Together

Hey guys. First a foremost, I apologize for taking so long with this update. I didn't mean to. Life has just been SO extra for a long time now. I'm wondering if it's ever going to easy up or am I just at the precipice of major change. Time will tell. Thank you for your patience. I find writing is very soothing and it's a joy in my life to share it with you guys.

Nerd Alert: This chapter will require a decent grasp of Time Dilation and General Relativity. If you don't know what that is, I've explained it to the best of my ability within the narrative. If it still doesn't make sense, I recommend watching a Youtube video on it. It's pretty cool stuff.

Enjoy!

NARUTO

"Does she really have to go," Naruto begs to know, looking at Kakashi with worried eyes. "We haven't even gotten a chance to talk," he finishes.

"You know the rules, Naruto-kun," Kakashi answers. "As far as timing goes the earlier the better and you have to stay here for the next four days anyway. Might as well be now."

From beside Kakashi, Karin says, "it's okay, Naruto. It'll be fine." She then gives Sakura and Sasuke a short bow before departing. Arms crossed, Sasuke is brooding against the wall of the hallway and she has to try hard not staring at his beautifully stoic face. She grabs her cousin's forearm comfortingly before adding, "I'll see you once the second test concludes," then exits through the door behind them.

Sakura is standing beside Naruto as the blond asks Kakashi, "why do we even have to stay here if we already passed," Naruto asks and before they can tell him again, he answers his question. "Yeah, yeah, to avoid interference between the villages-"

"Or get manipulated emotionally, physically, or financially," Sakura adds.

Watching his sole family in the world leave, Naruto can't help but yell, "this still sucks!"

"Noted," Kakashi casually comments before informing his team, "remember, aside from physical conditioning, no training. All competitors are monitored heavily to avoid setting up traps or other forms of advantage which also means this is the best place to spy on the competition."

'I guess I wouldn't need to spy since I have Naru-nii,' Naruto thinks as he glumly watches Kakashi leave to take Karin to her interrogation.

"She'll be fine," Sakura reassures Naruto, though her presence and voice without the violence and survival to distract him, reminds him of the hollowness of what should've been a magical night and the resulting agony in his heart. Turning to her teammates, Sakura proposes with an upbeat tone, "why don't we have breakfast together?"

Though it's surprising to Naruto that Sakura would want him to join her and Sasuke, Sasuke's reaction isn't. After glaring at Naruto, Sasuke leaves without a word, engulfing the pair in painfully awkward silence.

Their night together rushes quickly to the forefront of their minds hurting and exciting them both at the same time, and though they won't speak about it, Sakura can vividly recall every moment and sensation as well as Naruto can. With their memories arresting their voices, the teammates slowly make their painfully silent way toward the cafeteria. Upon entering the large room, Ino rushes up to them, loudly bidding them a good morning.

Desperate, Naruto hastily asks, "do you want to have breakfast with us?"

"Or she could have it with her team," an irate Sakura suggests, glaring at Ino.

Ino simply smiles serenely and tells Naruto, "how about we have lunch together instead? I actually need to talk to Forehead," she tells him with a sweet smile.

Though content to see Ino—especially with how weird Sakura is making him feel—Naruto grows confused by the kunoichi's relationship when Sakura quickly asserts, "well, I don't want to talk to you," because Ino doesn't seem upset at all. The blond simply grabs Sakura's hand and begins dragging her away as she repeatedly states, "it's okay, it's okay, it'll be quick." Though Sakura resists, it's weightless as Ino succeeds in dragging the pinkette away, calling out behind her, "see you later, Naruto!"

Fortunately, Naruto spots Gaara's siblings in the cafeteria as well. With trays in their hands, Kankurō and Temari are exiting the large room. They each have two trays of breakfast and on his sprint toward them, Naruto can make out Nai-chan's favorite section of food groups; kale, broccoli, with beans, berries, cantaloupe, and seaweed.

Landing ahead of them, he greets them with, "morning," before asking as he looks around, "hey, where's Gaara?"

With astonished derision, Kankurō gripes, "how the hell is a midget like you still alive?"

Looking at the Suna-nin's expanded middle, Naruto easily retorts just snidely, "same way you are, tubby."

"Tch," Kankurō sucks his teeth, ready to set down his trays of breakfast. "I'm not fat! It's the clothes-" he manages to state before Temari genuinely asks, "do you have a death wish or something? Why do you want to speak with Gaara so badly?"

"Let's go," Kankurō tells his sister as he starts walking around Naruto. "Baki-sensei doesn't want us talking to them."

Naruto runs around them, cutting their lead again as he states, "wait, I just think we can be friends. What's so bad about that?"

"I can't tell if you're clueless, or brain-damaged," Kankurō roughly comments.

"I don't know how you can tell what anything is with all that eyeliner on," Naruto mouths with an insolent and raised chin.

"Tch! It's war paint," Kankurō quickly yells when Temari steps in front of her younger brother and tells Naruto, "you should stay away from Gaara."

"Thanks, but I'm sure it'll be fine," he shrugs happily. "I mean, think about it. What if we're all friends in the future? Wouldn't that be awesome," Naruto asks, and though he offers them his best smile, they walk away from him unaffected. "Wait, can we at least eat together?"

"Kankurō, Temari," Baki calls as he walks up to them and takes special note of Naruto.

"Hey, I'm Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage," he casually greets. "You're Gaara's sensei, right? You must be pretty strong."

Baki eyes the boy intensely, harshly stating, "I'll tell you this now, Konoha genin. On paper, our villages may be allies, but, we are in competition, which means you engaging us is inappropriate."

"Oh, that's okay," Naruto shrugs. "I'm not worried about competing. I was just telling them it'd be pretty cool if me and Gaara were friends. You said we're allies right? So why don't we… um, meet and stuff? You know, like how allies do?"

"Kami you're an idiot," Kankurō bluntly asserts.

"At least I'm not wearing makeup, Tubs," Naruto counters. Though he wants to make a good impression, something about Kankurō feels light-hearted to the point they can trade insults and still be fine afterward, which Naruto enjoys greatly.

"It's war paint," Kankurō yells as Baki informs him, "Gaara, Kankurō, and Temari will not associate with you. Heed my warning. Gaara is the most dangerous genin here and our village will bear no responsibility should he kill you."

Considering Baki's words, Naruto isn't sure if they understand that that stuff doesn't matter more than friendship and asks, "so… as long as I say it's not your fault, then it's fine if we hang out?"

"No," Temari flatly answers.

"Not that it matters much," Naruto grumbles. "He can't kill me, anyway."

"Let's go," Baki commands them and they turn to leave. Naruto doesn't follow and decides to eat breakfast. After eating by himself, he begins exploring the tower when he happily hears Naru-nii's, 'yo!'

TEMARI

When Temari exits Gaara's room, a pensive Kankurō asks her, "do you think he can't die?"

Baki hands Temari her tray of breakfast as he asks Kankurō, "what are you referring to?"

"That blond kid," Temari easily answers, taking her tray and snacking on broccoli.

"He seems pretty sure Gaara can't beat him," Kankurō points out as the three walk next door.

"Seem pretty delusional, you mean," Temari corrects.

Baki nods for them to enter Kankurō's room. As they settle down, casually eating their breakfast, Baki asks Kankurō, "what are you thinking?"

"He's thinking intelligence gathering," Temari finishes.

"Well, we gotta do something to pass the time," Kankurō returns.

"Good luck with that," Temari quips with a smirk. "I don't think your sunny personality won him over."

"Temari," Baki calls, before ordering her, "see if there's anything there."

Aghast, Temari eyes her sensei unhappily as she asks, "what? Why me?" Pointing at her brother, she adds, "he's the one who wants to investigate."

"As you said, Kankurō will likely make him defensive and uncooperative," Baki points out. "You're also a kunoichi and he's a boy."

"You know I hate shit like that, Baki," the daughter of the Kazekage effortlessly speaks her mind to her superior.

"And you also know how effective appeal can be… regardless of gender," Baki returns. "More often than not, savvy women have an easier time directly engaging the more primitive desire-driven part of the male brain. It's all too common for men to fool themselves into thinking they have a chance if women let them believe they're interested. It's not sexism, Temari, it's tactics. I'm not asking you to seduce him to the full scope of the word, however, if he's comfortable-"

"Alright, I get it!" she heaves exasperated. "He'll be less guarded and more inclined to share." Entirely fed up with this apparently universal notion that her sex is her only substantial advantage, she grabs her tray of food and practically stomps toward the door, irately pointing out, "you know, I'm one of the smartest and deadliest kunoichi in the village," before sarcastically asking, "but what's skill and intelligence matter when you have a pair of tits, right?"

After she slams the door behind her, the two men let out a relieved breath before Baki orders Kankurō, "you to talk to his teammates. We have four full days of free time. Let's see if there's anything worth learning. Despite the imminent goals being finalized for the future, you three are Kazekage-sama's legacy and need to represent our village as a decisive force to be reckoned with."

INO

Ino had several nightmares last night and didn't get much sleep. Every nightmare had a boy dying in it, whether it was a blond-haired boy dying at the hands of some monster, or a raven-haired boy dying on an operating table, and come morning, she tracked Team 7 simply to see with her very eyes how crazy she's acting. Spotting Sakura and Naruto, Ino can immediately read the horribly awkward mood between them.

