(no subject)

[lazzchan]

And here we are with Chapter Two! I hope that you enjoy this chapter as mcuh as you did the last--questofdreams and I are having a lot of fun writing it. Like before, our original stories won't be delayed--I'm working on Chapter 14 of Skeletons, and questofdreams is working on the next chapter of Convictions.

Standard Disclaimers apply.

Parallels



Naruto blinked up at the unfamiliar ceiling. Rubbing his eyes, he looked around the room and was immediately hit with a sense of deja vu. He groaned softly, and ran a hand over his face. Apparently, passing out hadn't set the world right again. He flopped back onto the bed, flinging his arms out at his sides. He flinched when his left arm hit something warm and solid. Turning on his side, his startled gaze met Sasuke's pale face. Dark eyes were blinking away drowsiness after being jostled awake.

"Holy fuck!" He shouted, about to bolt out of bed when an arm grabbed his and hauled him back down again.

"You were sleeping just fine a moment ago," Sasuke said irritably. "I don't see what the problem is, Naruto." His expression held the vaguest hint of hurt at the rejection he was apparently getting.

"You....what...why are you in bed with me?!" he shouted, praying he wouldn't pass out again.

Sasuke wrinkled his nose at the noise the blond was making and lifted himself up, resting his weight on his elbow. "I fell asleep," he said simply.

"But we..." Naruto groaned and threw his arm over his eyes. The last thing he remembered was walking through the village and...the Hokage mountain. "Nnn.....someone wake me up please."

"You are awake, moron."

Naruto buried his head underneath his pillow, evidently trying to smother himself in the sheets. "No, I have to be dreaming." His voice was extremely muffled, but Sasuke caught most of the words. "Sasuke wouldn't be in bed with me if I wasn't dreaming." His shoulders hunched. "Even Sasuke isn't that good of a friend."

Only the sheets heard whatever he muffled next and if Sasuke didn't intervene, it seemed that Naruto really would do something stupid like suffocate himself in the bedding.

Sasuke dragged the pillow out of Naruto's hands and away from his face before crawling on top of the blond. Naruto’s eyes just about fell out of their sockets.

"What are you doing?!" he shrieked, bucking his hips to throw the man off him. Bad idea.

"You haven't been this shy since the first time, Naruto," Sasuke muttered, his hands circling Naruto's wrists and pinning them to the bed.

Naruto tried to swallow but his throat had closed and he choked on his saliva instead.

His eyes grew even wider as Sasuke smirked, leaning down to trace the line of Naruto's jaw with his lips.

"Fi... first... time?" Naruto managed to get out. "We... I... you...." He couldn't move his hands, any struggling seemed to.... His train of thought abruptly derailed as he realized how much Sasuke was... enjoying this. Oh, shit...

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut as he felt Sasuke's tongue flick across his jaw and lower, leaving a damp trail down his neck.

He knew for certain now that he had to be dreaming...or trapped in a genjutsu or something. Dead hokages did not come back, and certainly not as his father...and Sasuke would not be on top of him having his way with Naruto's neck. Swallowing hard, he counted backwards from 100, abruptly losing count when Sasuke slid a knee between his thighs.

He couldn't help his own reaction, he who had loved Sasuke for far too long--and he only prayed to whatever gods were listening that this wasn't just some cruel joke, that Sasuke wasn't doing this because he was controlled or was plotting revenge or blackmail later. He wanted it to be real, like he wanted him having a father to be real.

"Sa...sasuke..." His eyes were slightly out of focus, and he got one of his hands loose enough to reach up to Sasuke's face, blue eyes peering at him. "Maybe I'll stay in this dream a little while longer."

Sasuke paused in his ministrations long enough to give Naruto an amused look. "A dream?" He cupped Naruto's hand on his cheek, squeezing gently. "Don't I feel real to you?" He leaned downward, lips skimming across Naruto's, his breath warm and real against Naruto's mouth.

Naruto looked up into Sasuke's eyes, a warmth there that he wasn't used to seeing, and answered honestly, "I don't know anymore."

Sasuke's gaze softened and he gently ran his fingers over the whisker marks on Naruto's face. "I'm not going to leave you, Naruto." His voice was firm, his other hand releasing Naruto's to run down his side, fingers ghosting over the skin. "I'm real, and I'm going to prove it to you."

Naruto's eyes widened as Sasuke began tugging at his shirt. "Wait...what are you...."

