a/n: Well everyone, here's your Christmas present. My muse was being so cooperative when I wrote the last chapter that I ended up starting on the next chapter as well. And after everyone screamed about me leaving you with such an evil cliffhanger, I had to finish it for you before the holiday. Oh, and a big THANK YOU! Your reviews always make my day. This story wouldn't be what it is without you. I swear there are times when I come up with an idea in my head and I just feel like everyone's gonna be scratching their heads and saying "yeah that Sesshy's gone off the deep end now." But then once I post it, you like it. Hmm…maybe I should stop second guessing myself. (which I have to admit I've done that about 50 times on this new chapter.)

I don't know if this idea (at least the way I'm having it happen) has been done before or not. But I think this little confrontation is something that needs to happen. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Warning: Spoilers for future manga chapters. I think I'll just keep this warning up from now on, just in case.

Ch. 20 - Father and Son

Thoughts: 'blah blah'

Speaking: "blah blah"

When the poof of smoke cleared, Naruto was out cold on the floor. Sasuke scrambled over to him and shook him lightly. "Naruto...Hey, Naruto."

He smacked him lightly a couple of times. "Naruto!" His heartbeat sped up. He wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't risk taking him to the hospital and exposing who they were. Besides, he didn't even know what was wrong. He hated not being in control.

"What the hell was in that scroll?" he muttered as he reached for the scroll that had fallen next to Naruto. He turned on his sharingan and looked at the contents. The characters were glowing. So somehow the seal had activated. But for what purpose? He tried to remember what Naruto had told him about seals. But nothing was coming to mind that could help in this situation.

He stared a moment longer at the glowing seal before he looked back at his friend. He took a deep breath and let it out. He needed to stay calm and think. It was opened with Naruto's blood, which meant it couldn't have been tampered with. He glanced at the seal on the scroll again. The Yondaime was a sealmaster after all. Maybe he planned something for when Naruto found out the truth.

He sighed and rubbed his temples. Just thinking about it was giving him a headache.

Sasuke finally decided he'd give it a day. Any longer and he'd have to consider taking him to the hospital.

Stupid dobe...making him worry.

In the distance Naruto saw a glow. He stood up and slowly walked toward the light, feeling like he was in a dream. When he finally reached the light at the proverbial end of the tunnel, he found out it wasn't a light at all.

It was a man.

Blond hair, blue eyes, bright smile, white coat with flames...

It was him.

"So, we finally meet my son."

Naruto's mouth dropped open. He pinched himself, but the image was still there. 'Genjutsu?' He tried to break it, to no avail. He warily stayed back, his eyes narrowed on the figure in front of him. "Hell no...this can't be," He mumbled to himself. His eyes widened at hearing his normal voice again and not that of a female. He looked down and saw his appearance was back to normal.

"Don't worry, I'm real. Well, about as real as a shadow clone can be." Naruto shook his head vigorously.

"That's not possible. The Yondaime is dead. There's no way a shadow clone could live without chakra."

"So true, but here I am." He gave a small bow and a grin.

Naruto clenched his hands into fists at his sides. His emotions were spiraling out of control. This couldn't be real. This had to be a joke. Whatever this was, he was not amused. "I don't know how you brought me here, but whoever you are, cut the crap and let me go."

"Naruto, you know as well as I do that this is no joke. Your blood brought you here. That should be proof enough." Naruto's shoulders stiffened at that. "And I could let you out of this, but then you'd never get your questions answered would you?"

Naruto's temper immediately flared and he growled at the man who stood before him. "You're an illusion, why should I bother?"

"Because you're my son. I thought you'd like to meet me."

"Well maybe you thought wrong!" He snapped in reply. With a sigh he ran his hand through his hair and started pacing. "Why are you here? What do you want from me?" The Yondaime gave him a smile.

"I wanted you to have the chance to get to know me. And...I...well, I thought I could get to know you as well."

Naruto closed his eyes. Once upon a time, this would've been a dream come true – to meet and talk to the Yondaime. But now...

He wanted this to be a trick. He really did... He knew it wasn't. And he really wasn't too sure how he felt about it. He was torn between being happy and being pissed off enough to punch him. But he was afraid the clone would disappear. The truth is, his father was right...he wanted answers.

