Naruto 1. Prologue

**Welcome to my story, The Twins. **

**I do not own Naruto at all, this disclaimer applies to this and all future chapters.**

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Tsunade sat behind the large desk in the hokage's office, head in her hands. When her former sensei died fighting her teammate, Orochimaru, she took up his position in honour of him. Today she was regretting that decision as she looked at the three figures in front of her. This really wasn't her fucking day.

The first figure was a spikey, blond haired man. His piercing blue eyes and angular features made for a rather handsome man. He wore the standard blue Konoha uniform with two bands on his sleeves along with a flack-jacket over-top. The most distinguishing thing about his attire was the short-sleeved white trench coat with flames along the bottom that he wore over everything else. The words 'Yondaime Hokage' written on the back left no doubts as to who this man was. He was Namikaze Minato.

Next to him was a stunningly beautiful, red haired woman with attractive purple eyes. She wore a blue sleeveless blouse underneath a green dress. Although she dressed as a civilian, it was easy to tell that she was dangerous. Despite this inherent danger, she exuded a calm and kind demeanor. Yet again, the truth was that she had an incredible temper hidden underneath the exterior. She was Namikaze née Uzumaki Kushina.

Off to the the side of the other woman was a much younger woman. While the other two were clearly adults, she looked to be under twenty. It was easy to tell that she was the daughter of the other two, her features being a mix between the two, although her hair and eyes were clearly from her mother. She wore a grey battle-kimono, with a mesh undershirt. She was Namikaze Narumi.

The very fact that these people stood in front of her was enough to give Tsunade a headache. The first two shouldn't even be alive while the last one wasn't even supposed to exist. Today had been such a promising day as well; she had managed to sneak in a bunch of sake to enjoy. Such much for being blissfully drunk.

"My patience is wearing thin, why exactly are you here?" Easily picking up on her irritability, Minato flashed Tsunade an apologetic smile. He couldn't blame her as the situation was extremely strange.

"As we've already explained, Naruto was never really the jinchuriki for the Kyuubi, Narumi-chan was. So we fled Konoha, faking our deaths, to take her away and train her in the shinobi arts. She needed all the training she could get, as hers is a special condition." Instead of letting him continue, Tsunade cut him off.

"Why the hell did you leave your other child then?" It was something that was really bugging her. These two seemed saddened at the fact that they had left their other child to the mercy of Konoha, but were entirely unrepentant. Naruto was a really unfortunate kid that could have used two loving parents and a sister to support him. As it was, he was left to fend for himself and Tsunade didn't think anything could fully justify that.

"Don't think we made the decision lightly, it pained us to think of what we were doing. However, it was clear that there was a very real threat to not only the jinchuriki, but the entire shinobi world!" Kushina's angry tone clearly displayed her discontent with the situation. Deciding to once more take over the conversation so his wife didn't do anything drastic, Minato tried to better explain.

"There is an active and very real threat that plans to use the power of the bijuu for an unknown purpose. It was they who struck on that fateful night to steal the Kyuubi. They hold immense power and the village was in massive danger of being overwhelmed after the Kyuubi's rampage. I might have killed the masked man who was behind the attack, but who knew how many others were allied with him. For that reason it was decided that it would be best to hide the real jinchuriki and train her." Tsunade nodded, having already heard of this threat through her other teammate, Jiraiya. They were called the Akatsuki and they were certainly the real deal.

"That explains why _you_ left, but not why you left your son. Are you going to answer my question or continue to dance around the topic?" Obviously Minato felt uncomfortable with his decision to leave his child behind. If he didn't, then he wouldn't be trying so hard to avoid the real answer, instead setting up the circumstances so Tsunade could appreciate the full gravity of his choice.

"Please, I'm trying to give you the full story so that you can understand our choice. Konoha was one well-planned strike away from defeat, either by an enemy village or the group that was responsible for the attack. So we made a plan that would deal with both problems at once and we went through with it despite our personal feelings!" A small feeling of pity rose up in Tsunade. Kushina wasn't even able to look at her now, preferring to keep her head lowered towards the grounds in shame.

"If we stayed with everyone, the Akatsuki would have wiped Konoha off the face of the planet in an all attack on us. After all, we were dangerous enough to earn the attention of and destroy the one who claimed to be their leader and had under our protection the greatest of the bijuu. They would have struck us before we could recover and killed both our children and destroyed Konoha. If we ran, they would've hunted us down every step of the way, preventing us from properly training Narumi-chan. Not only that, but there are those who would have obliterated Konoha in its weakened state. The only remaining choice was to fake our death, run away with the real jinchuriki, and leave Naruto, pretending he was the real one. This way the Akatsuki would stay away from Konoha, thinking it to be better to retain anonymity and capture the bijuu at a later date. They wouldn't chase us because they wouldn't even know we were still alive. Any who would attack Konoha would be afraid of the recently made jinchuriki; the possibility of the Kyuubi breaking free a powerful deterrent. The choice we made protected our family and our village as best as could be hoped!"

Tsunade had to admit, there were some valid points brought up. In the end, it seemed as if they had been forced into making a decision that couldn't end positively with any choice. As much as she hated to admit it, she respected them for their ability to put the well-being of the village above their own family and happiness. She only wished that Naruto wasn't the one who had to pay the heaviest price for it.

"I understand why you did it." Tsunade admitted grudgingly. "But it almost seems as if the cost was too high. Worst of all is that none of you had to endure the real cost of this decision. As painful as you make it sound to have left your child, it was a thousand times more painful for Naruto to have lived without his parents." None of the three could even meet Tsunade's gaze at this point, the guilt was unbearable.

"The burden he was forced to carry was immense. Did you think it would be a wonderful life for the container of the Kyuubi, fake or not, right after most of the village was destroyed by said monster? The pain of losing a loved one and the unimaginable rage that follows can do terrible things. The abuse of a child is well within the domain of one whose mind is so torn."

The implications of her statement were not lost on any present. Kushina looked as if she were about to cry while her daughter was already doing so, her head buried in her hands. Minato was faring only slightly better than his family, keeping his composure so he could try and learn more, no matter how terrible what he learned was.

"H-how long? How bad?" Tsunade could tell that he didn't really want to hear the answer and she didn't really want to give it to him.

"It took the form of anything from verbal and emotional abuse, to full on beatings. The beatings started later on in his life but everything else was a daily occurrence." Looking at the image of grief before her wasn't something she enjoyed. She had come into this meeting hating them, but she couldn't help but realize that they were humans who had feelings, just the same as Naruto. She was looking at yet another family torn apart by a terrible world.

* * *

After the family had finally calmed down, the questions began once more.

"Why wasn't anything done to protect him!?" Kushina's legendary temper was in full effect. An irate mother wasn't something to take lightly.

"The reasoning was the same as yours. With the knowledge of his sealing being released to the public as a deterrent, the village found the scapegoat for their anger. Unfortunately, Sarutobi-sensei couldn't just announce his heritage to the world, or else every village who hated Konoha would trip over each other to kill the son of the famed Yondaime Hokage. The decision was hard, just like yours and once again Naruto suffered so everyone else could benefit."

It was clear that Kushina wanted to say something in response. Tsunade's words hurt, having the same line of reasoning being thrown back into her face was difficult to accept. The choice had seemed so obvious, no matter how hard it was, but now she wanted nothing more than to go back in time and take her son away with her.

"It's not as bad as it sounds, there was certainly never any mobs chasing him down the streets. It was basically one person who beat him. That stopped though as he... stood up for himself one day."

"He stood up for himself? That's... that's good. It's just, why did _he _have to stand up for himself?" Asked Kushina.

"You know why Kushina; it was hard for people to see the child beneath their pain. Naruto also never talked about it, so no one really knew what was going on. From what I've heard he was a strong child."

"Um, you've met him right? What's he like?" This was what Tsunade dreaded the most. She wasn't quite sure if she should actually tell them the truth, but they deserved to know.

"I've never actually met him myself." That comment was met with dumbfounded silence. How the hell could the Hokage not meet someone as important as the jinchuriki of their village. In fact, Tsunade should have at least met, in passing, every single shinobi of Konoha.

"What the hell do you mean you haven't met him? Bring him here then!" Not only did Kushina have a massive temper, she had a voice to match. Maybe it was a good thing Tsunade wasn't hung-over for once.

"You would certainly think it would be that easy, but it's not going to be." Narumi, who had been quite up until now, decided to join the conversation as she was excited to see her brother. Ever since she had learned of his existence she had been pestering her parents for a reunion. Unfortunately, they had denied all her requests, stating that her training was of great importance. She had a seventeen year old twin brother that she had never met. Even now, there existed some tension between her and her parents over this.

"What do you mean not here? I've been waiting to see my nii-san since I've learned to talk and he's not here!?" As Kushina tried to calm her child down, Tsunade couldn't help but feel once more that she should have never taken the position of hokage. It was simply too stressful and she had never really been one for such responsibility. Perhaps with Minato back she could finally get rid of the job.

"Where is my son Tsunade? Is he on a mission or something?" Tsunade shook her head, confusing Minato. If he wasn't out on a mission, then where was he? Perhaps Tsunade had allowed him to go on a vacation or training trip to get away from the village for a while.

"Unfortunately you've been left out of the loop and so you've missed some rather important developments. I really wish it weren't so, but your son has been missing for the past two years."

"Missing? What the hell do you mean missing?" To say that Kushina was mad would be an understatement. The absentee mother was downright furious. This was supposed to be a reunion, for better or worse she was supposed to have seen the man that her baby boy had grown into. She had known there wouldn't be a tearful and loving reunion, but just seeing him would have been enough.

"I mean he's missing. We haven't been able to locate him since we lost him two years ago."

"And how the fuck do you lose someone!?" Minato had to move to restrain his wife, lest she try and physically release her anger.

"He hasn't been in the village for 4 years, although we had eyes on him for the first two. After those first two he broke out and managed to elude capture." The wording of Tsunade's reply managed to calm Kushina enough for her to speak once more.

"Break out? What did he break out of?" Inwardly sighing, Tsunade prepared herself for the, in all likelihood, violent response. This was the one thing that she had dreaded informing the family about above all others.

"Yes, break out is the usual way of phrasing it. You see, four years ago, your son was arrested and sent to jail."

