Chapter 4

Senju's Heir

Naruto opened his eyes and rubbed them to rid the drowsiness. Feeling silk rub against the upper portion of his arms, he dug them deeper under the soft cold offered by the nether parts of his unusually plump pillows.

He sat up and inspected the room he found himself in - the sheets around him were a soft magenta, made from a material he knew was expensive just by the sheer softness of it. The room was large and gruff, but still kept that notion of luxury in every inch of solid wood that made the flooring. Most imposing of all, however, were the crimson curtains shielding the windows, and the drapes of silk covering the canopy bed he was in.

Of all this, only one thing helped make sure he wasn't in his cruddy apartment.

"It smells like cinnamon..."

He started hiking the treacherous terrains of his obscenely massive bed, and fell face first against the wood when he unknowingly reached the horizon. "Ah, wood...! Awesome, perfect wood...! You have no idea how much I missed you in that stupid prison...!"

Naruto rubbed his face against it, a look of ecstasy on his whiskered face.

"What are you doing?"

Naruto -reluctantly- stopped harassing the fine wood to open his eyes. At the door that held the entrance to his room, stood Tsunade with a daiso cup of what appeared to be tea in her hand.

"I..." He tried to fish out an excuse, but his brain betrayed him when Tsunade sneered, forcing his cheeks into a warm flush. "I-I was just... Shut up!"

Pouting, and with his pride tarnished, Naruto stood back up and crossed his arms. "Where the hell-" she glared, and he fearfully cleared his throat. "O-oh-ah, I mean... where are we?"

Tsunade smiled so widely it began to hurt a little. She was finally with Naruto. The warmth she felt at the mere sight, at the knowledge that he and she were sharing a home, was overwhelming.

"Well, my little Senju heir to be..." She made her way inside and sipped at her tea. "We are in the Daimyō's humongous castle. You fell asleep in Sarutobi's couch back in Konoha, and the lord, for unknown reasons, insisted we return to his home that very night.

We got here just a few minutes ago and you slept through the entire trip, so it's around noon. Apparently, all he had gone to Konoha was for you to begin with. I don't know what his deal is, but he seems to have taken a liking to you... Not too shabby, Naruto. You're only nine and you already have two of the most powerful men on earth tied around your pinky..."

"I still think that was a bad idea," Jiraiya came sporting the rear with his own tea in hand, though his expression was still that of a chicken holding a bloody vendetta against the sun. "Who the hell moves cross-country at nine at night with only two Guardian Ninja? I mean, sure we were with him, too. But come on?"

"WOH!" Naruto's index pointed at Jiraiya, outrage enhancing the lines over his face. "The God of Hentai is also here!"

"SHOW SOME RESPECT YOU LITTLE BRAT! I'M ALSO YOUR GRANDPARENT!"

"DOESEN'T EXCUSE YOU OF YOUR CRIMES, GOD OF HENTAI!"

"I HAVEN'T EVEN DONE ANYTHING! AND STOP CALLING ME THAT! IT IS SO UNCREATIVE!"

When Tsunade laughed, their little childish squabble came to a halt. She swiped the emotional tears pooling in her eyes, some of happiness, others of raw disbelief that such precious moments would finally be consistent.

"Alright, that's enough..." She sighed as she dropped all playfulness. "Naruto, I think you're entitled to some answers so, ask away..."

Naruto recomposed himself and stared at them both, as if he were searching for something. "Why did you leave me alone for nine years?"

His eyes hinted at the amount of straightforwardness that Naruto would be using. He didn't even seem his age for a moment.

Jiraiya used one of the canopy's posts for support and pressed himself against it, sipping at his tea. "There will be no lies between us, Tsunade."

"I know..." Tsunade nearly snarled. Her heels clicked against the floor as she neared a polished, ebony colored table and placed her cup over its surface. "I held you and Minato responsible for the destruction of the one happiness I had. It was only for a short time, but I did so nonetheless. After I snapped out of my foolish reverie, you were already four. I couldn't bear to see you hate me, so I cowardly refused to return."

"I tried to protect you both from the shadows," Jiraiya finished his tea and laid the cup next to Tsunade's. "I may have spent most of my time trying to keep you both out of harm's way, but it makes me feel no less ashamed that I wasn't there to try and make you two get acquainted with each other."