'They're broken pretty bad,' Ino calmly observes and she knows quite well she was the one leading them there. Two of her most important relations and they can barely look at each other. Feeling the need to correct her persistent errors, Ino greets them with charm before forcibly dragging Sakura away. By the weak resistance Ino felt, she's fairly certain she's rescuing Sakura.

Yet, in her assigned room, Sakura venomously asserts, "you know I don't want to talk to you."

"Yes, yes, yes, I know, okay," Ino quickly rebuttals, flimsily waving the pinkette's venom aside. "I understand what I did crossed lines. I saw you both. I'm not blind. Maybe I'll never be able to earn your forgiveness, but I'm telling you now, I won't stop trying to do just that."

"It'll never work," Sakura claims, eying her former friend and former rival sternly. "The day Naruto stops hurting from a broken heart is the only day I'll consider possibly forgiving you. Do you know how guilty I feel? Not only is it agonizing to think about Sasuke now—to truly see him—but it's even worse every time I see Naruto. There was no need to hurt him like that and it's all your fault!"

"Let's not be over-dramatic, Forehead," Ino returns with a raised voice. "You might be in a rush to forget how fanatically obsessed you were, but I certainly remember you were more than fine breaking his heart as long as you got your photo back." Sakura winces to hear and Ino inhales deeply before exhaling to avoid blaming one another. "Look, before we devolve into the usual shouting match, can we please talk a little first?"

"No," Sakura answers. "I still don't want to talk to you," the pinkette finishes as she moves toward the door.

However, Ino takes ahold of her hand, stopping Sakura as she tries to say, "It's…" Ino heaves finding this to be extremely hard to put into words. "It's…"

"Ino? My hand," Sakura points out, but Ino doesn't let go. "If this is about Sasuke, you saw him. He's fine now."

"It's not about Sasuke," Ino tells her, but though it's on the tip of her tongue, she can't quite say the words, 'I think I like Naruto,' as it feels like jumping off a cliff.

Forcibly removing her hand from Ino's weak grasp, Sakura hurries to ask, "then what is it?"

Beginning to pace in her room, Ino nervously combs her blond bangs with her fingers as she often does before simply asking, "nothing is set in stone, right? We were living like death wasn't as nearby when we were taught better than that, right? You remember those classes they made us take on Death and Perspective?"

Though thoroughly confused, Sakura's mind effortlessly recalls the syllabus for that course, perfectly reciting, "some degree of our behavior is generated by an unconscious fear of death and this fear generates deep anxiety and unease. It's very common for us to try and offset this anxiety with behavior such as status-seeking—marital or professional—becoming more materialistic, or blindly defending the values of our culture. We feel threatened by death, so, we seek security and significance to defend ourselves from it."

With a small smirk, Ino happily remarks, "I know I have a good memory but yours is something else-"

"Please don't suck up," a squint-eyed Sakura interjects.

"I mean it," Ino assures the suspicious pinkette. "Look, it's true I did horrible stuff to you—the crazy you anyway—but what's also indisputable is why I did it. Unless you think it was easy for me to do that to someone I actually care about."

"Yes," Sakura calls. "I do, actually!"

"Tch! Only in the beginning," Ino hesitates to refute adding, "when I didn't recognize the obsessed monster walking around in my best friend's face," Ino yells back. "My memory may not be like yours, but the things I remember with crystal clarity are the people I care about and all the times we've shared; good and bad! I remember what we may have done on any given day, what you were wearing at the time, what we talked about, who we saw, what we ate, what we liked. That's my knowledge base. Yet I stood back and witnessed you growing up warped because all that mattered was Sasuke. I accept my part in that as well, so, as hard as it is for you to believe, yes, Sakura, I care about you."

"…Didn't stop you," The pink-haired girl mutters loud enough.

With a knowing smirk, Ino quickly retorts, "because I'm made of sterner stuff," though after a serious breath, the beautiful blond adds, "and why would it stop me when I knew what you could be? Ever since that perfect summer day I met you, I… I always knew, Sakura," Ino replies and feeling a great boost of pride. 'I feel like Kurenai-sensei.'

Reluctantly, Sakura walks past Ino and takes a seat on the bed, which is progress in Ino's pupil-less blue eyes, but the pinkette says, "don't think that just because I'm willing to listen, I forgive you. Regardless of who shares the most blame, Naruto is my teammate, a good person, and he was left heartbroken because of us."

"You forgot to add, 'and a stud in the sack,'" Ino jokingly mocks, but Sakura remains stern of countenance, hard green eyes staring intensely into pupil-less blue on for several breathless seconds, unblinking… until eventually, Sakura loses the battle of wills by blushing fiercely at the persistent mental bombardment of her night with Naruto. Ino even catches the pinkette shudder from her pelvis.

With a huff, a blushing Sakura rearranges herself and leans against the headboard of the bed. Looking away from a smirking Ino as she asks, "so, what is it?"

Ino doesn't continue to metaphorically tug on Sakura's pigtails as she instead says, "I brought up that Death Prep class because I've had a lot of time to reflect and I think we took it the wrong way. We thought we should love more right away and go after the things we wanted because any mission, any day, could be our last, but lately, that's not how I think of it. I'm wondering if we may not know the full extent of who we truly are without powerful experiences to test and shape us."

Confused by this existential topic and cognizant of her death-inviting weaknesses after facing a terribly strong shinobi, Sakura can't help but ask, "what are you talking about?" Though ordered not to speak about Orochimaru, Sakura's shortcomings as a kunoichi have never been so clear to her, yet she knows Ino's never had to face one of the legendary Sannin and responds, "I know we just survived the Forest of Death but I'm fairly sure your team didn't have it so hard you'd question your own mortality."

"It's not about the forest…" Ino starts but thoughts of two boys nearly dying amends her statement. "Well, it's not completely about that. It's…" 'Arrgh, just say it!' Ino's mind yells. The welling ache in her chest demands, 'SAY YOU WANT TO DATE NARUTO!' Playing with the ends of her platinum-blond bangs, Ino's clogged throat struggles to release the thick words, "I just… want to… explore… new avenues… I might not have ever considered… before." Once a blushing Ino finishes, she feels out of breath and slightly feverish.

Sakura's brows are strewn together and her green eyes are squinting trying to see underneath the underneath until her brain click pieces into place and her green eyes pop wide open in wild surprise. "Ino! Really? I thought you… Kami… Um, I'm flattered, r-really, but, uh, regardless of everything we did this past month, I still prefer men."

Locking her eyes on Sakura's, Ino yells, "No! No! That's not what I meant, Forehead! I still prefer men too!"

Skeptical of Ino's denial, Sakura asks for clarity, "are you sure? I mean, I don't really care if that's what you're worried about."

"Yes, yes, I'm sure," Ino retorts with a montage of Naruto's sexual prowess devouring her flashes of memory.

Sighing in frustration, Sakura warns her, "I'm leaving in the next ten seconds if you don't start making sense."

Somehow, nine silent seconds pass in what feels like one before a flummoxed Ino sputters, "how- how was it?"

Suspicious and baffled, Sakura asks, "how was what?"

"You- you're a woman now," Ino points our and immediately Sakura blushes. "In spite of how it happened, you're the first out of our class to have sex with a boy." If the pink-cheeked Sakura noticed the pause in Ino's false assertion, she didn't comment on it as Ino continues, "not only that, but the glassy-eyed state you were in? It was so obvious you liked it. So, how was it?"

Sakura is blushing deeply questioning, "w-why are you b-bringing that up?"

"Oh, come on," Ino gasps. "We absolutely need to talk about this! I want to know everything!" Ino quickly asks, "was he good, bad," however, Ino already knows the answer to that and without giving Sakura a second to respond, Ino immediately follows with, "who took the lead? You or him," but she could guess that answer as well. The thing Ino really wanted to know was, "what did you do? Like, how good were you?"

Overwhelmed with memory-driven embarrassment, Sakura hotly declares through her very pouty, cute blush, "I… I don't want to talk about this with you."

"Who else are you going to talk to about this?" Ino continues to ask, heavy-handedly attempting to convince the pinkette. "Your teammates, your sensei, your parents? I know Mebuki-san was fairly rebellious in her youth but-"

Horribly disturbed, Sakura calls, "please don't bring my mother into this." She's heard snippets of how wild her mother was in her youth and more than ever before, Sakura worries how much of her mother's eccentricities she's inherited.

If Ino does have sex with Naruto again, and the odds are very high that she will—she blushes when she imagines it might happen as boyfriend and girlfriend—she wants to be able to last as long as he does. They've had sex many times now and she's failed to outlast him every time and tiring him out has now become a point of pride for her.

Ino even fantasizes about a fully nude and satisfied Naruto waking up beside her and asking, 'did your earth-shattering prowess as a sex-goddess make me pass out again? You're just too good Ino-hime.'

Ino takes a deep and calming breath and focuses on the task at hand; extracting useful information from Sakura, for there's a possibility the pinkette may have done something she hadn't thought of. But Ino couldn't know Sakura had been repressing that experience to the best of her meager ability.

