Here we are at least, my dears! The final chapter! What a ride it's been! I cannot thank you enough for all of your incredible support. I know it's not enough for me to just say thanks, but I think you'd all be a bit creeped out if some random girl from the internet tried to glomp you all in gratitude.

Guest Reviews for the final time for The Path We Walk:

MexiHinatalover: Yeah, Katei's a little nuts… Rie's life pretty much sucked all around. Recommend a favorite story? There are so many! Walking Backwards on a Tightrope by Lithos Maitreya is freaking amazing, although unfinished and hasn't been updated in a while. Branches by Nate Grey is amazing! The Hokage's Secret Closet is an incredibly unique and ingenious one-shot that I absolutely love! If you want more, check out my favorite stories on my profile, I've got tons and all of them are absolutely incredible!

AnonymousP: Thank you for riding this freaky roller-coaster! I will do my best to continue writing as long as you continue to leave me your incredible reviews!

CookieDemon212: Thank you so much! I'm glad that each of those points you mentioned came off well. They were all kind of key points when I was writing that I wanted to draw out particular emotions, so to hear that it worked is a relief!

Gigiree123: Wow, thank you! O,O I feel honored! I hope that I can continue to put out things that you will like so much!

Haze: I am hoping that by saying words cannot express you are imply that they cannot express your love and adoration for this story rather than your loathing and hatred… I'm just going to assume it is the first because it will keep me from crying myself to sleep at night :)

That about wraps us up. Without further ado, enjoy!

XXX

Chapter 10

"You're kidding me."

Naruto's steely blue eyes bored into the Hokage. The late afternoon sunlight filtered in through the window as he stood beside Hinata's bed, trying to wrap his head around what they had been told.

"You seriously expect us to believe that the woman that almost single-handedly destroyed our life did everything just because she is clinically insane." His annoyance and skepticism colored his words as he tried to keep from doing or saying anything he would regret. He knew Ino and Tsunade had done their best and were only informing them of what had been found, but that didn't mean he had to like what he was told and he was having trouble keeping his temper in check. Katei pleading insanity was just too easy. Even if it did explain her actions perfectly.

Ino stepped forward now and almost flinched as Naruto's piercing gaze turned to her. She had seen him in battle and Naruto's anger was never something she wanted to be on the receiving end of. She tried to appease him.

"I know it doesn't make sense, but isn't that kind of the point?" Ino reasoned. "I spent the last eighteen hours digging through her head with a full psych team and Ibiki. Nothing was coherent, the way things are in a normal mind. A lot of the memories, especially those concerning you, Naruto, were fake. She had literally created them. She had honestly deluded herself into believing that you were her husband, Jiraiya was her son, and that Hinata was an interloper that had done something to you to steal you away. It was a celebrity crush on crack, meth, soldier pills, and steroids.

"You and Hinata rescued her from that human trafficking operation seven months ago and she fell in love with her rescuer. It's a standard case of Knight in Shining Armor Syndrome, if a little excessive-"

"A little excessive?" Naruto interrupted harshly, his arms crossed tightly over his chest as he watched Ino carefully.

She gave him a withering look and ignored his question, continuing with her explanation pointedly. "She began fantasizing and then those fantasies became reality for her," Ino explained. "There have been cases like this in the past. A fanatic who dreams up some crazy reality, or some sort of ambition and then does anything to make it real. There have been cases where people have attempted assassinations because the actress they were in love with said she didn't like the prince of some country in a movie. People like this would do literally anything for the object of their affections without ever having met them. The fact that you saved her, that you met her and she literally owes you her life, only fuels the fire."

"So she's psychotic. What do we do about it?" Naruto folded his arms tightly across his chest as he spoke, looking between Tsunade and Ino. "I think the other girl killed herself because she thought we would kill her when we caught her. I want some form of justice, but execution is a bit much." He glanced at Hinata to see if she agreed. She looked upset but she smiled thinly at him and nodded to show her support.

"And what about the girl in Rei's suicide letter? It doesn't feel right to just leave that alone."

"We aren't going to leave anything, Naruto," Tsunade assured. "I'm already working on a team to go and retrieve her. From the sound of things there might be more to that than we've seen so far anyway. I have my suspicions that another human trafficking operation may have started up. I want to bring the girl to Konoha and see what we can do for her. As for this woman, Katei, things are a bit more complicated. She was the headman's daughter of a small but surprisingly prominent village in Rice Country. Her village is where we import most of our rice from. And their Daimyo may cause us trouble if we don't handle this right. Working out what to do with her will be a bit complicated, but I intend to see she receives proper treatment.

