A Healing Hand... or Snake

It was late in the afternoon that team seven trudged through the gates of Konoha. The trip home had been rather quiet and awkward for the three genin. Naruto had been silent the entire way, not even making the usual snide and sarcastic remarks to anyone in the group as he was wont to do, and had seemingly withdrawn into himself almost as soon as they had left Nami. Sasuke had switched between continuously playing with his Sharingan and glaring at and or trying to goad Naruto into a fight. Having heard that the blond had single handedly decimated Gato and his forces that had shown up after the battle, the raven-haired avenger had been disappointed that he had not gotten to prove himself against the horde of thugs Gato had come with, and jealous that Naruto had been able to do that while he had been knocked out. And so now he wanted nothing more than to fight Naruto and prove that he could beat the blond, feeling secure in his chances of winning now that he had his sharingan. Sakura had also been surprisingly quiet, switching between looking longingly at Sasuke and worriedly at Naruto; she was still going through some minor shock at having seen the blond cry. It did not help that Kakashi had chosen to read his book instead of trying to engage in conversation and make sure his students were alright.

Though that was mainly due to the fact that Kakashi had no clue what to do or say, having never had to deal with this kind of situation. Naruto refused to talk to him, or anyone. Sakura only tried talking to Sasuke, and she did not really get involved in this mission enough that it had any effect on her psyche. And Sasuke did not seem to be bothered at the fact that he had killed two chunin, focusing his attention on either his new red eyes or Naruto. The silver haired jonin now had even more respect for his sensei than he had previously thought possible, the man had made this seem so easy but apparently it was anything but.

"Ah! Kakashi-san," Kotetsu, one of the gate guards who had become known as the eternal Chunin along with his partner Izumo, greeted as soon as they entered the gate. "I see you've returned. I trust the mission went well?"

Kakashi grimaced on the inside, well would not be how he put this mission, but he kept an indifferent face as he showed them his and his teams identification papers. "As well as can be expected for my team's first time out of Konoha," Kakashi replied in a nonchalant voice.

Izumi who sat next to Kotetsu nodded, "Yeah, I remember my first time out of the village. Not quite the experience I had expected as a Genin either."

"That's because you accidentally sat in poison ivy," Kotetsu snickered.

"Shut up man." Izumo shot his partner a small glare, "Did you have to bring that up?"

"Yes," Kotetsu answered with a grin, "you sat in poison ivy, and then you had to have a specialized ointment for your ass."

Kakashi ignored the two as they began to squabble since he had grown used to it by now. Turning around he looked at his team, "I'm going to report to the Hokage. Since this mission was a bit…more than we had anticipated, you three can head home and rest while I give my report."

Sasuke nodded and left as soon as he said that, hands in his pocket and his 'I care about nothing, I'm an Uchiha' attitude in place.

Sakura gave one last look to her sensei and the unusually quiet Naruto before leaving as well, following after Sasuke in the hopes of maybe getting a date.

"Sensei," Naruto said in an unnaturally soft voice, getting the attention of the Cyclopean Jonin. "Can I go with you… I need to talk to Ojisan."

I see, he still doesn't quite trust me,Kakashi thought with a sigh. He should have known that Naruto would want to talk with the Hokage about what happened in Nami, given how close the two were it was only natural.

Kakashi had tried to talk to Naruto about it, but the Genin had rebuffed his advances with what Kakashi now recognized as his old mask, that cheerful smile he always gave, I guess it will take a bit more to get him to open up to me.

"Sure Naruto, let's go," Kakashi said, turning around and walking off. A few seconds later Naruto caught up and walked by his side.

Sarutobi giggled perversely as he sat on the couch next to the pictures of the four Hokages and read his book. Over at his desk were two KageBunshins diligently working on the paperwork that he had. He really did have to thank Naruto for finding out such an ingenious use for the jutsu. Truly the boy was a genius like his father was.

He was knocked out of his thoughts when a knock came at his door, "Hokage-sama, Kakashi and…Naruto of Team Seven are here to see you."

Sarutobi sighed as he heard both the hesitation and the disgust that his aide had when she said Naruto's name, he was going to have a talk with her.

And if she can't change her opinions about him, I guess I'll just have to fire her. Standing up as his clones dispelled Sarutobi sat down in his chair and addressed his aid, "Send them in!"

The two opened and Kakashi walked in with an unusually subdued Naruto. Sarutobi quirked an eyebrow as he saw the boy's solemn and…fearful expression? He shook his curiosity off and looked over at Kakashi, "Ah! Kakashi, Naruto-kun, it is good to see you two back from your mission. However I must ask, where are Sasuke and Sakura?"

"The mission was a little more than we anticipated Hokage-sama, so I sent them home to get some rest," Kakashi answered, giving the aging Sandaime a meaningful glance as he snapped his book shut, "Naruto here came because he wanted to talk to you."

Understanding the look Sarutobi held up a hand, the ANBU who were hiding in the corner of the room appeared and then walked out of the door. Sarutobi used some chakra to activate the silencing seal that Minato had created when he had been Hokage. There was a soft glow that filled the room for a second before going back to normal.

"I take it there was a lot more to this mission than simply an escort and protection detail," Sarutobi said, gesturing for Kakashi to give his report.

"Hai Hokage-sama. The mission was much more than we expected. It started on our way to Nami, when we ran into two Chunin-level missing ninja from Kiri…" Kakashi began explaining what had happened on the mission, making sure to be concise and to the point. When he got to the part where Naruto had used the Kyuubi's chakra, Sarutobi stiffened and Naruto flinched. "Afterwards we left Nami and headed straight here," Kakashi finished.

