All right my beautiful senpais, this is my second story here so I hope that you enjoy. Yes, it is another neglect story, but you were warned in the summary, so no complaining about that!

Warning: This will be laden with Original Characters, Alternate Universe nonsense, and magical mumbo jumbo. With this warning in place, I would like to avoid the flamers who curse at me about OC garbage and the like. If it makes you feel better, there will never be more than one to two OCs in a scene unless it is unavoidable, and none of them will likely be involved in pairings!

Warning: Very light bashing of characters you may like. If you see bashing, then pick up a rock and bash something else as compensation. May I recommend that printer from Office Space, or the bread maker from Old School?

Warning: Very light feels have been detected by the Feel-O-Meter. Lt Sanchez is working to pinpoint the exact location, but all we have is "near the bottom."

Warning: We have run out of a proper supply of damns in the kitchen to hand out, so we have closed for the day. Redirect your flames to the nearest blacksmith. If you cannot find the blacksmith, wander around while screaming "where's the blacksmith" as loudly as possible while carrying around a bag of useless objects that in no way aid in your current situation.

Try to enjoy. Love yourself every night.

Ignorance is both a blessing and a curse depending on the who, what, and why. While contesting with intelligence, ignorance is the worst enemy to the challenged scholar. An act of crime in the eyes of the many may be an accident of ignorance to the innocent party. Forthcoming compliments from the ignorant admirer may mean the world to the ears of their cherished one. Ignorance influences many things both good and bad, both great and small, and can ripple across the world inspiring change. Unbeknownst to a certain family of excitable and happy people, their ignorance will bring about great change in the years to come, but at a cost that none of them are prepared to accept.

This particular family unit, from the point of view of an outsider, would be the picturesque of perfection. The father was a strong man, perhaps the strongest alive, with a following of loyal friends and allies to create the flawless bubble of peace for his wonderful little home. His wife, a doting mother and lover, had a fire in her heart that drove her through any and all of life's little blessings and hiccups with the passion of ten women. Their two little ones, your average spunky six year olds, had wonderful personalities and the energy to power the world. The four of them were eternally happy without a single care in the world… save for who was allowed seconds at supper.

The only flaw in the golden frame of their picture would be the absence of the third child, another six year old with the same energy and charm as his siblings. Most often one could find him away from the others seeing to his own wonders and paying no heed to the raucous his family often roused in the family yard. You see, the little boy was quite possibly the most ignorant of all, but this was the one instance where ignorance was truly bliss. He had always been left to the side to his own devices for as far back as he could remember, never even knowing the soft touch of his mother's hugs or his father's proud hand ruffling his hair. No, this little boy had no idea what he was missing, but that was just fine for Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto.

Naruto was a gentle spirit who rarely fit into the family of rough, tough strangers who shared his blood. His siblings, a set of two girls who looked eerily like their mother, often times found entertainment in rough housing and games of sport where competition was key, though both had opposing personalities. The elder of the two by two minutes, something that she often flaunted during arguments, was named after a distant relative, Namikaze Uzumaki Mito. Though she was often provoked into arguments and wrestling matches, she was actually the more tame of the two girls. She wore her hair straight, cut to the length of her shoulders, and often adorned with hair pins made to emulate cherry blossoms. Her opposite was like the yin to her yang named Namikaze Uzumaki Akane, or as her elder sister often called her, 'Angry Child.' She kept her hair in a pixy cut as if to emphasize her very tomboyish attitude, thought she did accessorize with hair clips shaped like foxes.

Both girls had very passionate beliefs and strong wills to further emulate their mother, the one and only Namikaze Uzumaki Kushina. The woman was as hot spiritually as she was physically, if the stares the woman endured were any indication. After having triplets one would think she would maintain a much more… rounded figure, but her Uzumaki genes had blessed her with the metabolism of a God. It took her a mere few weeks of proper eating habits and light exercises to regain her modest frame, though she would need to pick up her former training schedule to ever see her former hourglass again. Regardless of her fit body and perfect complection, the woman suffered insecurities about her blazing red hair, something her daughters found incredibly favorable in contrast.

The only man to ever save the woman from her doubts was the love of her life, Namikaze Minato, otherwise known as the legendary Yellow Flash, or the more professional title of Fourth Hokage. The man wore his sunshine blonde hair in a mess of spikes that seemed impossible, while two very long locks framed his chiseled face. The man was quite frankly the most desired male in the nations, and as such had been hard pressed to find a woman who was truly worthy of his attention. He found that woman in Kushina, and spent the entirety of his young adult life pursuing her until the dense redhead had finally acknowledged his intentions. It only took a failed kidnapping… but its all in the details, right? He married the fair maiden in secret to protect their fledgling family from outside threats, though after the revelation of their incoming triplets it became obvious that the people needed to know about them sooner rather than later before wild rumors spread.

