sword between two paving stones nad flew into a series of hand signs.

"Wind Style: Fierce Deity jutsu!"

Wind tore into life around him, and he felt the familiar mantle of his jutsu resting on him. Naruto drew his sword from the stones and assumed a fighting stance. Sasuke was watching him warily.

"What's wrong, Sasuke? Afraid your curse mark can't beat this?" he taunted.

Sasuke growled and charged at Naruto. Naruto focused on his front, and the winds howled to form a protective shield for him. He lunged forward at Sasuke. The Uchiha dodged the sword and went to swing at Naruto. However, he found himself unable to swing his sword all the way down. He tried pressing herder, but he made no progress. Meanwhile, the winds of the jutsu picked up, and the current actually began to eat at Sasuke's arms. Sasuke jumped backwards. Naruto held up a hand and focused his Chakra forward. The wind followed, forming a rapidly lengthening column. Sasuke jumped over it and to the side, but Naruto follwed with his hand. The column swatted Sasuke from the air, cutting up his chest (which was the primary point of impact) and shredding his shirt. He nailed the landing, however, and dropped his sword in favor of forming hand signs.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Sasuke exhaled, and a torrent of flame erupted from his mouth. When it came into contact with the column of air Naruto was swinging at him, the flames roared even hotter. The column combusted, and fire raced towards Naruto. In a moment of panic, Naruto released the jutsu and used the shunshin to move to safety. He hadn't a moment to spare; the second before he moved, he could feel the heat scalding his face.

When Sasuke stopped breathing fire, the better part of the courtyard's paving stones were glowing white-hot. He picked up his sword and began looking for Naruto, who was readying his sword in an inverse grip. Sasuke looked down, saw the growing shadow, and looked up. Naruto was falling through the air with his sword pointed down, ready to send it it into Sasuke's body. Sasuke dashed to the side, and Naruto had to land in a falling roll. The end of the roll had the back of his neck touching some of the superheated stones. He yelped in pain and jumped to his feet. He could feel the nasty burn forming on his neck, but he blocked out the pain and lifted his sword.

"Give up, Naruto. You can't beat my level one mark. I'm leagues above you in power.'
"Blah blah blah," Naruto said. "Less gabbing, more stabbing."

Sasuke charged him and swung his sword. Naruto blocked. For all Sasuke talked up his curse mark, it didn't give him nearly as much power as he seemed to think it did. Naruto slid Sasuke's sword off of his, swung his leg out in a hook to trip his opponent, and simultaneously attacked his stomach with his sword. Sasuke ducked and leaned forward, moving the leg Naruto was attacking back and out of reach. Naruto's sword took off some of Sasuke's hair, but the Uchiha was otherwise unharmed. Sasuke attempted to drive his sword up and into Naruto's ribcage, but Naruto pivoted on his other foot. Sasuke's sword scored his back, but the flak vest kept him from drawing blood.

Coming out of the pivot, Naruto swung downward. Sasuke locked blades with him, but Naruto was in the position of power. He stood over the crouching Sasuke, pressing downwards, while Sasuke struggled with a poor stance.

"I guess brains are another thing that curse mark can't compensate for, eh?"

Sasuke's eyes blazed with hatred, but he said nothing.

"It's why you'll always lose," Naruto said, now serious. "You spend so much time trying to master some mark that gives you power, sure, but it eats at your mind. You have to learn to contain it. I spend that time training. Getting better. Stronger. Getting closer to being the best I can be.

"Shut up," said Sasuke.

"It doesn't matter how much faster or stronger you get. It doesn't compensate for skill. That curse mark can never change the fact that for as much of a prodigy as you may be, you can't compete with someone who puts forward all of their effort." He grinned. "Or the fact that you have a tiny dick."

Sasuke yelled at the top of his lungs, and his curse mark flared. He dislodged Naruto's sword from his hand pushed him back with his shoulder as he leaped to his feet. While Naruto was still off-balance, Sasuke began raining blows at him. Naruto was forced backwards, barely deflecting the strikes coming at him.

"This is my power!" Sasuke yelled. "You cannot stand against me, Naruto! You mock me and say I can't beat someone who started at the bottom like you! Well, who's beating whom? Where is your 'effort' now?!"

Naruto didn't answer. He didn't want to take his focus off of the rather deadly dance they were doing, lest one of his body parts pay the price.

"That's what I thought. Don't brag if you can't back it up!"

