Chapter Sixty-Four: Points Of Views

A/N: Chapter 439: Namikaze Minato appears inside Naruto's mind and seal right after Kyuubi threatens to breakout completely from Naruto and he reveals to Naruto that he is his father. Sounds similar to what I said in chapters seven and eight of this fanfic two years ago, although the circumstances were totally different. Talk about having like thinking. But hey, "Naruto" is Kishimoto's work not mine. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

(At The Hokage Tower)

To say that Tsunade was far from pleased with the explanation given to her by the four ninja teams concerning their embarrassing defeat would be a sad understatement. Shizune shook her head in disbelief upon hearing the story. Jiraiya and Anko though were on their hands and knees in tears laughing their asses off with their lungs protesting for oxygen after hearing the story of how N. Naruto used a hentai story between teacher and student to get all fifteen ninjas to drop their guards and completely leave themselves open for an ambush.

"…That gaki…is a true genius…," Jiraiya applauded between his laughs, "My…hat's off to his…brilliant ingenuity! If he was able to pull that off…then by all accounts…he surpassed even me as a writer! I ought to take lessons from him! Maybe if I'm lucky he'll write and give me a copy of that short story he told you guys! It'll be a next great seller for sure!"

"…Copycat Kakashi," Anko laughed, "…Genjutsu Mistress Kurenai-chan…Taijutsu Specialist Gai, and Wind Fighter Asuma combined…lost to a hentai!"

"You're telling me that all fifteen of you were effectively taken down while being told a hentai that the older Naruto came up with on a whim?!," Tsunade remarked indignantly while looking at the four ninja squads in front of her, "Are all of you closet perverts?!"

Neji scowled inwardly at being called a pervert. It made having the Byakugan look bad. Lee felt bad at being labeled by that word. Chouji and the rest of the boys didn't take it any better either. The girls felt just as bad.

"We're not perverts baa-chan," U. Naruto protested.

"Your report doesn't support your claim," Tsunade retorted, "I got the impression that all of you enjoyed his story to the point that you all forgot the mission."

"That's a most unyouthful accusation Tsunade-sama," Gai protested, "We took no pleasure in his story! Isn't that right Kakashi?"

"...Oh, did you say something Gai," Kakashi mocked as if he was breaking out of his daydream.

"Aaaaahh," Gai screamed in frustration, "Curse you Kakashi and your hip attitude!"

"It's not like we expected the older Naruto to spontaneously change his demeanor on us," Kurenai said defensively, "He was as bad, if not worse than Jiraiya-sama! We were completely caught off guard when he turned into a shameless pervert describing what he as a teacher would want to do with one of his female students!"

"I bet the girls here got horny from hearing Naruto's counterpart's story," Anko stood up and teased, "If anything, it'll provide them ammunition for their wet dreams of Naruto for weeks!"

U. Naruto blushed heavily at that proclamation, seeing that he, though technically his counterpart was the center of Anko's statement. Hinata, Ino, Tenten and Sakura blushed in embarrassment as they lowered their heads. As much as Tenten and Sakura tried to deny it, like Hinata and Ino, the mannerism in which N. Naruto told his story aroused them also, which was why they were so angry at themselves but decided to vent their anger on N. Naruto instead, which in the end backfired.

Damn him, Sakura and Tenten mentally growled feeling a need for a cold shower like Hinata and Ino. Jiraiya laughed again seeing the looked on the girls' faces. He made a mental note to ask N. Naruto for more information about his story.

"...This is incredibly troublesome for all of us," Skikamaru sighed. Jiraiya stood back up on his feet after he started keeping his laughter in check.

"You're not helping Anko," Kurenai retorted angrily at her friend, "I will not-"

"Enough of this," Tsunade cut in and ending a potential argument, "We won't dwell any further on that topic! Now tell us, what else happened?"

Asuma and Kurenai explained what tooked placed after Leviathan appeared and ambushed. They also explained with N. Hinata, N. Ino and N. Temari made the appearance and helped them out after a somewhat smaller version of Leviathan entered the scene. Jiraiya explained what he came across while on his way to the village and how he managed to repair the ancient seal he found. Tsunade, Shizune and Anko stay quiet while hearing their stories.

"With what ero-sennin said," U. Naruto spoke up, "My other self told me some things about Daisuke."

"And that would be," Shizune asked. Naruto explained to them what N. Naruto told him and mentioned that in his universe, he referred to Tsunade as "kaa-chan."

"You're joking," Tsunade remarked, "You're telling me that my counterpart adopted and raised him as her own son?"

"That's exactly what he told us with his own mouth baa-chan," Naruto said.

"Beautiful," Tsunade remarked in disbelief, "One calls me "baa-chan" and the older one calls me "kaa-chan." What more should I be made aware of?"

"In his world," Naruto continued, "You're my mother, Shizune-neechan and Kakashi-sensei are my big brother and sister and ero-sennin is my pervy uncle and father figure. And without a doubt, jiisan was my grandpa. All-in-all, my other self, had a family."

Tsunade, Jiraiya and the others didn't miss how Naruto placed more emphasis on the word "family." Being an orphan all his life, Naruto always craved a family, even now. He valued having a family and being loved more so than having the title of Hokage.

Naruto-kun, Hinata thought sympathetically as she looked at the blond Genin. Though he hid it, but Jiraiya couldn't help but feel bad about Naruto's situation and how it contrasted irrefutably with the other Naruto's, who had people there for him all his life. Tsunade was trying to process the very thought that she was a mother to the very boy she looked at as a kid brother.

Shizune found this almost hard to believe. True, Tsunade had shown motherly/sisterly concern for U. Naruto, but the very thought of someone like Tsunade raising a child as her own, even she had to wonder how such a child would grow up under her master's tutelage, let alone being influenced by some of her bad habits.

Me…a brother figure to Naruto, Kakashi wondered, Is such a thing even possible?