Sasuke smirked and, seeing as Naruto wasn't cooperating, he sat up, straddling Naruto's hips, and shucked off his own shirt instead.

"Whoa, whoa, no taking off clothes!" Naruto watched Sasuke's shirt fly across the room with wide eyes.

He was starting to feel the mounting panic, and he wasn't sure if he should beat the hell out of Sasuke for doing this, or just say 'to hell with it' and enjoy his fucked up dreams. He never really had one quite so real before, and it was disturbing how much he liked it. And how much Sasuke liked it. And ...was he pinching his nipples?

Naruto yelped and bucked again, but Sasuke only tightened his thighs at either side of Naruto's hips. He quickly determined that if having his nipples pinched hadn't woken him up then either this wasn't a dream or he was in a pretty deep sleep. His hormones warred with his logic. On the one hand, a frisky Sasuke was definitely a plus. On the other hand, a frisky Sasuke was definitely NOT a common occurrence. Yes, he thought. Definitely a dream.

And what were dreams but to be enjoyed? He'd wake up in the morning, Sasuke would be a bastard like usual, but still his friend, he wouldn't know who his father was and the Yondaime would be dead. All three of those thoughts made him inexplicably sad, but one couldn't change the past. He suddenly clung to Sasuke, needing that solid reassurance that he was real.

But if this Sasuke was real, that meant every other crazy thing he'd awoken to that day was real. If Naruto had to seriously think about it, he could honestly say that he was content with his life. He was a good ninja and the Hokage respected that about him. Sasuke was his best friend and even though he loved the man, friendship was enough for him as long as Sasuke stayed beside him. As he clung to Sasuke, feeling the other man’s heart beat wildly against his chest, he knew it couldn't be real...but right then, he desperately wished it otherwise.

He swallowed, eyes bright and uncertain before he closed them and held on tighter to Sasuke. With a move fueled by desperation and long-suppressed emotions, he kissed Sasuke; for one selfish moment he pretended it was real, he let himself believe that he could be loved like this, that it was Sasuke who could love him like this.

He turned his face into a pale neck as Sasuke's strong hands slipped beneath his shirt, calloused palms smoothing up his sides. "Sasuke," he whispered, digging his fingers through dark hair.

Sasuke's hips moved against his and he muffled a groan against the skin of Sasuke's neck.

Distantly, they heard a voice shout, "Tadaima!"

Sasuke swore but his grip didn't loosen. "He won't come in here," he murmured comfortingly. His hips moved again and he was gratified when Naruto responded back, a muffled groan issuing from his mouth.

Naruto opened his mouth wide, his breath growing ragged as he ground upward...Just as the door was thrown open and a very amused Yondaime ran into the room. "Oh."

Naruto choked on a groan, pleasure being quickly replaced with panic. He seized Sasuke's shoulders and pushed. When Sasuke refused to budge, he began to squirm in earnest.

"God, Naruto, stop acting like a girl," Sasuke muttered, rolling off the thrashing blond.

"I see you guys got things straightened out. Good. Come down for dinner when you're ready." With that, the Yondaime turned and left the pair, one bright red and the other rather put out at being interrupted.

Naruto shoved at Sasuke, wanting to hide his face in the pillow again, but Sasuke had already thrown it in the direction of his shirt. He clenched and unclenched his hands.

"I didn't want anyone staring at us!" he finally muttered, and when the annoyed, resigned look crossed Sasuke's face, he somehow knew it was at least a familiar answer to him.

He had no idea how he would ever look at Sasuke again and not remember this moment. He cleared his throat, aiming for some semblance of normality. "So, uh, was I out for that long?"

Sasuke nodded, having stood to retrieve his shirt. "All day."

"Sorry," Naruto murmured, not quite certain what he was apologizing for but feeling it necessary nonetheless.

Sasuke snorted, his lips quirking. "You scared a few of the villagers."

Naruto shrugged at that, moving off the bed and somehow disappointed as the lingering warmth left him. "That's nothing new," he said, no inflection in his tone at all. "They're always scared of me." His lips quirked slightly as he looked over at Sasuke. "Sorry you felt the need to watch over me all day. Must've been boring to make sure I didn't hurt myself in my sleep."

Sasuke pulled his shirt on and tugged it down, frowning at the slight droop in Naruto's shoulders. He approached the blond's side and reached out to touch Naruto’s cheek. In mid-action, he changed his mind and smacked Naruto's head instead. Naruto turned to him with a scowl, rubbing the back of his head.