Hearing this gave Naruto a mixture of emotions - anger, grudge, understanding and sympathy. Sure they had left him alone, but now they were back and they wanted to be with him. When was the last time anyone had ever said that to him?

Still, the feelings of reproach and resentment were there, present among everything else. The fact was that Tsunade had still abandoned him, but his unselfish nature kept him from demanding an apology because she had lost a son. Something he knew nothing about, but was not insensitive enough to ignore.

"I don't think I can forgive you," Naruto's eyes wandered to ignore the looks of hurt the two Sannin turned to give. He was only human, and he could only pray this feeling of resentment would be washed away with the passage of time. Though he wouldn't count on it. "Well, at least not immediately..."

Another, probably as important subject entered his mind. His eyes sparkling, he continued to his next question. "What am I? Why do I feel this... weird chakra streaming through me...? It's like every living thing around me is an extension of myself, and I can use it to absorb my surroundings... In fact, right now I can feel people walking inside this very building... I don't even know how!"

"It's Wood Release!" Tsunade grinned and patted the confused little blond's head. "You're a Senju, Naruto! What you have is called a bloodline, and that bloodline allows you to activate Jutsus that would otherwise be impossible for other people to use because of differing genetic traits. From what I know these cells procreate as late-bloomers, hence the rare system that imitates somewhat of a progenitor circle in which-"

"Stop! Stop!" Jiraiya shook his head at the look of innocence Tsunade turned to give. "This kid's nine, Tsunade. Stop giving him the medical theory and just tell him outright what it is he has!" He too patted Naruto's yellow head. "Congratulations, kid, you can make wood." He scowled. "Why does that sound dirty...? Oh, ooooh... I see."

Tsunade flicked Jiraiya's forehead. Unfortunately for Jiraiya, in Tsunade's case, such a small disturbance equaled that of a blow sourcing from a seasoned Jōnin.

The perverted Sannin stood no chance and was sent crashing out the opposing window.

"And that's as simplistic as it is perverted, God of Hentai. Basically, Naruto, you have my grandfather's ability to summon and use wood at your will."

"Mokuton, huh...?" Naruto lifted his palm and beckoned his chakra to focus at the center. As the simple thought of Mokuton came to mind, a thin branch started making its way upwards, until he ceased the flow of chakra. Unaware of the female Sannin's stupor, Naruto grinned and showed Tsunade what he made. "Look! I made wood!"

Ugh... Jiraiya would suffer for this...

As Naruto traveled the desolate, but luxurious hallways of the Daimyō's castle, he came to the conclusion that the palace was way too damn big. As such, he had ended up having to depend on his recently discovered abilities for guidance. Thankfully, just by keeping his mind clear of shenanigans, he could do so in a relatively easy way.

That still didn't stop him from feeling annoyed at the sheer size of it, though.

Another pesky annoyance he couldn't get used to was the way the workers of the palace seemed to enjoy calling him by. "Naruto-sama" this, "Master Naruto" that - he had never been titled with so much respect before, and to be honest... it felt weird. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he was usually addressed as an object by the majority of Konoha's populace, not a person.

Currently, he found himself doing things a kid would do. After growing bored of running away from the castle's servants, who had been adamant in trying to make him eat with everyone else, he found the outside, where a plethora of trees awaited his greedy hands.

He wouldn't be the only child missing, however.

If the hysteric cries he heard from the maids were sound, the Daimyō's young heir had also been missing for an hour or so. Unsurprising, considering the area in which they lived was like a small village for powerful people from around the nation.

"This is so cool!" He swung from one branch, and then to the other, using the flexibility gaimed from his early years in the Academy back in Konoha. "Oh, shit!"

Another great privilege the wild offered was no Tsunade to scold him.

Though that did little when it came to crashing face first against horribly misplaced trees.

Slowly, he slid down fifteen feet thanks to its curvature. It was then when he wondered how someone with such nature involved senses could not see a freaking tree the size of a small corn silo.

"Ow, ow... Ok, I may have miscalculated a bit..." He started with a quick pounce and dusted himself clean of filth.

Feeling his surroundings, Naruto realized the treehouse -what he had dubbed the Daimyō's palace- was starting to scrape the borders of his sensing. "Crud, I guess I should head back before I go too far..."