But how could he pull something like this off? The man had been dead for 18 years. The shadow clone should have ceased to exist the moment he died. As much as he might be angry and confused about being here, he was still a sucker for a new jutsu. His curiosity needed to be sated. "How did you do this?" he muttered.

The older blond tilted his head to the side much like Naruto did so often. "Do what?"

"THIS!" He gestured at him and threw his arms out to the sides to indicate their indistinct location and the supposed shadow clone, "How did you do it? You're dead! You shouldn't be here. How is this possible?"

Minato crossed his arms over his chest and smirked. "Oh, just a little trick I came up with. You see, I sealed enough chakra, along with the right seals, for one shadow clone to appear in this place the very moment you use your blood to unseal the scroll. This clone has every memory of mine and enough chakra for a full 24 hours."

Naruto's eyes widened at the ingenious idea. He was going to have to try that one day. "So...what is this place?" he asked, unable to mask the wonder in his voice.

"Not sure really. I didn't have enough time to conjure up some great place in my head, so this is what we get I guess. Sorry if it's too boring." The Yondaime clone shrugged nonchalantly like it wasn't a big deal and took a seat on what was assumed to be a floor. It was too dark to tell. Yet, somehow the two blonds could see each other perfectly, almost as if there was a spotlight on the two of them alone. He stretched his long legs before crossing them and relaxing. "Anyway, you and I have the next 24 hours here to do whatever we want. You can ask me anything you want. And I can get to know you a bit, as well." Naruto frowned and looked away.

"Che...Like it would really matter? I mean, it's not like the real you will get the memories of this when you disappear."

"Are you sure about that?" Minato asked with a grin. Naruto leaned his head to the side and scratched his head in confusion. What the hell was this man on? He knew better than anyone how clones worked since it was practically his signature move. Where were the memories supposed to go when the person was already dead?

"You do know you're dead right? There's no head for the memories to go back to." Naruto sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. This whole not-so-happy reunion was giving him a headache.

"Well, if you want to be technical about it, I'm not actually dead. I'm just forever stuck in the shinigami's stomach."

"Same difference." Naruto mumbled.

"Not really. You haven't studied shinigami much have you?"

"Oh sure, that's right up there with my study of demons since you sealed one inside me." Naruto replied sarcastically.

The older blond nodded. That was what he was waiting for. It didn't take much time for him to figure out that his son held some resentment that needed to be dealt with. He could see it in the way the teen looked at him. He sighed. "Look, I can understand your resentment..."

"Like hell you can!" Naruto yelled and glared daggers at the man. "You don't know a thing about me. You never saw my life. You have no idea what I've gone through because you weren't there. Don't talk to me like you know me. You have no clue what I had to deal with because of the Kyuubi. "

"Naruto..."

"DON'T! The worst part of it is I didn't even get a choice. You placed this...this burden on me and expected me to live with it. Then, somehow in your convoluted brain, you dreamed up this whole happy-go-lucky scenario of everyone in Konoha treating me like a normal human being. These same people who had just watched their leader die...these people who had lost their families, their friends and teammates, and their homes to that demon...and yet you somehow expected them to see ME, who said demon was sealed into, as a hero, just because you asked them to? What the hell were you thinking?"

Minato sighed sadly and looked down. He had always hoped the village would abide by his wishes that he had left through Sarutobi. But he knew the possibility existed that, despite his wishes, things would not go that way. Well, he knew the truth now...obviously Naruto wasn't treated as well as he hoped. He hated knowing his son's life hadn't been a happy one.

"You're angry. You have every right to be. But please, allow me the chance to explain. I'll tell you everything. But, you'll have to be willing to listen. That's all I ask. Alright?"

Naruto sighed and paced a few seconds before finally taking a seat on the floor with his arms crossed. "Fine."

"Ok then." He took a deep breath and let it out, readying himself for an interrogation. "Ask away."

"Why?" Minato didn't have to ask him to elaborate. He wasn't surprised that was the first question Naruto would ask.

"I didn't have a choice."

Naruto snorted. "Of course you had a choice. There's always another choice, you just didn't take it."