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself, idiot. I promised you we'd figure things out, didn't I?"

Naruto gaped at the action that was so purely Sasuke that he reacted as he normally would. He scowled and returned the hit. "Who the hell says I'm feeling sorry for myself?" he demanded. "It isn't any of your business what people say about me; I certainly don't care." He stalked out of the room, features set in a frown.

He was halfway down the stairs when he remembered the other presence in the house. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath to steady himself, and continued down to the kitchen. Just like that morning, the Yondaime was sitting at the table with three plates readied for them. Naruto's stomach growled loudly at the sight of the food.

The blond man looked up from his tea and smiled. "Didn't Sasuke feed you today?"

Naruto growled and shook his head, uncertain of how to move around this stranger. "No. I was asleep." He suddenly scowled as he carefully sat down across from the older man. "And why would he need to feed me, anyways? Both of you are acting like he's some sort of watchdog for me. Am I that damn helpless?" he gritted out. His happy mood--provided by Sasuke no less--was rapidly diminishing.

Yondaime's smile grew sheepish and he rubbed the back of his head in a gesture Naruto was much too familiar with. "Now, Naruto, you have to admit you were acting pretty strange this morning. And since Sasuke's your boyfriend, I figured he'd be the best choice to help you...why are you looking at me like that?"

At the word 'boyfriend" Naruto had stopped breathing and his face was turning red, his eyes bulging.

"He's my best friend!" he shouted, jumping up from the table and about two seconds away from bolting completely. "He doesn't like me that way... he..." Naruto blushed, recalling what they’d only just been doing upstairs. "Well, he didn't like me before," he amended hastily. "He... we understood each other.. and we were friends... my best friend.. and..." He was babbling and he hated it, but he didn't know what else to do or say to that statement. "And what does it matter if I'm acting strange?" he demanded. "It's not of any concern to you or to him--I don't need a guard." His look was set.

Yondaime looked torn between telling his son to shut up or laughing at Naruto's flustered appearance. He chose instead to gesture to Naruto's seat. "Sit down. We need to talk."

Naruto opened his mouth to refuse but the look in the Yondaime's eyes told him it would probably be wise to shut his mouth and obey. Telling himself he needed answers anyway, he sat down and stared at his plate. His stomach growled again.

It was more of a subconscious reaction to obey the Hokage--and every sense Naruto possessed said that this was the Hokage, in this messed up dream his. There might have been something else that was making him react, but he didn’t investigate that too closely. It hurt when he thought that this person with too-familiar features could be his father. He stared down at his plate and poked at the food with his chopsticks. "What do you want to talk about? How weird I'm acting?" He snorted. "Well, that's just the way I am."

"I know how you are Naruto, and you're not this strange, even if some might say otherwise." He smiled at that last part, and Naruto sent him a thinly veiled glare.

"Is Sasuke coming down?" he asked.

Naruto shrugged.

The Yondaime sighed and set down his chopsticks. "Naruto, look at me."

Naruto continued to stare down at his plate, his heart lodged somewhere in his chest and aching painfully. He had heard that tone before, never directed toward him, though. I'm eighteen, he thought fiercely. I've gotten over the fact long ago that I don't have a father. Lots of people didn't have fathers.  The Yondaime frowned.

"Naruto...." His tone promised some type of punishment.

Gritting his teeth, he looked up. He was momentarily taken aback at the blatant concern in the man's blue eyes...and something else that made his chest constrict. People weren't supposed to look at him like that, he thought, like they cared about how he was feeling, like....like a father would a son.

"Tell me, Son," he said, noticing Naruto flinch just barely at his word choice. "What's wrong? You know you can talk to me."

Naruto shook his head, his blue eyes glossy with pent up emotion. "I don't know you," he whispered.

The Yondaime stared at him for a moment, caught in his disbelief. Naruto wasn't joking... this angry young man who hid his emotions too well, who knew the rasengan and blushed at the thought of Sasuke being his boyfriend...something was terribly wrong.

"Naruto...what's the last thing you remember about me?" he asked carefully, watching Naruto's face.

Naruto's lips compressed into a hard line. He didn't know why he was hesitating to tell the man that he should be dead. There really was no plausible way that he could actually be the Yondaime "If you're who you say you are, the last thing anyone remembers about you is that you died sealing the kyuubi."