To begin with, forgetting random information is generally hard for Sakura. Forgetting the first time she had sex—the loss of her precious virginity—is impossible with her mental acuity. Forgetting all the mind-numbing, knockout orgasms is infinitely more impossible as it feels like the experience has been recorded into the DNA of her marrow, muscle, and mind. She had even lost enough sense that night to ask him to scratch the itch in her ass, which, to her great surprise, felt wonderfully thrilling. Throughout her time with Naruto, Sakura passed out five times from the overwhelming torrential bliss plundering her mind, and the blush currently on Sakura's face spoke volumes.

Ino couldn't help but ask the silent girl, "were you bad?"

Ripping her out of her memories, Sakura asks, "what?"

"I knew it," Ino huffs with disappointment. "You were bad, weren't you?"

"Shut it Ino-pig," Sakura curses, defending herself with, "I wasn't bad! And how's that even possible? I'm the girl. It's the boy's job to do everything."

Wide-eyed and befuddled, Ino cautiously asks, "you… you're joking right?" Sakura is silent long enough for Ino to assert, "that couldn't be more wrong! How outdated are you?"

"Without me, he'd still be a virgin," Sakura yells. "He was even lucky I went along with his crazy demands-"

"Demands? What demands?" Ino gasps, pondering how far her once friend went with the same boy she's had sex with. It was incredibly odd for Ino to think about how they've both lost their virginity to the same boy, and though Ino knows Sakura's night with Naruto wasn't going to be a reoccurring thing, the platinum-blond found she didn't exactly hate that it happened. Ino may even conclude it's exciting to think that the same dick was inside both of them, engorging their sensitive sex organ until they burst in mind-numbing pleasure. Ino pauses a moment to close her eyes and calm her breathing to keep from triggering.

Ino also appreciated that this oddly comforting, quasi-sororal connection between them wasn't because Naruto seduced them behind their back. He isn't a player or the horn-dog women in the bathhouse often lament about. If anything, they were the ones to initiate sex with him and that felt empowering in an odd and unexpected sort of way. Ino would prefer to be chased by a tall, strong, and handsome man—as any budding young woman would—but Naruto wasn't a dog, and despite social convention, taking what she wanted because she wanted it, wasn't a bad feeling.

"I- I'm not telling," Sakura reiterates. "He- He put it in and things happened and that's all you need to know… virgin."

Her eye twitching, Ino felt the swelling fire in the pit of her stomach want to yell she was the one who became a woman first and she's had way more sex than her rival has, but instead, Ino calmly asks, "so you didn't like being with him?"

"I wouldn't say…" Thinking better of it, Sakura instead asks defensively, "why do you want to know?"

"Why not," Ino returns with a shrug. "How long are you going to keep this to yourself? You had sex, for Kami's sake!"

"Shhhhhh," Sakura shushes hotly with her index finger against her lips.

Looking around the empty room confused, Ino reminds her madly blushing friend, "it's just us, you loon." Ignoring the glaring hypocrisy, Ino asks, "wouldn't you want to know everything if I was the one who had sex?"

"Maybe," Sakura slowly admits. Then adds, "if we were actually friends."

"…I still care to be," Ino softly admits.

With a long sigh, Sakura answers, "you may have made me realize Sasuke wouldn't feel anything if he murdered me or my parents but that doesn't mean I can forgive you for how hurt Naruto ended up. Every time I think about it, my insides lurch… It shouldn't have happened like that."

Turning her gaze away, Ino slowly mentions, "maybe I can make it up to him too."

Skeptical, Sakura asks, "how?"

"…O-one thing at a time," Ino quickly chickens out. "So… did you like being with him?"

Rolling her eyes, Sakura tries to pronounce, "he was… I uh, had no real complaints."

Ino bobs her head with the acceptable answer before she asks for clarity's sake, "and you're sure you don't want to date him?"

"Look, I've taken a few steps back from Sasuke, but it's not like I'm apathetic toward him now." Ignoring the flashes of memory of nearly dying at the hands of Orochimaru, she adds, "and honestly, I could use this time to enhance my current training. If Sasuke and I don't happen for a long time to come, that's… that's fine, but no, I don't want to date Naruto."

"This is why I brought up our Death Perspective class," Ino replies. "They laid out why we should try and balance living in the moment a little more than planning too far ahead, but we didn't listen. I thought it was Sasuke or death and spent every day working hard to make him fall in love with me because that, more than anything, would make life worth it."

Thinking about her mother's words and Kurenai's admirable character, however, Ino admits to Sakura, "but as ninjas, the only thing we're sure of is the present, and if it was the last day we had on this earth, I know I wouldn't waste an extra second of it on a boy who doesn't want to spend it with me." With thoughts of Naruto flashing through her mind's eye, Ino nervously adds, "I just feel like giving… things I hadn't considered before a try."

"You mean like pottery lessons," Sakura offhandedly asks.

Falling back in bed, Ino smothers her face with a pillow as she struggles to courageously say, "I mean… like… possibly, maybe, asking Naruto to be my boyfriend."

With pure embarrassment, Ino gradually tightens the pillow over her red face after confessing her most delicate secret. At first, Sakura didn't understand what Ino said, and the exponential silence in the room was electric for several seconds before a flabbergasted Sakura finally yells, "INO!"

SAKURA

It took nearly half-an-hour before Sakura could settle her monumental shock and ask an ungodly hail of probing questions, not that the blond answered any of them. Ino simply held a pillow over her head out of utter embarrassment. Sometimes Ino would murmur an answer in her pillow but Sakura could never decipher and Ino wouldn't repeat it. Though Sakura could've left after hour two, she simply could not let this go. To get her answers, she would sleep there if she had to.

Tentatively, Sakura simply asks, "Naruto?"

"…Yeah," Ino finally responds raising the pillow from her flustered head.

Sakura rapid fires, "how? Why? Since when? Who knows? What about Sasuke?"

Putting up five fingers, Ino counts down with each weepy answer. "I don't know. I really don't know. At some point in the last month. Just you. And you said it yourself, Sasuke needs a steady relationship with a counselor, not a girlfriend."

"It sounds like you've given up on him," Sakura thinks aloud before quickly adding, "not that I mind."

"I'm not planning on marrying Naruto here," Ino asserts. "It's just… Kaa-san's told me a bunch of times how Tou-san is both the love of her life and her best friend, and lately, I'm realizing that those are not the same things, you know? Like a boy could be the love of your life, but he may not be a good friend, or he can be a great friend and not the love of your life. Kaa-san has both and truthfully, I'm sort of envious. A lover who's also your best friend sounds perfect and impossible, but, I look at my parents and I know it can happen."

"But you and Naruto aren't even friends," Sakura voices.

"Shows how much you know about your teammate. Believe it or not, we've actually hung out several times," Ino confesses with a smirk, though she won't admit many of those meetups ended with mind-blowing sex.

"Why didn't you tell me," Sakura demands to know, before realizing, "wait, why didn't he tell me!"

Ino simply asks, "you mean, why didn't he tell you between all the times you hit him or flaunt all over Sasuke that he's hanging out with your ex-best friend?"

"I haven't done either of those for weeks now," Sakura asserts pridefully. "I thought we were in a good place… well, before that night, I mean."

"What do you actually know about his life," Ino curiously asks. "Have you ever bothered to ask him his likes, his dislikes, who he knows, where he's been? I got to learn a lot about him when I was helping Kurenai-sensei and I talk with him. He loves stories with happy endings, he hates ghosts, he enjoys watering his plants and feeding Tori-chan. He's strong, and not just physically either, but mentally. He's funny, like mischievous funny—which I like. He's cute, he's smart, he has such a wonderful heart, and you don't seem to have complaints about his performance in bed… even though, apparently, you just lie there like a dead fish."

Feeling a little convinced herself, Sakura is happy to huff, "I do not," to feel anger rather than confusion. "We did a bunch of stuff-" Sakura cuts herself off, and as Ino expected, she won't say more.

Moving on, Ino admits, "I just can't stop thinking about him, and every day, I catch myself asking, 'why not? Why couldn't we?'" Hugging her pillow with a slyly growing grin, Ino adds, "so, yeah, I think I'd really like it if Naruto were my boyfriend."

The pair fall into silence as the young women process the deep implications behind their entire conversation and sift for every morsel of reflection. Aligned with the fact that Sakura had sex with Naruto, it was hard for the pinkette to believe Ino wants to be Naruto's girlfriend and takes the rest of the morning to mull it over. 'Ino wants to be the girlfriend of a boy I had sex with.' It just seems so odd to Sakura that Ino would be okay with the fact that, no matter what, she took Naruto's first time. It just seems less pure that way. 'How does that not bother you? It has to,' she wonders.

Sakura realizes if Naruto and Ino get married, then Ino and herself would have both slept with the same man. Sakura doesn't know why but she can't decide how she feels about this. A sequence of motion pictures play in vivid detail how shockingly overwhelming Naruto commands over her pleasure center and to know Ino is going to experience the same thing… it's so illicit, her entire body simply reacts. As she quickly walks to her assigned room for some self relief, she simply tells herself, 'it's biology and thrilling and nothing more.'

He was the first boy she'd ever been with and he was better than she ever thought the act of sex could possibly be. Sakura believes a healthy sex drive is part of a healthy lifestyle and since her night with Naruto, she won't deny her body's completely natural needs. Her arousing fantasies staring her blond-haired blue-eyed teammate were frequent and not of her control, but Ino was right.