"For now, your job is to look after your family, make sure Hinata heals up properly and get back to work. I know it's an understatement to say this has been a very unpleasant period in your lives, but it happened and there's nothing anyone can do to change it. I think the best thing for you both would be to just put it behind you as best you can and move forward, all right?" Tsunade's words were gentle but firm. Naruto knew she wouldn't take no for an answer. He turned to Hinata, taking her hand in his and lacing their fingers together.

She smiled at him, squeezing his fingers and he took strength from her. If there was one thing he could always count on Hinata for, it was to be there for him, to support him, when he needed her most.

"Ok, Granny. We'll do our best."

"That's all I ask," she told him, a small sympathetic smile playing on her lips.

"What about Jiraiya?" Hinata asked. "Is he going to be ok? Is there anything we can do for him?"

Naruto frowned as he thought of his son. Sasuke had offered to watch him while the Hokage spoke with them, but it had not been an easy task convincing the boy to leave his parents' side. Normally Jiraiya loved going anywhere with Sasuke. The boy seemed to have inherited his father's innate ability to simply understand the Uchiha and despite a rocky start when Jiraiya was born, the two were very close. After his initial apprehensions of his own shortcomings had been laid to rest, the Uchiha had taken to the toddler with the infamous single-mindedness that could be both a blessing and a curse. Naruto knew his best friend cared for his son like his own brother, if not his own son.

The Uchiha hadn't said anything, but then again he usually never did or needed to for Naruto to know that Sasuke was just as upset by what Jiraiya had been through as the boy's parents. The fact that Jiraiya had not wanted to go somewhere with Sasuke had been a blow to his confidence, but Sasuke was determined to make sure the boy was all right.

As it was, no one was really sure how to help the boy. He absolutely hated being separated from his parents, but Naruto knew, even when he or Hinata was holding him, Jiraiya was terrified.

Before the incident, Jiraiya had been a bubbly, loud, happy little boy that was never quiet and never still. He had always been very social and loved people, often throwing himself from the arms of one person to the next. Now they were lucky if they could get him to answer a question by shaking or nodding his head and he only ever answered Naruto or Hinata. He rarely spoke at all and he didn't move if he could help it, choosing to sit unnaturally still as if he was trying not to draw attention to himself. Not for the first time, Naruto worried about what Katei could have done in the time between Hinata's capture and Naruto's arrival at his apartment.

Tsunade sighed and rubbed her forehead wearily. "I know you want results now, but we are going to have to be patient with him. I don't think he will be affected by this in the long run, but for now, what happened to him is still too potent in his memory for him to forget it. He is still young enough that I think, with time, he will forget. For now, just try to remind him that as long as he is surrounded by the people who love him, people he knows, everything will be ok. Don't try to force him to be away from you if you can help it. What he needs now is reassurance that you aren't going to disappear."

For a brief moment, as Jiraiya's hollow eyes flashed in his mind, Naruto reconsidered his opinion of execution. He would do anything if it meant he could have his bright happy little boy back. But he knew killing Katei wouldn't accomplish anything. Frustrated that his brain only seemed capable of running in circles he dug his fingers into his eyes, trying to soothe the ache there.

Tsunade continued. "I'll be releasing you tomorrow, Hinata. We can't do anything for you here that can't be done at home, so you might as well wait it out somewhere comfortable. We'll discuss what to do when we know more."

XXX

The day after their discussion with Tsunade and Ino, Hinata was released from the hospital, as promised. She was given instructions not to lift her right hand above her head, or to carry anything at all, get plenty of rest, drink lots of fluids, and be patient. She was to contact Tsunade or Sakura immediately if she began to have any strange symptoms or problems with her pregnancy.

Naruto was a mess: a confused mix of excitement, giddiness, anxiety, and worry. He fluttered around Hinata like a distressed mother hen, asking if she was ok, scolding her for getting her own glass of water, and constantly fluffing her pillows where she lay on the couch. Jiraiya lay curled up against her side, tucked under the blankets with her, staring at the movie playing on the TV. He had opened up some the night before at the hospital with constant gentle coaxing from Hinata, Naruto, and Sasuke, but once they had returned to the apartment, he had clammed up worse than before. Tsunade had already seen to the front door, replacing the burnt wreckage Rokushi had left in her wake, but there hadn't been time to patch the hole in the archway leading into the kitchen.

