6 Chapter 6: Brothers

Naruto stood there in the dark room, thinking about all of the things he had learned right now. He was the son of the fourth Hokage. Now that he thought about it there were many times he felt that the fourth and he looked alike. They had the same spiky blonde hair which no one in Konoha had, sapphire blue eyes, his face was a complete replica of the Yondaime. All of the doubts Naruto had were proven true, he was truly the son of the Yondaime Hokage.

This made Naruto proud as well as sad at the same time. Proud for being the son of the greatest hero of the hidden leaf and sad because his own father had sacrificed him for the village, even if Minato's intentions were good and was for the village, Naruto resented what Minato had done to him. He had sealed a tailed beast in his own son, left Naruto for a life of misery and pain. Minato will forever be remebered as a hero of the hidden leaf while he was considered a demon.

And what about his mother? She was the Jinchuriki of the Kyubi, did she also agree to seal such a monster in Naruto? Did she not love him? She should have known how miserable a life of a Jinchuriki is, and even then she agreed with it?

"They are nothing but trash for sacrificing their own son." thought Naruto regretfully

Next was the issue of his aunt, the mystery behind her and was all of this even true or was he just simply being fed lies and was being manipulated?

He looked at Danzo, the man seemed to be looking at him calmly without displaying any emotions on his face. Naruto was not sure what he thought about Danzo.

The man seemed to be knowing a lot of secrets about Konoha. Such secrets that were only privy to the Hokage, he had his own Anbu who were nothing more than machines who didn't display any emotions.

Danzo was the one who was monitoring him for a long time and even sent his men to attack him.

But the most dangerous things were his ideals of peace.

"He wants to bring peace, but he doesn't even hesitate to sacrifice his own comrades and nor does he care about their deaths. He wants to protect Konoha and wants to use any means necessary. He seems to be a war-hawk who believes he can do anything." thought Naruto analytically

Danzo seemed to not seem to like Hiruzen and hated his ideologies and wanted Naruto to join him. Naruto wondered why was he so important for Danzo and then the whole plan became a lot more clear to Naruto.

He was the Jinchuriki of the nine tails, he had the sharingan and would be a force to be reckoned with in the future. Also if his heritage became known to the public then the people would be more supportive of him as he was the son of the fourth Hokage. Naruto clearly understood that he was a tool which Danzo wanted to use as a means for his own ambitions.

"Where did he get the crow summoning contract?" thought Naruto

Summoning contracts were very rare, the only summons which Naruto thought Konoha had were the slugs, toads, snakes and dogs. For Danzo to possess a summoning contract and giving it so easily to Naruto under the lie of as a sign of his faith indicated something fishy.

"What would happen if he tries to take over Konoha. He already seems to have his own shinobi, knows deep secrets about Konoha and me, he despises Jiji's ideology, wants to get peace but doesn't care about people and considers them tools. What should I do?" thought Naruto deeply

Naruto did not hate the village, even if what Danzo said was true he loved his friends, if Hiruzen had lied to him then he must have had good reasons, Naruto trusted Hiruzen far more than Danzo, Hiruzen and Kakashi were there for him while Danzo even sent his own men to try to kill him to measure his strength, so Naruto decided to trust Hiruzen instead of Danzo.

But there were few things that were troubling Naruto a lot.

"How much more has Danzo been hiding? How many secrets does he know? His ideologies are a threat to the village and my family." thought Naruto firmly

"If he knows so many things and does not like Jiji's way of thinking, whose to say he won't try to usurp power and become Hokage himself. He tells he does not want to become Hokage but I don't think he is telling the truth." thought Naruto

Naruto then wondered what his next action should be and what repercussions would it have for him and the village.

"A shinobi is a person who endures pain and sacrifices everything in order to fulfill his duty and protect what is precious to him."

Naruto remembered what Hiruzen had told him a few years ago. In order to protect his village and find out the truth about himself and Danzo, Naruto made a decision that would change his life forever.

"What is your answer Naruto, are you willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of the village and the nation?" asked Danzo firmly

"Self sacrifice will be my way of ninja, I will do whatever it takes to protect my precious people, even if it means joining you Danzo. I will find out what you are upto and if you are a threat to my family I will Kill you." thought Naruto with determination

"Hai, Danzo-sama" said Naruto with fake devotion

Danzo seemed to look at Naruto for a moment trying to detect any hidden intentions but Naruto remained stoic and looked at Danzo without averting his eyes from him.

"Seems he has understood the meaning of shinobi. You will be a great asset to the village and for me." thought Danzo

"Looks like I'm a spy in enemy camps. Who would have thought I would become a spy for the Hokage in my own village" thought Naruto humouressly

"Welcome to the Foundation, you will take your orders from me. The future of the leaf village depends on you. Mistakes will not be tolerated." said Danzo with authoritativeness

"Yes, Sir" said Naruto with determination.

Danzo then passed a little note to Naruto and gave him the signal to read it. Naruto read the note and understood the meaning behind it, he gave a calculative gaze to Danzo and started reading it.