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**Bam! This is my second story, with the old 'family is still alive but hidden' setup. I was reading 'Wrath to Come' by Dracohalo117 which uses that setup, so I thought I'd try my hand at it. Besides, the idea for this story has been floating around in my head for quite awhile and this setup works quite well with how I envision this story. ****This was originally going to be my first story, but 'The Path to Peace' was suddenly thought of and I just couldn't stop writing. By the way, if you haven't read The Path to Peace, you totally should, it's getting a new chapter in about an hour or two.**

**With the publishing of this story, be on the lookout for my third story. It'll be my first crossover, though the Naruto-verse won't be apart of it. Not sure when it'll be out but seeing as I couldn't keep from publishing this, I probably won't be able to resist the temptation of publishing another.**


	2. Incarceration

**Incarceration**

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_The Twins - 1 month old_

_Minato and Kushina had one month ago abandoned their son. They fled their ruined home as the flames still burned, hoping for a better one. The peace of their new secluded home contrasted greatly with the screams of their last._

_Yet in Kushina's arms was a month old child. She had had twins and held within her arms was her daughter. Though they were twins, this one was different, she was special. One day everyone would know her name, for she would do great things. This was because her father, the Yondaime Hokage, had sealed within her the Kyuubi, a beast of terrible power. __They would train her to fight against the machinations of a group that would use her prisoner for untold destruction. She would train with them in their new home._

_Their new home was a thing of beauty. No building had yet been constructed for shelter, but the surroundings were something of a dream. The small forest was a wonderland of green, so reminiscent of their previous home. The nearby lake was an entrance to a whole other world that few shinobi ever took the time to appreciate. It was a land untouched by people; the broken family being the only ones to have settled here._

_Soon they would build a house here, surrounded by beauty. Together the two parents would build something worthy of their child. It would become her sanctuary, a place that she could always return to and feel safe. It would be her home._

_"She's so beautiful Minato-kun. I just wish Naruto-kun could be with us." Her daughter was both a wonderful and sad sight. To think that something so wondrous could have come from her brought Kushina joy. At the same time she couldn't help but remember the other wondrous thing she had brought into the world, her son._

_"I know Kushina-chan I wish he was with us as well. I hate myself for doing it, __but it was something that had to be done." It truly hadn't been an easy decision to make. However, Minato knew that abandoning his son would protect many people and that sometimes you had to be ready to make sacrifices for the world's benefit. The Kyuubi had interfered with their plans for a happy family and Kushina was well aware of this._

___"I wish she didn't have to hold such a monster, but I'm proud of her." Kushina's soft gaze, filled with love, was meant for both her daughter and husband. She would forever love her family, no matter what._

___"So am I." It was a statement spoken with love._

_It was to the sounds of nature that their daughter would fall asleep to every night._

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Fourteen years old and already in jail. Fuck, this wasn't how Naruto had hoped his life would end up. Perhaps he had been naive in hoping for a better outcome to what had been a crappy childhood. Perhaps he deserved this for what he did, but goddammit if he wouldn't do it again given the chance. Of course, all that was useless reflection, he was here now and dwelling on the past wouldn't help.

It was a rather intimidating experience, entering a jail for the first time. As he walked down the hall he could hear the jeers of those within cells. The cells lined the walls of each floor of the massive hallway that he was currently in; it was impossible to see the highest floor as it was too far up. This was a prison meant to hold every single criminal that the Land of Fire had. A shove to the back got Naruto moving faster.

"Hurry up you stupid brat, you can have all the time in the world to gawk at your residence later." The guards here were a rather unpleasant lot. It was probably because of who they were guarding, but even then they could be rather ruthless. Caution was needed so that you didn't step on anybody's toes within the prison.

"Here we are your new home. Have fun in here and try to keep out of trouble. Wouldn't want to have to punish you." The guard's words didn't carry any sincerity in them at all. Many guards would probably love a chance to get their hands on the Kyuubi brat. Actually, it probably didn't even matter who they got their hands on.

Reaching his cell, Naruto was pushed rather roughly once more. Stumbling in, he heard the sound of the door slamming shut and the lock turning. Knowing he was shut in, he decided to look around and see who he'd been thrown in with. The guy seemed to be really old, kinda like the Sandaime Hokage. What hair he still had left on his head was gray. The really interesting thing about him though were all to tattoos he had. He recognized some of them, as he had seen them on yakuza members before. Whoever he was, he probably deserved to be in here.

"So, you're my new cellmate? You look a little young to be in here with people like me." Naruto was rather surprised that the man had decided to start a conversation with him.

"Sometimes there's no such thing as too young to the people of Konoha." The man seemed interested when he heard where Naruto had come from. It wasn't often that a person from the shinobi village was sent here.

"Too true. I hope you're ready to be in this place kid. This isn't some dark alley in your shinobi village. This is something a hundred times worse." Naruto couldn't help but smirk at that. He was confident he could survive this place, even if it was different than what he was used to.

"Don't worry about me, I've survived some terrible stuff and I'm pretty sure I can survive this." The old man shook his head pityingly at Naruto. He had seen so many young cocky men who though it would be a walk in the park. They were thoroughly disabused of that notion within a few days.

"You better be right about that kid. You've arrived just in time for our recreation time. These next two hours will make or break you in here kid." It seemed the old man was right as guards were opening the cells of the prisoners, allowing them to mingle in a large common area. When his cell was opened, Naruto walked out with his head held high, confidence exuding from his very being.

It wasn't long before people began to notice him; he was the fresh meat after all. Everyone was looking to add new people to their groups, hoping they could get more power within the jail. Most of the inmates seemed to ignore him for now, but some were following his movements with interest. One inmate in particular decided to take the initiative and come up to 'greet' Naruto.

"How's life in prison treating ya kid? Perhaps you'd like some protection." Naruto wasn't quite sure what this protection would entail, but he hated the guy's tone and face so he decided to decline.

"How about you fuck off and leave me alone?" Perhaps he could have been more polite, but Naruto didn't like to mince words with people he didn't like. Of course, his rather rude dismissal didn't make the man go away; if anything he seemed even more interested. Perhaps he had the ability to back up his mouth. Getting closer to Naruto, he was about to speak when his eyes widened in recognition.

"Hey, I know who you are. You're that Kyuubi brat." Naruto's blood boiled as he glared at who had spoken. This place was not going to be a repeat of his life in that village, not if he had anything to say about it. Grabbing the man by the neck, Naruto slammed him into the wall and began to tighten his grip, chocking the fool.

"Shut the fuck up! I've got half a mind to bust your face up right now to teach you a lesson." His threats did little to scare the man. If anything he seemed pleased. Naruto had forgotten something that he really should have known and he was going to pay the price for it.

"Not bad kid, you've got some guts, but perhaps it's you that needs a lesson. You really need to learn the pecking order here." That was all the warning Naruto got before a fist smashed into the side of his head. Surrendering his grip on the man, Naruto stumbled away, before his face was smashed into the wall he had just been holding the man up on.

Lashing out behind him, Naruto felt his foot connect with someone's stomach. Turning around, he saw three men, one of them on the ground. He really should have remembered that these kinds of people always had a pecking order. You didn't screw around with it unless you wanted the beating of your lifetime and that was if you were lucky enough to avoid being killed.

"I guess I did need a refresher, but in the end it'll still be me teaching you a lesson." Cracking his knuckles, Naruto's smiled. He wasn't expecting to get into a fight so soon, but he wasn't going to complain. He still needed to work out his anger and these guys would be the perfect targets.

"You're pretty cocky Kyuubi brat, not bad. Unfortunately, you should know that I don't give a shit about who you are. You could be the son of the Yondaime himself and it wouldn't stop us from doing what we're about to do." By now the commotion had garnered the attention of many other prisoners. Of course, something this large also quickly gained the attention of the guards, but they were willing to let it happen. The people in here were scum, so why stop them from roughing each other up a bit? Besides one of them was the Kyuubi brat and if anyone needed a beating it was him.

"My infamy might not stop you, but my fist to your face will!" Grabbing the fist of the first one stupid enough to attack him, Naruto quickly applied pressure to his elbow and snapped the man's arm. As he cried out in pain, Naruto viciously kick him in the side of the knee, breaking more bones and sending the man to the ground. Sweeping the legs out of another, Naruto grabbed his head while he was still falling and slammed it into the ground as hard as he could. Turning to the guy would had originally started this, he smirked.

"I might never have become a certified shinobi, but that doesn't mean I can't beat a couple of civilians like you who think they're tough." Instead of backing of as Naruto had expected him to, the man continued forwards. The smirk on his face certainly spoke of confidence. Naruto began to get serious, no unarmed civilian would ever be so eager to fight a shinobi.

Faster than Naruto was ready for, the man appeared in front of him and kicked him into the wall. Moving towards Naruto, the man sneered down at him and kicked him a few times in the stomach. This was way too easy, he had hoped for more of a challenge from the Kyuubi brat, but apparently not. Nonetheless, the kid would make a good member of his gang once he learned his place.

"Sorry to break it to you, but I'm in the same boat as you. This might be a civilian jail, but there are a few failed shinobi like us in here. You made the mistake of pissing one off." The man punctuated each word with a kick. As he went in for another one, Naruto caught his foot and pushed him away. Standing up, Naruto was still a bit off balance from all the kicks.

Instead of allowing Naruto to catch his breath, the man pushed his advantage. A roundhouse kick to the face sent Naruto into the wall once more. Sliding down, Naruto couldn't gather his senses in time to block the stomp to his face. Unleashing some more of his anger, the man kicked and stomped on Naruto for a while before growing tired. Pulling Naruto's head up by his hair, the man sneered as he spat in Naruto's face.

"You're a worthless piece of shit and I'm gonna enjoy every moment of this." Something snapped in Naruto and faster than his aggressor could follow, Naruto had tackled him to the ground. Straddling his victim, Naruto began to unleash blow after blow, doing his best to cave the man's head in. He wasn't planning on stopping anytime soon.

"Alright you degenerate scum, break it up!" No one was supposed to die during these fights, so the guards quickly moved to break it up. Naruto felt a pair of arms grab each of his before he was hauled of the guy he had been beating. Trying to struggle to get back and continue his assault, Naruto received a powerful blow to his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

"You stupid brat, in here we're judge, jury, and executioner. Either you shape up and listen to us when we talk, or your life is going to be very difficult in here." Backhanding Naruto to emphasize his point, the head guard turned to the two that held Naruto. "He needs a lesson in respect; throw the idiot in solitary for a month."

Still dazed from the incredibly powerful hit, Naruto barely registered that he was being dragged somewhere. He could faintly make out the mocking jeers of inmates but couldn't quite focus on what they said. It wasn't until he was thrown into a room that he began to regain his senses. Looking around, he realized exactly where he had been thrown and cursed his luck.

His life was just once big streak of terrible luck and choices. Solitary confinement, what a wonderful way to spend his first month in this hell-hole.