"That would help to explain his keen knowledge on medic jutsus and his insane strength to boot," Kiba commented, "That new Naruto must have some excellent chakra control."

"Unlike a certain Naruto we know," Sakura remarked.

"You don't have to rub it in Sakura-chan," Naruto retorted.

"Well it's true," Sakura emphasized, "Your chakra control is one of the worst. And if your alter ego has as much chakra as you with that great of control of his chakra, he must be talented."

"That's because he had people who properly trained him while growing up," Shino pointed out, "All the people he mentioned as 'family members' are all skilled ninjas in their own rights, especially since his parental figures are Sannins. Therefore, there's little to no wonder why he became such a powerful fighter."

Turning to Naruto, Shino said, "He's your polar opposite, Naruto; in almost every sense."

U. Naruto found Shino's logic undeniable. He was there with Shino and the others to see for himself what N. Naruto was capable of and what his potentials could be.

He's a better and more favored version of me, U. Naruto sighed.

"Don't take it too hard Naruto-kun," Hinata encouraged, "Your current circumstances aren't irreversible."

"Huh," Naruto muttered as he turned to face the Hyuuga heiress.

"Though your other self is from a different world and upbringing however," Hinata elaborated, "He's still you in every way. Just look at your other self as...what you can potentially become with more effort and training. After all, Sakura-san did say that your alter ego has as much chakra as you and because he has that great of control of his chakra, he's very talented. That ultimately means that you too have what it takes to be as talented as him."

That served to lift up Naruto's spirit and optimism once again to high levels.

"You really believe that," Naruto smiled and asked.

"After seeing how the counterparts of Ino, Temari-san and myself battled and defeat that smaller copy of that reptilian monster," Hinata explained, "I saw in her a strength that also exists inside me. I saw her as what I could also become if I put my mind, body and soul to it. And that other Temari-san said that their Naruto-kun actually helped them to work together as team."

"Hey," U. Naruto thought up, "If that's true, then maybe we can ask him to give us some pointers in improving our skills. I definitely want to know about his wind manipulation thingy he knows."

"What I'd like to know is why my counterpart was rather affectionate with him," Ino commented, "I mean, Neji told me that he and the others who weren't knocked out by the other Naruto saw the way my other self looked at him and caressed his face."

"Don't you mean the way you looked and caressed Naruto's face affectionately," Sakura smirked. Ino blushed and shouted, "Shut up Forehead Girl! It's not like that!"

"Sure Ino-Pig," Sakura mocked, "You weren't checking out Naruto's body and biceps. I saw the way you were looking at him and being enchanted by his voice."

"Shut up Forehead," Ino shouted, "You're just as guilty!"

"Am not," Sakura retorted heatedly, "I don't see or look at Naruto in that way!"

"Will you both knock it off and behave like professional kunoichis," Kurenai scolded. The two girls stopped arguing though they shot hardened frowns at each other. The guys in the room sighed at their behavior.

They'll never change, Shikamaru thought.

"Anyway," Jiraiya said, returning everyone's attention back to the topic at hand, "The other Naruto wants all of us in this room to meet him at sector No Return tomorrow afternoon."

"Are you out of your mind," Tsunade protested, "There's no we we're journeying there!"

"He didn't make it up for discussion," Jiraiya replied, "Because that's where he and the girls with him are temporarily residing."

"From the way Anko-san described that classified sector," Chouji asked, "How are those four able to live and survive in that forest?"

"We'll just have to ask him when we meet him tomorrow," Jiraiya said, "Clearly, all of us have questions for him and I'm certain he and the girls with him will have a lot of questions for us as well."

"What I'd like to know is why that other Temari is wearing the insignia of Konoha and not Suna's," Kiba said aloud, "Do you suppose she defected from Suna to Konoha?"

"Like Jiraiya said," Tsunade replied, "We'll just have to wait until tomorrow to ask them and not jump to wrong conclusions. Furthermore, what was discussed in this room will remain in this room. Everything that has happened today up to now will remain a SS-class secret. If I hear one whisper or one rumor about this meeting from outsiders, the one responsible for leaking this information out will be punished severely with the possibility of death. Am I clear?"

Everyone in the room nodded. Turning to the three youths, Tsunade said, "Moegi, Udon, Konohamaru, you three are under oath to never discuss what happened here with anyone. Not your friends, senseis or family. Is that understood?"

The three nodded in understanding.

(Later That Night At Sector No Return)

N. Naruto was bed ridden for several hours after returning with the girls. The battle with Leviathan and his combined use of Hiraishin, super strength and chakra scalpels on Leviathan took its toll on the blonde's body and chakra reverses. Clearly Naruto had yet to master that S-class jutsu which drained a lot of chakra. Plus the wound that Leviathan gave Naruto earlier was a contributing factor and his body combated against the poison while he slept.

It wasn't until sometime pass 11:30 at night that Naruto was back on his feet for the most part. Thankfully the girls took the time to recuperate as well and not suffer from fatigue. Currently, Naruto and his girls were in the cellar with Leviathan tied and strapped down on the examination table. The creature was presently hooked to life-support equipment with suppression seal papers attached to its arms and legs to prevent any possible release of chakra should the creature somehow wake up.

"Alright," Naruto said, "Everything has been prepared according to my specifications."

"Do you truly believe Leviathan was telling the truth about Orochimaru being alive and sending it to attack us?" Temari asked.

"I honestly don't know what to believe," Naruto replied, "I was certain that I killed Orochimaru for good with that jutsu I used. Perhaps he had some kind of trump card up his sleeves that I wasn't aware of at the time."

"Well we won't know for sure by just standing around here talking about it," Ino interjected.

"Agreed," Naruto said, "Let's begin the process. You all know what to do."

Hinata and Temari nodded. Turning to Ino, Naruto said, "Shall we?"

She nodded and went over to the creature with her lover. Standing at opposite sides of the examination table, Ino and Naruto stood by the head of the creature and performed the required hand signs for the jutsu they were going to used. Focusing chakra into their right hands, the two blondes placed their hands on Leviathan's head and begin their entry into its mind.