Little Naruto had been born first before his little sisters, and it was said by the medics on duty that it was like he had been eager to meet his family. Nary a cry escaped him upon his firth breath, and his eyes were alight with wonder as he took in every new sight and sound. That analytical eye had never left him and often times his curiosity would get the best of him. Like his father he wore blonde hair that seemed content in its own haphazard chaos. Unlike both of his siblings, he had never found pleasure in games of competition or arguments, and would even go so far as to simply agree to nearly everything he had been thrust into. As he was often left to do, he would sit alone and take in the sights and sounds around him, tuning out the noise of humanity to revel in the purity of nature. While his siblings would never stop or sit down, he found the stillness pleasing. This odd behavior was unpopular with his two sisters, so the pair never saw a need to include him in their games, and eventually his passive agreeable nature forced the two of them to avoid bringing him into arguments as well.

No, Naruto didn't quite belong with the Namikaze family, but that was just fine. This was normal, or so it had been since before he could remember, so it must just be as it is. To judge his own fate based on the unknown was pointless.

The sun was somewhere between the center of the sky and the tree line in the west as the afternoon settled over Konoha. The Village Hidden in Leaves was by far the most peaceful village among the great nations, though this was in no way a small feat. The people there fought hard to maintain such peace through their proud and skilled mercenaries, better known as ninjas. At any given time during the day the shadows would flex or shimmer with the presence of the unseen guardians of the village. Ninjas were the pride of their village, the elite, the silent protectors, the unseen knights who would fight and die to protect their home. To be a ninja one must maintain a love for and loyalty to their village and its people, a sharp and keen mind with the will to endure what most would falter before, and the strength of body to achive their goals and keep the people from harm.

The major clans of Konoha were the elite, even among the common man outside of the ninja forces. The larger the clan, the more prestige they demanded, and the more strength they could boast. No Hokage had ever been a non-clan ninja, and the likelihood of such a thing was laughable at best. Even the Fourth claimed a clan-hood before attempting to take the hat, even though his clan had been only a single man at the time. If it hadn't been for his skill and contribution to the village's war efforts, he would likely have died a non entity, but that was neither here nor there. The Namikaze man had married one of the last living Uzumaki clan members, and with the birth of their children they were well on their way to growing their joined clans from the ground up. The family had purchased a rather large area of unused land in the Clan District to start construction of their own compound, and while they were few for now, they would have the space needed for expanding as time went on.

The Namikaze Uzumaki Compound had only two buildings fully constructed and ready for use. The larger of the two was the Namikaze Mansion, which was really only a five bedroom home with two floors build in more modern style with hints of classical accents for decorative purposes. The ground floor housed the large kitchen, living room, dining room, small library, and a moderately sized study where the head of the family could work from home on his off days. The upper floor held the five bedrooms, all spacious with their own windows. The master bedroom had its own private bathroom, while two of the smaller bedrooms shared a bathroom between the two. The two smallest bedrooms shared the bathroom in the hall where access was more public, but it was still a perfectly fine bathroom with all the amenities.

Built off the side of the main house was a small dojo for indoor training, weapons training, and general storage of training equipment. The door was adorned with the Namikaze and Uzumaki clan symbols, and the décor on the walls represented both clans in honor of their fighting styles and rules of etiquette. Across from the dojo was the second functioning building in the compound which housed an Uzumaki temple. While the Namikaze had never been very spiritual, the Uzumaki were rather well known for their temples and sacred practices. Kushina would be the first to deny any talent with ceremony or religious observation, but she was also one to hold firm to her heritage, and to respect her fallen people she had insisted the small temple be built.

In the grassy field behind the main house the area had been set up with several pieces of equipment for training in flexibility, throwing accuracy exercises, and weight training. The dull thud of metal impacting wood and canvas echoed through the area accompanied by the occasional grunts of disappointment that only a little girl could make in her frustration. Dressed in a white tank top and black skirt with matching shorts underneath was little Namikaze Uzumaki Akane. Her civilian sandals were covered in freshly cut grass from her occasional frustrated kicks and stomps that effectively tore up the lawn. Her left hand held a kunai holster that was about three quarters empty while her right was balled up tightly gripping the handle of a fresh knife. With a look of complete concentration she took aim, and then cocked her little arm back to ready her throw. In a flash she had let the blade loose and soon enough the dull thud sounded, and was followed by another very frustrated yelp of discontent.