Naruto had set Jiraiya down to get Hinata settled and when he had turned to pick his son back up Jiraiya had been standing very still, staring at the hole in the wall, his little face pale and ashen. Naruto had immediately summoned a pair of clones to begin fixing the hole and scooped Jiraiya into his arms. His uncharacteristic stillness set Naruto's nerves on edge and he passed the toddler to Hinata, planting a kiss on Jiraiya's wild blond spikes before he began preparing dinner.

Like Hinata, Jiraiya loved cinnamon buns, and usually only got them on very special occasions like birthdays, holidays, or when one of his parents returned from a particularly long mission and a celebration was in order. That night Naruto made a batch from scratch before beginning on dinner, ramen, which happened to be another particular favorite, and when dinner was ready, he carefully coaxed Jiraiya out of the living room and to him, baiting him with a cinnamon bun.

Glancing over the back of the couch every so often to see what Naruto was up to, Hinata smiled when Jiraiya perked up a little. His face had been pressed into her side as he watched the movie with her, one little hand fisted in her shirt, but a tiny spark of light glinted in those perfect blue eyes when the smell of his favorite treat reached his nose. He looked up at her through his eyelashes, barely lifting his face from her side.

"What is it, Froggy?" she asked gently, hoping he would speak as she rubbed his back.

He sniffed lightly, testing the air again and very very quietly spoke. "Cin'men buns."

"Froggy!" Naruto called from the kitchen, and Jiraiya pushed himself to his knees, and peeked over the back of the couch. His father grinned at him, that big bright smile that made everything bad in the world not matter anymore, even when he had been sick, holding out a plate with a fresh cinnamon bun on it. "I've got something special for you!"

Jiraiya looked over his shoulder at his mother, making sure it was ok. Sometimes, Papa did things that Mama didn't like. But she was smiling at him too, her big pretty eyes making him feel safe and warm.

"Go get it," she told him, her voice low and quiet like when she told him secrets that only him and Papa were allowed to know.

Very carefully, Jiraiya picked his way over Hinata's legs, slid to the floor and carefully walked around the couch. He wasn't nearly as exuberant or animated as he usually would be at the prospect of cinnamon buns, and one hand trailed along Hinata's leg until he grabbed her hand and pulled it around the couch with him until he couldn't anymore, but he was moving, and there was that spark in his eyes still. He stood at the end of the couch for a moment, still holding Hinata's hand tightly and watching his father smile at him, now kneeling down to his level.

Very, very, slowly, Jiraiya released Hinata's hand and began walking toward his father.

"That's it, Froggy, come here," Naruto encouraged and Jiraiya broke into that precarious run toddlers have. He ran straight past the plate held out to him, offering the treat, and bulldozed right into Naruto's chest. His father placed a warm hand on his back, tucking him securely into his chest and pressed a soft kiss into his hair.

Jiraiya pulled away a little, placed his hands on both of Naruto's cheeks as he had seen his mother do and mushed his mouth against Naruto's cheek. "I love you, Papa," he said solemnly.

With the innate understanding Naruto had of people, his family and scared little boys in particular, he understood just how much Jiraiya meant by those four words. In the most profound way a two year old child could, Jiraiya was thanking him for saving him from the scary woman, for bringing Mama back, and making him feel safe again. He knew because Naruto had lost count of the times he had wished he'd had someone he could say those things to as a child.

"I love you, too, Jiraiya." Looking up at Hinata still watching them over the back of the couch, Naruto returned her bright smile.

I love you he mouthed. Her smiled widened and her lips shaped the words back to him.

"Come on, Froggy!" Naruto said, turning back to the toddler. "You need to eat your cinnamon bun so you can eat your dinner. I made you ramen!" As he was getting Jiraiya settled at the table, Hinata rose from the couch and slowly shuffled into the kitchen, gravitating toward the tray of sweets. "Hey! What are you doing? I'll bring you yours, get back on the couch," Naruto ordered. Hinata gave him that look that said she was grateful for his attention and worry, but that it really wasn't necessary as she opened a cupboard and pulled down two more bowls, holding her injured arm tucked against her stomach.

"I'm not an invalid, 'Ruto, I just can't use my arm." She moved to the pot on the stove and began ladling ramen into the bowls. Naruto appeared behind her, trapping her body between his and the counter, pressing against her back as his arms bent around her to press into the counter.