* * *

_"That thing is an abomination, why the hell have you brought it into our home?" Masanori couldn't help but be disappointed with his wife. Maybe he should have expected such a reaction, but he had that she would be able to see past her hate. Thinking about it again, it probably wasn't even really hate, she was afraid of what it represented, of what was held within._

_In his arms he held a month old child. The poor little guy was an orphan, something all too common after the Kyuubi had attacked Konoha. However, this orphan was different, he was special. In fact, this child would likely soon be the most well known person in the entire village, barring the Sandaime Hokage himself, Sarutobi Hiruzen. This was because the child had been chosen by the recently deceased Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato, to be the holder of the Kyuubi. The Yondaime had died sealing the monster within this child, Naruto._

_The beast had wrecked untold death and destruction upon the village. All hope had been lost as it seemed to be an unstoppable killing machine. Even now they were still discovering the bodies of the dead. The crushed corpses of a child and its parents, who had been desperately trying to save it. The headless body of a once beloved man. The smears of blood, the only evidence that remained to testify that a human being had once existed in that spot. _

_People were busy trying to rebuild, whether it be buildings or the sense of happiness that they once held. All across the village, the citizens were getting together in a show of support. Seldom were so many people of the same mind, all willing to do their part out of empathy and compassion. Despite all this, entire districts of the village lay untouched by those attempting to rebuild._

_"Mana-chan, I expected better from you. Little Naruto-kun here is just an innocent child." Her eyes, holding in them anger enough to burn, only saddened him further. They were eyes that would never see a child, only the terror and despair his birth was associated with._

_"A child? A child that holds... that is the cause of this." Her frantic gestures, encompassing all around her, showed what she meant. Her words had failed her, the primal fear she felt robbing her of her rationality._

_"You know you speak lies. Whether or not you accept it, he is now our child." It was a statement spoken with finality._

___It was to the sounds of grief and despair that their new son would fall asleep to every night._

* * *

**We've gone back in time to when Naruto was first incarcerated. While I still haven't revealed why, I thought it best to show his time in jail and give you a general look at the difference between this Naruto and the one in cannon. We're going to be following Naruto for a while before coming back to the time of the prologue, where the story will really be taking place. ****Also, we've gotten a look at the very early lives of each child via flashbacks. **

**As I got a rather large amount of anon reviews, I'd like to thank them here, considering I can't do it via pm as I did with everyone else. Of course I'd like to thank the logged in reviewers as well, and the people who favourited/followed this story. Your support is vastly appreciated.**

**Actually, because of t****he overwhelmingly positive attention this story garnered, I was driven to write this chapter a lot sooner than I had planned.**


	3. Prison Life and the Illusion of Freedom

**Prison Life and Freedom**

* * *

_The Twin - 4 years old_

_Narumi was walking around her house, looking for one of her parents. They were both such wonderful parents. They each treated her with love and kindness, although they would be firm with her when she stepped out of line. Smiling happily, she spied her mother who gazed at her lovingly._

_Narumi had been feeling a bit lonely lately, she had no children her age to play with and she wasn't allowed going that far away from the house. She decided to ask her mother a question that could perhaps solve her loneliness._

_"Kaa-san, will I ever get a sister or brother?" That was not what Kushina had been expecting her daughter to ask. It was also a question that she had never wanted to hear because it reminded her of who she had left behind. She did her best to hide her emotional turmoil from her child, not wanting to worry her._

_"Y-yeah, one day you'll get a sibling and I'm sure you two will get along wonderfully." Narumi's face lit up, happiness radiating throughout her body. She had always wanted a brother or sister to play with. Looking at her daughter, Kushina just couldn't lie to her. Her little girl deserved to know at least some of the truth._

_"I-in fact, you already have one." This new information shocked Narumi. She already had a sibling!?_

_"He is lost to us, but one day we will return to him and you'll get a loving brother." Kushina scooped her child into her arms, both to comfort her child and to comfort herself. She couldn't bring herself to tell her daughter the truth just yet, but perhaps one day soon she would. Until then at least Narumi had something to look forward to. Noticing her mother's distress, Narumi hugged her mother tighter._

_"Kaa-san." It was whispered in a loving voice._

* * *

Naruto had been in the shit hole of a place called jail for almost two years at this point. It wasn't as bad as he thought it would be, certainly it was terrible, but not any worse than where he had been before jail. All in all, his experience in jail had so far been rather reminiscent of his time spent in Konoha. Just like in Konoha he hung out with people that the average citizen wouldn't consider going anywhere near. He got into trouble and generally wasn't well liked, but at least here he was respected. People tended to lay off you when you could beat anyone who went against you.

If pressed, he would actually have to admit that he'd prefer it in jail if his movements weren't so restricted. He was fed three square meals a day and had a place to sleep at night. If only he was allowed to go places than he'd happily stay here instead of returning to Konoha.

He had spent much of his time learning. As this was a 'civilian' jail, the inmates had noticeably more freedom than those who were put in a shinobi jail. They were allowed to physically train and fights were rather common, although they were technically not allowed. The inmates could also practice chakra control techniques if they were so inclined, as it was considered a form of meditation. Of course, any use of chakra beyond that was ruthlessly stopped, as Naruto had learned from experience. It wasn't the greatest, but it ensured that Naruto didn't grow rusty as he waited for his freedom.

Again, as it was a 'civilian' jail, it was structured around rehabilitation instead of incarceration. It was for this reason that the prison population was given access to a library, to teach them skills that would make them productive members of society. There were no book on jutsus, but there was a wide selection of books on various skills that could be applied to getting a job. The books that Naruto read the most were the anatomy books.

It surprised him that the information covered during the academy was so basic. With just the books he had access to he learned a great many things about the human body that he could apply. The perfect places to hit someone to cause the most internal damage. Where to hit to easily break a bone. The pressure points that if hit could cause anything from severe pain to paralysis. Reading these books, Naruto was amazed that the academy didn't actually make this material mandatory. This was information that would benefit every single shinobi, yet it wasn't taught in that stupid academy.

He had met many other people who hadn't managed to become a shinobi and were later on sent to this jail. He had originally thought that most of them would be rather weak, but that was quickly proven wrong. Although they might not be affiliated with a village, it didn't mean that they hadn't continued on training. In fact, such people were the favourites of crime lords, who trained these people into deadly and ruthless enforcers.

It was actually rather dangerous to not have shinobi training and be within the 'civilian' jail. Those with it ruled the others with an iron fist, cruelly beating any would dared defy them. Of course, the guards were at the top of the food chain and severely outnumbered those who had any real training. Perhaps if the inmates got together they'd actually be able to overthrow the guards, but such teamwork would never happen.

Everyone hated each other and did their best to stay away from a situation that would cause them to interact. Naruto himself was currently in the library, rereading a book on anatomy. It was an excellent place to stay as most never entered, uninterested in learning anything new.

"Hey kid, I've got something to tell you that might be of interest to you." Naruto turned to find the man that he fought with on his first day. They hadn't interacted at all since the fight, mutually deciding to keep away from each other to prevent another fight from occurring. Naruto didn't want to lose it on the guy and be sent to solitary again and the guy didn't want to lose any respect.

"Whatever you're selling I'm not interested. Please leave me alone." His dismissal had about the same effect has his original one. The man merely smirked, and moved to sit across from Naruto at the table. He leaned in over the table, close to Naruto who was annoyed at the invasion of his personal space. While Naruto was paranoid, he couldn't help but be interested by what the man could potentially want. Even if he had to watch his back around them, it wouldn't be that bad to have some allies in the place and outside it when he was free.

"You'd be a fool to ignore my proposition." The man spoke in a hushed whisper so that even Naruto could barely hear him. "What if I told you I had a way to get out of this place?" That certainly caught Naruto's attention. A jail break could be the answer to Naruto's shitty life, but it wasn't as if something like this came without strings attached. If it was actually a real offer in the first place.

"Do you think I'm stupid enough to believe you?" Nobody simply offered someone else the opportunity to be free, especially when you hated each other. Either Naruto was needed for an important part, or they wanted to get him in trouble.

"I don't care how stupid you are, I'm telling the truth. In fact, just answer this question. Do you want to be free?" That was an easy question; everybody wanted freedom. Of course, to Naruto freedom meant something more. When he finished his prison sentence, he'd be carted off straight back to Konoha. That place would be lovelier than ever once everyone realized their most hated person had come back from jail. However, if he was able to get out before his sentence ended, then he'd never have to go back to that village.

"Who doesn't?" Smiling, the man nodded his head in agreement. He saw the desperation in Naruto's eyes.

"Excellent, just wait until tonight. If you survive the first step than I'll take you with me." Before Naruto had a chance to say anything more, the man walked away.

It was late at night when explosions began to tear through the facility. The sounds of freedom began to wake up everyone still asleep. The shouts of dying guards and prisoners unfortunate enough to be caught in the explosion rang throughout.

Naruto couldn't believe it, the breakout was actually real. That man hadn't been lying about and hopefully he wasn't lying when he said he'd release Naruto as well. He'd simply have to wait patiently and hope that his new ally didn't die in one of the explosions. He didn't have to wait long as the door to his cell soon slid open, the man beckoning Naruto to follow.

"Hurry, we must meet the one who has arranged this breakout." Looking around at the group he was now travelling with, Naruto couldn't help but notice that each one had shinobi training. Obviously whoever broke them out had use for their talents.

They ran until their legs burnt, it wouldn't do to be caught before they made it to the safe zone. When they reached the designated spot, they were surrounded by a group of shinobi. They all wore the same uniform, their headbands holding the a musical note. Naruto focused on their village symbol, having never heard of any village that used such a symbol in his entire life. Most likely some madman of a crime lord fancied himself the leader of a shinobi village and had his men dress like they were from one.

Naruto didn't really like the thought of working under some delusional man who threw around his money to create a private army. Such a man was only going to get him into trouble. It would only be an eventuality until the man tried his luck against one of the shinobi villages and was subsequently crushed by a vastly larger force. Unfortunately for Naruto, he was wrong and the man behind this private army was far worse than any mere criminal.

"Kukuku, I see you've brought along someone extra. Who exactly is this child?" Turning around, Naruto found himself staring at the most reviled Konoha shinobi still alive. There was no doubt that this pale skinned, black haired man was Orochimaru of the Sannin. Naruto had heard a rumour or two when he was in jail that Orochimaru had attacked Konoha with a private army and shinobi from Suna. These musical note shinobi must be his private army.

This situation had just become extremely dangerous. This man was reportedly extremely unstable, as likely to dissect and kill you as he was to talk to you. While Naruto was confident of his abilities, he certainly didn't even think for as second that he stood a chance against someone like Orochimaru. He'd have to play it safe and hope Orochimaru found him more useful alive than dead.

"Orochimaru-sama, I have brought you someone that you will be greatly interested in. I have seen him fight first hand and I can personally attest to his strength. This boy here is known as Uzumaki Naruto." The moment Orochimaru heard who was before him, he gained a look reminiscent to a snake about to devour its prey. Naruto felt rather insignificant in front of this legend. He also didn't like the implications that that look had for him.

"Naruto-kun is it? I've heard so much about you. It's wonderful to finally meet you in person." It struck Naruto as odd, how polite Orochimaru sounded when he talked. It almost made you think that perhaps he wasn't a raving psychopath.

"Thank you Orochimaru-sama, your kind words honour me. I am grateful that I was able to escape because of you." It couldn't hurt to be polite. Hopefully he wouldn't end up as a bloody smear on the ground any time soon.

"No need to thank me Naruto-kun. Had I known you were so close to one of my subordinates, I would have broken you all out sooner." There it was, a subtle reminder that Naruto was indebted to the man before him. He knew that he was stuck between a rock and a hard place here. The most he could do was seem willing to help Orochimaru for his aid.

