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Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I only write to pass time, and have some fun.


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Previously

“After being pulled off one of the bullies by a nearby adult, he assisted both girls back to their feet, and they introduced themselves to him. How ever, before he could introduce himself to them, the mother of one of the bullies tried to catch Naruto, and “tried” to give chase to him through the park. She gave up after going from the playground to the swings, about 20 yards. From there Naruto started back towards the hospital, once he entered, I came here to deliver this news to you.”

After giving the ANBU a polite thank you, the Hokage left in his own plume of smoke, and was heading towards Naruto’s room.

'Barely out of the hospital, and only having spent one day with Anko, and he is already flying off the hook like her. I suppose it is a good thing he had reason to. I wonder how well he did against those bullies, I will have to remember to look over the detailed report tomorrow. I hope things weren’t too bad.'

That was about the time that he meet up with Naruto, and his hospital room door.


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Later that night in the forest.

A pale skinned, white eyed man was making his way quickly through the woods. Making sure to not tear his closes, which consisted of a the traditional Hyuga robes. His white robes were flying behind him as he hurried to the meeting place he had set up. He did not know went wrong, but something happened that prevented his plans from going through.

The heir to the Hyuga Main House was supposed to be left alone at the park, so that it would be easier for her to be abducted. He had his alibi all planned, as well as the perfect excuse for not being able to protect the heir. The only thing is, with the heir still present, his plans were no longer able to go through. He had to escape quickly, before members of the Main house could find him.

So he was on his way to the person who was supposed to abduct the heir after the bullies had made her run off. Something had changed this, and he wanted to know what. After leaping from tree to tree deeper into the forest, and finally making it to a clearing. In the middle of the clearing, standing in a pool of moonlight was the person he wanted to see, a Kumo-nin.

The Kumo-nin stood in the middle of the clearing, in side of a pool of moonlight. He had his hitaiate adorned around his forehead, with the cloud symbol present. He wore a black vest around his torso, which barely concealed the numerous scars that ran across his body. He was well toned, showing he stayed in the best shape possible.

His pants were a mixture of blues, grays and whites, which would probably enable him to blend in well inside of his home country. Here is the woods of Fire Country, they did very little for him. The man himself was near six feet tall, with a large sword strapped across his back. The sword itself, looked like a lightning bolt, all parts jagged, and sharpened enough to possibly cut through rock with enough force behind it.

The last thing the Hyuga noticed was the look on the man’s face. It was obvious to anyone, even a non-Hyuga, that he was pissed.

The cloud village has been trying to get a hold of the Byakugan for years now. The main target has been the weakest of the Main House, and Heir of the Hyuga clan, Hyuga Hinata. Sadly the latest attempt seems to have be foiled, by which the branch member had no idea why.

“About time you got here Satoshi. I was beginning to wonder if you forgot our deal. Though I guess you are merely here to save your own life.”, was the first thing the Kumo-nin said to Hyuga Satoshi as he landed. Satoshi could tell the large man was more then just angry for having failed. Something more must have happened..

“I am sorry for being late, I had to ensure that none of the Main house followed me. If they did, this could be more then a little dangerous for us both. Rest assured, I did not forget our deal. I kept my part of the deal, and made sure the Heir was left alone, easy pickings for you or another Cloud-nin could grab here. What went wrong after that I have nothing to do with Hakai-san.”

“Oh, you mean leaving the girl alone in the park, that was leaving her open to be taken? You take me for a fool? Do you know how many families were in THAT park alone? Not to mention the number of Konoha clans that frequent it?

"Here, let me help you out, there was the Haruno’s, Nara’s, Akimichi’s, Yamanaka’s, Aburame’s, and I’m sure the blasted Inuzuka’s probably go there as well. Do you know what that means? It makes it nearly IMPOSSIBLE to carry out my mission. If I was able to take the girl, I wouldn’t be able to get to the border before I was stopped.”

'It’s no wonder this fool is part of the Branch house, he can’t even understand simple things like this.' Was all that went through Hakai’s mind at that time.

This Hyuga was an idiot, he was beginning to wonder why he recruited the fool to help him. It is true that the hatred between the two houses is useful, but there had to have been someone more capable of doing this job then who was currently helping him.

“I am sorry about that. When I came to the park with here, I did not see those families there.”, lied the Hyuga. To be honest he knew other clans went there, but this was the normal park that the heir was taken to. Going any where else might have raised more suspicion then needed. He did not like the Main House, and would do anything to hurt them. But going too far out of the way would raise questions, questions he did not want to answer to the council for.

In fact the main reason they went to this park were the orders from her father, Hyuga Hiashi. The park was close to the Hyuga compound, and easy to get to if an alert was called. Not only that but with the wife of the head, and the mother of the heir close to her due date, Hiashi wanted his family close by.

“You take me for a fool Satoshi? I was at the park nearly thirty minutes before you came. The Nara’s, Akimichi’s and Yamanaka’s were already there. Shortly after you arrived, the other families came in. So, let me ask you a very important question.

"Why, oh why would so many important families from the Leaf village bring their children there to play?”. Here he stopped for a second. “Oh wait, could it be because THIS park is close to the Hyuga compound! You BAKA!. You have any idea how many Hyuga eyes watch this park! I was a fool for ever thinking you could assist me with this plan.

"Maybe, it is not a coincidence that you watch the weak Heir. Perhaps they want a weakling to watch her, in hopes of them being killed. It amazes me how you have lived this long.. But your luck has run out today. You failed in your job, and I can not have any loose ends that know my name and face walking around…”

Before Satoshi knew what was going on, Hakai had pulled out his massive sword, and swung it down, over his head. In one fluid motion, he brought it down on Satoshi’s head, and cut straight down the entire length of the body. All of this was just a flash to Satoshi, like a flash of lightning during a storm.

After the flash was over, a trickle of blood came down from the top of his head, slowly forming a line, and staining his white robes. The robes themselves slowly ripped apart, as did Satoshi’s entire body. Split straight down the middle with the perfection of an expert swordsman.

The two halves of Satoshi feel to the ground with a loud thump. The blood pooling around the halves, as well as the various inner parts of the body. The insides of Satoshi slowly sloshed onto the ground for the animals and insects to feast on.

“This is what happens to those who fail me. I suppose not all Hyuga members are as great as they are made out to be..”. With this statement Hakai placed his sword back upon his back, and jumped away into the trees, leaving behind his failure, and dreading having to report this failed mission to the Raikage.