'I'm a woman now,' she tells herself as she enters her room. Removing her shorts before hopping into her bed and under her covers, her mind always yields to the other extreme experience in her young life. The other reason why she won't deny herself this pleasure is that, 'I almost died… easily.'

The current bedrock of her world is made of unstoppable, legendary, missing-nin, Orochimaru, targeting her teammates, her once bright love dampened with sanity and patience, and her teammates are growing stronger than her at an unprecedented rate, Sakura easily allows her body's urges and her awakened mind to run toward much-needed relief every available opportunity.

By lunch when the three teams of genin—Team 7, Team 10, and Suna's team—were joined by a slightly worn Team Guy. Though Ino acted normally, Sakura noticed the Yamanaka making subtle glances between Naruto and Sasuke and couldn't help thinking, 'Kami, she's really looking at him…'

Ino liking Naruto was blowing her mind and Sakura is grateful for the distraction as Sasuke has been silently fuming all day. The self-proclaimed avenger has been ignoring, as well as, not ignoring, Naruto and it would've made lunch a very tense experience had it not been for Naruto insisting Konoha teams eat together. Ino was the first to lead Shikamaru, Chōji into joining Team 7. Rock Lee followed by Tenten had joined the group after, and though Neji sat with his teammates, it became clear he only cared to ask Sasuke one thing. "How is it your team manage to make it here before ours?"

That seemed to annoy Sasuke further; a deeper hole in his psyche that Sakura imagines has to do with his hate and his rivalry with Naruto. She's really seeing him now and though it doesn't feel good to witness that darkness and be powerless to help him, she is thankful that it's clear to her now. Though she won't thank Ino any time in the foreseeable future, she wouldn't be surprised if she thanked the blond heiress at some point.

Sakura knows the handsome Hyūga was Rookie of the Year before Sasuke, but that didn't matter to Naruto as he brashly responds, "obviously because our team is way stronger than yours!"

Neji turned as stoic as Sasuke but Sakura found it funny to watch Rock Lee and Naruto comically rage against who had the stronger team, escalating their bets with every assertion before Ino's indignantly declares that her team was the strongest and Shikamaru mumbles how troublesome it all is.

As Tenten was calming Lee down, Naruto looks from Sakura to Ino and back, drawing their attention before he makes up his mind and asks Ino, "could I ask you for a favor, Ino-chan?"

Though momentarily feeling slighted by her teammate not asking her instead of Ino, Sakura's analytical and diagnostic eyes immediately identifies the slight blush on the Yamanaka's cheeks, unconscious wetting of her lips, focus in her eyes, a quicker intake of air and a slight increase in her respiratory rate. Again, Sakura's mind marvels at the thought, 'I can't believe it's true!'

"If it's helping you get a new wardrobe, the answer is a hundred times yes," Ino plays but most assuredly means.

Chuckling, Naruto effortlessly tells her, "I'll switch outfits when the dress code is the Hokage's uniform."

Shaking her head, Ino asks, "what is it?"

"I'm going to be stuck in my room for the next four days, maybe even up to when the task finishes," Naruto tells her, furrowing Ino and Sakura's brows in confusion as he finishes, "can you bring my meals for me, please?"

Blushing at the erotic possibilities, Ino startles as she answers, "well, I- yeah, sure. Yeah, I can do… that." After a brief moment, however, Ino isn't sure why he'd go to such lengths. She has a hard time lasting more than thirty minutes under his sexual stimulation. Four days is just overkill. Tightening her crossed legs, a blushing Ino ignores Sakura's perceptive eyes as she asks, "why are you staying in your room for four days?"

Sakura notices Sasuke also pay attention to the question, but if Naruto noticed he didn't seem to care as he earnestly answers, "Kakashi-sensei said we're not allowed to train but I can still work on my Fūinjutsu."

Rock Lee merrily asks, "you study Fūinjutsu, Naruto-kun?"

"Sure do," Naruto answers him with a smile, adding, "and it's wicked awesome stuff!"

Sakura notices Tenten-chan also pay more attention as Ino comments, "I still don't understand why that would keep you in your room for four straight days."

Surprisingly, Naruto's usually happy expression yields to one of solemn heartfelt contentment and his small smile of serenity calmly claims, "sorry, Ino-chan. It's a clan secret."

Shikamaru and Chōji doubt Naruto capable of learning Fūinjutsu and Lee wants to know, "what clan?" Tenten, Ino, and Sakura want to know why he refuses to reveal more. Neji and Sasuke simply leave once they've finished their lunch.

NARUTO

'So that's everything that happened,' Naru-nii voices.

After saying bye to his cousin, Karin, Naruto finished eating his breakfast when Naru-nii contacted him. Naruto was too busy the previous day to talk, and though he was glum after parting with Karin and eating alone, he was happy to relay everything that happened to his future-counter part.

'Well, awesome job holding your own against Orochimaru until backup arrived. It's actually embarrassing to admit, but I was knocked out, like, in no time at all after coming up against that slithering ass.'

'Embarrassed? Are you kidding? Didn't you only have Kage Bunshin to fight with,' Naruto scoffs, easily adding, 'I mean, you didn't have the best sensei like I do,' Naruto happily replies.

Naru-nii chuckles a bit before responding, 'thanks. And since you did pull off one Rasenshuriken, I finally get to tell you who our father… … … hmm…'

Naruto leaps from his seated position in his room as he asks, "hello? Naru-nii, the suspense is killing me here," he concludes as he passes the moderate-sized room. After barely a moment of silence, Naruto's energy couldn't contain his voice, quickly calling, "Naru-nii, speak to me!"

'Ow, calm down, will ya,' Naru-nii calls. 'I just got a better idea, is all.'

'What? What is it?'

Naruto can hear the glee in Naru-nii's voice when he asks, 'how would you like to meet tou-san instead?'

'WHAT!' Naruto mentally yells so loud, Kurama yells back, 'I'm napping!' Lowering his mental voice, Naruto asks, 'how? You said he was-'

'He is,' Naru-nii immediately clarifies. 'But he sealed a bit of his chakra in you before he died. It's how I got to talk to him once and it's how you can talk to him too.'

'Wow,' Naruto gasps, growing more nervous by the second. 'I- I'm so blown away, I don't even know what to think. This is next level! I mean, I definitely want to. I just never thought it was possible…'

'Then, let's make it a little easier for you,' Naru-nii tells his younger counter-part. 'Our father's name is Namikaze Minato, but you probably know him best as the Fourth Hokage.'

'…You're shittin' me,' Naruto loudly heaves.

'Nope,' Naru-nii yips happily. 'You never noticed how alike you both look?'

'I… I guess, yeah, but I just thought if that was really the case, I'd be treated a lot better. I mean, at least as good as Asuma-nii or Konohamaru are treated. Plus, all the Academy sensei said he had no children, so it couldn't be true-'

'No matter how much you wanted it to be,' Naru-nii interjects with complete understand and empathy. 'Yeah, I know. But it's definitely true, Chibi-Me. You- well, we are the son of the fourth Hokage.'

'How do I meet him,' Naruto eagerly asks. 'I really want to meet him!'

Naru-nii slowly questions, '…so you can punch him?'

'You know it,' Naruto returns to which Naru-nii laughs.

'Yeah, I kinda did the same,' Naru-nii sheepishly admits. 'But you know, I want you to do something I never did.'

'What's that?'

'Tou-chan and I didn't have a lot of time together, but since you already know everything he's going to tell you, you can ask him a question I've been dying to know.'

KURAMA

"I don't want to see him," Kurama huffs to an eye-rolling Naruto as soon as the blond enters the large chamber. "I will never forgive him for sealing my power."

"Aww, come on," Naruto contends. "Naru-nii said if it's possible to learn it, then this would totally help us against a lot of really strong bad guys."

"I know what the future brat said," Kurama growls. Getting up, he prowls in a circle as he adds, "I still hate the yondaime."

"Are you going to give me eight tales or not," Naruto plainly puts. "I only need it for a second," the blond adds, however, Kurama isn't convinced. It isn't until Naruto mentions, "this could also help me possibly get a girlfriend," blushing a bit at the thought. Though Naruto may not blush quite so easily when it comes to physical intimacy with a girl, talk of girlfriends and matters of the heart can still rush the blood to his cheeks easily. "I mean, the Fourth is still like, really really popular; what with the way he took out entire armies by himself and such. And I look a lot like him. It would only make sense if I were to become just as popular with the same technique-"

"Get two girlfriends," Kurama counters demandingly.

"What! Two?" Naruto questions incredulously before sternly arguing, "you know this isn't like ordering at a restaurant, right? You can't just say 'I'll take two of those.'"

"Why not," Kurama argues, moving closer to the gate. "If the Yondaime is as popular as you claim, that would mean multiple females are willing to be his mate. Just accept all of them."

"That's not how love works!" Naruto contends. "It's supposed to be between two people."

Kurama tilts his large head with a measure of confusion before he asks, "and you're an expert on how this love works?"

Pulling up short with halting thoughts of Sakura, Naruto fumbles as he responds, "well, no… I guess not." Shaking his head he hotly contests, "but neither are you!"