"I am in your debt Orochimaru-sama. I don't think I can ever repay you for what you've done for me." Orochimaru's smile had almost become taunting at this point. At this point everything was just a formality. Whatever Orochimaru wanted, he would get and there was nothing Naruto could do to stop him.

"I require nothing from you Naruto-kun. Your freedom was just a happy coincidence in my plan. However, should you wish it, you may come with me and become part of my village." And there it was. Anyone would want to get their hands on a jinchuriki, especially one that had absolutely no ties with any other village.

"And what if I wished to run away on my own?" Naruto was pretty sure what the answer to this question was, but it didn't hurt to ask. Who knew, maybe Orochimaru would have a moment of insanity and let him run away. Not with Naruto's shitty luck.

"Well Naruto-kun, you can come with me, or we can part and go our separate ways. Which will it be?" Naruto wasn't fooled for a second by the illusion of choice or the kind smile on Orochimaru's face. The choice basically boiled down to going with Orochimaru or getting killed. If it hadn't been someone of Orochimaru's stature, then Naruto might have tried his luck with running. Of course, this was Orochimaru, someone who had been considered for a kage position and was well known for his incredible power. The choice was actually rather easy as Naruto would much rather swallow his pride than be gutted like a pig by a multitude of sharp objects.

"I would be honoured to follow you Orochimaru-sama." As he said it, Naruto bowed, although his eyes still caught the sight of Orochimaru's face. It looked as though Naruto had just signed away his soul.

* * *

_Naruto was wandering around in his house, looking for his father. He had always preferred his father over his mother, as he was much kinder than she. Recently though, he had become slightly colder, the stress of such a child affecting him. Unfortunately Naruto would have no luck, finding his mother who glared at him, as if his very presence was a blight._

_Working up his courage, Naruto asked a question that had been bothering him. "Umm, kaa-san, how did you and tou-san make me?" He was a curious child and had always wondered how his two parents had given him life._

_"You disgusting brat, don't you know that we're not your real parents?" His mind frozen in shock, Naruto was unable to respond. To him it seemed as if he could hear the pieces of what had been his reality smashing against the floor. He had always assumed the two who raised him had also brought him forth into this world._

_"That look on your face, why didn't I tell you earlier? Still, I find it disgusting that you actually thought that you came from me." Her words were having their desired effect. Naruto was on the verge of tears, stung by every phrase. She knew his pain, evidence of it so plainly written on his face. She enjoyed his pain, evidence of it so plainly written on her face._

_"Y-y-you're not my real k-kaa-san?" Naruto still couldn't fully process what had just been revealed. There was still a small part of him that hoped he had misheard what had been said._

_"Of course not! I would never bring a monster like you into this world." She was visibly disturbed by that implication. "Your real kaa-san abandoned you."_

_"Abandoned?" Not even his real mother loved him?_

_"Yes, she never wanted you. You're a monster and she realized that. Did the sensible thing and abandoned you to the first suckers that would take you. I don't even know who she was, too ashamed to ever be connected to you." With that said, she left a broken child in her wake._

_"Kaa-san." It was whispered in a broken voice._

* * *

**Little later than I was hoping, but I got caught up with rewatching Death Note along with a last minute issue that came up. PTP's chapter will hopefully be coming out very soon for anyone who has been waiting for both. It's just that I can write these chapters a lot quicker as they are shorter.**

**Didn't dwell on the jail time too much, I only spent these two chapters on it to set up the meeting between Naruto and his new master. There might be some flashbacks to time spent in jail, but this is the last entire chapter that will be devoted to it.**

**Due to the rather large amount of anon reviews I am getting I have decided that, starting this chapter, I will post replies to those reviews on my profile. This way I can still give you the reply you deserve while not publishing a chapter with half the content being replies. Just please give me about a day to respond.**


	4. The Serpent

**The Serpent**

* * *

_The Twins - 8 years old_

_Minato didn't know what he'd do without his wife. Although there had been some tension between the two of them because of their son, they managed to prevail. He was eternally grateful for this; she was the light of life._

_Their relationship had been strained for the longest time, feelings of regret and shame creating a rift and setting them at odds. It was the love of their daughter and her love for them that kept them together and helped them get through their self-hatred. He passed by the room of his sleeping daughter and opened the door to watch her._

_"Thank you so much Narumi-chan. If it wasn't for you I'm not sure we would still be a family." He spoke softly, intent on not disturbing her sleep. "I'm lucky to be blessed with you; you and your mother are the most beautiful things in the entire world."_

_As if she heard her father's words, Narumi smiled. Her dreams were filled with happiness, just as her waking moments were. Her world was one of light, never tainted by the darkness within humanity. Her parents supported her and helped her grow. If ever she felt lost, she knew she could turn to them for help._

_"I'm so happy you are my daughter." Minato moved forwards and stroked her head. "I'm so happy that you were born." With one last fond look and a kiss to her forehead, Minato left his daughter to sleep._

_Narumi was left wrapped in her blankets, safe and utterly content._

* * *

In a bunker hidden away from the prying eyes of the shinobi world, Orochimaru stalked through dimly lit halls. It would be hard for almost anyone to tell, but he was pleased with his recent acquisition. He had been planning on simply gaining more fodder for his army, but had managed to come away with a true diamond in the rough.

The boy had opened up a whole new realm of possibilities and Orochimaru would admit that he was feeling slightly giddy. He rarely ever came across someone this interesting. The only two he could compare Naruto to were Kimimaro and Jūgo, both of whom were his greatest acquisitions. Unfortunately it was purely speculation at the moment. He would need information on Naruto's condition to figure out how to proceed. Turning a corner, he wasn't at all surprised to find a bespectacled man leaning against a wall, partially hidden by shadows.

"I took a closer look at our new guest and I was surprised by what I found." That statement perked Orochimaru's interest. Kabuto was an unusually insightful individual and to be surprised by something meant it was truly fascinating. Of course, Kabuto couldn't help but be dramatic and pause in his delivery. Only a slight shift in Orochimaru's demeanor was needed to prompt him to talk.

"I fear that any plans must be discarded. Little Naruto-kun is not a jinchūriki." Orochimaru was genuinely surprised. He had a feeling that there was something odd with the situation the apparent jinchūriki was in, but he didn't expect that. His status as a jinchūriki was considered common knowledge within Konoha, something even Orochimaru had thought was true. He was right in his assumption that what Kabuto had to tell him was fascinating.

"Interesting, this will require far more research. It's unfortunate, but we are going to have to lay low until we discover more about what's truly going on with Naruto-kun." With a gesture to follow, Orochimaru went off towards his laboratories.

"What does this imply Orochimaru-sama? If the boy was merely a fraud, then what of the real one?" There were many possible scenarios, but none seemed to stand out as most probable to Kabuto. He felt that the only plausible explanation was that the boy wasn't the actual Naruto. Perhaps the jail was all an elaborate set up to hide the fact that the real Naruto was off training.

"It is impossible to say with any certainty, but I have a feeling that he is not without family." Kabuto actually stopped, shocked at the possibility. "If you look at him closely, does he not resemble someone else that you know?" Kabuto's froze as realization hit him. Naruto had an uncanny resemblance to someone who was rather famous.

"Yes, he is a carbon copy of the Yondaime Hokage. If we are to accept that as evidence of relation, then he is almost certainly the Yondaime's son; the resemblance is far too great to ignore. To say that he is not without family, are you suggesting that the Yondaime is still alive?" Kabuto couldn't help the shiver of fear that accompanied that thought. Namikaze Minato was a terrifyingly powerful shinobi, beating out Orochimaru for the position of hokage. If the man was truly still alive, nothing would stop him from rescuing his son.

"I doubt that he survived sealing the Kyuubi. What I meant was Naruto-kun is most likely not an only child. Why else would the child of the Yondaime be used as a scapegoat but to cover the existence of a sibling? This information is incredibly important; we potentially know something that very few people know, if even more than one person does. Sarutobi-sensei would have known, but I doubt both that he told anybody and that Tsunade knows." Entering one of his many labs, Orochimaru began to gather various tools.

"If the current Hokage doesn't even know, then who does? The only other person would be your other teammate." Orochimaru couldn't help the smirk that crossed his face. Kabuto really was an exceptionally sharp-minded individual. Truthfully, it was the reason that he had made sure to ensure his service.

"My thoughts exactly. Who better to hide and train the jinchūriki than a spymaster who taught the jinchūriki's father? We need a way of confirming the validity of this idea. However, a confrontation would not be wise. We risk incurring the wrath of my former comrades should we act foolishly. It would be best to trick him into believing that he is spying on us. For now though we shall do nothing, as any increase in activity might indicate I was involved with Naruto-kun's disappearance."

"What are we going to do with Naruto-kun in the meantime then?" By the look on Kabuto's face, the man already knew what was going to happen. He was merely looking for verbal approval. That was another thing that Orochimaru liked about Kabuto. The man shared his interest in learning and had absolutely no qualms about hurting someone to learn something new.

"The Uzumaki clan is rather famous for their stamina. Having a second one to experiment with will provide us with new data. After all, to truly learn the inner workings of a species, you must dissect more than one specimen." Orochimaru cackled as he made his towards where Naruto was held. Although Kabuto shared his interest, he couldn't help but shiver.

* * *

Naruto wasn't too happy about the recent turn of events. A little while ago he was within the comparatively safe confines of a prison. Now he found himself in the one place that no sane person wanted to be. He had caught the interest of Orochimaru; a man so reviled and feared that he was used to scare little children into obeying their parents. If you misbehaved then the big bad Orochimaru would gobble you up. The problem was, after meeting the man, Naruto wasn't too sure that that was simply a story. Something in Orochimaru's eyes had reminded Naruto of a snake eyeing up its next meal.

It was a rather apt description of his current situation. Naruto was just as powerless as a mouse before a snake and just as doomed. Perhaps he wouldn't be eaten, but he wouldn't be leaving this place unchanged, if he was ever capable of leaving at all. Being trapped with a madman was something he had already experienced and he would rather not repeat the experience.

Running or dealing with the threat was simply not an option. Naruto was usually confident in his abilities, but Orochimaru was on another level compared to anything he had ever faced. Naruto doubted that Orochimaru would even break a sweat when reducing him to nothing but a smear on the ground. Staying put and hoping for the best seemed like a good idea.

Perhaps his best option was to simply be compliant for the moment and hope that Orochimaru found him of more use alive than dead. Ripped from his thoughts by the sound of the door to his room opening, Naruto couldn't help but freeze in fear. The terrifying man that he had been thinking of was entering his room. The worst part of it all was that he seemed happy.

The man's assistant soon followed and a stifling silence descended upon them. Naruto did his best to keep from showing his fear; a man like this would pounce on any weakness. It was all a futile effort of course, as Naruto soon began to fidget. Just as the silence was becoming unbearable, Orochimaru spoke.