"Those of the foundation have no names, no emotions. There is no past, no future but only the mission. We are the roots that support the trunk of the great leaf village from the shadows." said Naruto firmly

"Good, always remember that. Now you will await for further orders from me, until then you are dismissed. Your identity in the foundation should not be known. We do not exist, Do you understand?" asked Danzo stoically

"HAI" yelled Naruto

Naruto then gave a short bow to Danzo and the Anbu squad that had brought him to the base took him away with a shunshin.

Danzo then gave a signal and immediately two Anbu stepped from the shadows and bowed before him.

"Keep and eye on him. If he shows any sign of opening his mouth, erase his memory of this meeting and everything related to the foundation." instructed Danzo

"Permission to speak, Danzo-sama?" asked one of the Anbu to which Danzo gave a nod.

"Why didn't you give him a cursed seal. He could reveal the contents of this meeting to the Hokage." asked one of the Anbu without emotion.

"I cannot place a cursed seal on him, Hiruzen or Kakashi would notice instantly and there would be various questions that will follow afterwards. So it is your job to make sure to keep an eye on Naruto." ordered Danzo

The two Anbu nodded and disappeared in the shadows.

"Soon very soon, Konoha will rule over all the shinobi world and I will be the one to establish peace. My era has come." thought Danzo with a smirk.

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Naruto was rushing towards training ground 28 with tremendous speed. His meeting with Danzo had gone longer than expected and as a result he was 15 minutes late for his meeting with Kurenai and Naruto knew how badly women react when a person arrives late.

Naruto was thinking how things had changed in a matter of few hours. He had voluntarily become a spy in Danzo's Foundation in order to protect the village from Danzo's fanatical ideologies and beliefs. He didn't know how he was going to find out the truth but he would not rest until he finds out what the truth was about him and Danzo.

"I cannot tell Jiji or Kakashi-ni-san about this. Danzo seems to be a very secretive person, if he has such sensitive information about me and Konoha then surely he would have taken appropriate measures to cover his tracks. I will have to enter the foundation and track down Danzo's activities by myself." thought Naruto with determination

Naruto then thought about his parents and a feeling of sadness came across his heart. But before jumping to any conclusions he decided to investigate the truth instead of believing Danzo blindly.

Naruto arrived at the training ground 28 and looked around for any signs of Kurenai. She seemed to be nowhere in sight.

"Guess I was late." thought Naruto dejectedly

Then immediately an idea came across his mind. He started concentrating in order to find any traces of Kurenai or anyone else's chakra in the area. At first it seemed that no one was there but after a few more minutes of hard concentration Naruto found a faint trace of two chakra signatures coming from some distant trees. These two chakra signatures were so hard to detect that they must be Anbu or elite Jounin level ninja.

Now the question was were these Anbu/Jounin of the Hokage or of Danzo?

Assuming them to be of Danzo's men, Naruto knew Danzo must be keeping an eye on him so he decided to remain cautious and started searching for Kurenai's chakra signature again.

He found a faint trace of chakra signature from a tree which was few feet away from him. Walking towards the tree Naruto quickly formed the Ram seal and released a little chakra dispelling the genjutsu.

As soon as the genjutsu was dispelled Naruto saw a person standing there giving him a stern look. This person was none other than Kurenai.

Naruto fliched a little on seeing Kurenai's hard gaze and also felt gulity as it was his fault that she had to wait for him.

"Naruto, why are you late?" asked Kurenai a little angrily

"Forgive me Kurenai, my training with Kakashi went a little longer and I got late. I'm sorry." said Naruto apologetically and bowed in front of Kurenai.

Kurenai was not a person who accepted excuses, she was a strict person who always accomplished her tasks on time and as such hated when people arrived late for work or gave excuses, but seeing Naruto bow before her asking for forgiveness melted her heart. She then put a hand on Naruto's shoulder, Naruto looked up and saw Kurenai giving him a small smile.

"Its alright, but please don't let it happen again." said Kurenai softly

"Arigatou Kurenai, I promise I won't ever be late again." said Naruto sincerely. Kurenai smiled a little on hearing Naruto's promise.

"So, how were you able to see through my genjutsu. Even though I was not trying harder but still how were you able to spot me?" asked Kurenai curiously

"Oh, I was just lucky." joked Naruto rubbing the back of his head.

"I don't think so." said Kurenai a little skeptically.

"Alright, I was able to sense your genjutsu." said Naruto honestly

Kurenai seemed to be impressed with Naruto's ability, even if it was just a low level genjutsu for an academy student to see it so much easily and dispel it was quite impressive.

"That's impressive, now shall we begin your training?" asked Kurenai a little enthusiastically. Training a person who was interested in Genjutsu was always Kurenai's dream, that dream had failed with Yakumo but with Naruto she hoped to give him proper guidance in Genjutsu.

"What are waiting for Kurenai!" said Naruto with enthusiasm

"Alright, now first I want you to tell me all you know about Genjutsu." instructed Kurenai wanting to know what Naruto knew about genjutsu.