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Hospital next morning

Naruto was in a deep sleep. So deep he wouldn’t hear the door open to his room, he probably wouldn’t hear another demon attacking the village. Hikari was watching his slumbering form in side of the Mindscape world. She felt sorry for him. He was going to be the center of unwanted to attention as he grew up, and she could only hope to help him keep it together.

But, she could only do so much. She couldn’t give him the comfort that he probably longed for. She couldn’t hold him, or soothe him when he was upset. She was unable to move past the walls of the Seal. Even if she could, and did right now, it would probably kill Naruto. Her power would surge through him, and such power could easily kill his young body.

That is why she hoped he could find human companionship. A human, or humans that could be there for him, and help him when she could not. From what she could tell, he already had three people that looked ready to help him no matter what the case, Morino Ibiki, Mitarashi Anko, and the Sandaime Hokage.

Morino Ibiki was a puzzle to her. She could tell he wasn’t one to normally show such emotion, but when he was around Naruto, he seemed to open up more. He seemed to want to look after Naruto like and older brother would. He looked ready to do anything he could to protect Naruto, and showed he cared a great deal for him the first time they ever meet.

Of course Naruto does not remember his first meeting with Ibiki too well, since Naruto was unconscious at the time. Ibiki had been the one to come with the Sandaime, and rush Naruto to the hospital as quickly as possible, without further injuring him. He had even come close to killing several workers at the hospital for not wanting to help Naruto, and some for trying to kill him while he was in a coma. Hikari was certain that he would look out for Naruto. If anything, he would be a big brother that would always be there for him.

Mitarashi Anko was another puzzle. She had the scent of the snake, Orochimaru. Yet she did not seem like him, from what Hikari could recall. Anko, while she appeared blood thirsty and ruthless, seemed to be hiding another side to her persona. A softer, gentler side, that had not seen the light of day for some years now.

It only seemed as if this side started coming out when she heard of what happened to Naruto. All adults, and Ninjas knew who and what Uzumaki Naruto was. There were a few that could see him for Uzumaki Naruto, and not the container for a demon, or the demon itself. Anko seemed to be in the middle of both groups.

She knew who Naruto was, and she saw him as the demon container, and a little of the demon itself. In a way, he was just like her, living in the shadow of something they had very little control of, and would have to live with it for the rest of their lives. Naruto had Hikari, and Anko had her previous relationship with Orochimaru.

After Orochimaru left the village, Anko was treated cruelly by the village. Many saw her as Orochimaru himself, and would treat her as they would any other monster or traitor. They tried to beat her, and attacked her. She fought back, and tried to defy what they called her. But the more she did, the harder it became. So one day, she created a new version of herself, the current one.

She put on a costume of sorts, one that made her ruthless, and blood thirsty. It made people step out of her way when she came walking through, and made them not want to cross her. She became a very adept Ninja. She fought her way up through the ranks, and did not get discouraged when the council and other high ranking officials tried to stop her from advancing.

The first hurdle she had to jump was becoming a Chunin. Many did not think she could be trusted, that she was a spy for her former master. She fought as hard as she could against this, and slowly earned the right to become a Chunin. From there was another hurdle for her to jump. One that almost seemed impossible to cross, becoming a Jonin.

Again, they would not let her, stating she did not have the skills at first. But when she defeated numerous Jonins in single combat, they decided that she just couldn’t be trusted. Not only did she know numerous Kinjutsus, or forbidden techniques, but she still had the reputation of being close to Orochimaru in the past. This time though, there was nothing she could do that would change the views of those in charge of the promotions.

Then came the Sandaime. He knew she was not anything like Orochimaru. Maybe she was a little uncontrollable at times, and might cross a few lines in fights, but she was nothing like here former sensei. She tried to change herself, and separate herself from her past. He knew this, and he even went as far to acknowledge her work publicly on several occasions, all in hope of helping her gain promotion to Jonin. When that didn’t work, he made a special exception for her.

She was very talented, and knew things about Orochimaru, that few others knew. She had knowledge of several Kinjutsus, and was a proven Ninja. She had skills, brains, and knew how to use them effectively. So he took it upon himself to make her a Special Jonin, under his direct command.

He seemed to know she was hiding a deeply hurt past, and he was hoping that one day she would find a way to heal that past. She was betrayed, and hated by many of the village. She had slowly gained respect from many in the village, though it might have been more out of fear then anything else.

When Anko heard the news of Naruto, she knew just how he must have felt, and she wanted to make sure the same thing that happened to her, did not happen to him. From what Hikari could tell, Anko was willing to do the same as Ibiki, be there for Naruto when others shunned him. Anko despite the act she put on, was willing to let the boy cry on her shoulder, and comfort him.

Despite Hikari’s earlier thoughts of Anko, Anko did not seem interested in Naruto in any physical way. She was more interested in helping him mentally and emotionally. She was willing to be a big sister, just like Hikari. True Anko could try to be a mother to Naruto, but it seemed Anko herself wasn’t ready just yet for that big of a role. So she would do the next best thing, be there as a big sister, and help him, and teach him. She would make sure the feelings of the village did not get to him, and help to show him how to hide his feelings. That way no one would be able to take advantage of them, and hurt him more.

The last person Hikari knew would be there, the Sandaime Hokage. He has always been there when ever possible for Naruto. From the time he was just a newborn, to the current time. True, he could not be there all the time, and stop everything. Being a Hokage kept him busy throughout most of the day. But Hikari knew, that when ever he had a chance, he would come visit Naruto. He would act as the Grandfather figure for Naruto. The wise old Grandfather, who would offer sagely advice to him when he needed it. Who would try to steer him along the right path, and help him make the right choices. Hikari knew that he cared for the entire village, and each person was special to him. But she also knew that if given the chance to help on an individual level, like now with Naruto, he could and would do everything in his power to help.

And so far, he had proven her right.

Slowly Naruto started to wake up, the sounds of the Hospital waking up drifting into the room. The sounds of nurses checking on patients, and brining them the morning meals. Naruto became fully awake when he heard his door open. Years spent on the street still had an effect on him. He became cautious at first, not sure of where he was, till seconds after looking around the room. Then he started to relax, and noticed that he was drooling as the smells of breakfast came into his room.

Naruto looked towards the door to see a nurse bringing in a couple of carts. Naruto was surprised to see them both with multiple trays of food. The first thing that came to his mind sadly, was that most of it was for other patients. That was until the nurse smiled at him, and brought both carts over towards his bed, and left the room.