"I'm sure you're wondering why you've been brought here." The glint in Orochimaru's eyes told Naruto that he would be better off never finding out the reason. Unfortunately, he knew he was expected to ask and he didn't want to disappoint.

"Yes, I would like to know why you decided to help a nobody like me Orochimaru-sama." Naruto barely managed to keep his voice from faltering at the sight of the smile that had made its way onto Orochimaru's face.

"You are of a particular interest to me Naruto-kun. When I find something that interests me, I find myself driven to learn more about it. I'm hoping to learn quite a bit from you." That didn't bode well for Naruto at all. Orochimaru was well known for being a man with little morals, as well as a scientist. As Orochimaru approached him, Naruto tried his best to edge away, only to be met with a wall.

"Come now Naruto-kun, it's time we began." Naruto could do little to prevent the needle from piercing his skin and sending him into darkness.

* * *

___Masanori _didn't know what he'd do without his wife. There might have been tension between the two in recent times, but he couldn't believe that it had come to this. She had left him, unwilling to continue with the life they had._  
_

_He was lost to darkness without the light that she had been in his life. A terrible rage began to sweep through his being. __It was inevitable that he would try to find an outlet for his anger. It was unfortunate that Naruto happened to be so available._

_"You stupid fucking brat! Look at what you did to this family!" Backhanding Naruto, he continued to shout, to pour his out his rage. "I should never have adopted you, you are nothing but a blight on this earth you disgusting bastard!"_

_Naruto wasn't sure what hurt more, the strikes that emphasized his father's words, or the words themselves. In a world full of hatred and pain, his father had been his beacon of hope, helping him weather the storm. Now that faint light of hope had been swallowed by darkness and Naruto was left to support himself in a world that wanted him dead._

_"If only you didn't exist, none of this would have happened." Naruto was curled into a ball at this point, trying his best to protect himself. "If only you hadn't been born then everyone would be much happier." With a final kick, Masanori spat on the crying boy and left, intent on drowning himself in alcohol._

_Naruto was left as a quivering mess of blood and beaten flesh, wondering what he had done to deserve such pain._

* * *

**The final chapter before we go back to the prologue's time. I know a lot of people have be****en waiting for that so hopefully this announcement is happily received. Of course, some might be annoyed that this chapter isn't back into the 'present'. Oh well, can't make everyone happy. Even more obvious is that everyone has been waiting for a chapter period and will all be annoyed with my laziness.**

**Never fear, I'm not dead yet. Sorry for taking so long, but real life problems come first. As much as I'd like to ignore all my responsibilities, I can't so I don't have as much time as I'd like. I've got to work and study for university, those along with my social life leave me very little time for writing. I'll try to focus more on writing, but no promises.**

**Mana = affectionate, love**

**Masanori = model of justice**

**Btw, I totally want to become a good guy. Also, being Hokage is now my goal! Hopefully my feelings of disdain came through properly there. That's the kind of inept writing and pathetic character development that I would expect of my stories. Seriously, go up to someone who holds a deep belief in something and give them a speech about changing. You'll find convincing them significantly more difficult than what this show would purport.**


	5. Lost and Found

**Lost and Found**

* * *

_The Twins - 13 years old_

_A deliriously happy Minato strolled into his home. As the years passed his life had become more and more enjoyable. His family was a wonderful blessing and he had never been happier. The only thing that ever bothered him was his son. What had become of him? Was he happy? Was he loved? So many questions, none of which Minato had an answer to._

_At least once a day his thoughts turned to his son, but they weren't always sorrowful. Frequently he imagined his son living with a wonderful family, one far better than his real one. Although it pained him to think that it wasn't he who was raising his son, he consoled himself with the thought that at the very least, Naruto would have a family._

_Thankfully, whenever his thoughts turned to what he had done, the rest of his family was there to cheer him up. He watched as his daughter moved around the house, cleaning. As he did so he felt content and at ease. He had learned to appreciate the little things._

_Narumi began to sing a quiet song. Singing always brightened her day and she couldn't stop the smile that crossed her face. Soon she began to dance, moving gracefully throughout the house. She was enjoying the peaceful life that she had been given._

_Looking at his child, Minato had to fight back tears of happiness that threatened to fall. Every time he looked at her, he only reaffirmed his desire to protect her from any harm. He couldn't imagine ever hating Narumi. He enjoyed every moment that he had spent with her._

_ Realizing the depths of his love was a wonderful experience. Minato had been truly blessed to be able to live his life in the light and not have to fear the dark. As the tears began to be too hard to hold back, he stepped towards his child and pulled her into a hug._

_"I love you so much Narumi." Hearing the tremor in his voice startled Narumi. The tears in his eyes shocked her; she had rarely seen him cry. However, she understood what he was trying to convey. _

_Hugging him back she whispered, "I love you too."_

* * *

A rather tall man with spiky white hair was relaxing in a tree, telescope in hand. He had on a green short shirt kimono and matching pants with a red haori over top. He was obviously a shinobi, and a good one at that considering that he seemed to be older than the average shinobi. Some might be too unobservant to realize his obvious strength, especially with the perverted giggles.

The man was Jiraiya of the legendary Sannin, an infamously powerful shinobi affiliated with Konoha. He operated a vast spy network that demanded his departure from the village for extremely long periods of time. Part of that was due to his propensity to stop and take in the beautiful sights that each village had to offer, mainly their women. This was one such occasion.

He was currently watching some local women bath in a nearby stream. He also made sure to write down any sudden bouts of inspiration on a notepad. This was something that he had done many times, but today would be different. A large crash nearby shifted his attention away from the bathing women.

He watched as a large snake appeared in a poof of smoke and lunged at something on the ground. Seeing this he immediately moved towards the commotion, knowing of only one person who would summon such a large snake outside of Konoha.

As he got closer to the snake, he saw what it was chasing and his heart almost gave out. The summoned snake was chasing Uzumaki Naruto! Here was his godson whom had gone missing so long ago. It would be just Jiraiya's luck that he would meet the boy under such dire circumstances.

Moving quickly, he bit his finger and formed some hand-seals before slamming his hand onto the ground. In a poof of smoke a towering toad appeared. At Jiraiya's request, the toad began to attack the snake, the two massive animals destroying the surrounding landscape.

Ignoring the fighting, Jiraiya immediately moved towards Naruto, determined to protect him from the one that had summoned the snake. Landing beside the boy, Jiraiya was amazed at exactly how much like his father Naruto looked.

"Who the hell are you?" Blinking in surprise at the boy's rather blunt question, Jiraiya opted to ignore him and survey his surroundings. If he let down his guard for even a second, he might lose his life.

"Kukukuku, that is my dear friend Jiraiya. He has come to save you Naruto-kun." As a pale snake-like man came into sight, Jiraiya tensed up. He knew that it had been Orochimaru, his old teammate that was behind this attack.

"Shit, you two assholes know each other?" Naruto was visibly disturbed at the thought that the two might know each other. It seemed that any hope of rescue was non-existent.

"We do, but we certainly aren't friends kid. You don't have to worry me helping him." Orochimaru seemed visibly displeased by Jiraiya's statement.

"Kukuku, perhaps it would be best for me to leave. I do myself no favours by attacking you this close to Konoha. That boy shall into my hands soon enough and your presence is merely a delay" Jiraiya couldn't but wonder what he meant by that. Surely the boy wouldn't resist being brought back to Konoha where he'd be safe. Naruto would have to be a fool to not want to go to Konoha.

"I'm not about to let you get away."

"Who ever said anything about you letting me?" Suddenly a massive amount of snake burst forth from the ground around Naruto. Acting on instinct, Jiraiya moved and quickly saved the boy, leaving an exploding tag in his place to deal with the snakes.

Looking back, Jiraiya couldn't see any sign of Orochimaru.

* * *

"What the hell do you think you're doing you old bastard!?" Jiraiya gave the boy an annoyed look. Was he really too stupid to understand that he was being saved from a fate worse than death?

"I'm saving you brat! Don't you know who that was attacking you?" It was Naruto's turn to be annoyed. Did he seem so stupid as to not understand exactly how dangerous Orochimaru was?

"Of course I do, he's Orochimaru, one of the strongest shinobi alive." Jiraiya gave the boy a small smack upside the head, although noticing how Naruto instantly closed himself off, he wished that he hadn't

"If you knew that, then why didn't you keep running while I had him distracted? Never mind, just hurry up and follow me back to my camp." At those words Naruto seemed to brighten up. Perhaps all the boy needed was some food and rest.

Naruto was paying attention to his surroundings during the entire trek to Jiraiya's camp. He soon grew bored and decided to ask a question.

"Hey old man, are you travelling with someone or is it just you?"

"As of today my travelling group has grown to include two people, me and you. Why do you ask?" Naruto gave him a sly smirk.

"I was wondering if you had any pretty girls keeping you company." Jiraiya let out a small laugh at that. He certainly wished that he did, but unfortunately luck was not on his side.

Seemingly content with the answers Naruto made sure to take a good long look around the campsite. It certainly seemed that it was setup for only one person, no evidence of another was present.

Smirking to himself, Naruto quickly threw a kunai with an exploding tag attached to it at Jiraiya's feet. The moment the kunai left his hand, he was already forming some clones and scattering into the wilderness. Random explosions began to pop of from the forest, an attempt at destroying any trail that might indicate which Naruto was the real one.

Jiraiya had easily dodged the surprise attack, but he was still caught slightly off guard by it. He watched the multiple copies of the boy sprint off into the forest, explosions soon following. He made an attempt to track them, but they were all spreading out and creating more clones as they continued to move. He had no inkling of which one was the original and he wasn't even sure where to begin.

"Shit, this isn't good. I knew he was good at running away but this is ridiculous." Jiraiya knew that it would be a waste of time to blindly charge after the boy. He could easily destroy any trail in his haste. He wasn't going to be able to do this by himself.

He was going to have to go back to Konoha. He didn't like leaving the kid out here on his own, but clearly he was capable of running away quite efficiently if he had survived on his own for so long. Besides, Jiraiya didn't like his chances of going toe-to-toe with Orochimaru when he had to protect someone. He was going to need some backup and a proper tracking team.

* * *

Konoha

"Would you care to repeat that once more?" The rage was palpable in Kushina's voice. Everyone in the room was glancing at her with unease.

"As I said, your son was arrested and sent to jail four years ago." Tsunade kept on eye on Kushina, awaiting the explosion. Quite frankly, the fact that Kushina already hadn't gone on a rampage was amazing.

With the words being repeated, Kushina seemed to deflate, all anger leaving her. Left in its place was terrible weariness and sadness. Any hope of a happy reunion was utterly destroyed and left behind was a grieving mother.

"I refrained from telling you this at the beginning as I didn't want to hurt you." Minato once more took the lead, being the only one of his family currently capable of forming a sentence.

"Please, we need to hear why. Why was our son abandoned to prison?" Tsunade had to resist the urge to snort.

"Perhaps you should choose your words more carefully, as I don't think you have any right to be talking about people abandoning Naruto." Watching the effect her words had brought her equal parts vindication and guilt.