"The Sandaime helped with the last part of the spell, Naruto." His eyes watched his son carefully. "I... I chose you because I knew you would be strong. There was no one else... and..." He closed his eyes tightly and reached around the table, pulling his son into a tight hug. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I had no idea that it still bothered you. Why didn't you say anything?" He pulled back long enough to search Naruto's eyes. "You said that I had died?" He made a face that was one that Naruto made a thousand times. "Geez, Naruto..."

It seemed the Yondaime had come to the wrong conclusion about Naruto’s behavior. Naruto was stiff in the man's arms but he didn't push him away. He couldn't push him away, couldn’t give up the simple but treasured comfort of a father's embrace. It was something he'd longed for his entire life and now that he was an adult, having given up the wishes of a lonely child, here he was. He stood there, unable to do anything but allow this man who looked like so much like him--or rather, who he looked so much like--hold him.

He didn't know why he never made the connection before. Maybe because it was too silly of a dream, and he'd given up thoughts like those from a very young age--even before he became a ninja in full. To have the Yondaime as his father... to be faced with this.... He pulled away after a moment, clearing his throat and looking away.

"How do I... normally act?" he asked finally. Maybe he was totally different in his dreams--maybe... just ... he didn't know what he wanted. He sure as hell didn't want to change.

The Yondaime smiled encouragingly and if he thought the question was exceedingly peculiar, he gave no indication of it. He let one arm drop, the other resting on Naruto's shoulders. "You're loud, a little exuberant at times, almost always enthusiastic about your work and when you're not, you make a note of telling everyone." He laughed at Naruto's disgruntled expression. "You're just like me when I was young."

Naruto let himself smile a bit at that. They retook their seats and Naruto had just picked up his chopsticks when Sasuke appeared at the table. Naruto suspected that he had been listening in the entire time.

Naruto looked up, eyes flicking over to this Yondaime, and couldn't resist asking. Hey--it was still his dream and everything, and adding the innuendo into his sentence would be a great deal of fun. "So is the reason why Sasuke acts like my bodyguard half the time because he's going to be beneath me one day?"

He mentally patted himself on the back as the blond man promptly choked on his rice.

Sasuke reached out to swat at Naruto's head but he dodged the hand, snickering into his napkin.

Sasuke smiled and shook his head, feeling suddenly much less anxious about how Naruto had just behaved with his father. If Naruto was cracking jokes, then he had to be alright. Right?

Naruto gave the Yondaime an innocent look, but his eyes were bright with amusement. It was mighty fun to tease this person--"You picked someone else to succeed you when you get to old to move." He heaved a mock sigh. If he could harass Tsunade-bachan about her age, he could certainly poke fun at this supposed father of his.

"Naruto," the Yondaime said, arranging his expression into one of mock seriousness, "a Hokage requires great wisdom and strength. I passed one of those onto you." He shook his head and frowned, brows drawn in exaggerated regret. "What happened to the other?"

Sasuke smirked and propped up his chin in one hand. "Well, I think both got lost along the way, actually." Naruto glared at him and tackled him to the ground--it was routine for him to beat up on Sasuke at least once a day. "I could kick your ass any day!" He belatedly realized the rest of the question. "And I got both of them!” He smirked at the Yondaime. "And how can you pass on what you don't have?"

The Yondaime chuckled and watched the boys pick themselves off the floor. "Alright, alright, I concede. Your mother was always smarter than I was anyway."

At that, Naruto fell silent. The Yondaime frowned at his son and asked, "What is it now?"

Naruto shook his head. "It's enough trying to deal with suddenly having a father; don't bring up this mother stuff too, ok?"

The older man’s jaw tightened at Naruto’s behavior. There had been times in the past when Naruto had awoken dazed and confused because of the kyuubi’s influence, but the haze had never extended on for more than a few minutes.

Sasuke frowned and rested one hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto...," he started.

Naruto shrugged it off, resuming his place at the table but determined to keep the teasing mood from earlier. "Glad to see I got some brains." He sighed dramatically. "Since I had to depend on you. How did you become Hokage, anyways?" He smirked. "Win a bet?"

The Yondaime forced a grin, although it wasn’t quite as bright as before. "Of course not. It was a contest."

Sasuke snorted, humoring the man. "What kind of contest?"

The blond man stacked his hands behind his head and said perfectly casually, "Not for kids to know." His expression was one of innocence, one that Naruto wore when playing one of his pranks.

Naruto snorted at that. "Yeah, and try pulling the other one." He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah---so you were super strong." He smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. "But I figured out rasengan before you did."