"Hinata," he whispered lowly in her hear, smirking when her entire body tensed. "You're supposed to listen to me, Hime." Teasing her, he gently nipped the shell of her ear, pressing his body flush against hers. The ladle dipped into the bowl absently as he successfully distracted her. He dropped his head until his lips pressed against the spot where her neck met her shoulder and he gently placed little open-mouthed kisses against her skin. She was wearing an orange tank top, and he gently kissed along her shoulder to the strap and nuzzled his nose against her skin, pushing the strap out of the way. From his position over her shoulder he had a fantastic view of her cleavage and his hands left the edge of the counter to hold her hips.

"Naruto," she whispered, a small note of longing in her voice as her head leaned back into his shoulder, making him smirk against her skin. He wanted to continue. By the Will of Fire, he wanted to continue, but their son was still sitting at the table behind them, she was injured, and he wanted to get back at her for not obeying him.

"Well, come on then, time to eat," he said, abruptly straightening and stepping away from her body. He reached around her, grabbing both bowls of ramen and turned on his heel to walk to the table.

"Naruto!"

XXX

After dinner the family had returned to the living room. It was late, but Jiraiya begged to be allowed to finish his movie, and because he had been so much better today, Naruto and Hinata allowed it. All three of them curled up on the couch together but it didn't take long for Jiraiya to fall asleep.

"I'll get him in bed," Naruto offered, sliding out from behind Hinata and hefting Jiraiya into his arms. "You get to bed, I'll be in in a few minutes," he said, leaning down and stealing a kiss before walking into Jiraiya's room.

Hinata heaved a happy sigh and slumped back into the couch, grimacing when she felt a sharp twinge in her still very sore shoulder. However, even the pain couldn't keep the smile from her face.

Her Naruto was back. She no longer felt awkward or embarrassingly forward when she held his hand now, or gave in to the urge to kiss him or touch him, or even look at him. There was no longer a question of whether or not he belonged to her and Hinata reveled in the knowledge. It was almost like the last week had never happened. Naruto had stepped back into the role of the affectionate, loving husband without hesitation. He returned her smiles knowingly, touched her affectionately without thinking about it, and looked at her with all the love in the world. She knew he hadn't gone anywhere, physically. He'd been right beside her the whole time, but she had missed the intimacy they had enjoyed, both physically and emotionally.

Having him so tantalizingly close, sharing her bed as he had for the past four years, and knowing he did not love her, probably did not even desire her the way he had, had been nothing short of torture. She rolled her eyes and huffed an annoyed sigh when she remembered how he had teased her at dinner. Honestly, with how quickly the dynamics of their relationship had changed and then reversed, how did he expect her to keep up? However, she couldn't entirely blame him.

Naruto had always been an incredible lover. He was affectionate and attentive but at the same time demanding and passionate. Their marriage bed had never been a cold one and Hinata had missed him. A devious plan began to form in her head and Hinata smiled to herself as she worked through to the result it would bring her. Leaping off the couch, and still ignoring the twinge in her shoulder, Hinata briskly walked to the bedroom, peaking into Jiraiya's room to see if Naruto was still in there. Jiraiya must have woken up at some point and Naruto was quietly reading a book to him, coaxing the toddler back to sleep.

Perfect, that would give her a little time. Digging through a drawer, Hinata found her favorite shirt. It was an old one, and had originally been Naruto's favorite shirt until she had commandeered it at some point before they had been married. It was a dark blue, almost as dark as her hair, and she had always loved it because Naruto looked absolutely magnificent in it. It was perhaps a little small for him, but nothing too bad and his well-toned physique filled it out well. It practically swamped her, hanging loosely on her petite body. Hinata had stolen it when he had been away on a long term mission and even after their wedding the shirt had just sort of become 'hers'. She also knew Naruto thought she looked incredibly sexy when she wore it.

It's not anything special, she mused, a little disappointed. The old worn fabric was soft against her fingers and she buried her nose in it for a moment, debating what to do. She had come a long way since the beginning of their marriage, and although she still felt that any attempt to be sexy on her part was a dismal failure, she knew Naruto disagreed. He had once told her she could make a parka look sexy. Cracking a smile at the memory, Hinata made her decision and quickly stripped down to her underwear before slipping the shirt over her head and climbing into his side of the bed to wait.

He smiled at her when he stepped through the door and gently closed it behind him. He quickly changed, not bothering with a shirt, which won her private approval, but did slip on a pair of shorts, which she privately thought was a little unnecessary. He lifted the comforter to climb in beside her and she answered his approving smirk with a small bashful smile when he eyed her attire. His smirk widened when he pulled her against him and felt her breasts pressing against his bare chest through the thin fabric of the shirt.