"Good luck Naruto-kun and Ino-chan," Hinata said in an undertone.

(In Leviathan's Mind)

Ino and Naruto were flying through what could be described as a vortex of the creature's mindscape. It wasn't a while later when they came from out of the vortex and into an area that looked like a barren swampland. The area looked to be laid waste with no sign of life.

"Nice scenery," Ino remarked cynically.

"I'm sure," Naruto said in sarcasm, "In any case, let's see what we can find in this place."

Naruto and Ino begin moving around through the creature's mind. Naruto suggested that it would be best if they stuck together instead of separating. The pair wandered through the mindscape hoping to find what they were looking for. It was a while, but soon they came across what looked like an altar with a large scroll on top of it.

"That must be what we're looking for," Naruto figured.

"The memory scroll," Ino said, "I'm sure we'll find what we're looking for in that."

The two blondes went over to the scroll on the altar and opened it. Unraveling the large scroll, they began their search for the answers they were seeking.

(Back In Konoha)

U. Naruto was back home and in his bedroom in his sleeping pajamas. He was presently lying on his bed thinking about everything that happened earlier that day; from his first encounter with Daisuke to Hinata meeting up and making him feel better about himself to meeting N. Naruto face to face.

So much in one day, Naruto thought. He found it hard to sleep with all those thoughts in mind. Despite what happened, U. Naruto was rather excited about tomorrow. There was so much he wanted to know and learn from N. Naruto and how he became so strong and formidable. The very thought that Jiraiya said that N. Naruto was S-class Kage-level and that Hinata told him to look at his alter-ego as what he could potentially become convinced him that he too has the capacity to reach N. Naruto's level.

With all that in mind, Naruto thought about everything his counterpart told him while they were in the forest before their battle with Leviathan. He saw that N. Naruto didn't think highly of either Sasuke or Sakura, though he respected his opinions and feelings about them instead of trying to get him into changing his point of views about them like Daisuke tried to. He remembered N. Naruto telling him that he didn't come to this world to fix anyone's life according to how he feels things should be done, though he did offer some helpful advice about getting to know different girls besides Sakura.

For a long time, U. Naruto centered his attention around the pink-haired kunoichi, narrow-mindedly believing she was the smartest and prettiest girl he ever met. N. Naruto, though not directly, told him otherwise:

"And in terms of girlfriend material, I'm not here to tell you exactly who you ought to go out with. However, I will say that you shouldn't be afraid to widen out and broaden your horizons in meeting and getting to know different females. Who knows, maybe one might surprise you…"

Getting to know different girls, Naruto thought to himself, What girl besides Sakura-chan do I know?

His mind soon drifted from Sakura, to Ino, whom to him was a self-centered snob who was too concerned with her looks and figure. There was Tenten, whom he barely knew besides being on the same team as Neji and Lee. And there was also Ayame, the ramen girl who treated him kindly with her father Teuchi. Naruto admitted to himself that Ayame, though older than him, was a very pretty girl, but her affections toward him had always been like that of an older sister. The next girl who came to mind was…

"Hyuuga Hinata," Naruto said to himself as his mind now drifted to her. From what he could remember of her, U. Naruto had at the beginning thought of Hinata as the quiet, shy, timid and weird girl from his academy class. But after seeing the way she fought against Neji during the Preliminaries, his views of her gradually changed from how they used to be. Before his match with Neji during the Finals, he openly told her that he liked people like her. She wasn't stuck-up, snobby or full of herself just because of what clan she was from.

Naruto then remembered how Hinata, after learning about his bitter meeting with Daisuke, sought him out in hopes to make him feel better and she did. She listened to him without being judgmental of him and offered him consoling words that held insight, compassion and understanding. She felt and understood his pain and wanted to help him. His view of Hinata heightened and he told her that she was one of his precious people.

Then there was the incident in the forest when he senselessly asked Hinata if she had a clitoris. His face now turned crimson after recalling what he learned what that was after discreetly asking Shizune in private about it after their meeting with Tsunade was over. He was sure that had he asked any other female, he'd have been punched or beaten to a pulp, and knowing Jiraiya, that Sage would have given him a perverted approach to the subject. Thankfully, Shizune, being the big sister figure she had always been to him, understood his innocence and took him aside to explain the functions of the human genitals and procreation. Still, Shizune couldn't help but tease him a little bit after seeing his blushing face while listening to her explanation.

"I'll have to apologize to Hinata about that incident," Naruto said to himself as he mind continued thinking about the day's events. Recalling the meeting, he remembered how everyone was praising N. Naruto's skills and abilities and how they contrasted sharply and undisputedly with his. Clearly N. Naruto had a kind of life U. Naruto was never given and N. Naruto himself wanted to understand what life had to be like for him instead of putting him down because of his current handicaps. Those were among the reasons why U. Naruto admired and respected N. Naruto.

Sakura and Shino pointed out how completely different he and his counterpart are and how much of a talented fighter and medic N. Naruto grew to be. And just as in the case with Daisuke, Hinata came with her comforting words and lifted his spirit up. She saw things in an entirely different light than how the others viewed their counterparts. Hinata's words to him were soothing, heartening and up building for both him and herself. She helped him see that despite their differences, they're still the same person inside and out and that he too had the hidden potential to reach N. Naruto's level and expertise, because she believed that about herself after seeing N. Hinata in action.

"Hinata is truly a really good friend," Naruto said to him while laying on his bed, "A smart and pretty friend who turns red and faints around me a lot for some reason. I wish I knew why…hmm…Hey, maybe I can take the time to get to know her more and find out why that way. N. Naruto did say that I shouldn't be afraid to get to know other girls besides Sakura-chan. I'm sure that Hinata won't resort to hitting me for making an unintentional mistake or for acting silly around her."

Getting up off his bed, Naruto went over to the mirror and visualized N. Naruto standing in front of him.