"Son, you have to understand. Time was short. There were very few options available. You've felt, to some extent, the Kyuubi's power. Even with every ninja in the village, we had no chance of defeating it. The village was being destroyed, people were dying all around me. It was supposed to be one of the happiest times of my life, being there for the birth of my son. Instead, I was doing my duty. Despite how I might have felt, I had the responsibility of keeping Konoha safe. I had a duty to fulfill."

"Even if it meant sacrificing your own son and abandoning him?"

"It sounds callous, but yes."

"But why me?"

"I have a feeling that, deep down, you already know the answer to that. The old man would've told you that much, even if he didn't tell you anything else." He was right. He watched the younger blond's shoulders slump. Minato's eyes filled with sorrow. "Naruto, you have no idea how hard I tried - we tried - to find something different. We poured over every bit of research at our disposal from the moment the Kyuubi first appeared outside of Konoha. But, in the end, there was no other way. The only thing that had a chance was the Shiki Fuujin seal and the Hakke no Fuuin Shiki technique. I hated it, but there was nothing else that would work. Maybe if I had been given more time, who knows... And, as you know, you were the only child born that day."

There was a moment of silence as Naruto digested the information. Minato silently watched and waited. He knew that Naruto wasn't done.

"If you could have, would you have...used someone else?" Naruto asked softly as he looked into the blue eyes that so closely matched his own. Sadly, he saw the answer reflected in the man's eyes before he ever heard the answer.

"No."

Naruto was silent as he looked down into his lap.

"Let me explain it this way. I want you to think of all of your friends, whoever they are. Think of every single one of them by name."

Naruto thought of Sasuke, Sakura, and the rest of his friends.

"Now imagine they have children of their own or are about to have a child. Imagine you are about to be a parent yourself. Could you take their child away? Could you seal a dangerous demon inside their child? Would you really be able to walk up to your closest friend and ask them to give up their child for the greater good of the village and not be willing to do the same?"

Naruto closed his eyes. He thought of Kurenai-sensei who already had a child. He thought of Sakura and Lee…Kiba and Hinata. Even Sasuke. Could he really ask any one of them to give up their child? Any anger he still had left toward his father deflated at the thought. There was no way...His honor wouldn't allow it. When he finally opened his eyes and looked at his father, it was with a different perspective.

"You understand now?" Naruto slowly nodded. "I could never be so selfish as to ask someone to make that kind of sacrifice for the sake of having the life that I wanted. No matter how much I might have looked forward to being a father, watching you grow up, training with you, I couldn't ask someone else to hand over their child. For what it's worth...I'm sorry. I wish I could've been there for you. But at least you had your mother to watch over you."

Naruto gasped, instantly reminded of what the Sandaime had written. He didn't know. Naruto was suddenly thrust into the role of the bearer of bad news.

"No...I didn't." Older blue eyes went wide in shock.

"What?" he whispered.

"She...she died..."

Minato bit his lip much like Naruto does at times. "When?"

Naruto looked away. He almost didn't want to tell the man the truth. He knew how Minato would feel. It's what he had just felt himself when he found out the truth about the Uchiha clan.

Guilty.

"The same night."

Minato closed his eyes and tried to calm his shaking hands. "...No." Immediately, he felt such overwhelming guilt. If he wasn't already dead, he would've wanted to die. "No wonder you hated me. It's my fault...I should've protected her...I should've-"

"Stop." A hand closed over his clenching one. He looked up to see his son kneeling directly in front of him.

"It's no use feeling guilty over something you had no control over." Naruto started. He then shrugged and smiled softly. "Words of wisdom I just got from a friend a while ago."

"Naruto-"

"And I don't hate you. I never did."

Father and son stared into each others eyes. In that one moment, everything was forgiven. The same way Naruto forgave the Sandaime for not telling him the truth. The same way he constantly forgave the villagers for their blind hatred.

Minato shifted to his knees. Then he finally did the one thing he had always wished to do, but thought he would never be able to. He slowly wrapped his arms around his nearly adult son. But nothing prepared him for how he felt when strong arms hesitantly wrapped around him as well.

Neither one was sure who let out the first sob.

But it led to apologies, tears, and finally, smiles as father and son connected. When both of them were calm and collected again, Minato made himself comfortable, this time with his son at his side. Both of them had matching blushes for the tearful display.