"I see…" Sarutobi said, puffing on the pipe he had gotten out some time during the report. To think that such a thing could happen on a mission that was supposed to be a simple C-rank. This is what we get when we have a bad case of misinformation, both from our client and apparently our network outside of the village. Still to hear that a squad of genin were able to complete a mission that was easily A-ranked is astounding to say the least, even if the Jonin with them was a ninja of Kakashi's caliber.

Sarutobi looked at Naruto who was emitting so many emotions it was hard to tell what the boy was thinking. "Thank you Kakashi-kun, you may go now," Sarutobi said, knowing that Naruto would want to speak with him alone.

"Hai Hokage-sama," Kakashi bowed a bit. He briefly put a reassuring hand on Naruto's shoulder before leaving.

When the door shut again, Sarutobi left the silencing seals on as he stood up and moved over to the couch, gesturing for Naruto to follow him. Sarutobi said nothing as the boy sat next to him, knowing the boy would speak when ready.

"You already know I used the fox's chakra," Naruto began, "I…"

"Why don't you start at the beginning," Sarutobi said in a kind voice after Naruto stopped speaking.

The boy nodded before beginning again, "It started when I met a girl in the woods… her name was Haku…"

As Naruto started his own story Sarutobi paid close attention to the boy's emotions. It was obvious this was a painful experience for him, even more so than learning about the fox. As the Sandaime listened he found himself surprised again. He had never heard of two enemy ninja falling in love while on opposing missions, and he had experienced and heard a lot of things in his life. It seemed that boy would always be able with to find some way to surprise Sarutobi. However as the boy reached the part where the girl had died, Sarutobi knew, at least partly, just how hurt the boy still was.

"…And then Gato showed," Naruto began, his fists clenching as he thought of the man. "I can't remember all that was said, I wasn't really paying attention. However when he started talking about Haku-chan, and how he was going to desecrate her body…I…" He choked a bit on the words but forced them out. "I got so angry, and then a voice came inside my head."

Sarutobi stiffened at that as Naruto looked at him, "Kill, it said. It told me to kill, to take revenge on those who had forced Haku-chan to fight and those who would...I remember being overcome by rage after that, of slaughtering all those Gato had brought with him, and Gato himself…I had literally squeezed his head hard enough that it exploded."

Sarutobi nearly gagged as he got a mental image of Naruto simply squeezing the man with such force that his head literally blew up. Now being a man who had lived through all three wars, he had seen acts that were far worse then what his surrogate grandson had described. He had seen countless acts of brutality, and had even lain witness to the power of a Jinchurikki while using their Bijuu as well as having fought two of them in his life. However the fact that the person who had killed a man in such a violent way was the young boy before him was enough that his normal desensitization to the violent life style they lead to be over ridden.

Naruto looked down at his now shaking hands. "But that's not even the worst of it Jiji…" The young blond took a shuddering breath, "What was is that I had loved every minute of it."

Sarutobi looked at Naruto sharply but his eyes softened when the he saw the tears in the blonde's eyes, "It was horrible, like another person had taken over, my mind knew what my body was doing and rebelled, but my body loved it. The feel of blood on my hands as I killed them, the feeling of squishing Gato's head…I…I feel like I've become a monster…"

As the blond began shaking even more, Sarutobi realized what had happened. Naruto got so angry that the fox was able to make a connection to him and influence the boy. For something like that to happen he must have felt intense emotions. That the Kyuubi could actually talk to the boy is disturbing. I'm going to have to call Jiraiya here.

Looking down at the shaking Genin Sarutobi felt his heart breaking, But not now, right now I need to help Naruto.

"Naruto-kun, look at me," Sarutobi said softly. Naruto looked up at him and the old Sandaime placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, "I want you to listen to me. You are not a monster or a demon. You are a hero. Do you know why the Yondaime chose you to bear this responsibility?" Naruto shook his head and the old Hokage gave him a smile, "He chose you because he knew you would be capable of controlling the fox's chakra, and using that power to protect everything you cherish."

It was a small stretch of the imagination. Minato had not had much of a choice in vessel. Sarutobi was still not all that sure what had happened that night when he found Naruto crying besides the corpse of his mother and dying father. But he knew that Naruto had really been the only choice. However it was also well known that Minato had been able to come up with plans several years into the future, and so Sarutobi knew that he had sealed the fox in his son for a reason aside from the obvious ones, when he could have just sealed it back into Kushina who had been the fox's previous Jinchuuriki.

"Really?" Naruto asked with a small sniff as he wiped his eyes with his cloak. "But…how can I possibly control such a monster. Kyuubi is supposed to be the strongest of the Bijuu…and that bloodlust…" Naruto shuttered as he remembered the feeling he had gotten when he had used the foxes chakra.

"Truthfully I do not know how Yondaime-sama planned on having you control the Kyuubi," Sarutobi frowned. "Perhaps he thought you would make some kind of deal with it, or perhaps he thought you would be able to subdue it. But I do know that he felt you would be able to use its chakra to protect the people you love."

Naruto was silent for a moment as he stared at Sarutobi. Every time the man talked about the Yondaime's faith in him it felt like there was some kind of hidden meaning, though he could not fathom what that would be. "Do you think I can do it?" Naruto asked in a quiet voice.

Sarutobi gave him a smile, "I know you can do it. If anyone can, it would be you Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled a genuine smile as he gave his grandfather figure a hug, "Thanks Ji-chan."