"I'm not human," Kurama plainly states. "Also, my father never spoke of this subject…"

Kurama fell silent and Naruto wonders if he's thinking about his father, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo; especially since Naruto is moments away from meeting his own. Naruto reasons all this talk about fathers might make anyone miss their own. Naru-nii often mentions the more they got along, the better it'll be and Naruto really wants to be Kurama's friend, so, with a long exhale, he tells the giant tailed beast, "I'll ask." When Kurama focuses on Naruto again, Naruto elaborates, "I'll ask Nai-chan if multiple, uh, people relationships is possible. But I swear to Kami if she ends our sessions because of this, that's on you!"

Kurama smiles before he cautiously amends his demand. "Ask someone else then. No need to risk the willing mates we already own." 'We? Own?' a wide-eyed Naruto curiously notes when Kurama continues, "I demand you dress in his style as well," Kurama asserts. "If that miserable pest's reputation can attract more females, we must take advantage of that and look the part."

"I don't necessarily mind dressing like a badass," Naruto asserts. "But would it kill you to ask for things normally?"

"Yes," Kurama easily answers before asking, "have you secured the room?"

"Yeah," Naruto states, recalling twenty separate memories of his clones completely sealing his assigned room within the tower. It was Naru-nii's idea since the output of so much of Kurama's power will be felt tens of miles away. Still, Naruto thoughtfully claims, "I don't think it'll be enough to hide your chakra from being sensed."

"It'll only be for a couple of seconds," Kurama declares. "That won't be enough time for them to do anything more than question it."

"Or lose my mind in the process," Naruto mutters in humorless jest.

"Since I'm cooperating, that shouldn't be an issue. Ready brat," Kurama calls, raising himself on all fours while his many tails whisk and sweep excitedly behind him. Naruto lowers his center of gravity and stands ready before nodding to his partner.

Kurama's red chakra quickly seeps under the tall gates and surrounds Naruto, building and rising so as to give him immediate access to the raw mind-deforming power behind eight tails. With a nod from Kurama, Naruto's hand touches the violently fluctuating energy and instantly his mind burns, his vision darkens and his stomach is replaced by agony.

NARUTO

A pat on the shoulder snaps Naruto out of his painful daze, allowing him to witness Kurama's sinister chakra receding from his weary body and into the room behind the large golden gate. Naruto feels like he's been running all day with a sword through his stomach but his mental senses are shoved into clearer awareness after a growling Kurama angrily retorts, "you!"

Naruto focuses on the other, taller, blue-eyed blond in the room, wearing a standard Jōnin's uniform with a high-collard white cloak with red flames at the hem. A shocked Naruto into stating like a question, "you…you're really the fourth."

Minato smiles at his son as he begins to explain, "the seal is set so if eight tails are released, I'll appear within youUMPH!" Minato grunts when Naruto punches him in the stomach.

"HAHAHAHAHA," Kurama laughs loudly snapping his head back happily. "Serves you right, Yondaime," Kurama happily asserts, eventually adding, "hit him again, hit him again," as Naruto wipes the tears beginning to trail down his cheeks.

Though his tearing eyes are covered by his forearm, Naruto tearfully bemoans to the chakra image of his father, "I already know all that! I know I'm your son, so, so, you don't have to say it. And before you ask, I'm sixteen… Nnn-nnmmh," his crying voice murmurs sadly.

"Wow, sixteen," Minato empathizes with quiet comfort. "You must've gone through a lot."

Clearing his cheeks of moisture, Naruto shrugs, adding, "whatever. I'm an Uzumaki and a Namikaze. I can take it."

"I'm so sorry, son," Minato solemnly apologizes.

"I know," Naruto says with a sniff. "I know you are, but we don't have time for all that. Listen, I already know about the masked man who controlled Kurama-"

"Kurama?" Minato asked, tilting his head a bit confused.

Naruto thumbs in the direction behind him toward the very large and snarling Kurama glaring at the fourth Hokage, asking, "you didn't think his name was actually Demon Fox did you?"

Blinking wide eyes between Naruto and the now widely grinning Kurama above his son, Minato starts, "he… well… I see. You seem to have the situation well in hand."

"Not really," Naruto responds, shaking his head. "Tobi, the masked guy, is still out there, so I was hoping there was enough time for you to teach me the Flying Thunder God technique."

Blinking wide eyes again, Minato doesn't need long to think as he replies, "I… no, of course. Of course I will, son, but, it'll have to be fast, and, I won't be able to write it all out. I can already feel my chakra begin to deplete, so I'll only write out the segments you can't find in scrolls."

"I may as well bear witness just in case the brat forgets something," Kurama adds from behind Naruto.

Eyes flickering from Kurama to his son, Minato seems skeptical until Naruto adds, "I doubt I'll forget, but, it's okay, tou-chan. Me and Kurama are teammates."

Minato nods toward Kurama before he turns about and begins scribing Fūin characters the air. "The Thunder God tech is actually a combination of Ninjutsu and Fūinjutsu. In order to perform the seal-less ninjutsu of, quote-unquote, teleporting, you must first create a seal contract that stipulates the mechanics behind it."

Naruto's blue eyes light up as he instantly shifts into his familial specialty, quickly asking, "how many metric character arrays?"

"A massive amount. It'll take days to properly write out," Minato happily answers, recognizing the curiosity in the Uzumaki's eyes. As Minato continues to align character after characters, he informs his son, "the Fūin contract utilizes Space/Time jutsu coupled with directional signatures that allows the user to create a dynamic conversion. Now, I'll write out the Fūin contract's centralized arrays in detail and explain all correlating functions, but you'll need to study and understand it before you create your own scroll."

An energetic Naruto hums appreciatively as his father continues to rapidly illustrating characters in the air. "There are three necessary pillars to the entire contract. We'll start with the Space/Time array, which is written like this…" Naruto marvels at the speed by which Minato writes out the characters. "This seal was gifted to me by your mother upon our marriage. She made me swear we'd only pass it along to our children when they were wise enough to wield it."

"Can't imagine Naruto fits that criteria," Kurama chuckles. "You're a hundred years too early for that," he adds with laughter.

"Tch!" Naruto grunts, whirling on his red giant partner. "Not being the wisest worked out great for you though, didn't it?" Naruto calls out before mockingly adding, "since you finally managed to make friends with a human!"

"You take that back!" a wounded Kurama snarls, raising on his legs and eying Naruto like prey. "As if the greatest Tailed Beast would ever be friends with a brat!"

"Settle down you two," a mildly amused Minato tells the bickering teammates, adding, "this is a very complex contract to arrange, so focus up."

Smirking, Naruto closely examines the pillars design style of the contract his father is forming and recognizes it, voicing as much, "you're using a borate chain to hexangularly link and group each array like each leg of a tripod atop another tripod; simple, elegant, and strong. Uwwaahh, this really is going to take a massive amount of logic arrays, isn't it?"

"…You truly are an Uzumaki," Minato laughs and Naruto smiles sheepishly. "Yes, it is; a very intricately structured pyramid of many tripods. Each of the three components will require many arrays which can always be added to a borate chain and remain stable."

Carefully analyzes the section of the contract designated for the Space/Time array, Naruto asks, "the first leg is the contract, the second is the Space/Time Jutsu, and the third?"

"The third is the dynamic link in the form of a personal signature, which you can put on an object, like a kunai for instance," Minato answers at the same time he flawlessly writes. "As the Space/Time jutsu is the only array passed on from word of mouth, I'll write that out in its entirety. Most of the other arrays can be found in scrolls or books, so I'll only note what you need and you can write out those subsets on your own."

Naruto's eyes widen as his father continues writing the details of the Space/Time jutsu, offhandedly commenting, "the mechanics behind this Space/Time array looks crazy complicated. I don't even get the theory behind it."

As he writes, Minato voices, "the thing you have to understand about Space—as in an area or expanse—and Time—as in the passing from moment to moment—is that the two are intimately connected to one another. You cannot affect one without affecting the other, which is why it's written out together as Space/Time. The theory goes, the faster you move through physical space—let's say the distance from Konoha to Kumo—the slower time actually is. Simply put, time can, in fact, be slowed down."

Eyes squinted and confused, Naruto isn't sure about something he's never noticed or was told about and asks, "uh, okay, but how?"

"Because the natural laws that govern our universe saw fit to make Time relative to the observer," Minato happily answer. "For example, imagine you're running away from a large clock tower at the speed of light, which is about three hundred thousand kilometers per second. From your perspective, the clock's hands would look frozen. Time will have, effectively, stopped for you. But just because time has stopped from your perspective doesn't mean it has stopped. No matter how fast you're running, from the clock's stationary perspective, time continues normally."

"Seriously," Naruto skeptically asks.

"Most serious, son," Minato answers as he continues writing the infinitesimal numerical assignments of the Space/Time function. "The Uzumaki clan calls this phenomenon Time Dilation and this array simply states that time is a rubbery thing that stretches and contracts relative to the position being observed, whether that something is as small as a fly or as large as the sun."

"The math in this formula looks a hell of a lot bigger than the sun," Naruto wonders aloud, turning to his father for confirmation.

Minato nods, relaying, "your mother explained to me how, long ago, an Uzumaki by the name of Amaterasu, an expert in the study of the sun, light, and our universe, discovered mass also plays a part in Time Dilation. Amaterasu theorized the larger the mass of an object, the faster it pulls everything around its space to it. Since space is interwoven with time, that means time dramatically slows down around large spinning masses as well. The important point here is that time can, in fact, be altered, and if it can be altered-"

"Fūin seals can utilizing it in jutsu," Naruto says within an astonished exhale of air. "Extreme chakra programming," Naruto recalls Naru-nii saying.