"What's this?" he murmured in her ear knowingly, a hand smoothing up her side. She smiled sweetly at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her shoulder throbbed but she ignored it, along with the annoying reminder in her head that she wasn't supposed to lift her arm. She wanted to hold him and she was damn well going to.

Pulling his head down, she kissed him sweetly, humming approvingly when he responded eagerly and his thumb brushed against the underside of her breast through her shirt. He knew she loved when he touched her there. She pulled herself closer, lifting a leg over his hip and losing herself in the kiss.

Aside from the first, the few kisses they had shared in the past week had been fairly chaste, incredibly reminiscent of the early days of their relationship when neither of them really knew what they were doing. Although Hinata had still enjoyed those kisses immensely, she had missed the possessive way Naruto's lips claimed hers when he was confident in what he was doing. After nearly five years in a serious relationship, Naruto and Hinata had kissing down to a science. Each one knew exactly where to kiss and how to do it to elicit the reaction they wanted, and Naruto was putting all of that knowledge to work now. That wasn't to say kissing was boring. Both partners were constantly trying new things to get new reactions, but there was also something familiar and comforting, especially after the last week, about the way Naruto was systematically working her over, playing her body like a harp.

She smiled against his lips when a hand slid along her thigh and pulled her closer possessively, his hips pressing into hers and proving that if he hadn't desired her before, he sure as hell did now. She rubbed that spot over his Adam's apple that drove him crazy and was rewarded when he moaned and bit her lip gently.

The hand on her thigh began to travel back up, taking the shirt with it, his hands skimming tauntingly over her stomach although she tried to push him away when he deliberately tickled her side. He laughed quietly and his lips moved to devour her neck. He was just pushing her onto her back, about to crawl on top of her when there was a knock on the door.

Naruto's hands stopped wandering and he groaned miserably into her neck, managing to sound annoyed, disappointed, and frustrated. "He's lucky he's cute," he mumbled against her skin, joking, before reluctantly pulling away and straightening her shirt, tugging the hem back down to her hips. Naruto slumped back against the pillows, although he didn't let Hinata stray too far from the circle of his arms and called out. "Come in, Froggy."

If a door could be opened timidly, that was how Jiraiya opened his parent's bedroom door now. One hand still grasped the doorknob above his head, one tightly gripped the edge and his little face just barely peeked through the opening.

"I thought you were asleep. What are you doing up?" Naruto asked gently. Hinata could see the tightness around his eyes, indicating how frustrated he was but not a single hint of it leaked through as he spoke to their son. Hinata knew, no matter how angry or frustrated or upset Naruto was, he would never direct that to their child. He would move worlds for Jiraiya if he had to.

"I had a bad dream," Jiraiya announced quietly, stepping around the door hesitantly. He held his stuffed frog in his arms tightly and Hinata knew that in that moment absolutely nothing could have convinced him to let it go. "I tried to be big an' stay in my bed, but I heard a scary noise ou'side. Can'I sleep with you?"

Hinata almost answered, her maternal instincts screaming at her to say yes and scoop her little boy up in her arms, but she also knew Naruto might not be very pleased by that answer. She knew him better than that, though, and was not surprised when Naruto nodded and beckoned Jiraiya toward them. Jiraiya quickly toddled across the room and lifted his arms to be picked up and was quickly rewarded by being placed between his mother and father. He immediately snuggled down under the blankets and pressed himself into Hinata's side, closing his eyes.

Naruto smiled down at him, ruffling his hair before leaning in to kiss Hinata obviously restraining himself by only just brushing his lips against hers. "I need to go take a shower," he told her quietly, a slightly amused twinkle in his eye. He kissed her once more before sliding out of bed and heading toward the bathroom. "Don't wait up."

XXX

Two weeks later, Naruto and Hinata were summoned to the Hokage office. Hinata's shoulder was still stiff and hurt when she moved it to much, but she had healed nicely and Naruto planned to return to active duty later that week.

Both had an idea of why they were being summoned but were surprised to find their old teacher, Iruka Umino, speaking earnestly with the Hokage when they entered. He had obviously been lobbying for something but obediently broke off when Tsunade sharply raised a hand and turned her attention to the new arrivals.

"Naruto, Hinata, I'm glad you two were able to come," she greeted brightly, if a bit formally.

"S'not like you let us do anything that would keep us busy," Naruto grumbled in return. Naruto watched Tsunade's brow twitch in annoyance at his insubordination but she chose to ignore the comment and turned their attention to Iruka and the child that had previously gone unnoticed.