Sasuke hit Naruto's sword at an odd angle, and it flew out of his hand. Naruto stumbled back and could only watch as Sasuke's sword came in at him.


(Tsumeki vs Mrs. Shuro)

Mrs. Shuro laughed as Tsumeki ran at her. "My daughter, I thought you were cunning! All I need to do is strike you with a bloodied claw and you are mine again. Do you really think that frontal assault is how you win this fight?"

Tsumeki didn't respond to the question. Instead, she yelled, "Fire Breath Jutsu!" A cone of flame burst forth from her mouth. Her mother, who was in a relaxed stance and not paying full attention, did not get out of the way in time. Tsumeki's vision of her was temporarily obscured, and she stopped running towards her. When she released the jutsu, she saw her mother standing behind a wall of Foxfire. It was angled, with a corner facing Tsumeki directly. She had used it to divert the jutsu and protect herself. As the Foxfire dispelled, however, Tsumeki noticed that her mother had not avoided the jutsu in its entirety. The blood on her claws was crusted over, and her hands were burned up to the wrist. Her kimono was also on fire in a few places, but she quickly patted them out. Tsumeki saw her wince whenever she moved her hands.

"Ungrateful brat," she spat. She pricked her arm with the claws of her right hand, coating them in blood again. "You are not making this easy on yourself."

"I'm not making it easy on you, either," Tsumeki said. She made several hand signs, and more Tsumekis began to appear, and run around Mrs. Shuro.

"Please," the woman said, rolling her eyes. "As if your Kitsune illusions could be more powerful than...mine...what's going on?" Her mother was looking between all of the Tsumekis, her eyes wide. "Why can't I tell which one is you?"

"Because they aren't illusions, mother," the Tsumekis chorused. "Not the kind you know, anyways. This is genjutsu, something I learned outside of the Skulk."

Mrs. Shuro dashed at a Tsumeki and plunged her claws into her. Her hand moved right through the body with no resistance.

"You don't even know where to begin, do you, mother?" they said. "For all you insist that the Kitsune are some kind of master race, you can't even see through a trick created by humans. They've outsmarted you as a race."

"You be quiet, girl, and come here this instant!"

An eerily harmonic laughter surrounded her. "I think we're well beyond that. You lost the right to tell me what to do when you left me at that orphanage."

"I did it for your own good! I knew it would harden you and make you stronger!"

The yells that bombarded her had the volume of a crack of thunder. "NO! It didn't! It made me weak and unsure of myself! Naruto made me stronger by teaching me that people CAN care about me! That not everyone is going to abandon me when I need them the most!"

"And I – we taught you what it means to be a Kitsune! To be proud and powerful! We taught you about the bloodline that puts you above everyone else!"

"You taught me that being a Kitsune means lying and abusing the people you love when it benefits you! I struggled for YEARS, because I didn't want to be a part of that! I hated myself for what I was, because you showed me that what I was was UGLY! And TERRIBLE! Naruto is the one who helped me come to terms with myself, even if he didn't know it! Naruto is stronger than you will EVER be, because he believes! He believes in himself, in others! HE BELIEVES IN ME! AND THAT IS SOMETHING YOU NEVER DID!"

Mrs. Shuro was on her knees, holding her ears to her head to protect them from the massive sounds around her. "Tsumeki, please! Stop this!" she cried. Blood trickled down her head and between her fingers.

"I will stop this. I'm going to stop this whole thing."

Her mother looked up and saw Tsumeki running at her, claws outstretched. In a moment of panic, she summoned a pillar of Foxfire in an attempt to smite her daughter. Tsumeki was surrounded by the fire, and when it died down, she was nowhere to be seen. Mrs. Shuro had an odd pang in her chest, and she looked down. There was a sword sprouting from between her breasts.

"What..."

The Tsumekis all disappeared. From behind her, she heard her daughter whispering.

"I disowned you so I wouldn't have to kill you, mother. No child should ever have to kill their parent. Even if they are as wretched and horrid as you are."

"How could you..." Mrs. Shuro was unable to speak.

Tsumeki put her foot on her mother's back and pushed her body off of her sword, leaving her to bleed out on the ground.

"I wash my hands of you," she said.

A sharp pain shot up her back from her tailbone. She fell into a kneeling position, with both hands on the ground. She knew what was happening; she was getting her third tail. The pain ate at her, and her vision started to cloud. "No..." she grunted. I can't pass out... I need to help Naruto!

The blackness steadily marched towards the center of her vision.