"You think I'm afraid to widen out and broaden my horizons in meeting and getting to know other girls?!," Naruto exclaimed while pointing to the mirror, "You think I have a long way to go before I catch up to you?! I'll show you! I'll show everyone! Just watch! Because I'm Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage! I say this with a promise! And I never go back on my word! That's my nindo! Dattebayo!"

(Meanwhile At The Hokage Tower)

Tsunade was at her desk drinking down a bottle of sake. She couldn't get over the idea that her counterpart was a mother to N. Naruto. So much was on her mind about what that entailed. She herself had no children to pass on her legacy to, yet her alter-ego adopted Minato and Kushina's son as her own and undoubtedly made him her heir of the Senju clan in her universe.

"Senju Uzumaki Naruto," Tsunade muttered to herself, "Sole heir of the joint Senju-Namikaze clans."

"That has an interesting ring to it," Jiraiya said standing by the opened window with his trademark smile, "Thinking about adopting the gaki after today?"

"Don't make jokes," Tsunade remarked as Jiraiya chuckled and entered the office through the window.

"What's the matter," Jiraiya said, "Don't you think you're mother material? The gaki said that I was his father figure in his world so that could possibly mean that figuratively to each other you and I were lov-"

"Don't. Get. Any. Ideas," Tsunade warned, "I thought about having children years ago while I was with Dan. But after his death, I've forgone all thoughts about the idea of having children and dedicated myself to my career as a ninja and medic-nin."

"I admit that I never gave thoughts to having children of my own," Jiraiya said, "Though Minato had always been like a son to me. I would have been bragging to everyone about the kind of man Minato became were I to have been his actual father."

"Well you were his sensei," Tsunade pointed out, "And like Kushina, Minato was also an orphan."

"Uzumaki Kushina," Jiraiya said, "It's amazing that those two despite their opposite characteristics, found love with each other."

"Though Naruto acts more like his mother than he does his father," Tsunade commented.

"Speaking of his father," Jiraiya said, "Kakashi earlier made a very big blunder that I know won't pass without repercussions."

"And that would be?"

"He called the older Naruto "Minato-sensei" by mistake in front of Naruto," Jiraiya explained, "Kakashi refused to explain in more details to Naruto about why he mistook the other Naruto for Minato and told Naruto to drop it. Somehow, I suspect that Kakashi's momentary carelessness will trigger a domino effect that might come back to bite us in the end."

"Wonderful," Tsunade remarked cynically, "More headaches to worry about. Do you think you can look into who this seal master was who summoned this other Naruto?"

"To tell you the truth," Jiraiya said, "I'm suspecting that there was no seal master who summoned him into this world."

"What do you mean?"

"As an experienced seal master myself," Jiraiya said, "I wouldn't have been so careless as to pen such an intricate ancient kinjutsu without being wary of possible consequences. Some of the designs I saw in that cave where the Hoka Sekai Senshi was drawn wasn't written properly. It took me hours to study and correct the seal and get it to function the way it was supposed to. No true seal master would have made such reckless mistakes."

"So Naruto's counterpart was lying about who summoned him," Tsunade asked.

"That's the thing," Jiraiya clarified, "He had everyone assume that he was summoned by a seal master after he explained that it takes one to execute the Hoka Sekai Senshi properly. However, he never said that he was summoned by a seal master and he was careful not to reveal who his summoner was, which also includes the summoner's gender and age. If anything, I believe he's trying to protect whoever it was who summoned him and the three kuniochis with him into this world. I can understand why, I'd have most likely done the same if I were in his shoes."

"Any suspicions about who could have executed that jutsu," Tsunade asked.

"None yet," Jiraiya admitted, "And I doubt that older gaki will willingly tell us. If word of that jutsu's existence gets out, we'll have more than Orochimaru and the Akatsuki looking into this. Could you imagine what would happen should either of them get their hands on that jutsu?"

"For ours and everyone's sakes," Tsunade replied, "I'd rather that jutsu stay lost and forgotten."

"Likewise," Jiraiya agreed, "But still, I can't help but wonder what life had to be like for that gaki back in his home reality. I mean, he had everything that Naruto always wanted in life…Even we were there for him as parents…though not blood related."

Tsunade sensed the heavy feeling of guilt in Jiraiya's voice.

"I don't know what the circumstances were in his reality," Jiraiya continued, "But if that older gaki's existence is any testimony to what Naruto could have become if we were always there for him (sighed)…I left Minato's son to fend for himself for more than thirteen years while I was busy chasing and following Orochimaru's activities and later the Akatsuki."

"Why didn't you take Naruto with you after all these years," Tsunade asked.

"…I couldn't," Jiraiya admitted, "During that time I couldn't blow cover while tracking Orochimaru and the activities of the Akatsuki. Even if I wanted to, Sarutobi-sensei would have denied me from taking Naruto with me saying that my line of work was too dangerous for any child to be in and that it wouldn't allow me time to properly raise and train the boy."

"I wasn't in the best state of mind to be taking care of any child at the time," Tsunade said, "Besides always running from debt collectors, I had many personal problems and fears and admittedly, I was emotionally unstable. Shizune was always looking out for me, sometimes as though she was the parent. I'm amazed at how she always stuck by me after all these years."

"I could only wonder how our counterparts were able to raise and train that older gaki to become the ninja he is now despite whatever personal problems or covert missions they had to deal with," Jiraiya said.

"That's something only that young man can answer for us when we meet him tomorrow afternoon," Tsunade said, "Though I myself am curious about life in his world and how much of it is different from this one. The one thing that irks me however is that he's as big of a pervert as you are."

Jiraiya grinned, "Like he said, I was a father figure to him while growing up. I can only imagine what I must have passed on to him besides my brilliant methods of charming beautiful maidens like you Tsunade-hime."

"You have yet to charm me pervert," Tsunade retorted, "And flattery won't work on me. It didn't then and it won't now."