"Please, I know we screwed up. We hate ourselves enough already as it is. Just please tell us why." Kushina was openly weeping at the end. Tsunade couldn't help but sympathize. The truth might be too much for them, but they had asked for it.

"I suppose that it is your right as his only remaining kin, no matter how estranged, to hear this story. I'm really sorry."

A piercing scream, a mix of both despair and rage, echoed throughout the village.

* * *

_A drunk __Masanori stumbled into his house. He had settled into a routine of drinking nearly enough to kill himself every night and tonight wasn't any different. At first he had been able to forget, but now the pain stayed with him constantly. Now he drank simply because he felt it was all he had. It was one of the few constants in his life that he clung too, no matter how miserable it made him._

___Of course there was something else in his life that had become almost a routine. It wasn't every night, but it certainly wasn't a rare occurrence for him to unleash his frustrations against his son. That too had lost its ability to make him forget and only brought him numbness and pain._

___Today he decided to indulge in his misery and found Naruto. A couple shouted words were all that was said before he began. As he beat his son into the ground, he felt the familiar emotional detachment overtake him, destroying his pain if only for a moment. He knew that it would quickly return worse than ever so he enjoyed the brief reprieve. _

___Naruto began to cry for the first time in a few years. He felt as if he had suddenly reached the point where he could take no more. He allowed the tears to fall unrestrained, no longer caring about showing weakness or pretending to be brave. He wept like the broken child that he was._

___Looking at the weeping child, Masanori had to fight the urge to vomit. The omnipresent disgust that he held for himself came into focus. He remembered how much he had once loved this child, how he had been so happy to raise him. Now when he looked at the child he all he felt was a soul consuming hatred directed at himself. Each tear that fell felt like a blow to his stomach, it painted too clear a picture of exactly how decrepit he was._

___Realizing exactly how much he hated himself for what he had become was a jarring experience. Masanori had fallen so far that the darkness that surrounded him prevented him from seeing where he had landed. The emotions becoming too much too bear, Masanori decided to deal with them as he dealt with every other emotion he experienced. He turned back to Naruto and did his best to ignore the tears, even as he felt some fall against his fist._

_"You're a worthless piece of shit and I'm gonna enjoy every moment of this." Something snapped inside Naruto and he understood in a rush of disgust exactly how his father felt. As __he leapt towards his father understood all too well the need to blot out the pain with anger. In an instant the tables had been turned and Naruto was straddling the downed man._

_Naruto felt angrier than he ever had in his entire life. He had heard of those who claimed a red haze would descend upon their vision when in the throes of anger and he now understand the truth they spoke. Either that or his vision was simply filled with the red of blood. He didn't know or care and simply continued his assault, hoping to find some freedom from his feelings. When he saw the tears of sorrow begin to fall from his father's eyes, Naruto saw another wretched being, just like himself. Naruto was too angry though and any empathy simply fueled his anger; he couldn't stop now even if he wanted too._

_It was a while before he realized that the head he was once striking was no more and that the was simply taking out his anger on a bloody floor. Sliding off the immobile body, Naruto fell to the ground, spent. __Lying in a growing pool of blood, Naruto found himself unable to summon the energy to move. He simply waited until someone finally came to investigate the commotion and take him away._

* * *

**I had put it on my profile, but I've been gone recently for a personal emergency. I got back much later than I expected so I haven't had the time to write recently, but here's the chapter nonetheless. At the very least it's ********an update within a more reasonable time frame. I'm going to try and update around this pace from now on.**

******Let me just say that I appreciate the support everyone has given me. It's exciting to see both the positive and negative feedback. Plus, I really like watching my review count go up, I'm rather excited to reach 100. **

******Currently I'm developing the story half through the flashbacks at the beginning and end and half through the stuff in the middle. This ratio will soon change, but I feel that these flashbacks are currently a good way of revealing the past and establishing character. Does anyone have an opinion on my usage of them?**

******Finally******** I hope that this was a good chapter. I feel like this chapter isn't that bad, but it's hard to tell with personal bias.**


	6. The Lost Son

**The Lost Son****  
**

* * *

"It's going to be alright Kushina-chan; We're here for you." Tsunade watched with pity as Minato and Narumi tried their best to comfort Kushina. She took no satisfaction in having subjected the family to such sadness. The two parents were drowning in guilt and the daughter was innocent of their stupid decision to abandon Naruto.

"I know that this isn't what you wanted to hear, but it's the truth. For what it's worth, I really am sorry that it ended up like this." Managing to regain control over herself enough to speak, Kushina stepped forward to address Tsunade.

"Why? Why did he get sent to jail like that? Sarutobi-sama was supposed to protect him and prevent something like that from happening. What was so difficult about that? Because of his failure our son had to live a life that no child should ever have to." Tsunade had to admit, her sensei did fall short of what they had all expected of him. That being said, he was put in a tough situation that shouldn't have been forced unto him.

"Perhaps some blame lies at his feet for what happened, but you cannot hold that against him. Think of the circumstances he was in. Your son was seen as the holder of the Kyuubi to all of the village. The entire village thought he was a disaster waiting to happen and the events of that night proved it to them. They saw a boy who was insane and had murdered someone in the most brutal of ways. Quite frankly you're lucky that Sarutobi was able to prevent his execution!" The family flinched at that fact.

"On top of that, he knew that Naruto didn't really hold the Kyuubi. He couldn't let that or the boy's true heritage be known so he had to make a decision that was unsavory. Sometimes one person has to suffer so that countless more can be spared. Naruto's circumstances unfortunately set him up to be that one person and Sarutobi-sensei made the decision. You of all people should understand his position." The two parents looked down at Tsunade's accusation. They knew that what she said was true.

Everyone stopped as a window to Tsunade's office was thrown open and a figure jumped through. They all immediately readied themselves to attack until they noticed exactly who it was.

"Jiraiya, why the hell have barged in here like this!" Normally he would've shrunken away from Tsunade's anger, but today her merely held up a hand to silence her. Had she not been certain he was being completely serious, she would've decked him.

"Minato, Kushina, Narumi, Tsunade... I found Naruto."

* * *

_Within the Land of Fire_

Naruto had finally stopped running after two whole days had passed. The entire time he had been on his guard, taking only short naps and doing his best to cover a massive amount of ground. Feeling that he was more than far enough away, Naruto stopped at a small river to get a drink. As he knelt down by the stream he couldn't help the feeling of happiness that spread through him.

_'I can't believe that worked out so well. Jiraiya never even suspected a thing. I guess even the greatest shinobi only see what they want to see.' _Having finished drinking, Naruto decided to rest against a tree that was nearby. He was rather tired from his efforts to escape Jiraiya and he needed to replenish his energy.

"Kukukuku, you did so well Naruto-kun. I knew there was a reason that I kept you alive all this time." Turning to face the speaker, Naruto couldn't help stop the scowl that spread across his face. He had hoped to actually be able to rest before having to meet with him. Seeing the angry look on Naruto's face only served to amuse the figure even more.

"Orochimaru-sama, the mission was a success. Jiraiya does not suspect a thing and I confirmed he has no traveling companion." Naruto knew exactly how much Orochimaru enjoyed his mind games and he was determined to simply get his mission report over with so he could leave the man's presence and relax.

"Good job Naruto-kun, even I must admit that I didn't believe Jiraiya would be so easy to fool. That you had actually managed to escape and avoid me for so long is laughable." No matter how much he hated to admit it, Orochimaru was right. He had almost no hope of escaping from him.

"My kage bunshin also confirmed that there was no one left behind by him when he went to interrupt our 'fight'. All in all it looks as though he's been travelling alone." Naruto felt uncomfortable under Orochimaru's stare. The man was in deep thought and was pining him with a gaze that he usually reserved for experiments.

"Hmm, with this failure to find your sibling I'm less convinced that you actually have one. Fortunately, Jiraiya will quickly reveal your presence to all the interested parties. For now it is preferable to wait for our opponents to move. In the meantime, I have some new ideas I wish to test on you." Naruto shivered in fear at what might be in store for him. Luckily he was saved by the arrival of Kabuto, who was out of breath from having traveled very quickly.

"Kabuto-kun, what are you doing here?" For once Kabuto actually looked distressed by something.

"While you were on your mission a spy returned with important news. A family has just returned to Konoha."

* * *

_In Konoha_

Jiraiya's announcement had struck everyone in the room mute. The shocked silence continued to stretch on as everyone tried to process what they had just been told.

"J-Jiraiya, are you sure?" Turning to face his old teammate, Jiraiya gave her a solemn nod.

"I saw the boy with my own two eyes, it's definitely him. Even now he really does look a lot like you two you know?" At being addressed both parents seemed to wake up from their trance.

"You met him Jiraiya-sensei? How is he? What was he doing? And why isn't he hear with you right now?" Jiraiya let out a sad sigh as he prepared to answer.

"I was out travelling, doing some research, when I saw a fight happening. I had a feeling I knew who one of the combatants was so I decided to interfere. When I arrived at the site of the battle I saw him. It was definitely Naruto."

"Who was he fighting Jiraiya-san?" Turning to Kushina, Jiraiya grimaced at the obvious signs of tears on her face. He hated the fact that he was probably going to make her cry even more.

"I wish it wasn't true, but he was fighting Orochimaru." Kushina gasped before once more breaking down into tears. Minato was torn between comforting her and getting the answers to some pressing questions.

"Orochimaru? Why was he fighting that monster?"

"Believe me when I say I wish I knew the exact reasons. My best guess is that Orochimaru was interested in the Kyuubi and thought that Naruto held it." A fresh wave of guilt tore through both parents as they realized that their son's life was once more in danger because of them.

"Don't worry, I intervened and drove Orochimaru off. Naruto was completely unharmed from his encounter with that madman. After I was sure we were safe, I took Naruto with me to my camp so that he could rest. Unfortunately that was when I lost him." Tsunade prepared herself as she knew exactly what was going to happen, having experienced it a few times.

"You lost him!? How the hell did you lose him!?" If it hadn't been for the fact that it was a very emotionally taxing situation, Tsunade would've called Kushina bipolar.

"I wasn't prepared for him to not want to accompany me. The moment he saw an opportunity he created a massive diversion and escaped along with multiple shadow clones. I knew I couldn't track him by myself so I came here as fast as I could. We need to get back out there and look for him." Minato was clear-headed enough to ask Jiraiya an important question.

"How long ago was this exactly?"

"It was almost one full day ago that he fled." Minato frowned, the search wouldn't be very successful at this rate.

"By the time we manage to put together a tracking team and get out to where you lost him, Naruto will have almost a two and a half day headstart. That's not even counting the fact that he has likely covered his trail. It's going to be very hard to find him." Tsunade agreed with Minato in that they likely wouldn't be able to find Naruto. She did have an idea though.

"Orochimaru has hidden his base of operations somewhere within the Land of Sound. I suggest that we attack that snake directly, that way if he has Naruto we can save him and if not we can protect him by distracting and potentially killing Orochimaru."