This is it, thought Naruto. I can't move fast enough.

The sword made contact with his neck, and he felt his flesh part and blood begin to well out. Sasuke hadn't made a cut more than an inch long, however, before his sword was suddenly gone – and so was he. There was an audible impact of something hitting the ground. Naruto blinked and finished falling over. As he looked up, he saw Sasuke rolling away from Tsumeki, whose hand was around his wrist. Sasuke freed himself from her grip and found his feet. He dropped into a defensive stance.

Naruto grabbed his sword, which was several feet away from him, and ran to Tsumeki's side. The two Leaf ninja stood side-by-side, swords at the ready, facing Sasuke. Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto noticed that Tsumeki had a third tail waving in the wind next to the other two. A surge of pride rose in his chest, but he said nothing, keeping his gaze focused on Sasuke.

The Uchiha had evidently noted her third tail as well. "I came prepared for Naruto and a two-tailed Tsumeki," he said. "It looks like I'm going to have to call it a day."

"Oh, no you don't, you rat bastard!" Naruto yelled. "You aren't leaving this city alive!"

"Try and stop me," Sasuke said with a smirk. With one fluid motion, he sheathed his sword and took off at a sprint in the opposite direction. Naruto and Tsumeki started to follow, but Sasuke dropped a stink bomb. It exploded in an acrid smelling cloud of dark smoke. Tsumeki gagged and slid to a stop before she actually entered the cloud. Naruto was going faster, and was forced to go over it with a chakra-assisted jump. As he landed on the other side, he found that Sasuke was nowhere in sight.

"Dammit!" Naruto yelled. "He's gone, Tsumeki!"

"It's fine, Naruto, we'll get him another time!" she yelled back.

"Aaaaaauuugghhh!" he yelled in frustration. "We were SO close!"

Tsumeki came around the stink cloud, her hand clamped firmly over her nose. "Well, at least one good thing came of today," she said. She held up her sword, which was coated in blood.

Naruto grumbled as her turned to face her, but stopped when he saw the sword. "Is that...did you get her?"

Tsumeki nodded. "Yeah. I got her."

Naruto looked at her for a moment, dropped his sword, and hugged her. She dropped hers and hugged him back.

She choked out a sob.

Naruto held her tighter.


Naruto knocked on the Hokage's door. "ANBU team twelve reporting."

"Enter," Said Shikaku.

Naruto opened the door, let Tsumeki in first, and then entered himself.

Shikaku was sitting up in his chair and readjusting his hat, which looked like it might have been resting on his face. His desk had two wire baskets on it: one labeled "Incoming," the other labeled "Outgoing." The Incoming basket was empty. The Outgoing basket was not only full, but had several satellite piles.

"Report," he said, rubbing his eyes.

"We arrived at Uzushio and found it partially occupied by Sound Ninja," said Tsumeki. "We dispatched them after learning about an excavation they were working in another part of the city."

Shikaku sat straight up. "The Archives?"

Naruto nodded. "Yes, sir."

Tsumeki continued. "We proceeded to the excavation site and eliminated several ninja guarding it. They were unearthing the Uzumaki clanhouse."

Shikaku gave Naruto a thoughtful look.

"Inside were about a score of men, prisoners abducted from the Land of Hot Water. They were being forced to clear the rubble and debris. We let them go after they showed us were the hidden basement they found was."

"And?" the Hokage said, his voice quiet. "What was in there?"

"Little of great importance," Naruto said. "The most advanced material found within related to the Uzumaki Kekkei Genkai."

Shikaku's eyes widened, and he stood up. "Kekkei Genkai? Explain."

"I'm not sure I understand the techniques in full, sir, but it appears to have something to do with chains forged from chakra and the manipulation of them."

Shikaku mouthed the words to himself several times. "I assume these were among the documents you recovered?"

Naruto nodded. "Yes, sir."

The Hokage nodded. "I want a full report as soon as you have a handle on the jutsu. I need to know the strengths, weaknesses, and capabilities of your Kekkei Genkai in full. Understand?"

Naruto nodded.

Shikaku sat back down. "Continue," he said.

"After Naruto salvaged a few items for sentimental value, we torched the library as per your instructions. Upon leaving, we encountered Sasuke Uchiha and my mother."

"Mrs. Shuro has been neutralized," said Naruto, "But Sasuke escaped."

Shikaku scowled. "Of course he did. We haven't had eyes on Sasuke in well over a year and a half; can you report on his abilities?"