"Akane-chan, that was better, you shouldn't let a little miss get you so riled up." Her father, Namikaze Minato, said from his spot to her left. He was dressed in his usual attire that consisted of the standard ninja uniform. A green flack jacket covered his long sleeves black shirt, black shinobi pants were secured around his waist with a simple belt, white bandages concealed his calves and stopped his pant legs just below the knees and led down to his combat sandals, and a white haori with short sleeves completed his look. The haori was decorated with red flames licking at the bottom, and had a small orange rope that was used to secure it to his body near his chest. The only visible tool pouch on his body was the standard kunai holster on his right thigh, but anyone who knew the man knew that at any given time he could probably equip an entire unit with the number of hidden blades he carried at any given time.

Akane huffed at the patronizing words of her father, but she did feel a little better because of them, "I keep missing though! I need to get better!"

Her father laughed at the adorable little angry pout his daughter was wearing as she stared intently at the target he had set up for her on one of the wooden training posts, "Trust me, you will. You are only six little one, you have plenty of time to become an amazing kunoichi like your mother."

"I want to be like you Tou-chan, I want to be the best at everything and be able to beat up all the baddies with my super awesome ninja skills!" Akane held her fist up while flames burned in her eyes, the flames of determination.

Minato chuckled while rubbing the back of his head, "Well whoever you want to be like, it doesn't matter, what does matter is that if you want to get better you need to be patient and keep working at it. And just so you know, your mother is way stronger than me, I am just the stupid one to volunteer for the hat. Isn't that right, honey?"

The blonde directed his attention to the beauty standing nearby overseeing their other daughter. Namikaze Uzumaki Kushina turned her smooth face toward her husband and flashed him a dazzling smile that only served to create a stunning contrast between the brightness of her face and the richness of her red hair. She was dressed in her usual white short-sleeved blouse with a loose fitting ocean blue dress that flowed down to below her knees and just barely hugged her womanly figure. Her rather plain shinobi sandals were her standard foot wear when training, though she was not opposed to the high heeled kunoichi sandals, combat sandals, and civilian sandals that most favored while out and about or on missions.

"You better believe it, 'ttebane! Ah hell…"

A light giggle erupted from behind her as she tried to keep herself from cursing. Kushina turned her violet eyes on her eldest daughter with a small glint and a rather vicious smirk, "You got something to add, cherry tomato?"

Namikaze Uzumaki Mito winced under the heavy gaze of her mother and the use of her most hated moniker. The little mini-Kushina was seated on the grass in a cute little floral sundress that was pooled around her while she kept her legs folded. Her civilian sandals were neatly set aside so her bare feet could breathe and rest in the moist grass. She had been working on accessing her chakra with her mother while her father was busy tutoring Akane in throwing exercises. Hearing her mother say the verbal tick that she knew the elder redhead hated with a seething passion had caused her to lose focus and giggle, though now she was regretting her poor sense of humor.

"N-no, nothing Kaa-san…" Mito prayed her mother would be merciful.

Kushina smiled warmly while turning back to her husband, "That's what I thought, Mito-chan. How is Akane coming along, my love?"

Minato placed a hand on top of Akane's head and ruffled her hair while she pouted and tried to bat his hand away, "She is doing well, but she is like her mother always wanting to do better and train harder."

Kushina sighed while shaking her head, but the smile on her lips was a give away that she wasn't bothered by the comment, "What are we going to do with these kids, I swear."

Minato smiled a little as he heard the code phrase, "Oh… I don't know… maybe some kind of punishment for not making a lot of progress today?"

At this point both of the girls were eyeing each other warily as they felt the atmosphere grow cold. Punishment in the Namikaze home meant running laps… until you collapsed… and then running ten more. Seeing both of their beloved daughters consumed with dread brought prankster smirks to their parent's faces, but soon enough Minato and Kushina had figured they suffered enough. Kushina cleared her throat to catch their attention while wearing a neutral face of indifference. In a stoic voice she loomed over Mito ominously.

"Punishment indeed… Let it be… all you can eat Bar-B-Q."

It took nearly ten seconds for the words to sink into the skulls of the little knuckleheads, but when it did their cheers could be heard clear to the other side of the Clans District. Two red bullets slammed into both parents simultaneously as the little ones cheered praises to their greatness. Minato and Kushina shared a knowing glance as they held their little bundles at bay before leading them both into the house to get ready for a night on the town. As the racket was finally muffled by the sliding glass door at the back of the kitchen, the final member of the family released a content sigh of relief.

Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto was seated near the edge of the yard relaxing in the shade with his back propped against one of the hearty trees that bordered their yard. He was dressed in a forest green short sleeve shirt, woodland camouflage shorts, and blue shinobi sandals. His blonde hair was messy as usual, and his cerulean blues were half shut as he rubbed some sleep from their lids. While his sisters had been training he had taken a nap, considering he was once again left to his own devices. Standing up, he stretched and let loose a small yawn that made him look like a fox kit with the odd birthmarks on his cheeks that looked eerily like whiskers. He looked around at the mess of training equipment with a sigh before he walked over to the set of training kunai that Akane had dumped unceremoniously all over the ground. He gathered together ten of the knives and stood at about twice the range Akane had been standing before taking a ready pose.

"Don't force the throw, let the kunai flow…" Naruto whispered calmly as he let his senses block out the noise of the village.

Thud… thud… thud… thud… The echo of the wood sounded as each kunai was thrown with ease toward the target his father had set up. As the tenth thud resounded he stood up straight and let out a slow breath while the world came alive again. His calm and calculating gaze fell on the small circle of knives protruding from the post, the canvas of the target torn and hanging loose from the post like a wind sock. A small smile danced across his lips as he admired his work, though he knew he would have to do better if he wanted to be accepted into the academy in two years… or at least that is what he assumed given that he knew next to nothing about what he should know. He heard small bits and pieces here and there from his parents during their daily training sessions with the girls, but without direct tutelage he would be going in blind.

Giving a noncommittal shrug at his thoughts he sat down in the soft grass to enjoy the breeze blowing through the yard. With his mind still on his kunai skills he found himself faced with the same question that had been on his mind many times before. He simply wanted to know why his sisters required so much attention while he was allowed to live in solitude. He assumed that it was because that is how things were, but for some reason he had a nagging feeling that he was wrong, not that it bothered him though. As far as he had seen, the two of them clearly needed all of the attention they could get since neither seemed able to handle their own training, but he wasn't sure why that was either. He was only six for crying out loud, give him a break.

As a young child's mind is wont to do, his drifted from such confusing thoughts to the present, in particular the very beautiful butterfly that had decided to take a small break on his nose. His body still and his breathing calm and shallow, his eyes nearly crossed as he tried to examine the little creature. It was clearly a monarch butterfly judging by the familiar black, white, and deep orange coloration. Naruto got the odd sensation that the little critter was gazing into his eyes, but as he went to speak his thoughts out loud the butterfly flew from his nose toward the wooded area of untouched land that surrounded the compound leading away from the district proper. Naruto watched as the little insect flew away and he sighed without knowing why he felt the need to do so. It was a few moments later that he realized the monarch was hovering and flapping about in a small warped circular pattern.

Naruto waited for a few minutes while his eyes followed the hypnotic pattern that the little creature wove through the air, and he grew curious, "The heck are you up to…?"

As if to respond to his comment the butterfly flew gracefully on a soft breeze back toward him. He stiffened as a strange feeling took his senses, something he would later realize were his shinobi instincts that ran strongly though his blood. The monarch flew two full circles around him as he twirled to keep the thing in his sights. On the second spin he grew slightly dizzy and fell backward onto his butt. As he shook his head softly to shake away the feeling he could have sworn he heard a small giggle, but when he looked around there wasn't anyone nearby. Soon enough he spotted the butterfly hovering once again in the same area, but even closer to the tree line. His innocent mind finding no fault in following a pretty butterfly, Naruto rose to his feet and followed after the little thing. As he was suspecting, it flew further into the wooded area, but he was far too interested in this strange bug to bother worrying about potential dangers.

Stationed on the roof of the Namikaze Compound main house, an ANBU in a dog mask slowly emerged from the shadows to keep an eye on the little blonde lad wandering in the woods. He was dressed in the standard ANBU uniform complete with the short sword that many agents favored strapped to his back. A very eye catching head of silver hair spiked up messily doing very little to conceal his true identity from those who knew him, but those who knew him knew that he wasn't someone to trifle with regardless of whether you recognize him or not. His only visible eye was narrowed as he kept silent vigil over the boy that his former sensei often left alone for hours on end, much like this quiet afternoon. It baffled him to no end why a man would simply… forget his first born son, but considering the circumstances of the triplets' birth it wasn't too hard to figure out their logic.

As a rule of thumb the ANBU agent made it a point to never recall the events of that day in detail, but try as he might he could never forget the lives lost that day. If his sensei had been just a few minutes later, there may not have been anyone left alive that day. Being stationed that day inside the village walls instead of by his leader's side, he didn't know the specifics of how, but he was debriefed on what and it chilled him to the bone. From the tale spun by Minato, someone or something had broken the great Nine Tailed Fox out of its former container… his wife. To make matters worse she had only just given birth to the Namikaze triplets, which left her body weak and nearly broken. It was by a miracle that she survived, though from what his sensei told him the both of them had fallen unconscious right after… he had sealed the monster away into his two daughters.