Sarutobi chuckled as he hugged the boy back, "You are most welcome Naruto-kun. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask."

"Do you think Haku-chan would be dissappointed in me?" asked Naruto after a few seconds.

Sarutobi sighed, "truthfully I don't know... I do not know anything about this Haku girl except what you have told me. However it sounds as if she loved you just as much as you love her, I do not think she would be mad or dissappointed in you. I believe that so long as you keep in your heart and continue to grow and protect the people who are precious to you, her soul will be able to rest in peace."

Naruto nodded as he stood up, he still felt a little scared, still felt the pain of losing Haku. But at least it felt a bit more bearable now. Standing up he plastered a smile on his face, deciding that his old look was needed for the moment.

"I'll see you later Ojisan,"Naruto called out as he left.

It seems I'll need Jiraiya to come sooner than I thought, Sarutobi frowned. If the seal is weakened enough that the fox can influence the boy…for now I will have faith in Naruto's will, I believe he is strong enough to resist the fox.

Sighing a bit as he walked up the stairs to his apartment Naruto reached out a hand and was just about to channel some chakra into the security seals when he heard a noise that made him freeze. Eyes widened he channeled chakra into the seal and as soon as the door unlocked burst in, only to see a sight that made him pale.

"WH-WH-WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING!"

Lying on the couch was Kian in nothing but a pair of boxers, and Akira wearing only a pink thong that the blond knew for a fact his clone had not been wearing when he left. Kian had one hand on Akira's left breast and his mouth had been latched onto her neck, at least, until Naruto had barged in and was now hanging open wide enough to fit one of the faces on the Hokage Monument in. Likewise Akira, who had been moaning previously was staring at him in shock and embarrassment.

"Uhh…" Kian tried to speak.

However Naruto stomped into the room angrily as he glared at his two specially created clones. "I asked you a question! What the hell are you two doing!" Naruto ground out, his face completely red, though whether from embarrassment or anger not even he knew.

"We um…well it just…sort of happened you know," Akira said, her face also red. "After we got the memories of you and Haku from your other Kage Bunshin we grew…curious."

What the hell! I know clones are capable of independent thought and these two can even be considered people in their own right…but I never thought something like this could happen! Naruto said with a mental scream.

Slowly he took a deep breath. "How long has this been going on?" Naruto asked before he held a hand up, "Wait! Never mind, I'll find out for myself."

Kian looked at him confusingly, "What do you me-"

A puff of smoke signaled Naruto giving the mental command to dispel of them both. Naruto's eyes fluttered as information came to him. The progress the two made at their jobs, along with how much money he had from them. Akira's shopping spree where she bought several pairs of female clothes, Kian's hobby of collecting unusual manga, and finally…his two clones eventually getting into some heavy petting.

That information was so overwhelming and embarrassing, not to mention disgusting, especially since he saw it from both sides, that he passed out and hit the floor with a thud.

(The Next Day…)

The next morning found Naruto waking up wondering what hit him. Looking around from his position he realized three things. One, he was on the floor of his apartment right next to the entrance, which was still open and hitting his left leg. Two, it was already morning, meaning he had slept on the floor of his apartment all night. And three, his special clones were going to need some serious reprogramming to make sure this didn't happen again.

Standing up he shuttered a bit as the information of his two clones filled his mind, and he was forced to resist an intense urge to vomit. Thankfully they had not had sex. If they had, he most likely would have died of shock, embarrassment and disgust. But that they had started actually getting into each other was…repulsive to say the least. And it was worse for him since he saw what was happening on both sides, making the experience all the more disturbing.

It went without question that he would be doing his best to fix them when he made the pair again so that they did not remember their intimate encounter.

Sighing he decided to get his day started.

After getting ready, Naruto found himself at training ground ten, where he hoped to find team ten training. His sensei had given his team the week off to recover from the ordeal they were put through. However Naruto felt an intense need to keep himself as busy as possible, feeling that so long as he was busy, the memories would not bother him. So here he was looking for some help in his elemental training.

Of course he did find them, though training did not even seem to be on the mind of their team. Shikamaru and Asuma were seated under a large tree, a board situated between them. The two would move pieces back and forth, occasionally Shikamaru would take a piece and Asuma would look at the board in frustration.

Chouji was eating a bag of potato chips, an act that the Akimichi Genin was always doing at just about every time of the day. He was sitting down next to Shikamaru watching the match going on between his best friend and his sensei.

And Ino…was complaining, loudly. What she was complaining about Naruto didn't know, she was talking so fast even he could barely make it out. Not that he cared to find out, since the girl was always complaining about something.

With the people, or in this case person he had been looking for found, Naruto set off in their direction.

"Come on why do you guys all have to be so lazy!" Ino yelled as she tried to get one of her teammates or her sensei to do something. Shouldn't they be training to be ninja? How could she impress Sasuke if all hey did was sit around here being lazy? "Aren't we supposed to be training after missions!"

"Ino, we are training," Asuma said as he took a puff of his cigarette. "Shogi requires a tactically sound mind and is a good way to come up with strategies that the team might employ."

"And yet, only you and Shikamaru ever play the game!" Ino said with an angry huff.

Asuma frowned and was about to make a retort when a voice called out his name.

"Asuma-sensei!"

Turning their heads the three genin and Jonin-sensei saw Naruto running towards them at a light trot. When he got near them he stopped and grinned, "Just the person I was looking for."

The three genin looked at him in confusion, well, Shikamaru and Chouji looked confused, while Ino just looked disgruntled.