Naruto’s grin threatened to tear his facial muscles from the size of it. He sat up in his bed, and reached for the first tray of food, which consisted of pancakes, syrup, eggs, sausage, toast, and grapefruit. Along with a pitcher of milk, orange juice, and one of water all sitting on the cart. Naruto didn’t waste any time, and commenced digging in.

Naruto wasted no time in finishing off most of the food, and barely leaving three trays of food left on the second cart. None of the pitchers had anything left in them. Naruto could honestly say, for once in his life, he was full. He had never before eaten so well in his life.

Shortly after he had finished Doctor Ohjiro came into the room to check on him. He too was surprised by the speed Naruto was able to devour the hospital food. Normally he wouldn’t wish the food onto any of his patients. In fact, he would encourage family members to bring something from the outside for them to eat. For Naruto though, it seemed to be just fine. He could hardly imagine how he would react when he tried actual food outside of the hospital.

“Well Naruto, it seems you are doing quite well. I see no reason for you not to go on your little trip with Ibiki and Anko today. They should be up in an hour to pick you up. In the mean time, why don’t you get cleaned up, and change clothes?”.

Naruto nodded his head enthusiastically as he jumped off the bed and ran into the small room where the shower and bath was. Not long after that, the Doctor could hear the water running, and the sound of Naruto splashing around.

'No matter how much he has been through, he is still a kid at heart. I can only hope he can stay as pure as he grows up. There is no telling what things he might face on his quest to become a Ninja.' Was the last thoughts the Doctor had as he left the room to check on his other patients.

Naruto came out of the bath room almost thirty minutes later, dress in his black B.D.U. pants, with a red t-shirt sporting a spiral in the back, outlined in black on the outside, with silver forming the spiral on the inside. It seemed to be a turtle neck shirt, and covered up his neck, and the scars there very well, even though it was uncomfortable to him. He grabbed one of his jackets, and put it on, only buttoning up the bottom most button.

After putting on his sandals, he grabbed his bags that carried most of his other clothes. They also carried something more important to Naruto, his brand new shuriken and kunai.

'YES! I can’t wait to learn how to use them. I hope Ibiki-san and Anko-san will show me how all the way to Wave Country.'

At this thought is when both Ibiki and Anko came walking into the room, and saw Naruto acting like he was throwing things at an imaginary object. Watching this, both had to hold back their laughs, that was until Anko got an evil smile on her face.

“Well would you look at that Ibiki, looks like the brat doesn’t need us to teach him anything. I say we let him learn how to use kunai and shuriken all on his own.” as she finished that she smiled as a shocked Naruto spun around to look at them.

'NO! I have no idea how to use them.. I was just playing around.. I really hope they still decide to teach me how.. Nee-chan, if they don’t, could you show me how?'

“Naruto, I have no idea how you humans use those things you call shuriken and kunai. That is just something I never needed to learn honestly. I was more adept with other weapons skills when I took on a human form. Now if you asked me how to use a few Sais, a set of Shuko or Ashiko, I might be able to help you out. But those puny things I have no idea on how to use. So you might want to get back on their good side.”

Hikari could tell Anko was joking around, just by the tone of her voice, and the look on Ibiki’s face. But why not have a little fun with Naruto?

After talking with her, Naruto quickly ran over to Ibiki and Anko. He grabbed Anko’s hand and looked up at her with pleading eyes, begging her as best as he could to still teach him. At first Anko was surprised by the look and the contact, but the longer she looked in those big bright blue eyes…

She crumbled like an old oak in a typhoon. Her facial features visible softened, and a rare heartfelt smile crept across her face.

“Ok, Ok Naruto, we will still show you how. Just remember, they are not toys, so don’t treat them like they are.” This all came out of Anko in a tone of voice that Ibiki had never heard her us before. She sounded sad, and reassuring, almost like a mother, or a big sister would do. She wanted to comfort the obviously distressed Naruto.

Her words had the intended effect.

Hearing her say those words, his face lightened up, and he jumped around the room. He started to do a little victory dance, and was interrupted halfway through it.

“Hey, Naruto, you don’t want to keep the Hokage waiting now do you?”

Naruto shook his head violently to indicate no.

“Well then grab your bags, and let’s get going. When we get to his office, Anko’s got a nice little surprise for you.” Hearing his voice, and seeing that small almost evil smile on his face, almost made Naruto wonder what he had gotten himself into. Shaking it off, he grabbed his bags and followed them out of the room, and out the doors of the Hospital.

Walking down the street, towards the Hokage tower, Naruto once again felt the glares of the villagers on him. He looked around, and saw some of the adults looking at him, eyes filled with hate and anger. As he looked around again, he noticed two familiar faces.

One face belonged to a boy, that was probably a few years older then Naruto. His face was battered and bruised, almost as if he had met a wall one too many times. His lips were in no better shape, as they were puffed up, and fresh scabs in several spots on them, and his right eye was swollen shut. Naruto knew who the boy was as soon as he saw him.

Next to the boy was that fat lady Naruto had seen from yesterday, the Mom.

'Oh boy, this isn’t going to be good.. Nee-chan, have any idea on how I can get out of this?'

“Nothing I can do yet, I haven’t given you any of your Kitsune abilities, except for the healing. Just hope Ibiki and Anko are ready to stop her.”

'That’s real comforting… That lady looks like a mad bull right now. I know she saw me, her stupid son pointed at me!' Naruto was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts, as a hand grabbed him by the collar of his jacket, and yanked him back away from Ibiki and Anko.

Naruto, stunned, but still knew what had happened, opened his mouth and yelled a silent scream, hoping that something would come out. Nothing did. All he heard was a voice that sounded winded from the small exertion put out from grabbing Naruto.

“So, this is the brat who beat you up Sai? Well, he doesn’t look like much, but I know what he is. I will be sure to make him pay for what he did to you.” With that final thought she raised her free hand to strike Naruto across the head with a piece of firewood she had bought.

She swung down, and was about to hit her target, till she suddenly stopped. All sound in the crowded street stopped at the same time. The lady looked down at her throat, and saw a kunai being held TOO close to her throat. Holding the kunai was the hand of a very pissed off Anko.

Looking at her arm, she noticed Ibiki holding her arm, who had a scowl on his face that could wither a plant. He had her arm in just the right position to break it, should she want to try to continue her motion.

The lady just gulped at the looks and feelings she was getting from the two Jonin. The other villagers were just as stunned, many staring with their mouths wide open.

Finally, Anko broke the silence.