"Significant increase in kenjutsu ability," said Naruto, "along with a greater mastery over Orochimaru's curse mark."

"His Sharingan has progressed to the point that it can see through my illusions," said Tsumeki. "It seems likely he can pierce most genjutsu as well."

"He also seems to be seeking a Tailed Creature to seal within himself. Future encounters should proceed with caution."

Shikaku sighed and retrieved a fresh sheet of paper. "Very well. I'll have an update ready for the next bingo book. Anything else to report."

Naruto didn't respond immediately, but then he said, "Sir. I have a question unrelated to the mission."

The Hokage looked at him. "Yes?"

"My father's birth certificate was forged, as was his marriage certificate to my mother. According to Uzumaki clan records, he doesn't exist. Do you know who would have the authority and desire to do such a thing?"

Shikaku sighed and tapped his fingers on his desk several times. "How old are you now, Naruto?"

"Seventeen, sir. Eighteen in two months."

"Close enough, then."
"For what?" Naruto asked, confused. He looked at Tsumeki. She looked just as clueless as he did.

"The certificates in question were forged on the order of the Third Hokage, for your protection."

"What? My pro-"

Shikaku held up a hand. "Let me finish. You were young, an infant, when your parents died in the Uchiha uprising. You had no way to protect yourself. Your father had many enemies who would love nothing more than to kill you and end his line. It was decided that the best way to protect you was to forge your identity, and that of your father. Many ninja died that night. Another orphan would go unnoticed."

Naruto's fists were balled, and he was doing his best not to grind his teeth. "What's the point?" he asked. His jaw was locked, and he was doing his best not to yell. All those years in the orphanage has been planned?! He suffered through life without a family on purpose?!

Tsumeki laid a hand on Naruto's shoulder. It didn't have the calming effect it might have under normal circumstances.

"This is because your father was the Fourth Hokage, Naruto. Minato Namikaze."

As soon as his anger had risen, it was gone. Blank shock and incomprehension filled the void it left. "The Fourth Hokage?" he said incredulously. "Bullshit."

"It is no such thing. The Fourth was your father. You were told that your parents died defending the Hokage. This is true because your father was the Hokage. Your mother was with him in his office when the attack came. He wasn't prepared for battle, nor was your mother." He paused for a moment. "If I recall correctly, they were going out to dinner that night."

The anger began to slither in again from the back of his mind. Naruto squashed it. "Who knew?" he asked.

"Many of the high-level jounin and ANBU. Their close friends. Some hospital staff. All were sworn to secrecy to ensure your safety. The Third's original decision was that you would be told on your eighteenth birthday, or shortly thereafter. At that time, you would receive the full inheritance of the Namikaze family, including estates, assets, and documentation such as jutsu, personal diaries, and unfinished works."

"I...wha..."

"However, seeing as you are clearly not eighteen, and yet also have full knowledge of your heritage, I see no reason you shouldn't be granted your inheritance now." He drummed his fingers on the desk again. "Or rather, tomorrow. The scroll detailing what exactly is included in your inheritance and where it can be found is in the Hokage Residence, currently, and it will take me some time to find it." He gave Naruto a pointed look. "I understand that you are somewhat acquainted with the interior. Please do refrain from a repeat of your graduation exam. I will have everything in order by tomorrow."

"I...okay. Yeah. I'll, uh. I'll be back sometime tomorrow, then."

"Noon would be ideal."

"Yeah...noon. Okay."

"You are dismissed. Thank you for your report. I've taken the liberty of already having the funds for the mission deposited to your accounts; you've been paid for an A-rank. Enjoy the rest of your day."

Naruto still looked dumbfounded. Tsumeki stepped forward. "Thank you, sir. We will." She took Naruto by the arm and lead him out of the office.


Tsumeki had taken him through Ichiraku's, where they had grabbed ramen to go, before leading him to the top of the Hokage Monument. They were sitting on a bench near where they had first kissed, and Naruto hadn't touched his ramen.

"You're scaring me a little," Tsumeki said. "Where's your appetite?"

Naruto didn't answer.

"Hey, come on, talk to me. What's on your mind?"

He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes and raised an eyebrow.

Tsumeki sighed. "Okay, yeah, not the best question. Do you want to talk about it?"

Naruto opened his mouth a few times, but didn't say anything.

"What's bothering you most?"

After a moment, he said, "There are a lot of people in the village who were very close to the Fourth Hokage."