The girl stood beside Iruka, carefully keeping him between her and the other occupants of the room. She was peeking around his elbow at the new arrivals with a strange mixture of curiosity, fear, and apprehension. She had coppery brown hair that was roughly hacked off close to her head like someone had taken a knife to it, reminding Naruto of Gaara a bit, and a pair of wide dark gray eyes. She was biting her lip and her toes were kneading together constantly in a nervous habit as her eyes roved over them.

"Iruka has just returned from Rice Country. He was just giving me his report of the growing slave market he discovered there and this young girl is one he managed to rescue and bring back to the Leaf," Tsunade explained meaningfully. Naruto spied a familiar bloody scrap of paper on her desk and his eyes snapped to the girl, seeing her in a new light.

"You're Yui?" he asked, stepping around Iruka in a wide circle to get a better look at her. The girl retreated around Iruka before she realized that by moving away from Naruto she was moving closer to Tsunade and jumped toward Naruto before she could stop herself. She looked up at Iruka, desperate for help and slightly panicked and the chunin laid a calming hand on her short hair.

"It's ok," he promised quietly. His tone reminded Naruto of the thousands of times his beloved teacher had helped comfort him over the years and Naruto's heart went out to the lost little girl. Iruka turned to face Naruto and Hinata, wrapping an arm around the girl's shoulders, and introduced her, confirming their suspicions. "Naruto, Hinata, this is Yui. She's Rei's little sister."

Yui perked up at the mention of her sister and she stepped toward Hinata, the one that appeared the least threatening in the room. "You know Rei? Where is she? Can I see her? Why didn't she come back for me?" Her questions were rapid fire and Hinata was slightly overwhelmed as she looked to Naruto then the others for help. No one really seemed to know how to answer and the silence began to stretch longer and longer. Finally Naruto grimaced and then stooped to Yui's level.

"Your sister isn't here, Yui. She asked us to help you, because she can't anymore. It's not because she doesn't love you, she would have given anything to be with you again, but sometimes things happen that people can't control."

"She's dead." Yui was looking Naruto right in the eye when she said it.

There were no tears, or even a hiccup. Her dark gray eyes just stared right into Naruto's, not revealing even a shred of emotion. Again, no one was really sure how to answer such a blunt statement and silence stretched again before Yui spoke. "She's dead, isn't she? That's what you're trying to hide from me."

Naruto didn't know how to reply to that. He stared at the little girl, vividly aware of how young she looked, and tried to think of something, anything, to say. Remembering his own childhood and how much he had wished people would just explain things to him, he decided on the truth.

Before Tsunade, Iruka, or Hinata could stop him, Naruto nodded solemnly. "Yeah. She's gone. I'm sorry. But I promise, she was doing everything in her power to get back to you."

"Did that woman kill her? Katei?" Yui's wide eyes were searching Naruto's, and in them Naruto finally found something. He saw a little girl who had become accustom to being strong now trying desperately not to fall apart. The look in her eyes reminded him so much of the face that had always stared out at him from the mirror when he was young, he knew in that moment he would do anything to help this little girl.

He debated what to say. He couldn't tell her that the woman that Naruto was beginning to suspect was all this girl had in the world had voluntarily given up her life for death. And he supposed in a roundabout way, Katei was responsible for Rei's death. Because of Katei's manipulation and dark influences, Rei had felt she had no choices laid before her feet and had made the only one she could find.

"Not directly," he answered, trying to use every single scrap of tact and delicacy he had amassed in his twenty-three years. "But, yeah, she did help."

The door opened and Naruto turned to see Shizune looking expectantly at Tsunade.

"Shizune, will you take Yui here and keep her company? I need to speak with my shinobi," Tsunade directed curtly.

"Of course, Milady," the assistant answered with a short bow. Yui took a small step toward Iruka, her hand fisting in his green flak jacket, looking up at him uncertainly. He smiled down at her, the scar across his nose stretching a little, and nodded. With his encouragement Yui took Shizune's outstretched hand and followed her out of the room although she stared at Naruto until the door latched behind her.

As soon as the door was closed all three shinobi turned expectantly to their Hokage.

"We need to decide what exactly we are going to tell her and what we won't. As it stands, the matter has been kept relatively quiet. Only those that disposed of Rei's body, those working with Katei and us in this room know the full situation and I want to keep it that way." Tsunade had always had a commanding presence and she unleashed every ounce of it now. "We need to decide what we are going to do with her, what we are going to tell her, what her options for the future are now."