“Just what the hell do you think you’re doing b***h! You want to try to hurt my Otouto? Well do you? Let me give you a hint to what your answer should be…” This was all Anko hissed right into the lady’s ear, as she pressed the kunai into her throat slightly, just enough to draw a little blood.

Next to speak was Ibiki from the lady’s right hand side.

“I would suggest you drop that log, because if you don’t, you will never use this arm again. After you drop the log, let Naruto go. Then maybe, I will let you use your arm again in a few weeks.” All of this was delivered in a calm, cold tone of voice as Ibiki looked the lady straight in the eyes. His face betrayed no feelings, but his voice promised immense pain if she did not comply with his statement.

Trembling, she had no other choice.

She slowly dropped the log, and then slowly put Naruto back on the ground, and released his jacket. She felt the pressure on her neck lighten up a little, and the same occurred with her arm.

“Now, wasn’t that easy? I don’t know what your problem is my Naruto, but I suggest you find a more civil way to go about solving it.”

Finding her voice again the lady finally spoke up uncertainly, “H-he.. b-beat my l-little angel up yesterday at the park. Look at my poor baby’s face! He was laughed at today at the academy when he went in with those bruises. While that little m-monster doesn’t have a scratch on him. He had to have had help to do this to my baby, and I’m going to make each one of them pay for it!”.

Ibiki looked down at Naruto, who was still a little shocked, but shook his head no at the ladies last statement. After that he pointed at himself, and the boy, and acted like he was fighting. Ibiki guessed this was to mean they did fight.

Naruto next pointed at a girl walking by, then at the boy again. He made the fighting motion again before pointed back at the girl, then the ground.

Ibiki wasn’t the best at charades, but he could guess that the boy had done something to some girls, maybe pushed them down on the ground or something.

“I don’t know what happened, but I don’t think you are telling us the entire story. We have an appointment with The Hokage, and if you keep us waiting, who knows what he may do to you. If you want to continue this matter, feel free to wait for us outside of the Hokage’s office. If not, then drop this right now, and maybe, next time Anko-san won’t kill you where you stand.”

To say the lady was scared did not do her reaction justice. Her face visible paled when she heard the last part, then remembered what the lady had been close to doing minutes ago. She also paled more when she remembered the words Anko spoke to her. 'Just what the hell do you think you’re doing b***h! You want to try to hurt my Otouto?'

Was this little brat really her brother? Did she want to push her luck, and get in bigger trouble with the three? For some reason Ibiki was protecting this thing that she only knew as a monster, and the whore Anko, that’s what everyone thought she was, was calling it her little brother? She needed answers, and the only one who could give them to her, with her life and body intact, was the Hokage.

“I’ll go with you to see Hokage-sama, and afterwards, we can fix this little problem of your brat misbehaving.”

Anko hissed at the lady when she spoke of Naruto that way. She knew that Naruto had to have had a good reason for doing what ever he did. It took all of Ibiki’s strength, and Anko’s will power to keep her from filling every cavity of the fat woman with every sharp and pointed object she had on her.

Ibiki had to drag Anko the rest of the way to the Hokage’s office.

Once outside, the secretary let them into the office, and asked the lady to wait outside while they discussed some important matters.

“Ah, welcome Anko, Ibiki and Naruto. I was wondering what was taking you so long.”

Anko was the first to speak up.

“Oh, we just happened to run into a cow with a death wish. But I can handle that after our meeting.” This was all she said. Each and every word coated in a fake sweet and innocent voice. Each word dripping with venom and sarcasm. Ibiki had never seen her this upset before, barring any discussion of Orochimaru.

“Sorry about the delay Hokage-sama, but as Anko said, we were delayed by an incident, that we hoped you could help us settle after this meeting.”

“Very well Ibiki, but let us get under way now. Naruto, I am sure you are wondering why you are here. First thing is, that I have found some people willing to adopt you.”

'What.. I can’t believe it.. Someone wants to finally adopt me.. I wonder who they are.. Will they be as nice to me as Ibiki-san and Anko-chan? I hope they are..'

“I’m sure you are wondering who it is. Well, no need to keep you waiting I suppose. If you turn around you will see them right behind you."

Naruto quickly spun around to look behind him. When he did all he saw was Ibiki and Anko. He leaned to the left a little, hoping to see behind Ibiki. He didn’t see anything. He leaned to the right next, hoping to see behind Anko. Again nothing.

All Naruto saw behind him was Ibiki and Anko.

'There is no one there. Just Ibiki-san and Anko-chan.. Is he playing a trick on me?'

“Otouto, did you ever stop to think, that it just might be Ibiki-san, and Anko-chan? After all Anko-chan did call you her Otouto earlier when the lady attacked you.”

No sooner had Hikari finished this did Naruto jump up and try to wrap his arms around a very startled Ibiki and Anko. He buried his face into the sides of both of them, sobbing softly. He finally had a family! He had hoped these would be the ones to adopt him when he heard the Hokage say those words. But he didn’t expect it. Now he was just too happy, it was almost a dream come true for him.

Anko squatted down so that she was eye to eye with Naruto and wrapped him in a hug. As she did, she rubbed her hand up and down his back, hoping to calm him down.

'Damn, where did this come from? Maternal instincts must be kicking in on me. But I hate to see him cry, it almost makes me want to.' Anko stopped there, as she picked Naruto up, and held him, with his head buried in her shoulder.

Ibiki smiled, a soft loving smile at the scene. He playfully ruffled Naruto’s hair, and tried his best to get him to stop crying. Slowly Naruto stopped his crying, and looked up at both of them with the biggest and brightest smile they had ever seen on his face.

The Hokage cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention once again. Once all three were looking at him, a bright flash filled the room, blinding Naruto, Ibiki and Anko. As their eyes cleared they heard the small laugh of the Hokage.

He stood in front of all three with a camera, and a quickly developing photo. The photo was of Anko holding Naruto, with his arms wrapped around her neck, and Ibiki’s hand playfully ruffling Naruto’s hair once again. Each one had a look of utter surprise on their face.

“Well, now that that is done, here are some pictures for you three. I thought we might as well start the collection early. So I snapped of few pictures, most of them are from just now. As for where you will be living, Anko has decided that you will live with her. When she is away on missions, you will be with Ibiki. Should both be away at missions on the same time, then we shall work something out at that time.

"But family matters aside, you three are to head to Wave country in search of the lair of a demon lord. Once you get there, Naruto will be the only on able to enter the lair. So Ibiki, Anko, you will have to stand guard away from it, Go by what Naruto says. Do not go any further then what he says is safe. If you do, there is no telling what could happen. You are also free to train him how ever you see fit along the way there and back. This will all be in preparations for him to join the Ninja Academy when he turns the age of six.”