"Naruto, what are you doing here?" She asked, placing her fists on her hips and looking at him in a haughty fashion. "In case you haven't noticed, this isn't your training ground. You can't just waltz around wherever you want!"

Raising an eyebrow Naruto looked at Ino for a moment, before he shrugged and turned his attention to Asuma. "I was actually coming here to ask you for some advice, Asuma-sensei."

While Ino fumed at being ignored, Asuma and the others looked surprised, but the Jonin merely shrugged. "Shouldn't you be asking Kakashi for whatever help you need?" he asked. "He is your Jonin-sensei after all."

"I have," Naruto said with a small shrug, "however he doesn't have enough knowledge on what I want help with, and Ojisan suggested I talk with you about it?"

Asuma's eyebrows rose a good deal, Kakashi was exceptionally gifted and hailed as one of the strongest ninja under the Hokage. There were very few things he could not do that Asuma could, "So…what is it that you need then?"

In response Naruto gave a grin and held up what Asuma noticed as chakra affinity paper. The man raised an eyebrow in curiosity, only for them to widen in shock as the paper was torn to shreds. Looking at the grinning Naruto, Asuma took a deep puff of his cigarette to calm the surprise he felt.

"You have a wind affinity," He said slowly, "and a strong one at that, if the torn paper was any indication."

Naruto nodded, "Yes, I've been working on the leaf cutting exercise but have only been able to get it halfway. You're the only wind user in Konoha, so I was hoping you would have some advice."

Nodding slightly to himself Asuma stood up and reached into his pouch, pulling a trench knife. Holding it up so Naruto could see it, the Jonin channeled his wind chakra into the bade to create a green glow. "When I channel my wind chakra, I often think of it as two sharp edges rubbing against each other in order to create a sharp razor blade."

Taking the knife Asuma threw it at a tree. Naruto watched his mind going from amazement, to awe, to shock, as the weapon cut through tree, then the rock behind it, before coming out of the rock and imbedding itself on the ground.

Asuma looked at Naruto, "The trick is to make the two edges as close as possible to create a sharp blade of wind that can cut through the leaf."

Naruto nodded before running over to get the trench knife. Picking it up Naruto walked over at a more sedate pace as he examined the knife. The blade looked extremely sharp and well maintained. The back edge looked slightly serrated, and the handles had hand guards. It was very simple, yet Naruto's time spent with Tenten had taught him quite a bit about weapons.

"This is excellent quality," Naruto said as he handed the blade back, "I'm guessing the metal used his chakra conducive?"

"It is," Asuma said with a raised eyebrow, the only indication of his surprise at the boy's knowledge of weaponry.

The other three were not doing as well at hiding their surprise. Ino was looking between the two, her face somewhere between shock and curiosity. Chouji while still eating threw glances at Naruto. Meanwhile Shikamaru had his eyes narrowed at Naruto, as if trying to solve some sort of puzzle.

My tou-san told me that elemental manipulation is a Jonin-level ability. So why is Naruto already working on it? Shikamaru wondered, his mind trying to come up with an answer, only to find none.

"Hey is that a shogi board?"

His attention was diverted from trying to figure out how the blond, who had been dead last of their class, could already be working on such an advanced ability.

"Yeah it is," Asuma said as Naruto examined the game that was currently in play, "You play?"

"Not very much," Naruto admitted with a sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. "I've only played with my clones, but trying to beat yourself is an exercise in pointlessness."

"You interested in a game?" asked Asuma, "I haven't been able beat Shikamaru yet, it's getting rather frustrating."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and looked over at Shikamaru.

Said Genin shrugged, "I don't see why not."

Naruto sat nodded and sat down as Shikamaru rearranged the pieces. Since Naruto was just starting out, Shikamaru gave him the first move. Naruto watched as Shikamaru went after him and moved his next piece almost immediately afterwards. His opponent looked a little startled but moved another piece. Again Naruto moved one of his pieces almost immediately afterwards.

Shogi was a game that was purely strategic. When playing you used traps, making plans and strategies to take your opponents pieces and eventually placing your opponent's king in checkmate. It required a knack for thinking several steps in advance, the farther ahead you could plan out your maneuvers; the more likely you were to win.

Thirteen moves into the game Shikamaru was sweating, having already used his 'thinking' pose seven times in just as many moves, he was beginning to feel desperate. He looked up at Naruto to see his fellow Genin staring at the board impassively. Looking back at the board Shikamaru calculated the best strategy he could before moving his piece. Naruto then moved his piece right after. Shikamaru looked at the board carefully and moved another piece. Less than half an hour later Shikamaru was down to one gold general, one knight, his bishop and six pawns. Meanwhile Naruto had only lost a gold general and two pawns.

It was only fifteen minutes later that Shikamaru leaned over the board in shock, trying to figure out how he lost.

"H-he lost," Chouji murmured, having stopped eating a while ago as the intensity of the match had begun to heat up. "But, Shikamaru's never lost."

Asuma was also gaping at the scene. Having spent so much time trying to beat Shikamaru himself, it was rather hard to see someone else beat him. And for it to be the dead last of his students' graduating class, and his first time facing him was even more shocking.

Ino, who did not know much about shogi or care enough to find out, was the only one who was confused about what happened. "I don't get it. So he beat Shikamaru, so what."

"Ino, shogi is a game that requires an incredible amount of strategic thinking, using traps and combat maneuvers to eventually get the king into checkmate." Asuma said, trying to explain the significance of what happened.

Huffing Ino crossed her arms. "I know that! I just don't see what the big deal is. It was probably just luck."