"Genjutsu techniques are the illusion techniques of a ninja, they normally require hand seals. Genjutsu will use hypnotism to cause hallucinations in others. By causing such illusions they can cause their target mental pain and suffering just as real as physical hurt. Genjutsu is created when a ninja extends their chakra flow through the cerebral nervous system of their opponent to control their minds chakra, thereby affecting their five senses." explained Naruto

"Excellent, now do you know the number of ways to dispel a genjutsu?" asked Kurenai

"To combat the effects of Genjutsu, there are two options. The first option is for the ninja to stop the flow of chakra in their body, and then apply an even stronger power to disrupt the flow of the casters chakra. The second option is to have an outside ninja unaffected by the Genjutsu make body contact, and use their chakra to disrupt the casters flow. However there are some other ways to break genjutsu, by causing intense pain to his own body a person can break genjutsu or with the help of Doujutsu like the sharingan." concluded Naruto

Kurenai was very impressed with Naruto's perfect theoretical knowledge relating to Genjutsu.

"That's very accurate explanation however there is one more way to break a genjutsu." said Kurenai calmly

"What is it?" asked Naruto curiously

"Strong smells are also able to break a person out of genjutsu. For example, if a person is caught in a genjutsu and if Chilli pepper bombs are bursted near him then it would affect his sense of smell and thus will dispel the genjutsu casted on him." explained Kurenai

"That's strange." said Naruto.

"In order to be able to use genjutsu a person must have very good chakra control and high level of intelligence so that he can make the genjutsu according to the battle scenarios." said Kurenai.

"Well I know some chakra control exercises and have mastered them." said Naruto

"Which exercises do you know?" asked Kurenai curiously

"I can do the leaf balancing taught at the academy, while Kakashi has taught me tree walking and water walking." said Naruto honestly

"That's logical given your condition if you even want to learn any ninjutsu you must atleast know tree walking and water walking. Kakashi has indeed given you some good training." said Kurenai with a small smile

"Oh, you have no idea Kurenai" thought Naruto with a smirk

"But considering you have very high chakra reserves these chakra control exercises are not capable for you to have effective control for genjutsu. I can understand why Kakashi was not able to teach you much because he is a ninjutsu specialist while I am a genjutsu specialist, with time I'll help you in learning genjutsu." said Kurenai confidently

"Arigatou Kurenai, do you have any chakra control exercise in mind?" asked Naruto curiously

"Yes in fact I know a few chakra control exercises that will help you increase your chakra control tremendously. But they won't be easy to learn and even harder to master." warned Kurenai

"No matter what happens I will learn them believe it!" said Naruto with determination

Kurenai gave a true smile and was happy to see Naruto's fierce deerrmination for learning genjutsu.

"Alright, the exercise which I am going to teach you are the Kunai balancing and Senbon balancing techniques. These are elite Jounin level exercises, normally you wouldn't need to do so much exercise to cast a genjutsu but you have very large chakra reserves so you will need to train harder in order to control your chakra." explained Kurenai

"That's fine, so which one I'm going to learn first?" asked Naruto curiously

"The Kunai balancing chakra control exercise is the one which you are going to learn first. This exercise is divided into three parts, in the first stage you must make the Kunai stand up in your hand with the help of your chakra, then in the second stage you use your chakra to balance on point of Kunai that is stuck in the ground with the help of only one finger, and in the final stage you must use your chakra to make the kunai spin in your hand very quickly. This is the exercise." explained Kurenai briefly

"Man that sounds difficult." said Naruto tiredly

"You are not giving up are you?" said Kurenai with fake anger.

"Nah, its difficult but I'll do it anyways." said Naruto with a smile

"That's good, now take out a kunai and place it on your right hand." instructed Kurenai

Naruto took out a Kunai from his pouch and place it on his right hand, he then looked up to Kurenai for further instructions.

"Now use your chakra to lift the Kunai on your hand as much as you can. Try to balance your chakra." said Kurenai and took out her own Kunai and showed Naruto how to do the exercise.

"Alright, all I need to do is channel my chakra in my hands in proper proportion." thought Naruto

He then started channeling a lot of chakra but instead of getting the Kunai to stand up it started twitching wildly in Naruto's hands.

"You are channeling way too much chakra, try to control your flow. Concentrate and feel the movement of your chakra in your hands." said Kurenai and showed Naruto the exercise again.

"Alright, I have to reduce my chakra." thought Naruto

He then started channeling chakra in limited proportion to his hand. The Kunai lifted an inch on his hands, Naruto was trying very hard to maintain the steady flow of chakra in his hands but the amount of concentration and the weight of the Kunai were very tough to balance and as a result after a few more moments he couldn't continue the exercise.

"Should I use the Shadow Clones to increase my training speed?" thought Naruto

"Hey Kurenai is there any other way to make this exercise a lot easier?" asked Naruto even though he was knowing the answer he needed to hear Kurenai's answer.