"Yeah? And?"

"And I lived in an orphanage for thirteen years."

"It was to keep you safe, Naruto. I mean, you have to admit, you look a LOT like the Fourth, and if someone that looked like he could have been his kid was adopted by one of his close friends..."

"They still could have tried to work something out. They could have gotten me a family."

"I mean, maybe, but..." Tsumeki grimaced. "Not a lot of people are interested in raising someone else's children."

"Even if the parents of those same children died so that the ungrateful bastards could have their own?" he asked. His voice was bitter.

"Yeah. It sucks. But that's the reality of it. Do you remember what you told me the day after we met? About why you wanted to become a great ninja?"

Naruto didn't respond.

"You told me that you wanted to become great so that you could save people so that there were less orphans in the world. And I'm willing to bet that every orphan wishes something like it. Would you be who you are today without the experiences you had in the orphanage?"

"I could have had a family," he whispered.

"Yeah, and so could I have," Tsumeki said. "So could any number of kids in the orphanage. But you know what? It didn't happen. And we've become better people for knowing that pain."

Naruto's face twisted up with rage, and he threw his bowl of ramen over the edge of the monument. "I don't care!" he yelled. "I would give anything to not have had to grow up through that damned place! I would give anything to have a family – my family – to live with!"

"Would you give me up?" she asked quietly.

"What?"

"Would you give me up to have your family back?"

"I – what...I don't..."

"Because being completely honest here, it's an entirely real possibility. If you had just been another kid who got to go home to his family every night, we may not have bonded nearly as well as we did with our mutual struggle as orphans. So if you had your family, you probably wouldn't have me."

Naruto couldn't find any words to respond with.

"So? Would that be worth it? Would it be a fair trade? A loving mother and father, maybe even siblings, that you could spend time with and love in exchange for a woman who is already here, who already loves and spends time with you, who has literally cut herself off from her entire species to be with you?"

Naruto knew exactly what he wanted to say, but for whatever reason, he couldn't seem to make his mouth work. All that came out when he tried to talk was an odd, "Uggghhhhh" sound.

Tsumeki began to tear up. "I...I'm here, Naruto, and I love you. I want to help you. I know that this is hard for you, learning that half of your past has been a lie, but what does it really change? Are you any different than you were yesterday? Does knowing that your father was the Fourth Hokage change what we have between us?" She walked up to him and put a hand on his cheek. "I'm here for you, Naruto. And I will do anything it takes to help you through this, because I know you would do the same for me. Because you have done the same for me. And because I love you with all that I am." She smiled. "Ears, fangs, tails and all."

Naruto screwed his eyes shut. There were a million different reasons he could have given for it, but the actual reason was becoming painfully obvious: he was trying to stop the flow of tears threatening to pour down his face. Trying and failing.

"Gods, Tsumeki, I'm sorry. I don't mean to be such a colossal ass. It just...it just happens."

"I know. You can't help it sometimes," she said, something like a laugh in the back of her voice.

"I love you too," he said, pulling her into a bone-crushing hug. She returned it with equal gusto. "And it wouldn't be a fair trade. Nothing in the world amounts to what you mean to me. Nothing in any world."

"I know. Sometimes I just have to bludgeon through your thick skull to make you remember."

"I'm sorry for throwing the ramen."

"It's whatever. Just see if I ever buy you dinner again."

Naruto snorted. "If I keep winning our bets, you aren't going to have a choice."

"That's the first time you've won in months, I wouldn't get your hopes up."

They were quiet for several minutes. They simply stood on the top of the Hokage Monument, her with her head buried into his chest, him with his nose amidst her hair.

"Tsumeki?"

"Mm?"

"I think things are going to start getting a lot better for us."

He felt her smile into his chest. "I think so, too."


I really wanted to make this chapter longer. I wanted to manage at least another two thousand words. Thing is, there just didn't seem to be a logical direction to go at the end. I didn't want to scene break to something else, because the end got a little choppy with all the scene breaking, but that's okay, I think. I'm really happy with how the fights turned out. Anyways, I'm shaping myself up recently and budgeting out my time, including forcing myself to write (or attempt to write) for thirty minutes to an hour every day. I know I say this every time I update, but I'm definitely going to try to speed up my update schedule. I hate that I leave you guys waiting so long between chapters. So, as always, please read and review. I hope you enjoy my work (which I feel is steadily rising in quality), and I hope you look forward to reading future chapters as much as I look forward to writing them!