I don't think so,Shikamaru said to himself as he replayed the match in his mind. I've never seen some of those maneuvers before. He managed to beat me and only lost three pieces himself. That kind of thing can never be considered luck.

"You're pretty good," He complemented the blond, "maybe we can play again some time."

Naruto grinned as he stood up, "Yeah, maybe. Anyways thanks for the help Asuma-sensei," He said as he turned to look at the son of Sarutobi.

"No problem, it will be interesting to see what another wind user can do," Asuma said.

Naruto nodded, "Well thanks anyway. I'll see you guys later."

Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke, signifying that they had been talking to a clone the whole time.

Kage Bunshin eh? Asuma thought as he took a drag of his cigarette. I had heard he could use it, but I didn't realize he knew its secret. Definitely an interesting kid.

"Hey what was that?" asked Ino, once again the only one who was ignorant, "How did he just disappear like that?"

Everyone except Choji, who was eating, just sighed as Ino began to ask questions in a loud voice.

Within the clearing of training ground 43, all of the Naruto clones who were currently working on cutting a leaf in half looked up and blinked as the information came to them. With the new knowledge available they got back to work on trying to cut a leaf.

The original Naruto had also stopped his workout routine for a second as he received the memories of his Kage Bunshin. Grunting from the exertion he began doing push-ups again. Counting down as he finished his set of three hundred.

He continued doing his routine until one of his Kage Bunshin dispelled, giving the knowledge that it had managed to cut a leaf in half. Nearly a second later the sound of mass ripping was heard as all the clones cut their leaves as well.

"YATTA!" The clones shouted, causing Naruto to actually wince a bit. They weren't normally this excited, but given that he had been trying to learn to do this particular exercise for several weeks it was quite an accomplishment.

Standing up Naruto began giving his clones orders, "Alright! You know the drill! Dispel in groups of ten!"

After getting a unanimous 'Yosh!' from his clones, Naruto walked over to one of the trees and sat down in a meditative pose. It was not necessary but Naruto found he could sort through the information much easier if he was meditating. For about half an hour he went through the information his clones had on cutting a leaf with wind chakra. It was actually kind of interesting since his clones had independent thought; they did things differently from each other giving him different perspectives from each clone.

Once all the knowledge he gained was sorted Naruto picked up one of the leaves that had fallen from the tree he was under. Channeling his chakra he imagined two edges grinding together and sharpening. He nodded in satisfaction as the leaf split in half.

Standing up Naruto went back to his physical training.

Smiling a bit to himself Naruto entered the small ramen stand that had been one of his safe havens from the world when he was younger. After finishing his morning training he decided that since he had not been to Ichiraku's for a while he should go ahead and splurge.

"Oi! Teuchi-ojisan! Ayame-chan! How about some ramen for your favorite customer!" he shouted as he sat down in the stool reserved for him.

"Hey Naruto-kun!" Ayame greeted with a large smile as she came out of the back. It turned into a frown however as she placed her hands on her hips, "You know, you haven't been in very recently…"

"Sorry Ayame-nee-chan," Naruto rubbed the back of his head and gave a sheepish laugh. "I was out on a…mission away the village. I just got back yesterday."

Ayame pouted for a second more before grinning, "Well I suppose that's alright since you were out of the village. So the usual?"

"You know me too well Ayame-nee-chan." Naruto said with a grin.

"Alright then, it will be comin' right up!" Ayame said, enjoying the odd new nickname he seemed to have added to her title. As she began making Naruto's ramen, said blond decided to make some more conversation.

"So where is Teuchi-ojisan?" asked Naruto, curious about where the old man was since he was usually the one to greet the blond.

"He's out of the village getting some supplies for this new ramen he's trying to concoct," Ayame said as she stirred the pot with ramen noodles in it. "So I've been working on my own for the past few days."

Naruto nodded as Ayame brought his first bowl of ramen, "Thanks nee-chan," he said, snapping his chopstick and say a quick 'Itadakimasu' before digging in. "Awww ramen, how I missed thee!"

Ayame giggled at Naruto's antics. She went back to making some more ramen, knowing Naruto would want at least six more bowls before feeling even remotely full.

Naruto slowed down his eating a bit as he savored their flavor. Ramen from Ichiraku's had always been his comfort food, ever since he had found the place. He was so caught up in his eating that he did not notice the presence behind him until it was too late.

"You know you should have told me you had returned."

A pair of arms slid around him and Naruto stiffened at the contact, an image flashed through his mind.

He was sitting in the clearing, spreading out the things he had prepared this morning for his and Haku's picnic. As he reached into the basket a pair of arms slide around him. Despite knowing who it was he turned around and laid eyes on the beautiful girl he had come to know so well in the past three days.

Anko frowned when she noticed Naruto's reaction. The way he reacted was similar to how he always did, getting stiff as a board, except this time he did not blush and get all flustered like usual. Instead he was pale and looked like he was barely holding himself together.

"You alright gaki?" Anko asked, releasing Naruto and noticing how he seemed to sag afterwards.

"Y-yeah," Naruto said, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. When he felt himself calm down he opened them again and gave Anko his typical grin, "So I'm guessing there's a reason you came all this way to find little ol' me?"

Anko frowned as she watched Naruto for a moment, he seemed tenser then before. Shaking her head she decided not to bother with it, it wasn't any of her business. "Well, Kakashi's been so busy bragging about you to the other Jonin in the lounge I figured I had to see you and figure out what the Cyclops seemed to be so proud of."