All three nodded, and Naruto was bouncing from foot to foot, not being able to contain how happy he was at the sound of that.

“Oh yes, one last thing, try not to be too hard on Naruto. Just try to start with the basics first, and worry about the advanced things as he gets better.”

“Yes Hokage-sama!”. Answered Ibiki and Anko in unison.

“Now, what is this about a problem on the way here?”

Ibiki spoke up before Anko was able to.

“Well, there seems to be a lady outside who claims that Naruto beat up her son. The boy he badly bruised, half of his face is swollen as a matter of fact. She thinks there may have been others helping Naruto do this.”

“Ah, yes I know what she is talking about. She is very much correct. But only in Naruto beating her son up. There was no one else involved, except the other bully, and the two young ladies who were being bullied. Please though, let her in so that I don’t need to explain this situation twice.”

Anko grinned, and walked towards the door.

“Hey buffalo butt, get in here, the Hokage wants to talk about your son’s newest look.”. A few minutes later, the large woman and her son walked into the room. As they moved towards the Hokage’s desk the lady glared at Anko for her comments.

Anko did not flinch, and returned with her own death glare, that made the lady turn away, and her son whimper like a dog.

The Hokage winced when he saw the boy’s face. He had read the Anbu’s report earlier this morning, but the report didn’t seem to detail the damage that could have been done by Naruto. What the report stated seem to gloss over the event as just a small fight. What the Hokage saw in front of him was signs of a very one sided fight, with the boy being beaten badly.

“Hokage-sama, I wish to place a complaint on two Jonin. They attacked me in the market for no reason. They both threatened my life as well. I also wish for th..this thing to be punished for what he did to my son.” by the end of this little rant, Anko was visibly shaking at the way the woman referred to Naruto.

“Yes, I understand. However, I also witnessed what occurred on the road here. You see I was checking to see what was keeping them from being here on time. I would have to say that I am fairly disappointed at your behavior Madame. You tried to assault a young boy, for what is a school yard fight. You see, the two Jonin in this room right now, also happen to be Naruto’s legal guardians, his brother and sister. So they did what anyone would do, and protected him.

"Now I fail to see why a parent should step in when your son was in the wrong from the start. I have an ANBU report here in front of me, that described the situation from yesterday. Here, allow me to read it to you.”

The lady could not believe what she was hearing. Her angel of a son, was pushing around the Heir of the Hyuga clan, as well as the only daughter of the Haruno family. There had to be a mistake, her baby had to be the one to come to the rescue, and not the thing in front of her.

“Ho-hokage-sama, please excuse me, but I feel that your ANBU must be mistaken. There is no reason why my son would do that…”. Before she was finished, the Hokage cut her off.

“Yes, I thought someone might say that. So I contacted the members of the families that were there. They all said the same thing, the Naras, Yamanakas, Akimichis, Harunos, and the Aburames. The all say the same thing. That a blonde boy, matching Naruto’s description, came over, punched the boy that was with your son, then turned and did the same to your son. This was before any other parents could get there, as many had left to do some shopping nearby.

"Normally, this would not be a problem, since there has always been a Branch house member with the Heir. Yesterday, that member was missing for still unknown reasons. I think if they were there, your son might be in worse condition, if he was behaving as described by the ANBU present.”

The lady could do nothing but stand there dumbstruck at this news. How could she contest the same story being told by so many people..

“Sai, we need to get home and have a nice little talk about lying to mommy…” With that said she walked out dragging her young son kicking and screaming out of the Hokage’s Tower. What was going to happen to him, no one knew or cared.

“Ah, now Ibiki, and Anko. I think it is time you three should be going. Have a safe journey, and hopefully you three will return shortly.”

Anko, Ibiki, and Naruto all gave a short bow of respect, and started to head out.

“Oh wait, I forgot the second surprise for you Naruto. It is the training suit that was bought for you yesterday. I think you should try it on right now, just so we are sure it fits you.” The Hokage brought out a large box, and slide it across his desk to Naruto.

Naruto went to grab the box, and pull it off the desk, only to have it fall form his hands, and land on the floor with a loud clang. Naruto had no idea what made that sound, but open the box to see a suit, that looked like the right size for him, and made out of the same thing his pants and jacket were made up of.

Naruto pulled the suit out, and as he did he had something heavy fall from the suit, and onto his foot.

Naruto opened his mouth in a silent scream of pain, and dropped the suit onto his other foot. When he did, he once again felt something heavy land on his foot.

He let out another silent scream of pain, and started to bounce from one foot to the other, hoping to relieve them of some pain. This didn’t go on for long before he lost his balance and landed flat on his butt. From there he picked up both of his feet, and starting blowing on them, and doing anything he knew to take the pain away.

The whole time he was doing this, the Hokage once again was busy snapping photos of Naruto’s antics. From the first weight plate falling, to the scene of Naruto on the floor with his big toes in his mouth sucking on them. The sights of Naruto with both legs like that was too much.

The Hokage, Ibiki, and Anko all broke out in loud peals of laughter. Anko was laughing so hard at the sight, that she was rolling on the floor holding her sides. Even Hikari was having a few laughs at Naruto’s expense.

'What’s so funny! I think I broke my toe here! And all of you are just laughing at me.'

Naruto, ignoring the pain, jumped up, and started to throw a temper tantrum. He was stomping his feet on the ground, and waving his hands and arms like a mad man. If he was able to, his yells would be echoing off the walls of the office.

“I’m sorry Naruto, I should have warned you about that.. This is the weight suit that was bought yesterday… Now please just calm down. We are sorry we were laughing at you, but it was just too funny. Try the suit on now, you will have to strip down to just your underwear, and put the suit on over that, then your regular clothes.”

Naruto calmed down as the Hokage spoke to him. He gave everyone the best dirty look he could muster, and started to undress. Once down to just his boxers, Anko and the Hokage had to cover their mouths to hold back the laughs invoked by the sight of Naruto’s choice of boxers.

This however didn’t stop the Hokage from taking pictures of Naruto trying to fit into the weight suit, and flopping around on the floor in his boxers, with the suit up to his knees.

After this Naruto quickly climbed into the suit, and got dresses once again.

“Now, there are no weights in the suit right now, but once you leave the village, Ibiki and Anko will put some in. Once they do, it will be hard for you to move around. Just giving you a warning about it. Now off all of you go.”