"Only time will tell," Jiraiya replied, "And since you said I have yet to charm you, that only proves that I still have a chance to woo you over. I just have to change my approach and appeal to you."

Tsunade frowned when she realized her choice of words and how Jiraiya used them against her.

"Get out," Tsunade snorted. Jiraiya laughed as he made his way to the window.

"Until tomorrow Tsunade-hime," Jiraiya said, "Have sweet erotic dreams of me."

Before Tsunade could throw any furniture at him, be it her desk, Jiraiya took off and left the scene.

"I swear he's so annoying," Tsunade said, "And he never knows when to give up."

Yet, Tsunade thought,…That's one of things I admire and respect about him.

(At The Hyuuga Compound)

Hinata was home in her bedroom in her sleeping kimono thinking about everything that happened earlier that day. She was recalling how U. Naruto hugged and called her a truly smart, pretty and a precious friend. That thought alone made blush happily. She was acknowledged by the one Genin that she always admired not only as a ninja from the famed Hyuuga clan but as a young girl with likeable qualities. She then thought about everyone's and her own encounter with N. Naruto. Thinking about what U. Naruto would grow to look like after seeing N. Naruto only heightened her fantasies, especially when she remembered how structured and trained his body was.

What am I thinking, Hinata blushed while scolding herself, I shouldn't be thinking of Naruto-kun like that.

That was when she remembered the question U. Naruto asked her cluelessly in front of everyone. Though she was heavily embarrassed that U. Naruto asked her that questioned about her "special" muscle and then asked if he could see it however, part of her was actually turned on by it. Hinata started visualizing how handsome U. Naruto would grow to become after remembering how N. Naruto looked like.

The way he looked, the way he smiled, the way his mature voice sounded, the mannerism in how he told me exactly what he'd like to do with m…

Hinata stopped when she realized where her thoughts were going and how N. Naruto affected her earlier today. His story and choice of words awakened a dormant passion within her being, which totally caught her off guard. He even went so far as to use her in his perverted story and she was shocked at herself that she was caught in his verbal web. She knew he was the 'enemy' or so they thought, but she couldn't help but be seduced by his erotic words. Even now she was recalling the story with her mind remembering the sound of N. Naruto's sensual and husky voice narrating it in the first person.

"…Naruto-kun," Hinata said in a soft undertone as she unconsciously moved to lay down on her sleeping futon before placing her hands over her breasts to feel her nipples hardening through the fabric of her kimono, pretending it was Naruto's hands touching and groping her there. She was visualizing N. Naruto's story and remembering the sound of his voice.

She felt heat rise in her body, the same one she felt earlier like the other girls did, though they won't come out and admit it to themselves. Playing the erotic scene of N. Naruto's story in her head, she was tempted to engage in some guilty pleasures of self-gratification to cool the rising heat in her being, especially between her legs. She pulled up the bottom fringes of her kimono exposing her panties and was about to stretch her hand down to reach into the fabric of her concealed lips when…

"Hinata-sama," Neji's voice called out from outside her room as he knocked on her locked door. Hinata jumped and yelped slightly with a gasp as she snapped back to reality, with a huge blush on her cheeks.

"…Uh, I'm sorry," Neji apologized behind the closed doors, "If I caught you at a bad time then I'll dismi-"

"N-N-No," Hinata replied hurriedly as she pulled her kimono back down while hiding her embarrassment, "Is s-something the matter Neji-niisan?"

"I just wanted to discuss today's events with you if you're not already asleep," Neji said.

"Just a minute," Hinata said as she hurriedly fixed herself so as to not arouse suspicion of her actions just a moment ago. Going over to the door, she opened it to find Neji also in his sleeping attire standing by her door.

"Let's talk outside the manor," Neji invited. Hinata nodded and followed Neji outside and into the garden. After making sure that no one else was in sight or in hearing range, Neji brought up what was on his mind.

"Hinata-sama," Neji started, "Do you remember that jutsu that the older Naruto used?"

"You mean that Shippu Uzumaki No Jutsu," Hinata asked. Neji nodded, "What's your take on this?"

Hinata thought for a moment as she recalled the event in her head.

"It's shocking yet amazing," Hinata said, "The Kaiten has always been a most prized familial jutsu that our clan has always prided themselves on. The fact that the Naruto-kun from the other dimension was able to create his version of it is nothing short of astonishing. Why do you ask?"

"Learning and mastering the Kaiten on my own was no easy task," Neji said, "It took me a long while to get the theory of that jutsu correct and formulate the chakra and body movements required to perform the jutsu properly and effectively. No one outside our clan is ever allowed to learn the jutsu, especially since they don't have the Byakugan."

"Then how do you supposed Naruto-kun learn to create his own version of it?"

"That's what I've been trying to figure out," Neji said, "I always thought that copying a clan's specialty jutsu was impossible, especially without the required bloodline limit. Yet Naruto managed to bypass that barrier to an amazing degree, even if only by so much."

"That's what makes Naruto-kun the number-one most surprising ninja," Hinata remarked with admiration in her tone, "Like our Naruto-kun, he's unpredictable and has ways of going beyond everyone's expectations of him as both a person and ninja. But Naruto-kun's skills weren't the only things that amazed me. There were also my, Ino-san and Temari-san's counterparts."

"They're quite skilled kunoichis," Neji acknowledged, "As a Jounin-sensei, Naruto taught them well."

"How do you figure he's a Jounin-sensei?"

"Like you said today," Neji pointed out, "They said that their Naruto-kun trained them to work together as a team with their respective jutsus and skills. That being the case, he must be a really good teacher. Plus, Jiraiya-sama and Kurenai-sensei's statements about his facial expression and abilities only served to add to the fact that he's a Jounin of high class.

"He resorted to using non-lethal force and methods to beat and outsmart us."

Neji was still indignant at himself for dropping his guard and allowing himself to be open to N. Naruto's attack.