"Well there is only one technique that can help you and that is the Shadow Clone Jutsu, but that technique can be very dangerous as it drains your chakra quickly and you are not qualified to use it." said Kurenai sternly making her point clear.

"Oh, is that so?" asked Naruto with a smirk and formed the hand sign. Kurenai's eyes widened on seeing the hand sign and shouted at Naruto to stop but it was too late.

"Kage Bunshin No Jutsu."

Immediately 10 Naruto clones stood around Kurenai with a smirk hidden behind their masks.

"Naruto, what the hell have you done!" yelled Kurenai angrily

"Relax, I know this Jutsu and I even know what it does. I can maintain my clones as I have more than enough chakra reserves."said Naruto calmly unfazed by Kurenai's anger.

"Who taught you such dangerous Jutsu?" asked Kurenai sharply

"Well Kakashi-nisan.-" said Naruto but was cut off when he felt a little killer intent coming from Kurenai

"After our training I need to have a talk with Kakashi" said Kurenai furiously

"Hey, don't get mad let me explain." said Naruto.

He then explained his entire condition to Kurenai and how it did not harm him, at first Kurenai didn't believe him and was asking him to dispel the clones immediately but after a few more minutes of seeing the clones trying to perform the exercise and not seeing even a little bit strain on Naruto concluded that Naruto must have been speaking the truth.

"I wonder what else Kakashi has taught Naruto" thought Kurenai

"See I told you it does not have any side effect on me." said Naruto with a smirk

"What else has Kakashi taught you? I hope it isn't very dangerous or else it won't end well for a certain Icha Icha fan." said Kurenai with a dark aura tone.

"Man, she sure is protective." thought Naruto but also smiled a little for seeing Kurenai's affection for him.

"Oh, nothing much, just this and that." said Naruto in an amused tone.

"Smartass are we? Well for that you will practice this exercise with Kunai in both of your hands at the same time." said Kurenai in a sadistic tone.

"WHAT!" yelled Naruto

(A few hours later)

Naruto and Kurenai were sitting in the shade of a nearby tree enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. Naruto seemed to be exhausted and was resting in order to regain his strength.

The chakra control exercise was extremely difficult for him, even with the help of his clones he was not able to make the kunai stand up properly in his hands.

Kurenai had been true to her words and had indeed made him practice with kunai in both hands, Naruto wondered that whether she possesd a little sadistic habits like Anko but decided to not say his opinion to Kurenai fearing her wrath.

Naruto started thinking on whether what Danzo said to him was true or not? If it was true why did his parents did this to him knowing how a life of a jinchuriki is, what made them do this? Why did both of them had to die and leave him alone?

So many questions were running across his mind with no answer in sight.

Kurenai seemed to recognize Naruto's sad mood and decided to lighten his mood. She then took out a small ration bar and handed it to Naruto.

"A ration bar?" asked Naruto curiously

"It'll help you increase your energy and replenish your stamina a little." said Kurenai with smile.

"Arigatou Kurenai." said Naruto with his own smile.

"What are friends for!" said Kurenai happily

"You are a good friend Kurenai, I am grateful to you for helping me." said Naruto

"You're welcome, if you don't mind me asking what is troubling you?" asked Kurenai curiously

"Am I that easy to read?" sighed Naruto

"I guess, or I am just awesome." joked Kurenai. Naruto laughed on hearing this, he felt quite happy that he was able to reduce his grief with Kurenai's help.

"The exercise is quite difficult, even with my clones I am having trouble controlling my chakra." said Naruto frustratingly

"You are doing better than I expected, I believe with the help of your clones you will be able to master the exercise in maybe two months. Have a little faith in yourself." said Kurenai proudly, she was quite amazed at the rate Naruto was learning he would become a skilled genjutsu specialist in a few years.

"Thanks Kurenai." said Naruto.

"What is your dream Naruto?" asked Kurenai suddenly

Naruto was surprised a little on hearing being asked such a question.

"My dream is to bring peace to this world." said Naruto sadly

"Peace?" asked Kurenai surprisingly

"A world where parents don't die, where people don't hate each other, where children can live happily with their family." said Naruto sadly

He started to feel a lot more lonelier, Kurenai also got a little sad on hearing the meaning in Naruto's words and the pain behind it. She got closer to Naruto and hugged him tightly. Naruto stiffened a little on the sudden contact but after a few moments relaxed and hugged Kurenai tightly. They held on to each other for a few minutes.

"Thank you Kurenai." said Naruto gratefully

"I'm always there for you Naruto." said Kurenai sincerely

"I would do anything to achieve my dream, even if it means sacrificing myself." said Naruto with determination

"Don't say such things, you'll achieve your dream and don't even think about dying. I will kick you in the balls and bring you back from the dead." joked Kurenai but also gave a little stern gaze to Naruto indicating that she was meant what she said.

Naruto felt a lot more happy, he felt comfortable in Kurenai's company, it was as if he was at peace when he was with her.