Once again they all spared a quick bow, with Naruto giving a dirty look to the Hokage, one that promised payback of some form.

It took them little time to get of the East gate of the village, and on the road leading east towards the coast.

After an hour of traveling through the woods, Ibiki called a stop inside of a clearing.

“Alright Naruto, time to put some weights in the suit. You know what to do.”

Naruto quickly striped down, and eagerly awaited the chance to see what the big deal was about the weight suit. Ibiki thought it best to start out with two pound weights, and placed them in the four slots on each leg, and the four slots on the arms, giving Naruto a total of thirty-two extra pounds.

Ibiki then helped Naruto get dressed, once dressed, Naruto was having a hard time moving around. He took a few minutes trying to move his arms, and legs, and once it looked like he was able to move some what normally, they continued on the way to Wave Country.


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In about two weeks time, the three had nearly made it to the coast. They had settled into a normal routine as they went along.
First thing in the morning Anko would lead Naruto through some morning exercises. This was to help him get into shape, and get used to his added weight. He would do pushups, sit ups, and jumping jacks. Then she would take him out to the woods, and have him run back and forth, from her location, to the camp and back.

This all started out hard for him to do, but he slowly got used to it. Hikari helped of course by boosting his stamina, and increasing his recovery rate. After his morning work out, Naruto would clean up inside of the nearest spring, then help to clean up the camp site. If there was nothing nearby to bathe in, he skipped that part in went straight to cleaning the site up. Then they would head out on the way to Wave Country.

When they stopped for lunch, Anko would again take him aside, and practice his kunai, and shuriken skills with him. From his throwing, and handling, to close range and hand to hand combat with them. All of this Naruto soaked up, and quickly got the hang of handling them. Anko also showed him several other uses for kunai. From cleaning fish, to cutting fruits and vegetables. It almost seemed like she knew how to use a kunai for anything.. She even cut her own hair with the things! After lunch, and the afternoon training was done with, they went back on the road.

When dinner came around, Naruto would once again do exercises, and some kunai practice. After that Ibiki would start to try to teach him things about the country, and it’s past. He started off first with the Yondaime, since he knew Naruto knew some things about him. From there he branched out to the legendary three Sennin, and then onto the Sandaime, and worked slowly back. With each lesson he would branch out to someone, or something that was connected to something before that.

At the end of the first week Ibiki gave Naruto a test to see what all he could remember. To his and Anko’s surprise, he was able to recall almost everything perfectly on the written test. When asked if Hikari was helping him, Naruto answered no to it, and was very honest and truthful about it. They were both surprised that he could be so smart at such an age, and this was without any kind of formal education, or learning experience for the last year. They both had high hopes for him once he got to the Academy, they might even be able to talk the Hokage into letting him enter a little early.

During these trips, Naruto also practiced things with Hikari. At night, once they were sure Ibiki and Anko were asleep, Naruto would sneak out into the woods. There he would use scrapes of cloth from his old clothes to help practice the use of his new senses. At first they hit him hard, causing him to feel pain from all the new senses. From the sights, sounds, and smells, it almost overloaded his system.

Thankfully, Hikari had told him what to do to help limit this. When he was working with his sight, he would blindfold himself with a few layers of torn clothe. Then, he would slowly start to unwrap them, and let his eyes get used to the light. This of course wasn’t too hard at night, but it hurt like hell during the day. He managed to get the full use of his new eyes halfway through the first week. One of the first things he noticed with his enhanced sight, was that he saw things in greater detail. He could see the texture of the tree bark, and the veins of the leaves. He also noticed that at night, things were as clear as day to him.

All of this was amazing to him. He was enjoying being able to see in such detail. He found that he could focus, and zoom in. He was able to see things that were several feet, and yards ahead of him perfectly clear. He also found out that he could almost see a greater distance away. How far he was never sure, but he knew with enough focus he could see a LONG way.

He next worked with his hearing. Hikari warned him it would hurt, and it would be overwhelming. So before starting he once again, used the torn clothe to put in his ears. Once done, Hikari enhanced his hearing. At once he could hear all kinds of sounds. Sounds that no normal human could hear. From the sound of things crawling and digging in the dirt beneath him, to the sounds of bugs crawling across the trees. He could even hear the snoring of Anko in the camp, and the sound of a river that was no where near them.

Hikari started to tell him to block things out, to focus on one sound. This helped to filter the other noises out, and slowly from there he got used to it. He let himself become more aware of the things around him. He could hear things right around him. The bugs crawling, squirming, flying around. He could hear the wind blowing through his hair, and the undergrowth.

He slowly started to hear the sounds of the campsite better, and the sound of the river. He listened to each sound, and sorted them away. Almost into a mental filing cabinet, for future uses. This way he would remember the sounds for future uses, and be able to identify them.

He gradually took the clothe pieces out, and braced himself for the sounds once again. This time it didn’t hit him as hard, and he managed to adjust to it quicker. By the time he was done, he noticed it was almost dawn. He quickly hurried back to the campsite, and jumped into his bag.

With his hearing, he noticed the same things as with his sight. When he focuses on a sound, he could hear it perfectly, and was able to tell from which direction it was coming from. He experimented with it some too. During the day, he listened to things while they walked. He noticed he could hear the heartbeats of everyone around them. He could hear the breathes leaving each person as the breathed out and in. He was able to heart all the animals in the woods around them, and hear Ibiki grumbling about Anko’s behavior at times when he went to bathe.

After taking a few days to rest, he got ready to train with his next enhanced sense, smell. This one Hikari, and Naruto decided to do during the day first. When Hikari triggered it, his nose was over loaded will all the scents coming into it.

He smelled the moist dirt of the ground around the path. The smell of all sorts of animal excrements. Those he quickly tried to ignore. He could smell the dango, which she hadn’t had in weeks, Naruto asked her. He could smell the sake that both Ibiki and Anko would drink at night sometimes. All of these things were new to him. He could even smell blood, from a fresh kill in the woods.

When it came time to kill something for dinner, the smell of blood nearly overwhelmed his new ability. He quickly got it under control, and learned from Hikari that it could become extremely useful as a Ninja. The scent of dinner cooking was enough to make him drool, just thinking about how great the food would be.

A normal three or four day trip at ninja speed, which was jumping from tree to tree at high speeds, turned into a two and a half week trip. This is partly from the stops for three meals a day, and the training of Naruto. None of the three cared though. They all enjoyed the time together.