He propped his elbows on his knees and put his chin in his hands. "You know, there was another reason I chose you to carry this burden. You were...are...my son. You're a Namikaze and an Uzumaki. I knew you would be strong...and stubborn. If anyone would have the strength to deal with adversity, it would be you Naruto. Was I wrong?"

Naruto shook his head. Sure, it had been difficult at times, he'd had to deal with the jeers, of being held back, and had to play the idiot. There were many tears of sorrow and frustration, but he had never allowed anyone or anything to break him completely.

"I had planned on Kushina being alive to take care of you when I was gone. I never thought you would end up alone."

"What was she like?" Naruto crossed his legs and placed his elbows on them to prop up his face, much like a child about to hear a story. At that moment, father and son looked like mirror images.

"Your mother was beautiful, smart, funny, loud, brash. A total tomboy. But she had a heart of gold. She always wanted to help people. Did I mention she was stubborn? She turned me down for weeks before she finally relented and went out with me. But after that night, I knew there was no one else for me. She was my soulmate. She had the most beautiful red hair. When she was pregnant with you, she let it grow out. It fell down her back to her waist and I loved running my hands through every inch of it. We were so excited when we found out we were going to be parents. I used to talk to you every night in her stomach. We had gotten the whole nursery set up...painted it blue. She was always coming back with more baby clothes. She had laughed at me when I was having trouble putting the crib together..."

Naruto smiled at the thought of being loved by two parents. A tear he didn't even notice slowly trickled down his cheek. He wasn't just some no-name orphan anymore. He had a family...A family that loved him.

"You might look like me, but just in the short time you've been here, I see her in you. In your smile...your stubborn nature. You're loud and boisterous just like her. And you definitely have her temper." Minato chuckled at that. "She was a hell of a ninja. I bet you're probably quite a shinobi yourself with both of our genes."

Naruto grinned. He was happy to know he had some characteristics of both of his parents.

"So what about you son? Tell me about yourself."

The smile turned a bit strained. Minato noticed. "What?"

"I...Are you sure you want to know? I mean...things weren't..." Naruto trailed off.

"Tell me whatever you want. Good, bad, ugly...I just want to know everything about you. This is the only chance I'll have."

"A-Alright."

And so Naruto started from the beginning.

Sasuke was reading the rest of his brother's file, when he first felt it. He shook it off the first time and kept reading. Then he felt it again and gasped. Such deep resentment, anger, and sadness seemed to go through him without a cause. He gripped his black shirt where his heart would be. Why would he feel this way? He didn't have any reason for it anymore. He wasn't angry. He didn't resent his brother. The only emotion he could probably identify with right now was sadness. So what was going on?

And then his mind flashed back to two days ago. In the midst of Konoha's chaos, he had forgotten.

"...if we mix our blood, when the seal is activated and the tattoo is bonded to our skin we'd be connected to each other...it could cause us to feel each other's emotions under times of stress..."

His head turned slowly to look down at his unconscious counterpart. Were these Naruto's emotions he was feeling?

'What is going on in that head of yours dobe?'

He glanced over at Naruto's file still sitting on the ground. It was huge compared to his and Itachi's. In fact, if he put both Uchiha files together it still would be smaller than Naruto's. He was curious. He knew enough about Itachi now, and he didn't need to read his own file since he knew what was in it. So, he grabbed the file and started flipping through it. Maybe the dobe would be awake by the time he finished.

And just maybe when he was finished, he would truly know what it was like to be Uzumaki Naruto.

Nothing had prepared Minato for the stories he was told by his son. He was given a first person account of a life that no child should ever have. Almost the entire village continually took out their grief on an innocent child. No one deserved what Naruto had been put through. And these were the people he had sacrificed his life and the normal life of his son for?

He wasn't just angry...He was livid.

Deep down, he knew he wouldn't change a thing he had done, but still, as a father, he wanted to go back and change things for the better. He'd love to have a go at the council...and maybe at all those ungrateful people, as well.

He understood now, more than before, why Naruto had been so angry at him. It was remarkable that he didn't hate him. That he could smile at all was a miracle.

"Oh by the way, I learned the rasengan in a week." Minato blinked and shook away his negative thoughts. He had to have heard that wrong.

"Excuse me? Did you say a week?"

"Yep." Naruto grinned.

"Impossible! Are you kidding me? It took me years to create that jutsu and you learned it in a week?" Naruto grinned smugly.