His head jerked to the side.

A spark/flicker in his personal radar informed him there was another, complex living organism around the vicinity. He trotted through the green forest, unaware of the invisible aura starting to bloom around him. And as this aura began to touch fallen leaves, its composition calling for them, the leaves seemed to 'cling' around his feet like his little followers.

Finally locating the presence in his sense of nature, Naruto saw what seemed to be a boy wearing a similar version of the creepy old man's -or Daimyō as Tsunade had cheekily informed- clothes. He was under the comfy shade of a tree, crying into his knees. He started nearing him and wondered why his capacity for finding crying children was so profound.

"Hey," he called, his eyes blinking out of sheer childish innocence. After a few instances, the boy raised his head and revealed his face, though that's when Naruto found himself questioning if this kid was really a dude or not. He was far too... pretty. "Why are you crying?"

He couldn't avoid feeling a sense of déjà vu. Naruto fleetingly wondered about that girl in Konoha. Hopefully her show-and-tell presentation went well.

The boy's eyes were a rare shade of ruby, and his hair was long and very dark, which only helped enhance the color of the former. His skin was fair, nearly as fair as milk, if not a few shades lower. What stood out above all, however, were the refined lines that hinted at a royal lineage.

"Who are you...?"

If Naruto wasn't confused about this person's gender before, he totally was now. While his voice wasn't exactly feminine, it was soft and regulated. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto! What's your name?"

Hm, he wondered if he should still be going by Uzumaki.

The boy frowned and seemed fierce, nearly stuck-up. He huffed to the side, his lips pulling into a dignified pout. "I don't talk to strangers. Shoo, shoo!"

Naruto deadpanned at the tone, his left eyebrow twitching in justified annoyance. Sasuke 2.0 ladies and gentlemen. "Hey! It's rude to have someone tell you his name then shoo him away like that! Even I know that!"

The boy shrieked at his sudden outburst, but only because he had never heard anyone talk to him like that before. He hugged his knees closer and held the need to let out more tears with sheer willpower. "Sorry... I um, my name is Hazuki..."

"Hazuki huh... Girly name..." Naruto dropped on his crossed legs, and only just noticed the leaves hovering an inch from the floor. His eyes brimmed in amazement, he observed how they orbited him, like debris kept within a stellar object's gravitational power. "Oh cool... I hadn't even noticed them..."

The raven-haired child observed this intriguing -but mostly peculiar- creature as his fingers played with the leaves orbiting him like the rings of a planet. As this Naruto grinned and chuckled, picking at the leaves orbiting him, he asked the first question that came to mind.

"Are you real, or have I finally gone mad with sadness...?"

What a strange question, Naruto thought.

"Of course I'm real!" He snickered at such a weird question. His eyes flickering in curiosity, he stabbed his finger into the river of floating leaves, and watched at how easily they diverted from their path to go around his lobe. "This is so cool! Wanna try?"

"I don't know if I should..." He forwarded his hand, only to retract it when his fingers came too close to the phenomenon around the blond. "How is this even possible...?"

"Beats me..." He laughed at his own deduction, and the boy partook in his joy by forming a sheepish smile. "Ah, you smiled! See, it's better to smile than cry about things," his expression faltered remembering his past, and his family. "I should know that best..." He regressed to his cheerful persona seeing the smile drop from the boy's face. "So um, what were you crying about, Hazuki?"

Hazuki's shoulders drooped and his overall aura seemed bleak. He peeked at Naruto, and felt something warm bloom deep within him. He couldn't very well pinpoint what it was, but perhaps it was a small amount of trust. "My father forgot that today is my birthday..."

"Oh," great something he knows absolutely nothing about. "What makes you think he forgot? Maybe he was busy or something, you know how busy dads are..." He tried a snicker, but came out sounding more like a sniff.

Hazuki's eyes glared like the sun in midday, though the drops of sadness were still there nonetheless. "I've told him my birthday was today everyday for the past two months! Instead, he goes off to retrieve some very important package that he can't ignore!"

Startled, Naruto's perfect disk of leaves quivered and dropped a few of the tree critters from its influence. His eyes became thin lines as he crossed his arms, a pout of confusion holding the front lines. "Well, I dunno what to tell ya... But can I be honest with you?" At his nod, Naruto smiled and seemed to drop all playfulness. "At least you have a dad..."