Naruto got to see sides of Ibiki and Anko, that not many people have seen before. He learned that Ibiki was a great cook, able to make anything they found out in the woods a meal worthy of any restaurant in Konoha.

Anko was also a different person out here. She was more light hearted, and carefree. She seemed to be an entirely different person from the one he had seen in the city. She was more open with her feelings, and she even told Naruto a little of her past slowly, and told things to him that she never really told to others.

Both Ibiki and Anko were also surprised at the changes in themselves and each other. Ibiki had never acted this way before, at least not in front of any one. The same applied with Anko, she never let anyone see this side of her. She was afraid people would see it as a weakness for her, and try to take advantage of it.

Both were surprised in the changes from the other person. But they both knew that only one person was responsible for this change. Uzumaki Naruto. Ibiki and Anko were happy, for once they could drop the masks they would wear in front of everyone in the village. For once they could be themselves, and relax a little. They were both enjoying this time together with Naruto.

After two and a half weeks of travel, they were at the coast finally. They were in a small village, that offered services for crossing over to the small island country of Wave Country. Shortly after they arrived, they managed to get on a boat, and head across to the first island that made up Wave Country. When they arrived, they were in a small village, that still seemed to be doing good for itself. Once there Ibiki and Anko decided on getting a couple of rooms at an Inn for the night. Once they had settled in, Naruto let them in on some news.

Waving his hands to get their attention, he started to write, “I have to go alone from here. I can’t say where I am going, since I don’t want to risk you following me. I’m not sure how long I will be gone, but at the most a week should be enough. I’m going to need to take some things with me. Food, water, the usual things. Who knows, I might be able to talk Hikari-nee-chan to let me bring some things back besides what I am looking for.

“So I’ll see you guys in a week, don’t get into any trouble with out me!”. Naruto had to add his little fox like smile at this. He knew they could handle themselves, but he wanted to see them fight, since he had only been able to see them do little things with their skills.

During the trip, they had to increase the weight some more, from all the training in the morning, and at night, Naruto was able to quickly adapt to the weight load. So they ended up boosting his load to five pound weights in each pocket on his arms and legs, bringing him up to eighty pounds.

Naruto was almost able to move just as freely with this weight now, and had promised Anko that he would continue the morning work out. So Hikari had little doubt he would be in much trouble should he have to run. If he was, he still had the Kitsune Illusion that could protect him.

Over the last few weeks, Naruto had also been working on that technique, and was almost able to use it at will a 1/4th of the time he wanted to. Other times it would still only work when he was afraid or in danger.

After he was given food, water, and some money, he headed out to the forest outside of the village. Once there, he walked for about thirty minutes, before heading back towards the coast. When he got back to the coast, he followed the shoreline north, till he could see a second island. By this time it was nearly night, and Naruto stopped and did his nighttime exercises, and had a cold meal.

He continued this path for two more days, he even took short runs, Hikari told him to do this, till at last he was at the northern most point of Wave Country. From there he went into the woods once again, and looked around for, and listened for a waterfall. He looked for almost two hours before he finally heard, and smelled the waterfall.

Walking towards it, Hikari had some final words of warning.

“Otouto, be careful. I have no idea what may have moved into this lair since I last left it. The last time I was here was nearly a hundred years ago. In that time, a number of lesser demons could have come, or better yet, another Demon Lord. So…”

'How is another DEMON LORD moving in supposed to be BETTER! That could cause all sorts of problems for me. They could try to KILL ME!. What am I supposed to do then?'

“Calm down, I was fairly well liked among the other Lords, so when they feel my power coming from you, they should not do anything. If they do… Then we might have to do something I’ve wanted to hold off on. Let’s just hope no one decided to move in ok. Don’t think of anything else.”

Naruto couldn’t help BUT to think about what could happen if another Lord was in the Lair. While walking to the waterfall, he had not noticed anything out of the ordinary. No Genjutsu, no strange animals, markings, scents, or anything. What if someone found a way to break through? What if another Lord was inside.. What would he do..

“I know you are scared, but trust me. The reason you did not see any Genjutsu is because I am with you. With me inside of you, and my power in you, it will not affect you. So don’t get too worked up about that. It is nothing to worry about.”

With those last words, Naruto nodded his head, and walked towards the cliff wall. Once there, he turned towards the waterfall, and walked to it. At first, even with his enhanced vision, he could not see anything. But as he got closer he could see a cave behind the falls. Finally he was at the falls, and inched on the small ledge behind it. He was careful to stay right up against the wall, that was until he fell backwards into the cave opening.

'Damn it.. I wish you would have said something Nee-chan.'

Naruto pulled himself up, and pulled a lantern out from his pack. Lighting it with a flint rock, just like Ibiki taught him, he walked further into the cave.

Naruto had no idea how long he walked, but he noticed that he could no longer smell and hear the waterfall. All he could smell was stale air, and dust. Even the air tasted dusted when he opened his mouth to breathe.

After walking for who knows how long, he finally came to a wide chamber. Once there he followed the instructions given to him.

“Naruto, first thing you need to do is head to the wall on the right. There should be a groove in the wall there. Get your flint out, and make a spark in the groove, and jump back as fast as you can. Thankfully, the groove is at the same level as your arms stretched out above you all the way. Hurry up, and remember, jump back after you make the spark.”

Naruto walked to his right, and reached his hands up. Feeling along the wall, and stretching, he found the groove. He reached into his pack, and pulled out his flint. Reaching up again, and remembering the words, he make a quick strike with the flint, and jumped back as fast as he could.

The second the spark hit the groove, it came to life. Fire raced along the groove, and throughout the cave. Some of the lines of fire raced across the ceiling, forming intricate designs. Others did the same, racing along the walls, and down halls, going deeper into the cave, all sweeping around, forming designs. Naruto stood there amazed at the sight before him.

On the wall was the symbol for Light, or Hikari. On the ceiling of the cave, there was the design of a nine-tailed fox outlined in fire. On another wall, that had no fire racing around it, was an ornate tapestry. On the tapestry was a golden nine-tailed fox, standing over a small village. The villagers were gathered around the fox, all looking happy, almost as if they were celebrating something. Each villager had their arms raised into the air, with gifts placed upon them.

“Ah, I remember that village. I was the protector of them.. They were a small village, who only wished to live in peace, and asked for nothing else. They would live off of the land, and what they took from the land, they also gave back. The villagers would pay their respects to each thing. If they killed wild game, they would pray for it’s soul to travel safely, and thank it for allowing them to kill it.