"He's bragging about me?" Naruto asked, blinking a bit. That Kakashi would brag about him was surprising.

"Well Team Seven," Anko corrected, "but mostly you. He says you've improved quite a bit and that you were an integral part on your first mission out of the village." Once again she frowned when Naruto winced, "Are you ok gaki?"

"Y-yeah, of course I am," Naruto lied, not ready to let Anko in on what happened, "Why wouldn't I be?"

Anko's frown deepened, "Because you're not acting like yourself. Did something happen on the mission?"

"I…I really don't want to talk about my recent mission Anko," Naruto said, looking away from Anko.

"Why?" Anko asked, sounding confused. "I want to know what happened! Kakashi won't tell us anything about the specifics but-"

"I said, I don't feel like talking about it," Naruto glared at her as he spoke. Anko was taken aback for a second as a look of rage flashed through his eyes, but there were many other emotions as well, though they were too fast for her to pick up.

"Sorry," Naruto said, sagging in his seat a bit as a concerned Ayame brought him another bowl of ramen, "Please just drop it."

Anko sighed, "Well I suppose I can." She looked over at him with a smirk, trying to get a lighter mood in the atmosphere, "But only because you're my favorite gaki."

Naruto gave her a smile, "Thanks Anko."

Finishing up his ramen Naruto paid for his meal, "I'll see you later Anko." He said, tossing a wave over his shoulder.

Anko once again frowned. There was something wrong with Naruto. Normally she would not bother with something like this, but she was concerned by the way he had acted. She was going to find out what was wrong with him.

(One Month Later…)

"Naruto!"

Naruto turned around and grinned as he saw Haku walk into the clearing. "Hey Haku-chan! How are you…doing?" He blinked when he noticed that her chest was decidedly…larger than last time.

Haku, noticing where he was looking blushed and, despite being fully clothed covered her chest. "You know, it's kind of embarrassing when you look at me like that."

"Huh?" Naruto looked at her face before his eyes widened as his face took on the hue of a tomato. "I'm so sorry! I was just…I was surprised because well…because of yesterday and all! And I! erm…"

Haku giggled as Naruto got completely flustered. "It's ok; I suppose it would be surprising. I usually wear chest bindings to hide them."

"Oh…" Naruto said in realization. "So…about we start again?" he asked sheepishly. "How are you doing?"

Haku brought a hand to her mouth as she giggled from Naruto's behavior. "I'm doing well, thank you. And what about you? Did you have a nice sleep?"

"I am sorry." She gave him a brilliant smile. "Know that even if I can't go with you, I will always love you."

And with that she disappeared in a burst of speed.

"Haku…" Naruto mumbled, staring wide-eyed at the spot that Haku had left from. "HAKU!"

"HAKU!"

Naruto shot up in his bed, his eyes wide and his breathing far heavier than it should have been for something like sleeping, or even training. He pressed a hand to his face and closed his eyes, his face, and most likely his entire body, was covered in sweat.

It was that dream again. The same one he had been having since the battle at the bridge. How many times have I had this nightmare? Thirty-one? I've had this nightmare every night since Haku-chan's death. Naruto shook his head and looked around, his eyes blurry and unfocused because of the tears that were in them.

Turning his head Naruto looked at the clock.

5:30 a.m.

That's earlier than the last time I woke up from this nightmare. Was it yesterday? The blond wondered.

"I doubt I'll be going back to sleep now," Naruto mumbled before sighing and getting up. He headed into the bathroom, taking off his boxers on the way.

Closing the door behind him Naruto walked towards the shower, turning on the water. As soon as the seal on the shower head sensed the pressure it began to glow with a soft green light as it began to use the ambient nature chakra around the village to heat the water.

Stepping in Naruto groaned as he stepped into the shower. Pressing his hands against the wall, Naruto hunched over, letting the water hit his back. He stayed that way for nearly an hour, trying to his sooth his frayed emotions. After a while he stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel and went back into his room.

He looked out of his window as he changed into his shinobi clothing. The sun was just beginning to rise, painting a light golden red glow across the sky.

I guess I'll just start doing my own training, Naruto frowned as he tried to think of what he should do. I suppose I could try to improve my elemental affinity. I'll have to come up with my own exercises though, cutting a leaf doesn't seem to be doing anything anymore.

He shrugged off his thoughts and decided to wait until he got to the training aground to figure out what to do.

"HYAAA!"

Naruto gave a loud shout as he brought his bo staff onto the head of one of the giant spiders in the forest of death, lacing his staff with wind chakra and using it as a bludgeoning factor to smash the spiders head.

It was late in the afternoon and Naruto had been in the Forest of Death for nearly three hours already. Fighting any of the animals and plants he could find. Most of the time he would take on the spiders however, since they were more numerous than the others and bred like rabbits though he had also scuffled with a few of the tigers.

He jumped back just as another spider came in and tried to impale him with its legs. Naruto thrust out his hand and used a free form wind blade to slice into the creature's eyes. It was something new he was working on, using free form wind attacks rather than ninjutsu. It was a theory he came up with, that if his control over wind was good enough, he would not need hand seals to use a jutsu and instead rely on pure manipulation of the element. Though since it didn't kill the spider, or even get close to killing it, he knew it would require a lot of work to complete.

Still the creature reared its head back and let out a pained screech. Using the distraction Naruto closed the distance and slammed his staff into the spider's now unprotected belly. He used wind chakra to enhance the amount of blunt force trauma done from the blow, cracking the creature's carapace and also sending it flying off the tree branch and into the forest below.