That's twice in one year I let myself fall for Naruto's tricks, Neji mentally berated himself.

"He's not our enemy," Hinata said, "So there was no point in using lethal force against us. It hurt thinking that I-Uh, I mean we had to fight him as our enemy. I was relieved when he revealed that he and his summoner are in fact on our side. Though I wish we knew why he and the girls with him were summoned to this world."

"I'm sure he'll explain that to us if he so chooses to," Neji replied, "What I'd also like to know is more about is this sector No Return which practically no knows exists in the Forest of Death. The fact that the four of them are taking residence in that region that's been expressly closed off and classified for good reasons makes me all the more curious about their skills as ninjas and the type of intense training that they probably undergo in their dimension."

"We'll just have to work harder to reach their level," Hinata said, "We came very far in our own ways, but seeing their talents also proved that we have hidden potential within ourselves to become better than we are now."

Neji agreed, "Yes we do Hinata-sama. I look forward to tomorrow's meeting with them. If anything, I'm sure it'll be an interesting event for all of us."

The two Hyuugas left the garden and returned to the manor. Neji, after escorting Hinata back to her room, returned back to his own room in the branch house. While in her room, Hinata laid back down on her futon with thoughts of what tomorrow had in store for her and everyone else.

(At The Nara Residence)

Shikamaru locked himself in his room while sitting at his desk looking through several scrolls and history books he took out from Konoha's Shinobi Archives, not the library. For hours, he was researching for more information about Yondaime and his exploits that he might have overlooked. After his meeting with Tsunade and the others, he tried to look up information about Naruto and see if there was anyone who carried the name "Uzumaki" before him. In the end, that led him to turn up empty and hit several dead ends as he couldn't find any records of anyone else besides Naruto with that name.

"This isn't making any sense," Shikamaru mumbled under his breath, "I checked the backgrounds of several orphans and links to their late families were documented. With Naruto, it's like his familial line never existed. It's like he's just…here; no ancestral line, no estranged surviving relatives or dead family members, no mention of anyone finding him as an infant.

"His record showed that he was placed in an orphanage but was kicked out when he was between five and seven years old for reasons unexplained."

Shikamaru was bothered by the fact that an orphanage kicked Naruto out when he was that young and with no means to provide for or defend himself.

What could Naruto have done to merit being put out of an orphanage, Shikamaru wondered, True, the worst he ever did was pull pranks but none of which were ever life threatening or mean spirited.

Shikamaru, in his research, learned that Sandaime, after learning of Naruto being ousted from the orphanage, gave Naruto his own apartment where he's been living at since. Sandaime, up until his death, had been giving Naruto weekly allowances for him to live off from.

As Shikamaru continued reading, he thought back to the story of how Minato defeated Kyuubi on the night of October 10th.

"Wait a minute," Shikamaru thought aloud, "Naruto's record showed that his birthday falls on that same day. If my math serves me correctly, his age and birth traces back to the night of Kyuubi's attack on Konoha. But there was no hospital record of a pregnant woman giving birth to him that night despite the fact that there were documented names of casualties, both civilian and shinobi alike. There were also records of those admitted to the hospitals during the attack and set up facilities that were made to accommodate the ninjas and civilians wounded during the attack.

"With all this, how could there not be any mention of a pregnant woman going into labor, premature or not, during the night of Kyuubi's rampage?"

This further heightened Shikamaru's suspicion of a possible conspiracy and cover-up surrounding Naruto's life and backgrounds. The genius Nara picked up another book and read about the Iwa-Konoha War, and how Uzu No Kuni was destroyed by Iwa ninjas during that war. There was a small mention of surviving refugees who took up residence in Konoha, but no names were recorded.

"Could Naruto's mother have been one of those foreign refugees," Shikamaru wondered to himself, "And if so, why is there no documents of her Konoha citizenship?"

Taking out a piece of paper, Shikamaru started writing down all of his current findings and possibilities that were in question. With that done, he picked up another scroll that talked about bijuus and their history in the elemental nations during the wars. He read up on how Shodaime, Senju Hashirama, had the ability to manipulate wood and with his bloodline limit, control bijuus. He read how Hashirama, balancing the power amongst the nations, distributed the nine bijuus amongst the elemental nations. As he read further, Shikamaru found that in the book it clearly stated that no bijuu, not even the weakest of them, can be killed by mortals.

"So how was Yondaime able to kill a bijuu, the strongest of them in fact, since it's saying that no mortal can kill such creatures? We've always been told that Yondaime defeated Kyuubi, but no one at the academy ever mentioned, if they actually knew, exactly how he did it."

As he read more about the history surrounding the bijuus, a word came across Shikamaru's eyes that caught his breath:

"Jinchuuriki," Shikamaru said lowly. What shocked him further was when he read how the leaders of those nations with a bijuu or two, had such monsters sealed inside newborn babies, making it easier to control the power of the bijuu. As he read on, he found how during the earlier Great Shinobi Wars, Jinchuurikis were used as their nations' ultimate weapons against their enemy villages or nations. What he also read was how Jinchuurikis received poor and harsh treatment by their fellow villagers and branded as outcasts in their village.

That now led Shikamaru to think back to how U. Naruto had been treated throughout most of his life, from being thrown out of the orphanage, his poor training at the academy, how unfairly the teachers taught others while giving him little attention, and how the villagers sent hateful looks at him. Even as a child, Shikamaru recalled seeing parents pulling their children away from Naruto and telling them to stay away from him. Naruto was ignored by the villagers, looked at with indifference or resentment, or kicked out of stores. Very few people ever gave Naruto the attention he needed and so desired.

This type of life undoubtedly created in Naruto a great deal of insecurities, Shikamaru realized, Being shown and given affections from practically anyone would have meant more than anything to him, especially if he made bonds with friends he had, even if they were few.