* * *

_Within the Land of Fire_

"Naruto's family has returned and they are all alive and well." For Naruto it seemed as though time had stopped. Both of his parents were supposed to be dead yet they were apparently within Kononha's walls at this very moment.

_'How are they alive? I thought they had died, but now it turns out they've abandoned me?' _Naruto was shaken from his thoughts by the other two speaking.

"Kukuku, this changes everything. To think that they had managed to hide themselves for so long. This little game I started has suddenly become extremely interesting." Orochimaru was already thinking of exactly how this change in the rules could be turned to his advantage. A smirk slowly crossed his face.

"Perhaps we should once more retreat and stick to the shadows Orochimaru-sama. Having the Yondaime and his wife hunt us to death is not something I feel like experiencing." Orochimaru slowly shook his head, dismissing the suggestion.

"Now is not the time to hide, now is the time to act. I daresay that things could not have gone better for us."

"Oh, and why do you say that Orochimaru-sama. Normally people see the Yondaime's entrance as a herald for their defeat." Trying to figure it out for himself, Kabuto felt that he had some idea of what Orochimaru wanted to do.

"With the revelation of the true jinchūriki's identity, the Akatsuki will no longer care to search for us. They will target the real jinchūriki, leaving us free to operate. Minato will soon be far to busy to properly confront us so we must simply manipulate both sides into destroying each other."

"You say that as if it will be easy to accomplish." A creepy smile spread across Orochimaru's face as he let out a short laugh.

"It won't be too hard. After all, we hold an important piece." Naruto wasn't paying enough attention and missed the looks both men shot at him.

* * *

_In Konoha_

At first Narumi had been just as devastated as her mother upon hearing her brother's fate. However, she managed to hide her distress to support her mother who had been ready to completely break down in the middle of the room.

Narumi had been listening intently to everything that was discussed between her elders. Learning why everything had happened to her brother the way it had was almost as bad as hearing what had happened. People who should have looked out for him and supported him made mistakes that compounded into the situation at hand.

Perhaps the worst news of the day had been what Jiraiya had informed them of. Naruto was currently fleeing from Orochimaru, a man so wicked that her parents used to warn her against doing bad things lest he kidnap her and eat her. He obviously wouldn't actually eat her though, he was more likely to cruelly experiment on her before disposing of her in some painful way. That was the kind of man that her brother had to deal with just to survive.

They were making plans on how to find her brother by going after the madman in his lair. She wasn't completely sure that it would work but she had to admit that they might at least help Naruto in some small way with an attack.

It seemed that everything was conspiring against her brother to ruin his life. He had lost both of his families to poor decisions and foolish anger. Even though she had yet to even meet him, she couldn't help but love him and miss him greatly.

'_Does he feel the same sense of loss that I do? Does he even know that I exist?_ _Would this have happened to him if it weren't for me? It is my fault that my brother has suffered so much?' _Narumi had no real answers to her questions, but she couldn't help but feel that she was at fault. _'It could've just as easily been me in his position, but I was lucky and escaped his fate. It is my fault that he had to be left behind and because of that he suffered.'_

Narumi was anxious after hearing about her brother. He was being hunted by an extremely evil and powerful individual while she was safe and sound in Konoha. It was like this their entire lives; he was facing constant danger because of her while she lived in safety. If Jiraiya was to be trusted, Naruto had some chance of staying out of Orochimaru's insidious grasp for a while yet. She knew she could not wait on her parents to find him. Narumi was going to find her brother on her own terms.

* * *

_Within the Land of Fire_

_"If they were alive, why was I left alone?"_ Naruto was still trying to understand what had happened. His, until recently, thought dead family had returned. For most of his entire life he had believed that his biological family had been dead and only now was he learning that they were alive.

The one issue that he was having the most trouble with was their absence. All his life he had needed a real family and they had actually been out there. So why hadn't they been there for him? What had he done wrong that made them abandon him?

_"What's wrong with me that everyone who should love me leaves me? My family always abandons me."_ Naruto couldn't prevent the feelings of self-loathing from bubbling up. His entire life no one had ever really been able to love him, they always left him to rot in the end. When he was younger he had always thought that it was his fault and even now he had trouble believing otherwise.

He had a sudden realization that destroyed most of his self-loathing and replaced it with anger. The real container of the Kyuubi was his sister, the one who got to live with their parents.

_"They left me. They left me behind while they took their special child and ran. I was the fucking scapegoat. I got to experience the fucked up life while they lived out theirs in happiness. Even worse, it's because of them that everyone thought I contained the Kyuubi in the first place. I suffered because they wanted me to, because they thought it was for the best. My sister might technically be the jinchūriki, but it was me that was the fucking sacrifice."_

While Naruto was feeling confused by the recent revelations, he knew one thing for sure. He had no family.

* * *

**As you can see, I've decided to follow the advice of those who reviewed and have refrained from the usual flashbacks. From now on any flashbacks will be more naturally introduced and more relevant to the current chapter. Still on the short side, but at least now it's all current events instead of half and half. At the very least I've updated slightly faster.**

**I was actually gonna update earlier, but I finally got my hands on The Last of Us. If you haven't played it yet, why are you reading my shitty story? Go out and play it, it's a much better way to spend your time. Truth be told, I can think of a lot of better things you could be doing with your time.**

**Thanks a lot everyone for helping me reach 100 reviews, it's a pretty awesome accomplishment in my eyes. As a sort of gift, I'm going to be publishing the first chapter of a new story very soon. **

**Finally, I was slightly annoyed by the new filter setup, until I noticed you can now exclude characters from your search. Finally, no more Naruto/Sasuke filling up every page of your search. It's a case of one small step back and a giant leap forward.**


	7. An Unwelcome Return

**An Unwelcome Return**

* * *

_Konoha_

Not much was capable of shocking a veteran shinobi, especially one from a village as large as Konoha. For the room full of shinobi, their leaders sudden return from death was more than capable. When a meeting was called for all the highest ranking shinobi, many were worried about what it could entail; surprise meetings of such a scale were normally reserved for declaring wars. Nobody had expected the Fourth Hokage to be the one who addressed them.

"I know that it is a lot to take in, but I assure you that it is truly I, your Yondaime Hokage. I never truly died." Many of those present fidgeted uncomfortably. They all had the exact same question on their mind, but no one wanted to step forward and ask it. Noticing the air of discomfort, Minato spoke to reassure them.

"Do not worry about angering me. I'm sure that many of you wish to ask me questions and I assure you that you're allowed." Even with that, many in the crowd still looked unwilling to say anything, until a voice from the middle of the crowd spoke up.

"Why exactly did you disappear?" Judging by the attentiveness of the audience, that had been a question that many wished to ask.

"Hmmm, that's a difficult question to properly answer. A lot of the information is classified, but suffice it to say, it was deemed in the village's best interest that I disappear until a time when both the village and someone were ready." While most shinobi would normally believe the words any Hokage said, they weren't completely on board with his explanation.

Murmurs of discontent began to arise from multiple shinobi. Considering that Minato didn't actually answer the question with anything of substance, it wasn't that surprising. For Minato, things weren't going exactly as he had planned. He had hoped that his return would be met with jubilation, not distrust. He needed to at least give them something. Luckily he had planned on revealing this information anyway.

"Perhaps I can give you one of the more prominent reasons. As many of you might know, the jinchūriki of the Kyuubi was a part of this village until recently." Minato kept his face straight and voice steady as he mentioned his missing son. "However, that's not entirely true. In an act of subterfuge, I took the real jinchūriki with me. I trained her until I felt she was ready to become the protector of Konoha that she was always meant to be. She is my daughter, Narumi."

The entire meeting fell silent as everyone processed the news. Many were struggling to accept that the boy would had once been a part of their village was not actually the jinchūriki they had thought him to be. Most present never had an issue with the boy, but they all knew that his life had never been an easy one. Although they were uncomfortable with his treatment, they could understand the need for hiding the truth.

"Forgive me Hokage-sama, but I can't help think how much that boy, Naruto, looked like you." Minato almost flinched at the question. He had expected it to be asked, but had hoped it wouldn't be.

"Yes, that boy was my other child, Naruto." Once more no one in the meeting could find any words. To even contemplate how many times they had ignored the boy instead of helping him left them feeling uneasy. He was the son of one of their greatest heroes, whether or not that hero had left them, and they had failed to provide the support that he deserved.

At the same time, almost all immediately supported their own wayward leader. No matter his reasons, he had been willing to sacrifice someone near to his heart to protect the village in a time of need. He had given up much to protect them and in return they failed to protect a single child.

'_As much as it pains me, they really did fall right in line after I revealed the truth. The very fact that I had to use my own mistakes to regain their trust hurts.'_ Not wanting to let anyone know how unhappy he was, he composed himself and motioned for their attention.

"I must ask something of you all. I fear in the coming days that we shall lose what peace we have and Konoha will once more need to be defended. I ask that you all stand behind me in protecting our great village." As the crowd cheered Minato couldn't help but smile. '_Perhaps things won't be as bad as I had feared.'_

* * *

_One of Many Hidden Bases_

Naruto was relaxing after a long day of training. He rarely had time to laze around, quite frankly he was surprised that Orochimaru had decided to let him off earlier than usual. Normally he trained until he needed to rest. That or whenever Orochimaru had the compulsion to run some painful tests or experiment upon him some more.

Truth be told though, Naruto actually felt as if this life was marginally better than his previous one in Konoha. He was actually learning how to properly fight and protect himself. He also never wanted for anything, Orochimaru supplied anything he needed. Finally, Naruto knew that as long as he was useful, he wouldn't be killed. That was more than could have been said for his later years in Konoha.

Despite that, he was still unhappy with being forced to serve a madman. It wouldn't have been terrible had Naruto been like the others, who were allowed to leave and take missions. The fact that he was almost perpetually stuck in an underground base wasn't something he enjoyed. That also meant that he had to be around the snake bastard even more, which pissed him off. His life might be better, but he still hated Orochimaru's guts.

"Hello Naruto-kun." Of course that rotten bastard wouldn't leave him alone. He seemed to have an innate sense of when to arrive to best ruin Naruto's mood. Naruto's fists clenched in anger as he turned to face Orochimaru, who had, as always, snuck into his room quite easily.

"To what do I owe the great pleasure Orochimaru-sama?" The sarcasm was quite plain to hear in Naruto's voice. Despite the fact that Naruto was openly mocking Orochimaru, the man merely chuckled.

"Why, I'm here to talk to you about your parents and Konoha." That caught Naruto's attention. It also brought with it a jumble of mixed emotions that he really didn't feel like trying to sort out.

"Forgive me if I'm not in the mood to talk about that." Glaring at Orochimaru, Naruto entire posture indicated his anger. Not even the memory of a hundred instances of discipline could stop Naruto from standing up to Orochimaru now. Oddly enough, Orochimaru seemed pleased with his reaction.