"They thanked the clouds when rain came, and watered their crops. They were a very spiritual group of people. I respected them for that. They led a simple life, and were kind to everyone who came to their village. They were the ideal group of humans.. If the world was covered in them, there would never had been a need for some of the destruction that was done..

"They worshipped me, and thanked me. They even gave me gifts, some of which are still here in this cave today. Weapons, robes, fine silks, just about anything, including food. They were some of the only humans I ever walked around in front of while in my human form…

"But enough about memory lane, we need to find another gift that they gave to me. Aside from all the things a girl could want, or a god being worshipped wanted, they gave me things to keep safe. I would store things for them, things they wished to never be destroyed. One of those would happen to be the scrolls for Sign Language. They should be along the wall, under the tapestry. Be careful with them though, they are old, and could fall apart if not handled properly.”

Naruto walked over to the wall, and looked around. He saw shelves there, and large piles of gold and silver. He also saw things he had never seen before, pieces of metal, or so he guessed, that he could not describe. He continued to look around, but still found nothing.

'Ano, Nee-chan, I don’t see any scrolls. I see gold, silver, some other strange metals. I also see weapons, and armor, as well as clothes.. But I do not see any scrolls.'

“Then I am sorry Otouto.. It seems someone must have come and taken the scrolls. I wish they would let me know when they do things like this. They could have at least left a note or something.. Of all the inconsiderate things a demon could do.. Borrowing things without asking, and not leave a note to let me know where it is.. I bet you Ragnarok did this, he always does things like this, I know he must have been the one to do it.

"Damn dragons and always wanting to learn things.. They will never be happy till they know all there is to know about the world.. Oh, I am sorry Naruto.. Even I am prone to temper tantrums. I just get pissed when people take things like this without asking, saying, or leaving a note.. Now we have no idea where it might be. Ok, so scratch that plan. We may have to go awhile with out you being able to talk, you might have to write everything down..”

Here she could tell Naruto was starting to get upset.

“I truly am sorry I wish there was something else I could do for you. I will think about things we could do.. But I can not make any promises for you right now. I wouldn’t want to get your hopes up too much.”

'I.. I understand Nee-chan.. I just wish there was something else we could do.. I don’t want to go through the rest of my life without a voice.. I know I am going to get picked on, and who knows what other trouble I might get into.. I just want to be able to talk to people.. I want to tell Anko-nee-chan, and Ibiki-aniki.. I want to talk to them, and call out to them.. I know it must be frustrating for them to have to stop everything just to read something that I want to say.'

Naruto broke down in tears here, silently sobbing to himself. Thinking he would never be able to say the many things he wanted to say to his family, and maybe his friends when he got them.

“Otouto.. Please don’t cry, we will find a way to fix this problem. It just might take some time. People will pick on you, but you have to remember, you have Ibiki, Anko, and myself that will always be there for you. No matter what we do, or you may do, none of us will see it as a burden. We will always love you, no matter what happens. Nothing will change that.

"You just need to be strong. Know that we will be there, if not in person, then in your mind, and in your heart. Know, that we will do anything for you. We care for you, and nothing you do will change that. Even if Anko and Ibiki have to read what you say to them, they will still love you the same they do now. So please cheer up.. When I see you crying, it makes me want to cry with you..”

'I’m sorry Nee-chan.. I just don’t know if I can handle it.. I don’t know if I will be able to become a good ninja now. I want to do my best, but like this I don’t know if I can.'

“Now you are just being foolish Naruto. I know you can do it. Ibiki and Anko, even the Hokage believe that you can do it. We all believe you can, and we will all help you how ever we can. All that needs to be done is for YOU to believe in yourself, and never stop believing. Do everything you can to reach for that dream. Do not let anything get in your way. Don’t doubt yourself, or anything. Doing that, you will never become what you dreamed of. Once you have a dream, you can’t give it up because of something like this. You have to fight for it, with every thing you have. Once you reached it, you hold onto it with everything you have, and never give up on it. You protect your dream, willing to give up your own life for it.

"I can tell you now, that is what the Yondaime did. He dreamed of keeping the Leaf village safe. He loved his village, and the people inside of it. He gave his life to stop me, and I’m sure he wouldn’t expect anything less from the person he selected PERSONALY to be my cage. He would expect them to do the same.

"Now enough of this, we should be heading back now. I’m sure Ibiki and Anko are waiting for us. We may not have found what we wanted, but we have done a great deal on this trip. You’ve learned how to use your new senses, as well as how much Ibiki and Anko both care for you. I think that is more then enough treasure for this trip.. But, I suppose if anything I can tell you where some nice goodies are to take back. Some of the things I mention will be useful for you one day, and may even be needed.”

With those final words, Hikari guided Naruto through the maze of tunnels, and pointed out things for him to take. After that she told him how to extinguish the flames that went throughout the cave. Naruto wasted no time after that in heading back to the small village where he left Ibiki and Anko.


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3 days after Naruto left Hikari’s Lair.

Along the way back, Naruto’ mood slowly got better. He began to see the truth of the words Hikari spoke to him. His spirits started to rise, and he enjoyed his training more and more. He would run, as fast as possible for short distances. This helped to build his endurance, and stamina, along with his strength with the weights on him.

By now Naruto was completely use to the weights he had on, and had to remember to take them off, instead of being able to tell right away, when he went to take baths in springs and small rivers. He continued the training Anko gave him, and Hikari had him increase it. Instead of just 10 pushups and sit ups, she had him doing triple. The same happened with his jumping jacks.

Now, all of this might not seem like much to most people, but to a five year old, who was only used to running from angry mobs, this was new to him, and tired him out the first few days he did it. After that he started to get used to the strain that was put on his muscles.

He would also talk with Hikari some when he had some down time, or when training. This was mostly to help him learn to multi-task, even though he had no idea what he was doing. Hikari would often just start talking with him about anything, or ask him questions about the things Ibiki had taught him. During the time though, he never got much practice with his shuriken and kunai. He only had a few “live” ones that he could use to help him hunt and fish, from there he worked on the other skills Anko showed him for a kunai.

After the three days, Naruto was back at the small coastal village, and dragging himself down the street. He had run for most of the day, and he could feel it now. It was about mid-day, and he was dead tired. He slowly made his way back to the Inn he had last seen Anko and Ibiki at.

As he got to the Inn, he walked in and started to head up the stairs to his room. Before he got halfway up, he heard his named called out from below.

“Oh Naruto-kun, thinking about heading to the room without saying “Hi” to your big sister? Get your scrawny butt down here you little brat!” shouted