Iruka stepped forward. "I've actually thought about that a bit, my lady." Tsunade looked at him with interest and gestured for him to continue. "I would like to become Yui's guardian," Iruka announced. When he saw the Hokage open her mouth to speak he rushed to explain himself.

"I've worked closely with Yui since I found her. She's come to trust me and people she trusts are in short supply right now. She knows and understands that Katei did something to manipulate her older sister, although she doesn't understand why and she wants to become a shinobi so that no one will be able to do that to her. I didn't do enough for the last child that needed me," Iruka met Naruto's eyes squarely, a sorrowful apology on his face. "I don't intend to make the same mistake again."

He turned back to face Tsunade and waited as she stared at him, calculating everything, each small detail and minute variable. A manicured nail tapped on the desk slowly, filling the silence.

"Do you think she is capable of becoming a shinobi? It's not an easy life for anyone." Tsunade's question made sense. The life of a shinobi was not for everyone. Some people simply weren't cut out for it. Guts and determination could take one far, but not everyone had the same fire that special cases like Naruto and Rock Lee did. The girl may not know what she was asking for.

Iruka's answer was a confident nod. "That girl is tough as nails. She reminds me of Naruto, actually," he said, smiling at his old student. "I'm not saying it will be easy for her but she has the motivation for it, and I believe she has the talent."

"She's already ten years old," Tsunade countered, playing devil's advocate. "That's a very late age to start at the Academy. It will take a lot of work to catch her up to speed if we want her to be anywhere near the age of her peers."

"I'll do whatever it takes." Naruto could tell, Iruka would not be swayed on this matter.

Tsunade considered him critically for a moment longer before she nodded decisively.

"Very well. Iruka, you may take custody of the refugee Yui and do with her as you see fit. That's one problem solved, but we still need to decide what we are going to tell her and what to do with Katei."

Again, Iruka asked permission to speak and offered a solution. "While I was in Rice I spoke with the headman in the village. He is severely advanced in age and has health problems which have led to his neglect of his daughter, allowing her to do as she pleases while her brother has been studying abroad. He asked that he be allowed to take responsibility for her. He explained to me that his wife had a family condition he learned of only after their marriage. She had little conscience and manipulated anyone around her to get what she wanted. Because of her condition, she didn't see the bad in it. At first I thought he was just making excuses for a bad person, but he explained that there are several references from his wife's family, all women, that don't quite see the world the way we do. He showed me documented resources, both from his wife's family as well as other cases, and offered to come to Konoha to speak to you personally on the matter if you wish.

"He asked that Katei be returned to their village so that he and her brother can look after her and deal with her behavior." Iruka turned to Naruto and Hinata and grimaced. "I know it's not enough for all the trouble she's caused you both-"

"No, I think it's the best option," Naruto interrupted. He looked to Hinata to see if she agreed and received an encouraging smile. "I've seen firsthand what revenge does to people, and Pervy Sage always taught me to forgive others. It won't be easy, and I probably won't have fully forgiven her for a while, but I think, in the long run, it's for the best. I just want to be done with this whole situation."

"I agree. Punishing Katei won't change what's happened and it won't bring Yui's sister back. I feel we should let Katei quietly return to her village and tell Yui her sister did the things she did because she loved her." Hinata's voice was soft but certain. "I think, eventually, Yui will have to know the events surrounding her sister's death, but for now, I don't wish to make her life uncertain and give her a reason for revenge."

Tsunade studied each of them, her eyes meeting each of theirs individually before she nodded. "All right. I have no problem with that solution and I'll detail a team to return Katei to her village. Dismissed."

End Chapter 10

Epilogue

XXX

And just like that, it was over. As quickly and abruptly as their life had been thrown into complete disarray, waking up in the arms of a woman he didn't remember laying down beside the night before, Naruto's life was back. Just as they had hoped, Jiraiya's happy, cheerful nature returned, with no lasting effects as far as they could tell. It took nearly a month of careful encouragement and coaxing, but eventually, the toddler was the bright energetic center of Naruto and Hinata's lives once again. Hinata's pregnancy progressed without issue, and Naruto returned to full active duty.

Although it had only really been about a week of his life, the anxiety and uncertainty had left its impact on Naruto. If he had been asked what the biggest difference between his life before and his life after was, it was that he never took anything for granted. Naruto had always lived in the moment, enjoying each day and living in each moment. Now he took that to a new level. He took extra care to remind Hinata how much he loved her, and would always love her. He played with Jiraiya every chance he could get. He became notorious for pushing himself, and his team, to a ridiculous pace when they returned from missions. But the biggest change of all had been Yui's entrance into their lives, and she had slid into place like a missing puzzle piece.