The Yondaime snorted. "Beginner's luck." But he said it with a smile that spoke of respect and perhaps even a bit of pride.

Naruto found he couldn't find anything to say to that. So he didn't. If he woke up tomorrow and he was in his small apartment, alone again, then he wanted to remember that look in the eyes of the man who could have been his father.

"Now tell me. What else did Jiraiya-sama teach you?"

Naruto blinked and tilted his head, making a face. "When he actually taught me anything, instead of doing his perverted research..." He rolled his eyes, then suddenly grinned. "I can summon Gamabunta." He thought for a moment. "Mmm.... all the levels of Rasengan...and most of the Yon....your things."

The Yondaime grimaced. "I will definitely have to talk to the old pervert. It's one thing teaching you so many things he taught me, but exposing you to his lewd ways at such a young age..." He shook his head. "But you say you can summon Gamabunta?" He laughed and slapped his leg in mirth. "Does Gamabunta let you ride him?"

Naruto grinned, looking a little sheepish. "Er....sometimes. The first time I summoned him, I told him I could survive all day on his back and I did! That was how he let me summon him again after that.” His look was fierce and proud. "See--I am strong." He glared at Sasuke. "And I don't need a bodyguard. It's not like I'm anyone really important--just another shinobi and a damn good one."

"You are a good shinobi," the Yondaime agreed.

For some reason, coming from him, it made Naruto feel like holding his head a little higher, his back a little straighter. This man didn't just look like the Yondaime, he held himself with a kind of power that only a Hokage could wield. Naruto decided that if this was indeed a dream, then his mind was really quite creative.

Naruto's eyes brightened and his look was intense as he focused on the Yondaime. "Good enough to become Hokage one day?" His dream of just being acknowledged had changed, and transmuted into protecting those he cared about. He wanted to protect people, he wanted them to trust him with the knowledge that he would do everything he could to protect them.

"I ...want ..." He clenched one hand, uncertain. "Would it be too strange to say that I want to do what you did for Konoha?"

"No, Naruto," the Yondaime said, smiling gently. "It wouldn't be strange at all. Wanting to protect Konoha is very honorable. Let's just hope it won't involve a demon fox, huh?"

Naruto's eyes grew solemn at the comment, even though it was said in jest. "Yeah," he said, "let's hope not." His hand unconsciously moved to his stomach.

Sasuke reached out and brushed his hand against Naruto's arm. Naruto flinched and gave the man a funny look, still a bit weirded out by Sasuke's attention. But he recovered quickly and smiled his thanks.

Yondaime wrinkled his nose at him. "You are first in line to become my successor, Naruto." He poked him in the ribs. "Just don't go counting me off as useless yet, hm? I've still got quite a bit of time before I find myself weak enough to pass on the title."

Sasuke noticed how Naruto responded to his comfort and gave an internal grin. So he was acting a little more normal-this was good. His hand traced over Naruto's before intertwining their fingers.

Naruto squeezed gently, finding reassurance in Sasuke's touch, even if it was unusual for him. He knew that if he awoke tomorrow in his apartment, when he saw Sasuke again, the Sasuke he knew would acknowledge him with a grunt and nod of his head and the extent of their contact would be fists connecting during a spar. He squeezed a little tighter, memorizing the feel of Sasuke's hand in his.

"Naruto--" His gaze flicked up to the Yondaime. "I want you to show me all that that idiot teacher of mine taught you, so I can see how you are at it." He grumbled. "If I had known that he’d taught you such dangerous moves at such a young age... next thing you'll be telling me is that you can do Kage Bunshin."

Naruto smirked and stood. With a superior grin, he formed the seals, muttered, "Kage Bunshin no jutsu" and the Yondaime and Sasuke were gaping at four Narutos standing in the kitchen.

"Did that pervert teach you that too?" the older blond demanded, brows drawn down in consternation despite the suspicious twitching of his lips.

Naruto grinned and broke the jutsu, shaking his head quickly. "Nah, I learned that when..." His gaze flickered for a moment. "Well, I learned it when I was twelve," he said quickly. "It's what helped me graduate from the academy." His eyes met the Yondaime's. "That was the night I found out I had the demon fox sealed in me."