"Correct," Minato states. "However, this Space/Time equation isn't enough to create and utilize the Thunder God Technique. It's just the seal scheme your chakra maneuvers to perform the ninjutsu," Minato states, flawlessly continuing to write out character after character while Naruto absorbs it all.

"The directional signatures," Naruto recalls from the earliest writing on the long wall of seal schemes. "They're linked to the Space/Time jutsu, which means something like a kunai is the focal point of the time Dilation, and since it's contracted to you, you're the only one the slowing of time affects."

"Nearly there son," Minato states with a prideful grin. "The setback to activating the Space/Time array is the calculated mass of influence stipulated within the contract creates a very strong gravitational pull."

"And that's how you move inside," Naruto hums as he reads. It's jarringly amazing how new and old this information feels in his mind. "Mnn, but how do you stop?" he asks himself, carefully analyzing his father's script before quickly answering as if recalling himself, "with chakra!"

Shaking his head at how proud he feels, Minato states, "using your muscles to orient yourself to land properly or attack immediately is nearly impossible under such a strong force. The human body isn't meant to move at such speed around such mass. I mean the force relative to my perspective even allows my body to pass through matter; a home, a tree, or person for example. That's fine for long-distance travel, but it's much too fast for close quarter combat, so, the directional seals—which I wrote on a special kunai I made—also double as a way to fight the gravitational pull thereby slowing your velocity or re-orient yourself for attack or landing."

"So these special kunai not only anchor the stretching of time but also the speed of travel between you and the kunai."

"Or a network of chakra pathways; just in case you have multiple kunai in use," Minato adds. "So, within the pathway, you expel your chakra just like you do in chakra training, and that's how you slow down or turn, or do anything really. Imagine being deep in the ocean and swimming as fast as a fish without your arms or legs; just your chakra."

"That sounds way harder than walking on water," Naruto fearfully comments.

"Practice a great deal, son," Minato advises. "I first practiced expelling chakra from my tenketsu deep underwater. The Hyūga are experts at releasing chakra from their tenketsu so if you know anyone that can give you tips, that'll help quite a bit."

"One of my friends is a Hyūga," Naruto remarks with thoughts of the sweet Hinata. "Maybe she can give me some pointers," Naruto affirms with an amused hum as Minato continues to explain.

Naruto observes carefully, then widens his eyes before he calls out, "holy crap… Since the Space/Time jutsu is linked to the chakra pathways—er, you and the kunai, I mean—that's where the pull on space, time, and gravity is the strongest, but, that's still only from your perspective… which means, from your perspective, you're not moving fast at all! Anything outside the link only thinks you're moving fast because the speed of time relative to their perspective isn't anywhere near as fast as yours!"

Minato laughs happily as his son reads excitedly over his shoulder. "Everyone likes to think the technique is instantaneous teleportation, and to protect the jutsu, I let them think that, but technically, I'm not physically moving any faster or slower than they are. At its simplest form, Space/Time jutsu just enables us to experience the passing of time differently. As long as I use my chakra to control the velocity toward the signature, I see everything—the animals, the terrain, my enemies—as if time has stopped."

"And outside the pathway," Naruto wonders aloud

Smiling fondly, he answers, "outside the pathway, all they see is a yellow flash."

Naruto laughs mischievously as he comments, "I can't believe you're not moving fast at all! That's hilarious!" Minato laughs along with his son, both enjoying the ultra precious moment for how painfully finite it is. Clearing his throat, Naruto strains to move on and ask his father, "the Space/Time jutsu is infinitesimal, so how much can you push the conversion rate?"

"Even though it's instantaneous from their perspective, "Minato starts to answer. "Depending on how much chakra I use to slow myself down, I can make it last a second or hours."

Finally understanding, Naruto reiterates, "because the mechanics of Space/Time is stipulated to be relative to your chakra and contract, you experience however long you need, let's say minutes, in the observer's fraction of a second."

"Correct," Minato happily voices. "In heavy combat situations, it affords me ample time to read the terrain and strategize. However, if you use it in long-distance travel, it can be taxing to use so much chakra to prevent terminal velocity. It's why I use it sparingly. The dynamic signature and the Space/Time array are two of the legs," Minato lectures, filling out more segments of the Fūin contract.

"Connecting it all together is the third leg which is the Fūin contract itself," Naruto answers.

"Correct, son," Minato answers happily. "It's due to the Fūin contract, that the signature—which can be any phrase or word you like—is attached to the function of the Space/Time array. The Fūin contract converts any form connected to the signature into a dynamic link between matching patterns, activating that pathway like a conduit."

"The three legs," Naruto views aloud. "Space/Time to alter time experience and distance traveled in a microsecond, the signature for dynamically linking destinations, and the Seal Contract of bond between the signature and Space/Time jutsu that carefully stipulates the manner of conversion."

"Correct again, however, there's still much more that's needed," Minato claims, writing so close to the grand chamber's wall that the Yondaime begins curving the paper-thin wall of glowing characters. "As you noted, this contract from your mother's clan is expressed using a borate chain to dynamically add logic, but-"

"That function can technically work with two arrays of direction, but it needs way more logic than that if you want it to work properly in any condition," Naruto finishes, adding, "I totally get it."

"I suppose it's impossible for the apple to fall far from the center of the orchard," Minato huffs happily. "That's exactly right. The Fūin contract bonds not only your signature with the Space/Time, but your self as well. We'll need to postulate all the pattern matching as well as all the variables we want the technique to be able to deal with. So, between the Ha characters of each array, you'll write your signature, and as you said, we still have to apply a lot more logic to make sure it all works right," his father says as he continues writing line after line of characters.

"I've seen some versions of this array studying Fūinjutsu contracts, but nowhere near this good," Naruto admits. "Let me guess, with three logic arrays: the signature, the Space/Time array, and the chakra pattern, then you close, it'll work, but only work on the signature; not whatever it's attached to. That's why it'll take days to write out. You have to link more logic arrays to the chain to allow more variables. That way if you draw your signature on any surface and it'll work."

"Or if you use your chakra to mark chakra, it'll still work," Minato states with a grin, accepting he's simply going to continue smiling proudly. "We have to add more logic arrays to encapsulate an almost infinite amount of possibilities because the last thing you want to happen is the jutsu malfunctioning in a pinch. So, you have to add all letters, all numbers—use infinity just in case—all chemical elements, all elemental releases, yin and yang release, sage arrays, proximity alerts, trauma alerts, orientation logic, spatial awareness array, and the echo array so you can navigate between multiple signatures. Please practice a great deal before you use it in battle."

Naruto smirks, feeling fairly confident if chakra control is key, then his clones can help him speed up the training process. He continues reading the squiggly characters like a picture in his mind before voicing in awe, "you can even match individual people, or animals to the logic within the expression, couldn't you?"

Minato can't help his smile before answer, "that you can, son. You'll also need to sanitize the seal to make it impossible for anyone you don't want to hop on the link, for example, if they grab you while you 'teleport.'"

"Sweet," Naruto states looking over the simplified seal.

"Lastly, and this is quite an extraordinary measure," Minato states, finally stepping away from the very long curved wall of characters to admire it with his son. "The entirety of this contract will need to be inscribed with your blood and chakra."

Naruto's eyes widen and he nearly chokes as he looks past his father and over the very long wall of glowing seal arrays, many of which are not even written out to save time. He can't help but yell, "you're kidding!"

Minato shakes his head. "Just like the Space/Time array, this stipulation isn't written down to safeguard this amazing power. As you no doubt noticed, there are many measures in place to prevent the wrong sort from abusing this technique. One of the properties of this contract-based seal design is the blood and chakra necessary to create it, so even if someone stole the contract, and could actually understand it, they wouldn't be able to alter or activate the technique."

"But it's going to take days to completely write all this out perfectly," Naruto gasps. "I don't have that much blood!"

"That's part of the reason why the Uzumaki were a clan to be feared, son," Minato states, patting his son comfortably on his shoulder. Naruto doesn't notice his father's hand beginning to fade as Minato continues, "they have strong bodies, special chakra, and techniques that can mitigate the loss of chakra and blood. If it wasn't for your mother helping me, it would've been impossible for me to survive composing the contract. It was the most taxing technique I ever learned, but it served me and my loved ones greatly."

"And you think I can," Naruto asks.

"I do," Minato answers. "You may look like me but you are Uzumaki strong. The clan I married into, your clan, has the greatest anthology of Fūinjutsu seals and they all required a strong life-force and chakra to function, making it nearly impossible for their work to be stolen without an Uzumaki to facilitate the task." When Minato's arm disappears to the elbow, Naruto frantically examines the rest of his father's state before fearfully realizing the only time in his sixteen years of life that he's ever spent with his father is moments away from coming to an end.

"From the very first moment I saw you, I knew you were your mother's son, Naruto," Minato softly professes. "And she was the strongest person I knew."