Seeing several more of the creatures coming towards him, Naruto put his staff away and began doing hand seals. There were a lot more hand seals than usual, about fifty all total since this was his most powerful wind jutsu and one he had just recently learned.

"Fuuton: Kamikaze No Jutsu (Divine Wind Jutsu)!" A huge gale force of cutting winds shot out from Naruto, slicing anything that got within its perimeter apart. Said perimeter was fairly small, being about thirty feet, since he did not have much control over the technique. And the winds could not cut all the way through the trees, however the spiders that had been about to get near him got diced up just fine.

Naruto panted a bit as he looked around the clearing, and noticed that the area was officially spider free. He nodded to himself as he replayed the effects of the jutsu in his mind, trying to see where he needed to improve.

"You know that's a pretty nasty jutsu."

Naruto whirled around to see Anko standing on a branch several meters above him, her arms crossed under her breasts and a rare serious expression on her face.

"Anko," Naruto greeted, "Something I can help you with?"

Anko jumped off the branch she was on and landed next to Naruto, "You can start by telling me why you're avoiding me."

Naruto stiffened a bit but otherwise maintained his composure, "I haven't been avoiding you. I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't give me that crap gaki," Anko scowled at him. "I tried finding you in your usual training field, and all of your clones told me you're not there. I try searching for you in the Forest of Death before, but you never showed yourself. Hell! I even went up to training ground nine to see the spandex wearing wonders and that little chick you seem to be fond of. You weren't there either," Anko leaned into him with a threatening gaze. "I haven't been able to find you for an entire month! And it was only luck I ran into now, so why don't you tell me why you're avoiding me, or I swear the next thing you'll feel is are my snakes biting your ass!"

"I…I can't…" Naruto shook his head, not wanting to break down again, he had done that more than enough times in Nami No Kuni and did not want to do it now.

Anko sighed in annoyance, "Damn it gaki, you know how frustrating you are sometimes!"

Naruto turned his back to her and was about to walk off when Anko spoke again, "You know I talked with the Sandaime." Naruto stiffened. "He told me about your last mission. Look, I don't blame you for being all hurt and what not, fuck I'd probably all hurt if all that shit happened to me too! But this is the world we live in, and you need to move the fuck on, or quit being a shinobi!"

Naruto turned to her, his lips set in a thin line, "You went behind my back to get this info on me?"

"Because I was worried about you gaki!" Anko defended herself, not believing that the kid was actually getting angry at her, "Because you haven't been talking to me or anyone else for an entire month! You've been avoiding everyone like the plague. Even that scarecrow Kakashi is getting worried and that's saying something."

Naruto winced a little bit at that, but his face reset its scowl soon after. "I don't have to answer to you! You're not my…" he stopped, finding that he could not say mother, he didn't even know who his own mother was, much less what having one would be like. He shook his head and started again, "You're not my boss, so I don't have to answer you!"

He turned around to leave, but several snakes wrapped around him and lifted him off the ground.

"Hey! What the fuck! Let me go you crazy bitch!" Naruto shouted as he tried to get himself loose. It didn't work as the snakes constricted, making him loose his breath and wince in pain as his ribs creaked and compressed in on themselves.

They brought Naruto back around so that he was facing a very angry Anko. "You better damn well believe you're answering to me!"

Anko's snakes brought Naruto so close that their noses were almost touching. To anyone else it probably would have almost seemed intimate. But the with the snakes crushing his ribs, Anko's eyes glaring at him in anger, and the sound of her teeth grinding, Naruto knew that was not the case.

"I may not have been friends with you for long, but we are friends, and if you don't tell me what's wrong so I can fix it, I swear Kami as my fucking witness I will beat the shit out of you!"

Naruto tried to laugh but it came out somewhere between a chuckle, a sob, and a pained groan. "I…I…" Naruto shook his head.

Sighing Anko put Naruto back on the ground and her snakes dispersed, "Gaki, I already told you I know what happened. You need to learn to move on. I get that you fell in love with this chick, I understand that. But seriously, you need to let it go and move on."

"I don't want to let it go!" Naruto growled as he looked up, his tears no longer able to contain themselves. "Haku-chan was the only person who ever showed me any love! She gave me more happiness than I thought I would ever get! Even after she learned about the damn fox in my gut!"

"So you're saying I don't care about you?" asked Anko in a mild voice.

"That's completely different and you know it!" Naruto countered.

"You're right it is different," Anko said with a shrug. "But that doesn't mean I don't care. I've accepted you, nine tailed fuzzy and all right?"

"But that's…I…" Naruto looked down at his feet as he shook his head, "I don't want to lose anyone precious to me ever again…"

"So you're going to push us away?" Anko asked in an incredulous tone. "Do you realize how stupid you sound right now! I thought you were smart!"

Naruto grit his teeth, "That's not…"

"And if you don't want to lose others who are important to you then that just means you need to get stronger," Anko continued.

"That's…"

"The question I think you really need to ask yourself is what you think Haku would want you to do." Anko said, her voice was far more quiet than normal, showing just how serious she was. "I think you're so afraid of someone replacing your memory of this Haku girl that you're trying to distance yourself from others so you don't get over her."

Naruto winced, mostly because Anko had hit the nail right on the head. While Anko was the first female to be nice to him, and Tenten was actually the first friend his age, neither of them had given him what Haku had, and he felt like he would be betraying her memory if he allowed himself to get close to either of them.

"Do you think Haku would want you to be like this? From what you told the Sandaime she would probably stick you with senbon or something," Anko said.