"AND I finished it."

"You mean...you added an element? It actually works?" Minato was impressed. He thought it would work...in theory. But he could never put it into practice.

"Yeah, I added wind chakra. It's called rasen shuriken. It's wicked cool! Though, Baa-chan forbade me from using it anymore after it almost destroyed my arm. It pretty much destroys a person's chakra system altogether."

"Wow." Minato was so proud. His son had surpassed him. Not surprising really. He was happy that his son had grown up to be so strong even without the proper direction.

"Yep." Naruto didn't know why, but he felt almost giddy at being able to tell his father that he had finished what he had started. It made him feel like they accomplished something together, even if he hadn't been there to see it.

"So what else do you know?"

"Well I have a bunch of different versions of the rasengan, I already told you how I learned the shadow clone jutsu, I taught myself seals..."

"Ah...just like your old man eh?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I also picked up water as a second element."

"I'm not surprised. That was your mother's element. I wouldn't be surprised if you added lightning to your list in a few years. It was my element after all."

"Really? Sasuke would be so pissed to find out that I could learn all his lightning jutsus." Naruto was excited at that prospect.

"Oh, and I left you all of my jutsus as well as your mother's, and a bunch of unfinished seals if you ever get around to them."

"All your jutsus?" Naruto's eyes glazed over at the thought of learning all of the Yondaime's prized jutsus.

"Yes." He laughed aloud. It seemed Naruto had inherited his excitement at learning new jutsus. "So tell me what happened after you left Konoha."

"Oh yeah... Well, I traveled around a lot. Kinda like Ero-sennin-"

"Ero-sennin? You mean Jiraiya-sensei?" Naruto grinned. Minato laughed. "Oh that's great! You call him that? I wish I had thought of that."

"Yep, he always acted like he hated it...but I think he secretly liked it. Anyways, I traveled around. It was fun, but it was a bit lonely at times. I eventually settled in a place in Bird Country. I figured no one would find me there. It was nice to just be normal, you know? Nobody avoided me, I could eat or shop wherever I wanted. I met a girl there who I've been training."

"Ohh...met a girl huh?" Minato grinned and waggled his eyebrows. Naruto glared.

"Not like that! She's 13! I'm no pervert!" The older blond shrugged.

"And? You act like that's a big difference."

"It is!"

"It won't be eventually." Minato chuckled at the look on Naruto's face. "Ok ok, I'll stop teasing."

Naruto crossed his arms and turned his face away with a huff. "Hmph."

"So I guess that means there's no girlfriend for me to tease you about huh?"

"Nah. Well, I did used to have a crush on Sakura, my teammate. She never saw me that way though, no matter what I did. We eventually became more like siblings. She's getting married soon. Then there's Hinata, she had a crush on me for the longest, but I didn't like her that way. She finally went out with my other friend Kiba though, so I guess she finally got over me. I'm glad she found someone else. Besides, I guess I was so busy focusing on going after Sasuke that I didn't really think much about going out with any girls."

"He means that much to you huh?" Minato had an interesting suspicion that was starting to form in his mind. Naruto smiled...really smiled.

"He's my best friend. I know he was a traitor and that he even tried to kill me more than once. Most of my friends thought I was stupid for wanting him back. But I just knew deep down that no matter what he said, we were still friends. He didn't kill me, so that had to mean something, right? And I didn't want to give up on him like just about everyone else. I'm glad I didn't, because we're back together again like it used to be. He's still a bastard, of course, but I'm used to it. I probably know him better than anyone in Konoha. Even his stalker fangirls."

"Wait til you're back in Konoha. You'll probably have your own share of fangirls like I did."

"Yeah right, no one wants to go out with the Kyuubi kid."

"Hey!" Minato smacked Naruto lightly upside the head. "Don't think like that. If a person thinks that shallowly, you're better off without her. Besides you're too much like your old man not to have people all over you wanting attention." He elbowed his son in the side and watched Naruto shudder at that thought.

"Oh man, I hope not. Those girls are crazy! Eh, it doesn't matter much. Most of the girls I know are taken anyway. I'd rather just hang out with Sasuke." Naruto shrugged nonchalantly. "I feel kinda bad for him though. At least I'm not hellbent on restarting the clan like him. I'm kinda wondering how he'll pull that off, though. He practically runs from every girl that comes near him."