"Is this what it means to understand a person?" thought Naruto

"So how's it like living with Kakashi?'' asked Kurenai curiously

"Well Nisan, is a carefree guy, he lets me do most of the things I want and doesn't bother me much. He likes to train me and reads his book everytime. I wonder why he is so hooked sure its a good book-" said Naruto but stopped when he felt a rise in the tempreature around him.

He saw Kurenai with a dark aura surrounding her, Naruto wondered what had he done that pissed of Kurenai?

"You think Icha Icha is a good book?" asked Kurenai menacingly ready to teach Naruto a lesson if the answer was wrong.

"No, No I mean from the sales of the book in the markets." said Naruto quickly

"Very well, if I ever find you reading that smut I'll kill you." said Kurenai sternly

"Sure, Man you sure are scary like Anko." mumbled Naruto

"Anko?" asked a surprised Kurenai

"Yeah, she is one of my best friends, you can say she is like family to me, like a big sister. Why do you know her?" asked Naruto

"Yeah, she is my best friend. But she never told me anything about you." said Kurenai

Naruto just shrugged his shoulders indicating that he couldn't say what Anko would do.

"Well its getting late and I have to visit Konohamaru." said Naruto and got up, he then offered his hand to kurenai and made her get up.

"Hokage-sama's grandson?" asked Kurenai curiously

"Yeah, he's like my annoying little brother." joked Naruto

"It seems you are quite popular in the Sarutobi clan." said Kureani with a smirk.

"Hehe, I try my best." joked Naruto

"Keep practicing your chakra control exercise and meet me tommorow here at the same time and don't be late." said Kurenai sternly

"I'll be on time, I promise." said Naruto sincerely

"Well I've got to visit Hokage-sama, I'll see you tommorow Naruto." said Kurenai and disappeared with a shushin

"See ya Kurenai." said Naruto and disappeared in his own shunshin

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(Hokage Tower)

Hiruzen Sarutobi was having a regular day at the office. Assigning missions, looking over reports, and many other things. But today an interesting thing had happened.

Kurenai Yuhi was right now standing in his office giving him a report of her mission and she seemed to be very happy.

"So how's his progress?" asked Hiruzen curiously

"He is having difficulty controlling his chakra but from what I have seen he will be able to master it in a few weeks. Though I was surprised he is able to use Kage Bunhsin." said Kurenai

"He is indeed very special." said Hiruzen with a smile

"Hokage-sama I want to ask a question?" asked Kurenai hesitatingly

"Go ahead." said Hiruzen flatly.

"Why did you assign me the mission of teaching Naruto genjutsu?" asked Kurenai curiously

"After you told me how he helped you yesterday and was interested in genjutsu, I thought you were the best for teaching him, Kakashi had tried to teach him but genjutsu is not his specialty so you were the best option I had and it was very honest of you to tell me your intentions before you started training Naruto." said Hiruzen proudly

"I did my duty Hokage-sama, he is only an academy student and so it was my duty to ask for your permission to train him." said Kurenai honestly

"That is why I trust you Kurenai, you are a great shinobi of this village and have made great sacrifice for it, also I wanted you to spend some time away from missions so I assigned you this duty in order to relieve your stress and enjoy your life a little." said Hiruzen with a kind smile

"I am very grateful to you for showing me such generosity even though I do not deserve it." said Kurenai a little dejectdly

"Nonsense, you are a nice person Kurenai who just had some bad incidents in her life. So, what's your opinion of Naruto?" asked Hiruzen trying to lighten Kurenai's mood.

"He is a very nice person Hokage-sama, he is kind, caring and even funny at times but the most interesting thing is that he is way mature than people his age." said Kurenai with a wide smile. She had taken quite a liking to Naruto

"It is because of the pain he suffered that he is like this. While growing up Naruto had to face a lot of disdain from the people of this village as a result he had to increase his analytical ability to judge people so he could understand them." explained Hiruzen

"That is very true Hokage-sama." said Kurenai with pity

"Don't give him that look Kurenai, Naruto does not like when someone pities him, he always tries to overcome obstacles and his love for the village and those close to him is the greatest I have ever seen in a person after the Shodai Hokage, it would be better if I show you Naruto's love for his precious people." said Hiruzen kindly and took out his crytsal ball.

"What do you want to show me?" asked Kurenai curiously

"Its almost time, he must be at the gates by now." thought Hiruzen and gestured Kurenai to look in the crystal ball.

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(With Naruto)

Naruto had arrived at the Sarutobi's clan compound in order to meet Konohamaru. This was one of the few clans in Konoha that accepted him as a person and not as the Jinchuriki of the Kyubi. Most of the clan members of the Sarutobi clan were kind to Naruto even after so many of their clan had died because of the Kyubi during its attack few years ago.

The guards at the gates gave a smile to Naruto which he returned as well.

The Sarutobi clan compound was a huge area, it covered a big lawn which had a small lake in it. There were many houses of various shapes and sizes in the compound all of which surrounding a grand three storey mansion.