For the first and final time, matching blue eyes of father and son gaze respectfully, affectionately, and pridefully at one other, and when Naruto tries to voice all the things he's always wanted to say to his father, his quaking voice struggles to be heard. "Tou-chan…"

"When you're done, you should place the Fūin scroll somewhere where no one will get to it," Minato says. "I buried mine on Mount Myōboku. Don't worry if you don't get to go there."

"Tou-chan, I…" Naruto tries but his throat closes as his clear blue eyes begin to water.

"Remember, I utilize attacks that don't require performing seals, for even if it takes you less than a second to create all the necessary hand-seals for a jutsu, a faster shinobi will stop it, and possibly kill you. So, please, son… please be careful… Live a full life, find love, and have many children."

Naruto can't say it all—a solid decade of questions and confessions—but with his father nearly gone, Naruto declares the most important sentiment he's always wanted to say. Letting the tears fall where they may, he confesses, "I love you, tou-chan!"

Smiling, Minato says, just as he disappears, "I love you more."

And when Minato fully evaporates, an emotional Naruto allows the unheard, "thank you, tou-chan," escape his lips.

KURAMA

Kurama witnessed his jailer heartfelt farewell and couldn't help drawing unwanted parallels by recalling thoroughly recycled memories of his own father and feeling that exact loss. As Kurama silently watches Naruto exit his room to collect a few books and triple-sized scroll for comprehensive Fūinjutsu designs, he loathes feeling empathy for the blond. He may hate humans, hate being controlled by them, and disapprove of his current container, but that doesn't mean they don't share similarities.

Kurama can always recall cherished memories of his father; talking to him, learning from him, being blessed with a gift of so much peaceful land to live on. He loved his father more than anything, but, his father died. This brat never experienced that joy, and for him to try as hard as he can for as long as he can… Kurama couldn't help but believe with near certainty that his father would like and approve of Naruto.

'If my own father may look favorably on the brat, shouldn't I?"

SASUKE

"Who are you," Sasuke yells from his defensive kneel. "How did you get in here?"

"I am one of the greatest shinobi ever," Orochimaru touts. "A mere door cannot keep me from what I desire, no matter the security."

"Who are you," Sasuke demands to know.

"Oh, how you wound me, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru's scratchy voice playfully vocalizes. "How could you forget me after I bestowed upon you such a beautiful gift," he asks, baring his wicked smile.

"Orochimaru," Sasuke deduces. "What do you want from me?"

"Like a windmill that isn't turning, the world is still, my boy," Orochimaru begins. "Nothing is changed; nothing moves, and living feels very much like choking. You feel it too, don't you? There are some who may find this lifeless tranquility beautiful, but they are complacent, easily pleased, and often end up prey to predators."

"You haven't answered my question," Sasuke sternly states.

"And you haven't alerted your sensei, as I have no doubt Kakashi-kun would've set up such an alarm," Orochimaru states looking at the wall very near Sasuke's hand. Looking around the dark room, Orochimaru happily notes, "I find it fitting we first meet in the Forest of Death and then again in pure darkness; but we see the best in death and darkness, do we not. It's where mankind create their finest accomplishments. When everything that you know and love is taken away from you so harshly, all you can think about is anger, hatred, revenge—the darkness—and no one can save you."

"No one but you, is that it?"

"Only you can save yourself," the legendary snake nin answers. "To achieve your revenge, you must become the wind of change strong enough to move the world and that will not happen without power."

"And I'm just supposed to trust you will give me power without something in return," Sasuke skeptically reasons. "I'll ask you one last time, what do you want?"

"But I've already told you, my dear boy," the smiling missing-nin asserts. "The world is still and I but want it to move. Bringing about your own gain will bring about my gain as well."

"Then tell me everything you know about Itachi," Sasuke commands.

Orochimaru laughs greatly. "Ku ku ku, has your hate made you delusional? Do you truly believe you stand any chance of defeating Itachi as you are? Your teammate would fair better, I would imagine," Orochimaru expresses with clear glee, angering Sasuke near to the point of recklessly attacking the legendary ninja, however, clenching his fists, Sasuke manages to restrain himself. "I'll ask you this one time, Sasuke-kun. Do you desire to remain as you are; attain friends, find love, create a family, like the complacent dead… perfectly still?" Orochimaru takes out a vial of small medicine pills and outstretches it toward Sasuke as he continues to ask, "or do you crave the power to remodel the world as you see fit?"

And Sasuke looks from the amused and confident eyes of a legendary nin, to the small vial of pills and removes his hand from the alarm switch Kakashi had installed by his bed.

HAKU

Despite the restrictions placed on him, Haku had been planning for the past three days to severely attack a well-established citizen and retired shinobi of Konoha. Since the initial warning alert from Naruto's Fūinjutsu security during their lunch after the first test of the Chūnin exam, the beautiful former hunter-nin has been playing possum throughout his day, acting as gentle bait to draw out the would-be thief. Haku's strategy was simple, carry Kubikiribōchō in the open and practice with the great executioner's blade before sealing it in a flashy orange and blue sealing scroll. Haku will then visit Iruka-san in the hospital and end his day by picking herbs in the vast fields and forests of Konoha before mixing medicine alone in the Umino residence.

On the fourth day of subtly surveilling his surroundings for the thief, Haku is pleasantly surprised to find Kakashi-san waiting by Iruka-san's front door. Leaning heavily against the house wall is an exhausted red-haired girl with glasses. While a lovely and vibrant color, the girl's hair is haggard, her shoulders sag, and she looks like she hasn't slept in days. It all makes sense when Kakashi explains about the girl's time with the Torture and Interrogation department, but what's deeply shocking about her emigration to Konoha, is her relation to Naruto-kun.

"Pleasure to meet you," Karin states with an exhausted bow. "I'm Uzumaki Karin."

Haku bows as well, returning the greeting and introducing himself before inviting them in and taking a seat at the dining table. While Haku prepares an herbal remedy to help Karin with the dehydration, malnutrition, and accumulated anxiety, Kakashi explains how this state of affairs came to happen. As Naruto is the only person Karin-chan knows and feels safe with, she naturally wanted to stay with her cousin, and it doesn't surprise Haku one bit Naruto offered Karin a home.

Haku serves them both as Kakashi-san further explains to them, "as I told you, Haku-kun, this village is not without its black-ops. I still believe they wouldn't attempt to recruit you until you've established your allegiance to Konoha to their satisfaction, but Karin, with your unique chakra, they might make an exception. So, be careful," he warns her.

Rubbing her throbbing temple, Karin nods lazily, informing them, "I have no intention of joining any shadow organizations. I'm going to help Naruto restart our clan in Konoha and that's it."

Kakashi simply nods before stating, "you may want to look into the requirements. From my understanding, Uzushio and Konoha were close allies, much like Suna and Konoha are allies, only closer, but I don't know if Uzumaki can simply apply for clan status in the same way other clans already residing within Konoha can. For example, a clan from Suna wouldn't simply be able to restart their clan in Konoha, but, Suna is still around. It'll be tricky, to say the least."

"Since Naruto-kun is a member of this village," Haku points out before asking, "can you say if it'll be easier or harder for him to establish his clan in Konoha?"

"Will you be assisting the Uzumaki," Kakashi first asks Haku, who answers, "of course. I am Naruto's tool to bring about the world he wishes."

Though her face is set to perpetual exhaustion, Karin curiously asks, "his tool?"

Though Haku answers the redhead with a clear nod, Kakashi clarifies, "Naruto would use the word friend rather than tool. I can't imagine you will experience too much difficulty, but you'll want to consult with an expert. From my knowledge, I know you need to meet certain requirements as well as the seal of approval from our Hokage, our Daimyō, the civilian council, and endorsement from an honored or major clan; for example, the Hyūga, the Aburame, the Akimichi, the Nara, and the Yamanaka."

"Would they dislike the idea of more clans within the village," Haku asks, wondering what the political landscape my look like, and if his plan to catch, maim, or kill Dānyī-san would hurt Naruto.

"The Hyūga are the only clan I can think of who would disapprove of your application," Kakashi answers.

"Something to think about, at least," Karin says as her head wobbles and drops a bit, sliding her red-rimmed glasses down the bridge of her nose. "I think the tea is kicking in."

Standing from the table, Haku tells Karin, "I'll prepare a futon for you."

Haku gives Karin his room and mentally plans to sleep in Naruto's until he returns. Dressed for bed, Karin asks Haku to tell her about Naruto, not only to learn some more about her cousin, but to hear a comforting voice to ease her torture-provoked anxiety, however, Haku didn't finish his first sentence before peaceful sleep finally takes Karin.

Recalling his night after being release, Haku stays with Karin. It was a great help to hear Naruto and Kurenai-san after many days of torture. Their conversations, their lovemaking, and even cleaning after them, greatly grounded Haku when his mind felt scattered and in constant turmoil. Haku was able to focus and return to normal because something of comfort was nearby, and he wants to be of comfort to Karin-chan.

His thoughts then hovered around the possible obstacles Naruto may face reinstating his clan within Konoha. The most pressing issue Kakashi-san stated was the civilian council's approval because Haku can't imagine that going over very well. From the very beginning of his life in Konoha, he was constantly introduced to the extent of the village's hatred toward Naruto-kun. In addition to civilian approval, the Hyūga feel like another obstacle. Any further thought is interrupted when he finally senses it.