The two of them both laughed at that.

Sasuke suddenly sneezed. 'Where the hell did that come from?' Then he felt a rush of happiness flood through him. "Dobe, what the hell are you doing?" he muttered.

He sighed and looked back down at Naruto's file. He found out more about his best friend in the last few hours than he ever wanted to. He confirmed everything he'd been told about the council. He stopped reading medical records by the time it got up to where they became genin together. The sheer amount of times he'd been admitted due to various unexplained injuries before he became a ninja was staggering. He wondered how Naruto could even smile at all, mask or not. He'd have happily destroyed everyone without a second thought for that kind of mistreatment.

But that's what made Naruto different.

It's what made him love the idiot...in a best friend kind of way, of course.

"So, your dream is really to become hokage?"

"Yeah...well, it was. I don't know if it'll ever happen now. Truthfully, I'm not sure if I even want it anymore...not the way things are now."

"Well, you and Sasuke are planning to make things right, correct?"

"Sure, but..."

"You shouldn't give up. You've never given up in all this time, don't start now." He ruffled the blond spikes and grinned proudly at his son. But the smile suddenly disappeared. "Oh damn."

"What? What's the matter?"

"Time's up."

"Already? It can't be 24 hours already."

"I guess it's true that time flies when you're having fun." Minato smiled sadly.

Naruto sighed. There was so much more he wanted to talk about, ask about, so much more he wanted - no needed - to know. One day wasn't enough time. "I wish...I wish we had more time...dad."

Minato smile turned happy at the new label. "Me too, son."

"So, what happens now?"

"Well, the moment I disappear, you go back to the real world." He rubbed the back of his head much like the younger version of himself and muttered to himself. "At least in theory...I never got a chance to test it."

Unfortunately, Naruto heard him and his mouth dropped open. "You've never done this before? Are you crazy? You could get me stuck here!" Minato waved his hand dismissively. Naruto was suddenly reminded of a certain silver-haired sensei.

"Nah, I doubt it. I checked everything over before I sealed the scroll." Naruto looked a bit skeptical. Minato chuckled. "Don't worry kid, it'll be fine...really."

"It better be." Naruto muttered so his father wouldn't hear. Minato placed his hands on Naruto's shoulders.

"I'm proud of you Naruto. You're a great person and a great shinobi. I know you'll make a fine hokage one day."

Naruto swallowed and nodded, trying not to tear up.

"Oh...one more thing." Minato added as he stepped away from Naruto.

"Yeah?"

"Make sure you tell Sasuke." He said cryptically.

"Huh? Tell him what?"

Minato chuckled and gave his son a wink. "You'll figure it out one day."

And then he was gone, replaced by smoke.

Naruto blinked his eyes open.

Sasuke was sleeping peacefully on Naruto's chest. He had needed a nap after so much reading. There was no pillow and the female chest was the closest thing he could get to one. But what started as a nap had become a deep sleep.

Naruto opened his eyes and moaned as his head spun a bit and his eyes tried to focus. He felt a weight on his chest and looked, surprised to see a brown head on his now back to somewhat ample chest. He had gotten used to seeing his normal body again in the last 24 hours. It would be strange being back in a female body again.

The teme had a crease in his brow like something was troubling him, even in sleep. Naruto brushed his finger over the crease, trying to smooth it out, knowing that truly smoothing over one's troubles was never that easy. Sasuke flinched slightly. He ran his fingers through the dark locks. He wanted to sit up, but he didn't want to disturb Sasuke since he was finally getting some sleep. He'd noticed over time that Sasuke never slept much. It was almost like he'd gotten so used to having to look over his shoulder as a missing nin that he didn't know how to just sleep normally anymore.

As he unconsciously threaded his hand through his teammate's hair, he thought over the time he spent with his father. He had been dreading just reading anything about him. It was nothing compared to how he felt when he suddenly found himself in front of the man.

But in the end, he was happy. He understood everything now, and that was all that mattered. He had parents who did love him. Yes he was given a burden to bear, but his father believed that he was strong enough to bear it, and he had been. Sure it had been hard, he'd probably had to work harder than most anyone, but in the end, it was worth it. A soft smile crept onto his face. He wondered if his father really did get the memories from the clone, or if the clone was just humoring him.