This mansion was of the Hokage, it had the best furniture in Konoha and was equipped with all the facilities. Only Hiruzen and his family stayed in his mansion.

"I'm Home." said Naruto hapipily and opened the door of the mansion.

No sooner than a few seconds Konohamaru came running across the hall with a big smile on his face.

"NARUTO-NICHAN!" yelled Konohamaru happily and jumped on Naruto.

Naruto was taken back by the sudden weight and fell on the ground with Konohamaru on top off him. At first both of them stared at each other but soon started laughing loudly.

"Welcome home Naruto." said a woman warmly.

This woman was Emiko, Konohamaru's mother. She had jet black hair that reached upto her shoulders and had a fair skinned body. She was a very beautiful woman who wore a simple dark purple blouse with a red-plum skirt and a light-yellow apron over it.

"Its good to be home, Emiko-oba-chan." said Naruto with a smile.

"Naruto what have I told you to call me?" asked Emiko with mock anger.

"Sorry Kaa-chan." said Naruto sheepishly

Emiko loved Naruto like her own son. After the death of her husband during a mission, she was left to raise Konohamaru by her own. She faced a lot of difficulty in raising Konohamaru despite having the support of Hiruzen and her clan, she could never fulfill the role of a father in Konohamaru's life but after Naruto came in their lives Konohamaru never missed his father as often as he did before. Konohamaru loved Naruto like his own elder brother and Naruto loved Konohamaru even more than anyone she knew.

"Let's go outside and play together, Naruto-nichan." said Konohamaru enthusiastically

"Stop that Konohamaru-chan, Naruto must be hungry you can play after he eats something." said Emiko sternly

Konohomaru became sad after hearing his mother and had a dejected look on his face, Naruto couldn't look at Konohamaru's such face, Naruto loved Konohamaru very much and always did something to make him happy so he decided to do it this time too even though he was hungry.

"Its okay, I can eat later besides I'm not much hungry." lied Naruto with a smile.

"Hehe, lets go Naruto nichan." said Konohamaru and dragged Naruto away to the training grounds of the clan.

"Those two.." thought Emiko with a warm smile.

Naruto and Konohamaru arrived at the training ground. It had all the things necessary for a shinobi to train. It had various dummy posts, a small armory, a dojo and lot of targets for practicing Kunai and shuriken training.

"So what should we play?" asked Naruto curiously

"Let's play ninja Naruto-Nichan." said Konohamaru happily

Naruto chuckled on hearing that when he was Konohmaru's age he too liked playing ninja with his friends and was one of his favourite games. He agreed to play the game readily.

They both played for half an hour until Konohamaru stopped playing and and took Naruto to the training grounds.

"Hey Nichan can you show me some cool jutsu, PLEASE!" begged Konohamaru with his puppy eyes.

"Damn, I can't show him any ninjutsu or else he'll never stop until I teach him. What to do?" thought Naruto and then suddenly an idea hit him.

"I'll show you my Shurikenjutsu." said Naruto happily. He was the best at Shurikenjutsu even though he didn't show it to everyone.

There were 11 targets in the training area , all of these targets set in 11 different directions on 11 different trees.

"It would be easy to hit all of them, let's see if I can do that at the same time." thought Naruto jovially

Konohamaru was carefully watching what Naruto was going to do. After the death of his father his life had become lonely, he had no siblings and even though he had his mother and Jiji he still felt alone. But everything had changed after Naruto came in his life, he was the kind and gentle older brother that Konohamaru always wanted. Naruto was the best in whatever he did and no matter what happened he was always there for Konohamaru. Naruto was Konohamaru's ideal and he wanted to surpass him.

Naruto took out 11 shuriken from his pouch and looked at his targets briefly, he then leapt high in the air and released all the 11 shuriken at the same time. The projectiles rushed towards their targets with great speed and what happened next shocked Konohamaru, all of the 11 targest were hit in the center by the shuriken and at the same time, even the one that was behind Naruto was hit perfectly.

"How did he do it?" thought Konohamaru amazed by the display.

"I hope that's good enough." said Naruto sheepishly

"GOOD ENOUGH? YOU FREAKING NAILED EVERY TARGET, EVEN THE ONE IN THE BACK..!" yelled Konohamaru

"Hehe, sorry about that." said Naruto with a small chuckle, sometimes he just behaved a little clumsily

"Nichan can you please teach me this shurikenjutsu?" asked Konohamaru pleadingly

"It'll have to wait I have important training tommorow, I must prepare." said Naruto sadly. He had joined the Root and from tommorow his training was going to begin, also Konohamaru was a bit too young to learn Shurikenjutsu.

"You're such a big fat liar.'' said Konohamaru with a cute pout on his face.

"I started training at his age too but I still want him to have a childhood and not just spend it in training." thought Naruto.

"Sorry about that Konohamaru, we'll do it some other time Ok?" asked Naruto with a small sheepish smile.

"How can I even become Hokage if I cannot even surpass you? I'm stupid and I'm not even a good ninja and I'm-" yelled Konohamaru

"Tick" Naruto poked Konohamaru's forehead.