Any sign of humor in the Yondaime's face drained away at Naruto's words. "That’s when you found out about the kyuubi? Why don't you tell me these things? And what do you mean that's how you graduated?" He suddenly looked extremely frustrated. If he were real, Naruto mused, he must also be having a rather bizarre day, having gotten so many surprises from his son. But, Naruto thought with a pang, he isn't real. He tried not to feel guilty anyway.

Naruto shrugged it off, picking at his meal again and making note of how good it tasted. He didn't eat more than ramen usually--toast and milk for breakfast, but other than that, it just wasn't worth the time to make a big meal for only himself. He marveled that food could taste so good in a dream. "Like I said... I don't remember you," he murmured. His expression was that carefully controlled cheerful look. "And hey--I got to beat up Mizuki-sensei." His look turned fierce. "Heh--he thought I'd go crazy or something. Not likely." He snorted. "You put the fox in me for a reason, right?"

He tried smiling but the Yondaime didn't appear to want to pick up on the humor.

Sasuke was fiddling with his food, not having taken a bite since Naruto had demonstrated perfect knowledge of a forbidden jutsu.

The Yondaime was staring at his son so hard, Naruto wanted to smack his own head and tell his brain to demand his sanity return from vacation.

The older blond stood and sighed, seemingly reaching a decision. "You really don't know me, do you?" he asked, the first hint of anything even remotely resembling fear in his voice.

Naruto blanched and stared down at his food. Even if this was a dream--and it had to be--if the Yondaime thought that he was a threat, if he saw Naruto wasn't his son and he was doing what Naruto thought this Yondaime person had been doing--it could be very painful on his end. He wondered fleetingly if you could die in your dreams, if a figment of your hopes and dreams could kill you.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, head bowed. "I really don't." He couldn't keep the longing out of his voice either. For the first time in a long time, his emotional walls cracked. He didn't look at Sasuke or the Yondaime--he had a feeling neither of them would really like him if they knew about him--But it's a dream! he told himself fiercely. Just a stupid dream.

The Yondaime was silent for several moments, forcing back emotions that were normally easy to control. He looked at Sasuke who was staring at Naruto with an indefinable expression.

"Sasuke," he said. "Would you do me a favor and find your friend Sakura?"

Naruto looked up at that, wariness in his narrowed eyes. "What? You want her to look me over? I'm not crazy, you know." But in the back of his mind was the very real fear that maybe...maybe he was losing his mind. Dreams just weren't this real.

He was feeling that overwhelming panic again, he wanted nothing more than to just run--or fight. He closed his eyes tightly, willing himself to wake up and barely aware of Sasuke leaving. He didn't want to look at the Yondaime, he didn't want to see that expression on his face. Naruto didn't know how to deal with concern, wasn't sure how to react to it. He swallowed harshly. "I'm sorry," he said again.

"I don't think you're crazy, Naruto," the Yondaime said. "I just want Sakura to make sure there wasn't any damage to your head on your mission yesterday. Did you have any injuries? Any strikes at all to your head? Faulty or mysterious jutsus?"

Naruto's breath caught. Faulty jutsus? Well...yeah, but it was so poorly performed and weak...how could that have possibly done any damage?

"Naruto?" the man repeated. "Are you going to answer me?"

Naruto gave him a nervous grin. "Eh... there was this guy that thought he could do jutsus... I got hit with it... but nothing happened!" he said hastily. "I felt fine and went home as usual." His hands clenched around his chopsticks.

The Yondaime glowered at him. "You neglected to tell me of this jutsu because...?"

"Like I said, I was fine. It wasn't even powerful."

"It doesn't have to be powerful to go completely wrong. Now tell me, what kind of jutsu was it?"

Naruto frowned into his plate, trying to remember. "Well...He did a few seals..I think it might have been the tiger..no, the horse..and then the ram..." He grinned sheepishly. "And then he kind of just waved his arms around and...well, it was aimed at Shikamaru but I jumped in the way and it hit me but....nothing happened." He shrugged, taking a deep breath after his long explanation.

The Yondaime hit his forehead, muttering something about idiot sons. "You should know better than to jump in front of a jutsu intended for someone else!" He glared. "It sounds like that moron didn't know what he was doing, and it's obvious that something went wrong because of it..." He saw the darkening look on Naruto's face. "I'm not saying that you shouldn't protect your teammates, Naruto, but...that was foolish."

"But I'm fine," Naruto insisted angrily. Yeah, he thought, real fine...you just woke up this morning in the same house as the Yondaime who says he's your father...and Sasuke likes to touch you. "Shit," he said aloud.

***