And then it really, really hit him. His father was the Yondaime Hokage of Konoha. Take that everyone who thought he didn't have it in him to be hokage! It was in his blood for Kami's sake. He'd love to throw up his middle finger to everyone who didn't believe in him. He forgot his plan not to disturb his sleeping friend and began to chuckle.

"Naru...to..." Sasuke muttered sleepily. Then he shot up suddenly as it hit him. "Dobe? What the hell happened to you? I was..." He stopped himself before he blurted out his weakness.

"Worried? Scared? Upset? What teme?" Sasuke glared at the teasing.

"Like I would be worried about an idiot like you."

"Uh huh...whatever you say."

Sasuke threw a half-hearted punch at Naruto who avoided it with a chuckle.

"You gonna tell me what happened or leave me in suspense?"

"What? You mean you actually care?" Naruto raised a brow.

"Dobe..." Sasuke growled.

Naruto grinned.

"You're gonna make me say it aren't you? Ass."

The grin never left Naruto's face.

"Fine...I was maybe...just a tiny...bit...worried."

"Uh huh. Thought so. You love me!" Naruto looked superior for a moment before Sasuke flicked his head with his finger. "Ow!" he yelled as he rubbed his forehead, his mouth shifting into a pout. "Jerk."

Sasuke grinned. "Thank you. Now start talking."

Naruto opened his mouth, then closed it again. How exactly do you explain to someone that you just had a heart to heart talk with your very much dead father?

"Well...I got to meet my father." Well, Naruto never was known for being tactful.

"What?"

Tsunade yawned as she walked into her office. She had worked so hard the previous night, she overslept well into the next day. The fact that Shizune didn't wake her was just as telling. She probably was still asleep herself. First she went to the hospital to check on Kakashi, who was still in a coma, though he was starting to show some signs of responsiveness. She hoped he would wake up soon so they could find out exactly what happened to him. Then she toured some of the worst parts of the village to see how much damage there was.

Seating herself at her desk, she sighed at the amount of paperwork that greeted her. And she knew more would be coming. The amount of damage suffered by the village meant there would have to be monumental repairs done. That meant hiring out workers. That meant more paperwork. And she was going to have to explain this mess. More paperwork. She groaned. If only the tower had been destroyed too. Well, not really...it was one of the symbols of the village, of stability. Civilians and shinobi alike needed something to show their village was still standing even if many of the buildings were not. But, she definitely could've done without anymore paperwork to do. And then she was going to have to meet with the council. Damn, she didn't want to do it. The elders would be hell to deal with. And she knew Danzou would try to use this attack as an opportunity to undermine her authority and attempt to force her to step down. What was worse is that she knew the elders would agree with him. The last thing she needed now was opposition from those three.

Was it bad to have sake at 10 in the morning?

She looked over at the picture of Minato. Not for the first time, she wished he was still here. He made a much better hokage than she did. He would know how to put those old meddlers in their place. He would've found a way to shut down Root. And he probably would know what to do about Akatsuki too. She sighed and was about to turn back to the mountain of work in front of her. Except...

She blinked and stared harder at the picture.

'That's weird.' She thought. It was crooked. She could swear it was straight when she left the office. And there weren't any explosions close enough to the tower to warrant the picture moving. She briefly wondered if one of those meddling council members tried to do something during her absence.

Fortunately, no one could open that seal but a select group of people. They weren't among them.

She stood up and walked over to shift the portrait a few inches when she saw the gap. Her eyes widened and she pulled the picture off the wall and gasped. The seal had been broken. Everything was gone.

"SHI-" She stopped before she finished calling her secretary. She leaned against her desk and stared ahead as she frowned in thought. It was just a process of elimination. Three of those who could've opened the seal were gone - Minato, Sarutobi, and Jiraiya. She hadn't, obviously. That only left one other person...

Her lips morphed into a slow smug smile. She wondered when he'd shown up and where he was now. If only Sakura knew...

'Naruto...you sly fox...'

Edited 03/18/2010

a/n: Well I hope this keeps you happy for a while. And no big cliffhanger this time. Reviews are appreciated, of course. *tosses candy canes to all my readers*

I'm working on another of my stories, so I may have one more chapter of something for you before the week is out.