"You can become Hokage." said Naruto firmly

Konohamaru's eyes snapped and he looked at Naruto curiously

"I believe in you." said Naruto with a warm smile

Konohamaru couldn't believe what he just heard. His Jiji had told him playfully that he could become Hokage but no one had ever truly said to him that they truly believed that he would become the Hokage except Naruto.

"You believe in me?" asked a shocked Konohamaru.

"I wouldn't be a good big brother if I cannot even believe in my precious otouto, ne?" asked Naruto with a smile.

"You would become a great Hokage." thought Naruto warmly

Konohamaru hugged Naruto tightly, he had finally found someone who truly believed in his dreams, he was accepted by his big brother and there was nothing else in life that could have pleased Konohamaru more.

"Well its getting late, we should go, we wouldn't want Kaa-chan to become angry do we?" asked Naruto playfully.

"No Nichan, she is quite scary when she is angry." said Konohamaru with a little fear.

Naruto chuckled a little and ruffled Konohamaru's hair earning a pout from the boy. He then picked up Konohamaru and placed him on his back and started walking towards the home to eat some snacks and spend time with Emiko.

"Nichan, that was so much fun, will you play with me again sometime?" asked Konohamaru hopefully

"Sure, but I'm going to become a genin soon and you'll start attending the ninja acadmey next year, so we aren't going to have much free time for ourselves anymore." said Naruto calmly

"That's ok as long as you can still spend time with me once in a while and you just wait Nichan I'll surpass you very soon." said Konohamaru confidently

"You are my brother Konohamaru, I'll always be there for you even if it is just as an obstacle for you to overcome." said Naruto deeply

Konohamaru started to have few tears in his eyes, he did not know Naruto loved him so much.

"Even if you do hate me I'll always protect you, that's what big brothers are for." said Naruto happily

"I love you Nichan." said Konohamaru with tears in his eyes and hugged Naruto closely

"I love you too." said Naruto with a true smile and started walking towards the house.

Neither he nor Konohamaru had noticed that their conversation had been watched by three individuals.

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(Hokage Tower)

Hiruzen and Kurenai were stunned by how much Naruto loved Konohamaru. Both of them had a few tears in their eyes on seeing the emotional scene between the two brothers.

"I'm glad I met someone like him Hokage-sama, he is such a good person, I just wish the villagers could see that in him too." said Kurenai and wiped her tears.

"His love is far greater than I thought, he is truly the hero of the hidden leaf." said Hiruzen proudly, he was so touched by seeing what those two boys were for each other.

"Itachi-kun, he is so much like you. I just wish he doesn't have to follow the dark path that you were forced to follow." thought Hiruzen sadly but he had no idea that everything had changed.

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(Naka River)

Naruto was sitting at the bank of the Naka River. It was known as the River of Southern Joy and was located in the territory of the now deceased Uchiha clan. Naruto used to come here often, this was a place where he would try to understand the things in his life and tried to understand himself. Even though he was never officially part of the Uchiha clan but his father was an Uchiha and so he was too a part of it and so by coming here he thought that he could somewhat be in the lands of his forefathers and enjoy the company.

Naruto was still thinking about what Danzo said to him. He was still sad but after spending some time with Emiko and Konohamaru his sadness had decreased quite a bit and now he was just thinking what to do.

"Who can tell me the truth? I cannot ask Jiji or Kakashi-nisan, they'll suspect me and my cover would be blown. Who can tell me the truth?" thought Naruto in confusion

Only Kakashi and Hiruzen seemed to know of his parents and then suddenly Naruto remembered who his father was and if it was true then there was one person who could tell him the truth.

"Kyubi" thought Naruto

He then started meditating in order to enter his mind and talk with the Kyubi and find out the truth. After a few moments he found himself in the sewer and Kyubi was looking at him curiously and with a little respect?

"What do you want?" asked Kyubi calmly

This surprised Naruto, the last time they had talked Kyubi he did not want anything to do with him and now he was talking with him so easily and was also not insulting him.

"I assume you have seen what has happened today?" asked Naruto

"So?" asked Kyubi seriously

"I want to know the truth." said Naruto seriously

"Why should I tell you anything?" asked Kyubi curiously

"I have seen your love for your people brat. Although it is just a nuisance I am a kitsune and such loyal to my people too and I respect you for that." thought Kyubi

"Because you are my friend." said Naruto simply

"Friend?" asked Kyubi and then started roaring with laughter.

Naruto did not show any emotion and waited for Kurama to stop laughing.

"What if I told you that I was the one who killed your parents?" asked Kyubi sternly all humor gone from his voice.