It's clear that he becomes quickly attached to those who acknowledge him, Shikamaru continued thinking, He especially became attached to Sasuke in spite of the fact that he betrayed us and the village. After analyzing the kind of lonely life he was forced to live, losing bonds with anyone must be unthinkable to Naruto, and he so desperately wants to preserve all the bonds with all those he ever made, even if that person is his rival or a pink-haired girl he's infatuated with who has no romantic interest in him whatsoever.

And there's Hinata. Though Naruto is sadly blind to this, the Hyuuga heiress really cares for him. Everyone with eyes in their heads knows she likes him a lot and it's hard not to notice from the way she always blushes and faints around him. I don't know if Naruto himself is aware of the bond he made with Hinata. During the Preliminaries, Lee himself acknowledged that Hinata is a lot like Naruto, never wanting to give up, giving it her all, protecting everyone precious to her, believing strongly in her nindo, wanting to be acknowledged not only but her family and friends, but also by Naruto himself.

It's surprising how in spite of how much of a bond Naruto desires to make with everyone, he's unaware of the one he has with Hinata, which to me seems stronger than they themselves are aware of. Naruto's reactions to what Neji did to her during the Preliminaries and going as far as to swear and make a blood oath with Hinata's blood only serves to testify to that.

Then he remembered the finals that took place during the Chuunin Exams when Naruto was fighting against Neji.

After Neji shut off all of his tenketsus, Shikamaru contemplated, He was certain that the battle was won in his favor. However, Naruto got up and emitted, red chakra, from out of his body. In my research, there was no record of Naruto having a bloodline limit of any sort. And the only other creature that was red and gave off red chakra was…

"Kyuubi," Shikamaru said under his breath as he started piecing everything together, Naruto is the Jinchuuriki of Kyuubi No Yoko. Since Yondaime couldn't have realistically killed the Kyuubi, he sealed it into Naruto right after he was born. But he couldn't have just chosen Naruto out of random or convenience since he was born that night. Everyone had always said that Yondaime had a strong sense of justice. With that being the case, he wouldn't have asked any other parent to volunteer their newborn son or daughter for something he wouldn't have been willing to do with his own child. Therefore, it only makes sense that he used Naruto, his own son, as the vessel to imprison Kyuubi into at the cost of his own life.

Naruto's mistreatment while growing up must have been due to the grown-ups knowing about Naruto's status as a Jinchuuriki to the monster that attacked Konoha, Shikamaru realized, They used Naruto as a scapegoat to vent their hatred and grudge against the Kyuubi. And we as their children were poisoned by their hatred and were conditioned into treating Naruto as an outcast without understanding why.

The more Shikamaru thought about it, the more he regretted that he never spent as much time with Naruto as he could have when they were younger. Sure, he hanged out with Naruto along with Chouji and Kiba at the academy, especially when they would cut class. However, Shikamaru never really took the time to get to know Naruto for Naruto, and for a time only saw him as a fellow classmate and prankster who always did lousy in class and a troublesome kid who always got into so much trouble.

Shikamaru then thought about Naruto's alter-ego and what Shino brought out earlier:

"…He had people who properly trained him while growing up. All the people he mentioned as 'family members' are all skilled ninjas in their own rights, especially since his parental figures are Sannins. Therefore, there's little to no wonder why he became such a powerful fighter…He's your polar opposite, Naruto; in almost every sense."

He's your polar opposite…in almost every sense, Shikamaru thought before he remembered N. Naruto's words to them after Kakashi's question to him:

"Why don't you have whisker marks on your face," Kakashi asked.

"For reasons concerning my birth I'd rather not discuss," N. Naruto answered, "But I assure you Kakashi that the other Naruto and I share the same burden."

He wasn't referring to the burden of being an orphan, Shikamaru pieced together, He was referring to his burden as a Jinchuuriki. The other Genins didn't catch on to that…But I'm sure Asuma-sensei and the other Jounins caught on to what he meant.

Everything was now making sense to Shikamaru as the enigma of Naruto fell into place. The only piece of information he hadn't yet deciphered was the identity of Naruto's birth mother, who to his best speculation, was a foreign refugee from the former Uzu No Kuni who came and lived in Konoha after her homeland's destruction.

I wonder how many or few knows the truth about Naruto's origins and status as a Jinchuuriki, Shikamaru wondered, I wonder how much my folks know about Naruto that they didn't, wouldn't or couldn't share with me…

For what it was worth, Shikamaru's respect for the village as a whole dropped several notches, significantly.

(At The Haruno Residence)

Sakura was in her sleeping gown thinking about the day's events. After their meeting with Tsunade, Sakura and Ino talked in private about N. Naruto and U. Naruto's characteristics and abilities. Ino talked about how she couldn't believe how the older Naruto look like and wondered if U. Naruto would mature to look that hot. Sakura remarked that regardless of how U. Naruto would grow to look like, he'd still be the same clown who'd pester her for dates and getting her into becoming his girlfriend. Ino however countered by saying that she doubted that completely because she believed that Naruto wouldn't chase after her forever and would eventually move on from her and to someone else. Sakura argued by saying that she never saw Naruto look at another girl in all the days she knew him and that he constantly sought to be around her. Ino shot back by saying that if N. Naruto was any testimony to what U. Naruto could become in the future, without doubt, there would be other females that would seek his attention and affections, and though she didn't voice, Ino thought that she'd probably be one of those females.

"Stupid Ino-pig," Sakura muttered, "I swear she acts like a know-it-all."

Her thoughts drifted to both U. Naruto and N. Naruto. For all she could remember, U. Naruto always crushed on her and annoyed her repeatedly in asking her out on dates; all of which she refused in hopes of one day getting together with Uchiha Sasuke. She would hit, punch and kick him to the ground, wall and nearby furniture or tree, whenever he did something that was considered stupid, reckless and downright idiotic. Yet despite this, U. Naruto placed her in high regards and would often compliment her about her looks and book smarts.