"Don't worry, if you want I can do all the talking." The way Orochimaru was acting was throwing Naruto off. His was still pissed at the snake bastard, but that was now tinged with weariness.

"Shall I tell you a story? There was once a new family who were torn apart by foolish decisions and poor reasoning. They fled like cowards and left a newborn child to shoulder a terrible burden. That child grew up hated and abused, until one day it finally cracked. Cast away by all, the child rotted away. One day, it's family came back, without a care in the world, safe from the violence visited upon the child to once more take their rightful place. You were quite the convenient scapegoat Naruto-kun. They used you." The sheer delight with which Orochimaru taunted Naruto was sickening. It certainly was not the first time that Naruto felt like striking out against the man. He instead settled for an angry retort.

"No more than you have and are continuing to." If it was possible the glee in both the man's face and voice became even more evident.

"Kukuku, what I've done has made you greater, not diminished you. You should be thankful that I found you." As much as he hated to admit it, there was some truth behind the man's words. Naruto had certainly grown greatly during his time spent in hell. Whether it was under the knife or on the training field, all of Naruto's improvements were a direct result of Orochimaru's aid. Didn't mean that Naruto liked the man.

"I'd be thankful if I never saw you again." Chuckling, Orochimaru strode closer to Naruto who tried his best not to flinch.

"Now, now Naruto-kun, if you continue to be so ungrateful I may have to punish you. Besides, who else but I can lead you to the revenge that you desire?" The sudden change from insults to an offer of aid caught Naruto's attention.

"Who said I wanted revenge?" He'd be lying if he said the thought had never crossed his mind, but it certainly wasn't a goal of his. What was Orochimaru trying to get at?

"Oh come now Naruto-kun, you're feelings of resentment are clear for any to see. Why don't you act upon all that hatred and anger you feel? They deserve to face consequences for their actions and you should be the one to punish them." Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. Again, the thought had crossed his mind before but he hadn't actually considered going through with it before. Validation from someone else, even someone like Orochimaru, made the prospect seem more feasible. He looked down as the thought began to take hold of his mind.

"Punish them?" With a terrifying grin on his face Orochimaru nodded, not that Naruto could see. Opening his mouth to speak once more, Naruto looked up only to see an empty room. Although annoyed at Orochimaru's abrupt departure, Naruto was thankful for being left alone. He needed to think.

* * *

As usual, Kabuto was waiting for Orochimaru just outside Naruto's chambers. He always loved to inject himself into anything interesting that he could, doubly so when it involved Naruto.

"You are certainly fond of antagonizing the poor boy Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto's voice made it clear that he was amused by what had transpired.

"Everything I do, I do to help him. Don't you feel as if Naruto-kun deserves to strike back against those who made his life hell? I'm merely pushing him towards the correct answer. After all, a mind clouded by anger is so much more prone to make rash decisions. " Kabuto shook his head in disapproval, but the smirk on his face betrayed him.

"It sounds as if you are merely using him for your own ends. Manipulating a poor boy who has suffered to do your dirty work." Orochimaru chuckled disparagingly.

"It is just coincidence that our goals align. I must admit though, he certainly would be useful in aiding me. Having the son of the recently returned Yondaime Hokage attacking Konoha or even another target would certainly sow the seeds of war." Dropping his act, Kabuto couldn't help but laugh.

"All joking aside, do you really think he can be used effectively? He certainly has been outspoken in his distaste of you." It was Orochimaru's turn to laugh, a sound that Kabuto still found chilling.

"My plans are nowhere near complete. Pieces still need to moved and pawns gathered. The other side is also still shrouded in darkness. While I prepare, Naruto will continue to be slowly egged towards choosing to help of his own volition. He will be the catalyst that sets all others into motion."

"Should I keep an eye on him then?" Orochimaru was silent a moment before responding.

"Yes, but not right now. I have pressing matters for you to attend to. Let him stew on his own for now, already he has thoughts of revenge." Kabuto nodded but frowned.

"Pressing matters? That presents a problem. I will rarely be around to watch him as preparations increase, someone else should also watch him. Perhaps if we threw someone into his path he could be watched far better than even I could achieve." Orochimaru knew exactly what Kabuto was getting at. It was also an excellent suggestion, something he himself had been contemplating.

"Yes and I already have the perfect candidate in mind."

* * *

_Konoha_

Minato was looking forward to this meeting slightly more than his last one. He was meeting with Konoha's two councillors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, to speak about the current situation in Konoha. Both the councillors were getting on in years, but they both retained sharp minds that garnered them the respect of the shinobi of Konoha.

"We are grateful that you decided to speak with us Hokage-sama." Homura was a bespectacled man whose face barely showed his age, though both his grey hair and beard certainly did.

"Unfortunately, we meet under less than desirable circumstances." Koharu was not as fortunate as her fellow councillor and her age showed greatly in all of her features.

"Though I am glad to see the both of you again, I do not like the sound of that." Minato had been hoping that he would simply have to reiterate what he had told Tsunade and then perhaps discuss some current political matters.

"Allow me to get straight to the point by saying that your absence has caused as many problems as it may have solved." Koharu did not want to fool about with idle chatter and was cutting straight to the heart of the matter.

"While I agree with her sentiments, I wouldn't have been so blunt in delivering them." Minato wasn't happy that he was being spoken to so disrespectfully, but managed to keep his anger in check. The two only had Konoha's best interests at heart.

"Do you not wish to hear why I left?" While both councillors shook their heads, it was Homura who responded.

"Tsunade has already informed us and although we think the decision was rash, we respect it."

"Very well. Please explain what you said earlier, although perhaps you should remember who I am when speaking to me." Neither councillor seemed that bothered by the reprimand.

"Before that, could you tell us how your earlier meeting went?" Minato didn't like the implications of their question.

"It seemed to go rather well, although I was slightly worried at the beginning." Both councillors shared a pointed look before turning back to Minato.

"From what we have been able to gather, you are mistaken in your thinking. Danzo also separately confirmed our fears. It seems as if many shinobi are still rather bitter about your disappearance." Minato looked at Koharu in shock. From everything that he had been able to see, his return had been grudgingly accepted. Even worse, that was just the beginning of what Koharu had to say.

"Of course, that doesn't even begin to cover the villagers. While most shinobi will still follow any orders you give them, the civilians are significantly less loyal. There have been murmurs of discontent throughout much of the village. It seems as if they hold a hatred of you. When you left our village was still recovering and many see your disappearance as a great betrayal. There have been talks of open rebellion." Nothing could have prepared Minato for that.

"How can they possibly think that? I gave up my own children to protect them!" Once again the two councillors shared a look, although this time they were noticeably on edge due to the outburst.

"What is deemed to be true has little bearing on reality. They don't see it the same way and that difference in perception is what really matters. The reasoning behind your departure means little to them in light of the simple fact that you did leave."

Minato sat in a daze, unable to comprehend how everything was going so wrong. It all started with his return and learning that his son was gone. Now he's mistrusted by a portion of his shinobi and outright hated by a portion of the civilians.

"Perhaps we should speak of this when you are more settled Hokage-sama, you seem out of sorts. We shall continue to monitor the situation and take any appropriate actions in your stead." Not liking the truth behind the statement, Minato nodded nonetheless.

"You might be right. It seems as if both Konoha and I need some time." With that said, Minato left the two advisers. He was intent on finding his wife and daughter and relaxing at home. He needed time to think through everything.

* * *

_The Next Day_

Narumi was walking with her father through the streets of a village she had barely seen, but felt as if she knew intimately. All her life she had been told stories of Konoha and its people and she had grown to love them as if she too had been living amongst these crowded streets. However, not everything was exactly as she had imagined it. Where she had once imagined joyous people, she know saw either awe or contempt.

She had a feeling she knew why as well. There were those who couldn't believe that their saviour once more walked the street. Then there were those who couldn't believe that that very same saviour had abandoned them for so long. Hopefully with time everything would be righted.

"Otou-san, when are we going to be looking for Nii-san?" Her brother had been on Narumi's mind a lot lately. She had been so looking forward to finally meeting her brother only to find out that he was in trouble.

"I'm sorry to say Narumi-chan that we won't be able to search for him any time soon.

"What do you mean we aren't going out to search for Nii-san? What about striking at Orochimaru to help him out?"

"I'm sorry Narumi-chan, but we're in a difficult position at the moment. Attacking Orochimaru's base of operations is also out of the question." Narumi didn't care what kind of difficult position they were in. Her brother needed help and they were simply going to sit on the sides once more.

"I don't care about any of that! Nii-san needs our help!"

"I wish thing were as simple as that, I really do. The truth is is that our return hasn't been a welcoming one. Many of the shinobi are discontent and many civilians outright furious. If I was to leave once more, I fear what their reaction might be. By the same reasoning, I also can't simply order what essentially boils down to a declaration of war." Minato could barely look at his daughter; he found the ground to be much easier to stare at.

"But you're the Hokage, they can't stop you from doing whatever you like!" Sometimes Minato wished he could be as naive as his daughter.

"You cannot breathe a word of this to anyone, but there has been talk of rebellion. The disenfranchised of the village finally have a cause to rally behind and we would do well to avoid giving them more ammunition." Although Narumi was shocked at the thought of a rebellion, she still wouldn't stop trying to convince her father.

"You're just hiding behind more reasons while pretending like you aren't abandoning him again!" As soon as the words left her mouth, Narumi's eyes grew wide. While she was angry, she certainly hadn't meant to say anything cruel like that. Judging by how Minato had flinched as if struck, what she had said was indeed terribly cruel.

"I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that at all."

"No, I know how frustrated you're feeling right now. Please don't think I'm doing nothing though, Jiraiya has been tasked with searching for Naruto and I've also sent a squad I trust to help. Between them they should be able to find Naruto. For now we have to focus on the problems here in the village. We just have to place our trust in others for the moment. Once things are settled a more concentrated effort can be made to find him. We'll be able to go out and search for him together."

Narumi nodded in agreement, thankful that there was still effort being put into finding her brother. However, she still felt that it wasn't enough. She wanted to be out there searching as well. She would wait for a bit, trusting in her father's decision, but one way or another she would go out and search, with or without her father's blessing.

* * *

******Still alive and back with the longest chapter yet. Unfortunately, my updates will continue to be slow as school has started and I'm incredibly busy. Hopefully once things calm down and become routine I'll be able to get back to more regular updates, but for now that's impossible. Also, that means I'm doing less proof-reading than usual, so you'll probably find a few more errors than usual.**

**I've always found it odd how Konoha automatically loves the returned Hokage. People usually tend to deal very poorly with being abandoned; isn't that the premise of most 'parents still alive' fics? I'm trying to portray characters realistically so I went with Minato being unwelcomed by most of Konoha. Also, Konoha only has two councillors, which makes me wonder how council bashing has become so popular, as there isn't even really one to begin with.**

**Awesome news, I have a brand new story out, The Folly of Man, which if you haven't read you totally should. It's certainly a lot different of a story than my other two, but I hope that it's still an enjoyable read.**

**Finally, a giant tree, really?**


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