"What?" asked a shocked Naruto

"Everything that one eyed freak told you is true. You are the son of that bastard and Kushina." said Kyubi angrily

"I see." said Naruto

"Now what will you say, would you still want to be my friend even after knowing I killed your parents. They both died sacrifing their lives for you." said Kyubi seriously

"This can't be true. They just used me to seal you in me." said Naruto a little angrily

"That is true but when I tried to kill you to stop the sealing they got in their way saying that they shall protect you." said Kyubi honestly

"Why are you telling me this?" asked Naruto with tears in his eyes. Knowing that his parents loved him and gave their lives to protect him melted his heart, he still resented them for making him a Jinchuriki but he did not hate them.

"You are a very interesting person and besides what do I get by lying to you, your hatred is weak and I'm stuck in you might as well tell you the truth. Now answer me would you still like to be friends knowing that I am responsible for your pain and I don't regret any of it at all?" asked the Kyubi seriously

"My answer is still the same." said Naruto stoically

"ARE YOU AN IDIOT? DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING?" yelled the Kyubi angrily

"Don't get the wrong idea, I still don't like that you killed my parents but in a way I am also responsible for this." said Naruto calmly

"How?" asked the Kyubi with genuine interest in his voice.

"Humanity has used the tailed beasts for decades for their own power and benefit. We took away your freedom, we were the ones who made you our slaves, no living being should have his freedom taken away, as a result you hate humanity for using you and your hatred towards us increased and whenever you get the chance you try to take your revenge. I can understand your pain because like you I was also used as a tool." said Naruto sadly

Kyubi was left speechless after hearing that, in his entire existence humans had been terrified of him, hated him, used him, feared him but never had any human except the Rikudo Sannin asked to be their friend and understood their pain. Kyubi then looked at Naruto intently, the boy was a descendant of the Rikudo Sannin and possesd his eyes and exceptional body, he loved even those who shunned him just like the sage and he was the one who forgave him and wanted to be his friend.

"There will come a person who will guide you and show you the meaning of true power."

Kyubi still clearly remembered the words of Rikudo Sannin and after considering everything made a decision that he had not made for any other human.

"Kurama." said the beast.

"What?" asked Naruto curiously

"My name is Kurama." said the Kyubi with little annoyance in his voice.

"Uchiha Naruto." said Naruto calmly

"Uchiha?" asked the Kyubi a little angrily, he still despised that name.

"The world knows me as Hatake Naruto or Uzumaki Naruto but what I am truly is an Uchiha, I accept what I am and I hope you understand as my friend." said Naruto with a small smile.

"I despise that name." hissed Kyubi

"Why do you hate the Uchiha so much?" asked Naruto curiously

"I don't want to answer that and besides you have got some company." said Kurama trying to avoid further talk.

"Very well, I accept you as my friend Kurama and I forgive you." said Naruto and disappeared from the sewer.

"I accept you as my friend too Uchiha Naruto, perhaps you are the one Tou-san talked about." thought Kurama with a smirk.

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(Naka River)

Naruto opened his eyes and saw Sasuke sitting beside him at the banks of the Naka River. He seemed to be sitting there quietly without showing any emotion on his face.

"It seems you are awake." said Sasuke and turned to face Naruto

"Why are you here Sasuke?" asked Naruto curiously

"I regularly visit this place, it is a part of the Uchiha territory after all but what are you doing here?" asked Sasuke skeptically

"I visit this place too, it is peaceful and I like to sit by beside the river." said Naruto honestly

Both the boys seemed to become quite for a while enjoying the peace. The only sound that was made was that of the river, it was already night time and the moon was shining brightly and the reflection of the boys faces was visible in the river.

"How are you so strong Naruto?" asked Sasuke curiously

Naruto was taken aback by this sudden question, he decided to just not answer it but then he remembered what Kakashi had told him and Sasuke's pain.

"Besides he is still my brother, Might as well give him a chance." thought Naruto

"I fight to protect the people I care about. What do you fight for Sasuke?" asked Naruto seriously

"I want to avenge my clan and kill Itachi, that is what I fight for." said Sasuke a little angrily

"You are wrong Sasuke." said Naruto flatly

"What?" asked Sasuke angrily

"True strength does not come from hatred but by protecting someone precious to you. Tell me what is precious to you?" asked Naruto curiously

"There is no one precious to me. My parents, my clan, everyone is dead and only I am left." said Sasuke sadly

"You are wrong, you can still have friends if you want to be friends with people." said Naruto calmly

"I don't want to be anyone's friend. I'm an avenger I will avenge my clan and kill my brother." said Sasuke with determination.

"You are wrong again Sasuke, hatred will only cause you more pain." said Naruto sadly

"Don't you dare say that. You don't know anything about me, you don't know what its like to loose your parents!" yelled Sasuke

"You are right, I never knew my parents and I can not understand your pain, but I know what you are going through as I have been there. I was also an orphan before Kakashi adopted me and I can understand your loneliness and pain better than anyone in Konoha." said Naruto sincerely

"How can you say that?" asked Sasuke curiously. He too wanted to know on what grounds Naruto was claiming that he understood him.

"I hope by doing this I am making the right choice." thought Naruto and made a major decision.

"Because you and I are brothers." said Naruto and looked at Sasuke with his three tomoe Sharingan