With Karin sleeping ill at ease in the futon before Haku, it's the worst possible time for Iruka's home to be broken into. As the villain searches the living room, Haku abhors the idea of leaving Karin alone when she's so fretful. Judging ten minutes to be more than enough time to deal with the would-be thief, Haku utilizes a variant of the seals Naruto taught him and creates an ice clone of himself to watch over Karin before exiting the room through the ceiling. Haku creates enough noise to draw the intruder outside to the large forested backyard.

Removing a senbon from his sleeve, Haku calmly waits as the larger man opens the backyard door. But for the man's eyes, his entire body is completely covered in dated black and gray armor, yet, brandishes brand new twin long blades in each hand, Haku recalls is generally referred to as a butterfly sword. Haku is happy the man came prepared for battle, as it would be much easier to prove to the authorities that Haku isn't, in any way, at fault. Tenten's father is clearly here for Kubikiribōchō and Haku pulls out the blue and orange scroll from within his yukata, displaying it.

"You made a grave mistake coming here," Haku tells him.

"The mistake is a magnificent weapon like Kubikiribōchō being in the hands of children," Dānyī-san retorts. "Hand it over and I promise not to kill you."

"Not only is it not mine to give," Haku simply begins, "but you are far too weak to wield it. It would wither under your ownership."

"I tried to be civil about this," Dānyī-san claims with an aggravated huff. "I even offered that demon ryo, but I'm out of time and you're in the way. If you don't hand it over now, your death will be on that boy's conscious," Dānyī-san declares, however, before he can even take a step, a completely silent long sword effortlessly moves from behind Dānyī-san's and around the man's neck in nearly an instant.

The man suddenly behind Dānyī-san is unrecognizable to the unsuspecting eye; wearing a black hospital face mask, his black hair is longer, slick back and under a monk's hat, larger eyebrows over pale-blue eyes and wearing a traveling monk's disguise with many beads around his neck, but Haku saw through it all in an instant. By the man's height, his shoulder to hip ratio, skin tone, and even fingernails, Haku can recognize the Demon of Hidden Mist, Momochi Zabuza anywhere.

"Causing trouble, Haku," Zabuza casually asks in his deep voice. Zabuza's large hand grips Dānyī's shoulder and squeezes painfully hard until Dānyī drops his swords. "You know that's always been my job."

"Wh-wh-who are you," Dānyī-san asks before Haku sends two high-velocity senbons into the man's throat, temporarily paralyzing him and knocking him unconscious.

"Still haven't crossed that line, I see," Zabuza claims. "Not that there's any opportunity too in such a boring country."

"I would prefer to question him, Zabuza-sama," Haku claims, stepping up to the unconscious body on the grass. "He mentioned being out of time and I'd like to know what that meant."

"He's probably referring to the group I traveled with," Zabuza tells his long-time companion. Kicking the body on the floor, Zabuza informs Haku, "apparently this trash reached out to a friend of his; told him he was in possession of Kubikiribōchō and wanted to sell. Mei heard about it through little Chōjūrō and considering the war she's waging against Karatachi, she thought having another of the seven swords in her forces would give her an extra boost."

"Mei-san is here," Haku repeats with clear surprise in his lovely voice.

"Along with three from Kumo," Zabuza adds. "They're around your age, maybe older. Except for the busty blond, the other two are fodder; Chūnin, at best."

"And they're all here for Kubikiribōchō," a concerned Haku realizes aloud. Recalling the open challenge between Naruto and Zabuza, Haku cautiously asks his seemingly recovered special person, "should Naruto-kun be worried?" However, what he meant to ask is, 'should I be worried?'

Understanding the question in Haku's heart, the Demon of Hidden Mist smiles sinisterly before he asks, "I'm here, aren't I? Of course he should."

This chapter was incredibly difficult to write; More than any other chapter I've ever written. Part of it was because I felt VERY rusty when I returned to writing, but on top of that, I just couldn't get the technical aspect of what I wanted with the Flying Thunder God Technique.

When I first started writing, I always knew Naruto was going to get the technique and that I didn't want it to just be instantaneous teleportation. That presented problems for my grounded/rational/pragmatic mind. It's obviously an incredibly powerful/useful technique to have, so, among many other thoughts, my weird brain wonders, "why doesn't everyone have it?" I assumed it was because it's ultra difficult to use, or he'd be using it everywhere. If they can teleport a whole damn army in canon, I imagine a surprise attack against any village would be so easy to plan and execute. Danzo would have a field day with this technique. SO obviously this tech needs restrictions, chakra being the most obvious, but it needed to be more than that or else anyone with high chakra can use it.

Kishimoto said its space time jutsu, so, as a huge fan of Einstein and the movie Interstellar, I thought I'd dive deeper into the mechanics of how the Flying Thunder God jutsu might work by applying physics, general relativity, and time dilation. That was easier said than done. I really really wanted to get this right but I am NOT a physicist. Still, figuring out the mechanics of time dilation gave me several good restrictions I can add to the jutsu, making it perfectly reasonable why it's not constantly spammed.

I'm bringing in more of an altered Universe now and I can't wait to get to it, BUT, I may not be able to update for two or so weeks. I do apologize for that. Usual life stuff. As always, thank you for your support, for your patience, and taking the time to read. Please, let me know what you think. I'm always happy to read them.

Have a great one,

-Grae

Hey, guys,

This section is to address understandable comments on my attempt to rationalize the Hiraishin no Jutsu, aka, The Flying Thunder God technique, aka the Flying Raijin Jutsu created by the Second Hokage Tobimara Senju and perfected by Minato Namikaze.

JUST A REFRESHER::::The jutsu itself is explained as instantaneous teleportation by creating a pocket dimension the user immediately passes through regardless of distance or nearly any other restrictions you can think of. The only requirement necessary is marking the intended destination with the mark. In canon, it's shown that this mark can be placed on damn near any surface, including other people's chakra and it can't disappear(unless the story needs it to *sigh*). In canon, they can teleport the user and something else, like an item, or a person or an entire army, or they can simply teleport an object/person without the user of the ability needing to go too. It can also resist the pull of Kamui. Other than Tobimara and Minato, the trio of Genma, Raido and someone else can use a variation of the technique which involves a special formation.

The Hiraishin IS NOT the Body Flicker. They are fundamentally different even if they look similar. Tobimara made a point to mention during the war arc that Minato was faster than him; that's in reference to the flicker, not Hiraishin.

Plain and simple, this jutsu is insane, and with my imagination, there's no limit to its use. If I kept it as is, there would simply be too many plot holes moving forward. Nearly any situation can be fixed with Hiraishin in some way, shape, or capacity, and I don't know about you, but I find that boring. I understand the wow factor about it, but after the wow passes, you then have to figure how Naruto doesn't end every battle in an instant. Not to say my Naruto won't use it in battle, because he will, but with limitations. It won't be an auto cheat code.

ON TO THE TECHNICAL STUFF

There valid points that I'd like to address.

First, the user of the jutsu is NOT traveling at the speed of light or near it. He's moving faster because the contract seal uses space/time calculations to create/program time dilation. It just so happens that time is connected to space which incorporates mass which of course incorporates gravity. And it's the gravitational force that propels the user through the link.

This of course can't happen in real life. The gravitational force alone would pull a person so hard they'd stretch like spaghetti and hopefully they'd be dead before that. I figure since this universe has chakra and chakra can do just about anything(they're sealing giant spirit monsters inside people and doing other insane stuff with it), I don't see why it couldn't withstand the gravitational force. Speaking of, the use of chakra within the link is basically the brakes, so the user doesn't go too fast and pull like 30 g's of force. The contract only stipulates the user and whatever the user decides will be transported, so just because someone is standing next to the 4ths kunai doesn't mean they'll experience the effect.

Also, I'm not planning on using the jutsu for anything more than transporting from one location to another, whether within battle or across vast distances. So, he will not be punching someone at near the speed of light/within the activated link. I understand that amount of energy would vaporize the atmosphere, rip apart atoms, essentially destroy the earth. Naruto will just be traveling.

Lastly, I'm not done explaining the jutsu. Naruto still has to train with it and that's going to shed more light on the rules than one short conversation with his father had. I try to explain as best I can within the narrative. I don't spoon feed information, so if a character doesn't have a justifiable reason to ask, or their thoughts don't need to think about it, then I don't write it. It's a flaw, I know, but, meh...

THE WORMHOLE ANGLE

Truthfully, I didn't even think of making it a wormhole. It's called space/time in canon so I just went that direction. I think wormholes can definitely work but it has its own issues as well. It would teleport the user or items/people/armies, but Tobimara has a sword attack using the hiraishin and I don't know how that would work with a wormhole. Also, part of the problem that canon doesn't even bring up is the mental disorientation from beating an entire army with the hiraishin. If he's passing through space instantaneously, his mind could only process flashes of reality, like watching a moving with three or four frames cut out. Not that it wouldn't work, but I think if I had thought of that, I wouldn't use it. Also wormholes are purely theoretical. Time dilation is proven. Also, just because it wasn't shown, doesn't mean someone can't grab a user as they teleport. It's a possibility that I don't want to deal with later.

I think that about covers everything. I do apologize for the unnecessary confusion. While I don't feel quite as in the zone as I did before summer, that shouldn't be an excuse. I'll get there tho.

-Moon