Saying he was only shaken was an insult to the reaction he received from Hazuki. "I mean, I never met my dad, and even if he were too busy to ever play with me or at the very least talk to me... I... I would still be thankful that I have one at all..." He grinned, his eyes moist, and the rate at which the leaves under him orbited decreasing. "Though to be honest, I would still get some revenge by painting his face or something!"

Hazuki sat thinking for a while, his hands finally getting the courage to play with the leaves floating around Naruto. "I lost my mother a few years ago, too... There isn't a day I don't think about her, and everyday I pray hoping she can hear me..."

That term caught Naruto's undivided attention. He stared at her, his eyes returning to their usual shine and the speed at which his leaves looped doubling. "Your mom, huh? What's it like to have a mom? Did she pick up you from school? Did she make you meals?"

Hazuki sat there smiling at his sudden enthuthiasm. "Yes. I felt I was her sole focus everyday, like she existed for the only purpose of loving and caring for me. She hugged me a lot and fed me instead of the servants when she had time. We were a happy family of three. I couldn't ask for more. But when she died, my father became more involved in his work and I could do nothing but cry..."

For the thousandth time in his short years, Naruto wondered about his own mother. This time it was different, however, since he had a source that could tell him about her. Tsunade hadn't said anything about her, only that the Yondaime, his father, was dead. Perhaps his mother was alive? His heart fluttered at the mere possibility.

"Well don't cry!" Naruto hollered flailing his arms wildly, a new patch of excitement entering his system. "Instead of crying, get revenge on your old man for ignoring you! That's what I'd do! Besides, which do you think your mom would prefer, that you cried, or that you played a little prank on your father every now and then?"

A tinge of red blessed each of Hazuki's cheeks at the notion, though if it was embarrassment or happiness, Naruto couldn't tell.

"Actually, she would probably scold me for doing either... Still, I think she would prefer I do a little mischief now and again... She did always say I was a little too serious for my age..."

"There you go!" Naruto's grin could warm up the coldest of hearts, and Hazuki's was no exception.

"Hazuki-sama!" Asuma landed next to the two children, his eyes in awe at the sight of leaves seemingly dancing around Naruto like dozens of small moons. 'This is...' Shaking these irrelevant thoughts away, he tapped his earpiece. "I've found her, everyone. Tsunade-sama, please advise, your little Senju is with her, should I... I see... No, I just... Are you sure, ma'am...? Understood..."

When Asuma bopped his head, Naruto's influence on the leaves collapsed and restored itself in an instant. "Ow! What gives!"

Asuma shrugged, "Tsunade-sama's orders..."

"Wait," as his hand rubbed the bump on his head, Naruto's pearls for eyes turned to Hazuki. "Her...?!"

Hazuki was just as -if not more- boggled as he. "You're a Senju...?! Then, you're the special package father went to retrieve?!" And what a package he was. Before her probably sat the most valuable living mineral -she hated classifying him that, but it was the simplest way- inside the Land of Fire.

She gasped. 'Oh my God. I just shooed away one of the last living Senjus on the planet...' She nestled her face into her knees and squealed, literally squealed. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were a Senju!"

By the tone of her muffled voice, Naruto could tell she was both embarrassed and flustered. He chortled, lowly but with a hint of tease. "And I didn't know you were a girl, so I guess we're even!"

"Completely oblivious to the workings of a maiden's heart!" Tsunade also landed next to Asuma, the latter shinobi stepping aside. "Just like your father..."

Hazuki gasped as her mind processed just who this female was. "Senju Tsunade-sama...!"

Tsunade's eyes followed Asuma's line of sight, and her cocoa-colored eyes dilated to demonstrate her surprise. "What is this...? Naruto, why are those leaves acting like that around you...?"

The grin over Naruto's lips was jovial and full of life. "Dunno. This is the first time I've ever seen it since I gained my Mokuton! I guess they're starting to like me!"

Such a simple explanation was completely ludicrous, so were the thoughts of the only two adults present.

Asuma interrupted again by addressing Hazuki. "Princess, you mustn't wander alone like this. The heir to the Land of Fire must always be under constant