However, N. Naruto didn't appear to take the same liking to her. In truth, he openly mocked and insulted her without so much of a second thought, although she insulted him first. He didn't hesitate to attack, hurt and knock her unconscious in the manner that he did though it was clearly out of self-defense.

"Even in this universe you never change at all Sakura," N. Naruto remarked in boredom, "You're still the same Dekosuke I often took you for."

While replaying those words, she thought about how she was used to being liked and desired by U. Naruto, who was goofy, loud, brash, naïve, persistent, reliable and protective of his friends. As for N. Naruto, Sakura had to admit to herself that he was very handsome, tall, strong, calm minded and intelligent and quite the seducer.

This is baka Uzumaki Naruto we're talking about, Sakura tried to reason with herself,…Yet…why does the idea of losing his attention and interest bothers me?

Though she never said it out loud, but Sakura suffered from low self-esteem, especially when she was picked on during her academy days. Ino helped her through that when they were younger before their rivalry for Sasuke started and placed a folk in their friendship. Sakura even used the acknowledgment and attention she'd get from U. Naruto, the academy's dead last, as a means to boost up her self-confidence and self-esteem.

Sakura didn't realize how used to and attached she was to U. Naruto's character and his demeanor with and around her. To find out that an older and more mature version of him looked down on her character with disapproval in both his and this universe made her feel unexpectedly sad. And the fact that that young man was what U. Naruto could have been had Sakura wondering if U. Naruto would have viewed her the same way as N. Naruto does. She was surprised at how the thought of Naruto's displeasure troubled her that much. From N. Naruto's tone and choice of words, Sakura saw that he didn't think highly of her and that his relationship with her counterpart wasn't like anything she and U. Naruto had.

"What do I care anyway," Sakura said to herself while shaking her head, "Naruto isn't his counterpart and he doesn't have his personality! Therefore, I shouldn't be allowing what that baka said get the better of me! It's not like I had any interest in Naruto in the first place and I believe I already made that perfectly clear to Naruto!

"We both made a promise to rescue and get Sasuke-kun back together and when we do, things can go back to the way they were. And by that time, Sasuke-kun will more than likely have a change of heart for the better after he sees how much he was wanted back by us and the village. Sasuke-kun already knows that I love him and I'm sure that with given time and effort after we bring him back, he'll open up his heart to me, especially as we help him reestablish his life in Konoha."

Saying her peace, Sakura closed the lights and went off to bed. Despite her claim however, Sakura still found that a part of herself was bothered by the idea of U. Naruto not liking her anymore.

(Back At Sector No Return)

N. Naruto and N. Ino retreated from Leviathan's mind and broke off the psychic link they had with the detained creature. Both blondes opened their eyes as N. Hinata and N. Temari turned their attention to them.

"Did you guys find anything," Temari inquired.

"Based on our findings," Naruto replied, "It was definitely Orochimaru's voice although from the recorded memories, his aura was slightly off."

"So Orochimaru is still alive," Hinata asked worriedly.

"It would appear that way," Ino said as she thought about the situation, "But we barely got a good view of his face."

"Orochimaru was a body snatcher," Naruto verbally recalled, "He was obsessed with immortality and had always sought newer and stronger bodies to inhabit in order to prolong his life. But that jutsu I used on him severed the soul of his head and sealed it."

"So how could Orochimaru still be alive," Temari asked, "Unless someone else was fighting you in his place as him."

"No," Naruto assured, "That was definitely Orochimaru I fought and killed back then."

"This is getting us nowhere," Hinata said, "And so long as we're stuck in this world, we can't do anything further to investigate Orochimaru's mysterious reemergence. Talk about double jeopardy."

"Double," Naruto muttered under his breath while a particular book came to mind, "I think I know where we can get our answers from. But we'll have to return to our home world to do so."

"How exactly will we be able to go back," Ino asked, "You were summoned by Konohamaru to train him and we can only wonder how long that will take."

"Give or take," Temari added, "It could be weeks or a couple of months."

"We can't stay in this world that long while trouble is brewing back home," Hinata said.

"Relax," Naruto said keeping a calm and leveled head, "It's not the end of our world yet. There's still time and I doubt Orochimaru will suddenly reveal himself so soon."

"But everyone will start getting suspicious if we're gone for too long," Temari pointed, "A couple of days, okay, but months…"

"…I'll think of something," Naruto sighed, "Hopefully it'll give us the ticket back home without leading to Konohamaru's demise which none of us want."

"What will we do with Leviathan in the meantime," Hinata asked. Naruto looked down at the creature before moving away from the examination table. Picking up an empty scroll, Naruto opened it and grabbed an ink brush and ink. He started writing seals onto the scroll before returning back to where the girls were. Placing the scroll down on a separate table, Naruto performed a set of hand signs and slammed his hand down on the table in front of the scroll. Seconds later, chakra emerged from out of the seal writings and hovered to where Leviathan was. The chakra completely absorbed Leviathan until nothing of it was left and then returned back into the writings. The kanji for "seal" appeared in the middle of the writings in the scroll.

When that task was over, Naruto rolled and closed the scroll and tied it.

"We'll keep Leviathan detained and have it brought back with us," Naruto said. He then summoned several kage bushins and instructed them to clean up the area and all of the equipment before putting everything away.

"Well this was definitely a long day…," Naruto yawned and stretched, "…I'm going to turn in for the night."

"We'll join you," Temari said slyly as Hinata and Ino stood by her, "That is, if you don't mind the extra warmth."

"How could I refuse," Naruto grinned.

N. Naruto seemed to be on to something concerning how they could solve Orochimaru's unexplained return back in their home dimension. But as this is the case, how will N. Naruto and the girls return to their home world while N. Naruto is still bound to the Hoka Sekai Senshi contract Konohamaru used to summon him? With U. Naruto and the others looking forward to meeting N. Naruto and his girls tomorrow, many things could take place and result from the meeting, especially since Shikamaru figured out U. Naruto's dark secret and parentage. Will he confront U. Naruto about it or keep it to himself? Find out next time.