Naruto in spite of himself let out a small laugh, even though it was strained, "Yeah…I suppose she would."

"Now are you gonna be all Uchiha emo brooder on me?" asked Anko.

"I wasn't that bad," Naruto defended himself, only to stop at the deadpanned look Anko was giving him. "Ok so…maybe I was a little emo there…"

"Kid, I think I saw a brood of fan girls following you on your way here because they mistook you for the Uchiha," Anko said, grinning as he scowled.

His scowl gave way to a smile as he surprised Anko and gave her a hug, "Thanks Anko-nee-chan."

"Since when am I a nee-chan?" asked Anko in an embarrassed voice.

"Since now," Naruto mumbled as he gripped her tighter.

Despite her lack of moral scruples Anko blushed in embarrassment at the fact that someone was calling her nee-chan. Having been alone most of her life after Orochimaru abandoned her, she was not used to others being this close to her when it was not her messing with someone. Even more embarrassing was that Naruto had called her nee-chan, essentially stating she was close enough to be considered his family, an honor only her friend Yuuhi Kurenai ever gave her.

"Ehh, it's alright gaki," Anko patted him on the back and tried to play it cool. They stayed like that for a while until the snake mistress of Konoha began to relax, which was a few seconds before Naruto decided to ruin the moment.

"Who knew that Konoha's 'snake bitch' was such a softy," Naruto said with an unseen grin.

"Kid if you tell anyone about this I swear I'll feed you to my snakes," Anko threatened, actually feeling the blonde's mind turning.

"You're no fun," Naruto pouted as he pulled away. "I bet people would really change their opinions of you if they realized you had such a soft, ooey gooey center on the inside."

"Gaki, I'm warning you," Anko threatened.

"In fact maybe I should tell Kakashi just how 'soft' you really are."

Naruto grinned as he finally saw Anko blush. Meanwhile Anko cursed at herself for ever thinking that teaching the gaki about the birds and the bees was a good idea.

"Gaki…you better start running," Anko warned, her hair overshadowing her face. "Cuz I'm gonna feed you to my snakes!"

Feeling revitalized from his talk with Anko, Naruto just grinned as he took off, "You'll have to catch me first!"

"You fucking brat! Kuchiyose No Jutsu (Summoning Jutsu)!" There was a giant puff of smoke and Naruto suddenly found a very irate Anko on a very large snake chasing him. "Sick 'em Sasha! Eat the bastard alive!"

Knowing that Anko might actually have her summon eat him, he took off even faster than before, dropping his resistance seals and weights.

Without looking back he blasted through the forest, Anko hot on his heels.

(The Next Day…)

It was Saturday in the afternoon when Naruto entered the Higarashi weapons store. He noticed with some relief mixed in with disappointment that Tenten wasn't there. Disappointment because he missed her, and relief because he had no desire to get any kunai or senbon stuck in his ass. Instead her father Kaito was sitting at the register. Said man looked up as soon as the door chimed.

"Naruto!" he greeted, standing up and moving over the blond, "How have you been?"

"I've been good Kaito-san," Naruto replied with a small bow of his head.

"You know, I haven't seen you in my store for quite a while," the comment was made casually enough, but Naruto sensed an underlying meaning that made him shiver. "My daughter has been awfully worried about you for the past month."

Naruto winced, "I…I was having some personal issues that kept me from others."

Kaito looked at him for a moment before giving a nod of understanding, "I suggest you speak with her sometime soon."

"R-right," Naruto said, slightly intimidated by the man's stare.

As if summoned by their conversation Tenten walked right into the door, "Dad! I'm home from…." She trailed off as her eyes landed on Naruto.

"You!" She stomped over to him, Naruto paled and began to back up as Tenten began poking him in the chest.

"I haven't seen you for over a month! And you're just coming in here now, when I'm not working!" Naruto found himself backed up against the wall with nowhere to go as Tenten continued poking him, thankfully there were no weapons on this one or he was sure this would have been painful. "I had to find out that you had returned from some lady named Anko because she had been looking for you! Do you know how worried I was when I found out that you were essentially ignoring me!"

"T-Tenten-" Naruto tried but Tenten cut him off.

"Don't you try to talk your way out of this Uzumaki Naruto! You have a lot of making up to do for getting me so worried!" Tenten placed her hands on her hips and glared at him, "Well!"

"U-uh…" Naruto felt sweat trickle down his forehead as he stared at those angry brown eyes. He had no idea that Tenten could be even scarier than Anko at times! "W-well, what do you…uh, want me to do to make it up to you?"

Tenten frowned for a second before smiling. Naruto instantly paled as he recognized that smile from the one time he had let her use ranged weapons during a spar.

"Kami save me," Naruto mumbled, crying anime tears as Tenten began dragging him to a training ground.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Fuuton: Kamikaze No Jutsu (Wind Release: Divine Wind Jutsu)– A-rank Elemental jutsu. The user creates thousands of wind blades around themselves before sending them flying with a gust of wind around the user's entire body. The amount of blades and cutting power behind the Jutsu depends on the amount of control the user has. Used for area-wide destruction when surrounded by a large number of enemies.

Kuchiyose No Jutsu (Summoning Jutsu) - The rank varies depending on the size of the summon. When a human signs a contract with a summoning animal it binds them to that clan of summons. By drawing one's own blood and going through a set of hand seals the user is capable of summoning creatures from giant frogs, to snakes, slugs, salamanders, and more. The type of creature summoned depends on the contract signed (Snakes for the snake contract, toads for the toad contract, etc.).