Iruka cared for her as his own daughter, delving into her past and trying to learn all he could about it. Eventually it came to light that she and her sister were of Uzumaki descent and as the years passed Naruto worked with her often. She worked hard and became a highly skilled kunoichi, leaving her days as a refugee Uzumaki in the past. She defined herself as a shinobi of the Leaf and Iruka Umino's daughter.

When the time finally came and the truth of her sister's death was revealed to her in full she had turned to Hinata and wrapped the other woman in a tight hug, whispering how sorry she was that everything had happened. She didn't ask what had become of Katei, choosing to follow Naruto's example and not go looking for revenge. She spent the day at her sister's grave, a small headstone in the clearing of the little shack where she had died.

Yui never told any of them what she had done that day by her sister's grave, but she smiled at her father and said Rei was ok and so was she. The past was done and she was looking to the future.

Later she told Naruto how grateful she was he had taken the mission to Rice where Katei had met him and started down that dark path that would define the course the rest of them would follow. When he had asked how she could possibly be grateful when the result of that mission had ultimately led to her sister's death, she had answered easily.

"I did lose Rei, although it proved how much she cared about me. But I found other precious people I never would have met if Katei hadn't tried to take you away. Before, I was an orphan with an older sister scraping desperately to make ends meet. Now I have a father who loves me, you, Hinata, your kids, and a village to call home. It may not be the path I ever expected to take, but I think it's where I was meant to be."

Naruto considered her answer. He remembered the shock and surprise he had felt that first morning, waking up beside Hinata and learning all the ways his life hand changed, twisting in directions he had never expected. Sometimes, he mused, unexpected paths are exactly what you need.

XXX

So there you have it! This completes The Path We Walk and makes it my first completed Naruto story. I truly hope you have all enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Once again, I cannot express how grateful I am for your wonderful reviews and absolutely incredible support. This story grew by nearly 10000 words simply from the inspiration your reviews and feedback gave me.

Ya'll thought I was gonna give ya a smut there, didn't you. -.- Do I look like Jiraiya? Don't answer that,

because undoubtedly you will all try to say yes in hopes I will write you some Icha Icha Tactics. Luckily for me, Naruto and Hinata have an adorable little boy with literally the worst timing in the world, so I didn't have to write anything! At least, not beyond what I did. In my defense, I am just a little sheltered Mormon girl who is definitely too innocent to be writing or even reading smut. If you would like an explanation about what my being Mormon has to do with that, feel free to PM me and I will be all too happy to explain.

In regards to Katei and her motives. I realize there will be some of you, possibly many, who will think this is a stretch. I am, however, basing this off of fact. It escapes me who it was in regards to, but there was a man who tried to kill a US President because he was so obsessed with this actress. In one of her movies, her character hated the President and said something along the lines of wishing someone would kill him. So this obsessive fanatic did just that, or tried to anyway, thinking that if he succeeded, the actress would love him. It's freaky and messed up but stuff like this really does happen. So there's my defense of that.

As to how quickly this story wrapped up. Yes, I realize it may be a bit rushed, but honestly, this is the conclusion to this part of their lives. This is simply where this story ends and if I went into any more detail it would trample right over the new story I am working on that picks up, literally, months after this one. Think of it like one chapter in the big book of their lives, cliché as it is. This is the end of this chapter and the end is the end. A new, very different part will start soon and life is often times abrupt like this.

I hope that even though this is the end, you will all leave me a few parting comments. Please, let me know what you think of how this story has wrapped up! Were there some scenes you feel I missed, loose ends I forgot to tie up? If you feel this way, or there was something you wanted to see more of, let me know. I am considering doing a small story, kinda like Sparks that is asides to this story, little additions that I felt needed to be added, or that perhaps you guys wanted to see.

Also, I am kind of working on a companion or sequel to this. As of right now it has no plot, but will be a bit more linear than Sparks is. It will be titled The Life and Chronicles of Neji Uzumaki, and even though I really wanted Baby #2's name to be a surprise, yes, it will be dealing with Naruto and Hinata's second child.

As for Sparks I am still working on it, I have a lot of little scenes that just aren't fleshed out enough yet. I am still open to requests, so if there is something you want to see, let me know, either through review or PM.

That's about it, I guess. I don't want to stop typing because once I do, it means this story will officially be over. But all good things end eventually, and this will be no different. Once again, thank you for your incredible support, and as always

Happy reading! Tenneyshoes