By all accounts Minato should have died that day, but somehow he survived… even though he had summoned the Shinigami to aid in the sealing of the beast. According to the Third Hokage who arrived on the scene moments after the danger had finally passed, Minato had indeed used the technique, but the family was safe and sound huddled together unconscious, except for little Naruto who regarded the old man Sarutobi Hiruzen with dazzlingly bright and curious eyes. The ANBU guarding Hiruzen that day recalled the event in the barracks later that week as one of the most startling things they had ever seen. No newborn should have such a calculating gaze, but at the same time those eyes were so innocent and pure even as they looked around with endless curiosity. Several of the female agents in ANBU had to be ordered specifically to remain professional as that day wore on, their screams of 'kawaii' causing disruptions and startling the male agents on more than one occasion.

From that day forward Minato and Kushina spent almost all of their time doting over their daughters and keeping them safe and happy. It was a little known fact that Jinchuriki needed lots of love in order to keep their beasts at bay, and with two little girls to keep happy their time was easily monopolized. Only a handful of ANBU knew the truth about Naruto's lack of care, but their position didn't allow them to speak their minds on the matter. Many, like the dog masked ANBU watching over Naruto now, did what they could to keep the boy safe even if it wasn't their place to give direct and open aid to the boy. When he wandered off exploring they would protect him with their lives, when he seemed hungry they would leave bento out for him to find in his adventures, and if he were ever hurt they would be sure to have medics 'stumble' upon the boy on their way about the village. It was difficult to watch without action, but the ANBU were nothing if not professional.

Our dog masked friend let his mind refocus just in time to see Naruto vanish into the woods surrounding the home and he readied himself to follow. As his legs tensed for the leap that would cover the gap to the woods and land him high in the forest canopy, he felt his body grow suddenly heavy. His vision blurring he realized almost too late that he was under a Genjutsu illusion of some kind. Silently releasing a burst of chakra he realized then how dire his situation was as his vision only worsened. The world began to twist and he was vaguely aware that it was because he was falling over. His body fell back so that he was safe on the roof without any danger of falling and wounding himself. As the darkness enveloped him into a warm and dreamless sleep, he was unaware of the soft purple light that danced above him for a brief moment before vanishing in a soft, warm breeze.

Naruto walked through the wooded area for a half hour as he kept his eye on the monarch butterfly ahead of him. Being a bundle of energy, he never tired even as he hiked through the rough terrain. His eyes seemed to glow as he took in the beauty of nature around him and he forgot completely that he was supposedly inside the village walls. He never saw when the grass changed colors and transitioned to a much deeper green than he had ever seen around Konoha. His eyes danced around him as the trees he knew ended and gave way to tall birch trees with large fields of aspen trees spotting the landscape around him. He noticed the temperature lower a little, but it was still pleasant even in the shade. Butterflies seemed to thrive around the aspen tree groves, but none of them seemed interested in him besides the monarch that continued to lead him further into the depths of this odd forest. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he wasn't in Konoha anymore, but he just couldn't stop now after following this path so far.

Soon enough the afternoon sun had burned out and started its decent toward the west, which made the forest grow darker. Naruto began to stumble and nearly fell a few times causing him to yelp in surprise and utter things like, 'dang it' and 'sons of a bagel.' He was growing tired of his worsening blindness in the dark, and then as if his silent prayers were answered the forest began to… glow? It was odd at first, and with time it only became stranger, as the forest path he had been following seemed to brighten with hues of light-blue and green flashing like fire flies. He scanned the area for any hint of fireflies or maybe even some kind of glow worms, but he couldn't spot anything quick enough before it would vanish to the dark again. Deciding that looking this gift horse in the mouth was foolish he chose instead to forge onward.

Naruto must have walked for another hour in the strange glowing forest when he finally found something truly odd. As if bordering on the edge of a large hedge maze, he found a dense wall of thickly woven leaves, vines, and thorny stems that formed a rough dome of green concealing Kami knows what from his view. The pretty monarch butterfly that he had been following disappeared into the depths of the overgrowth much to his confusion. He had no idea how the flighty little thing could maneuver through that mess, but he hoped that it didn't hurt itself in the attempt. After making a full circle around the large area he found no way to crawl through, so he struck a cute thinking pose as his eyes narrowed.

"Okay… I feel like I wanna go in there… but there isn't a way through this thing… dang it." Naruto scratched his cheek as he silently cursed the shrubs, "I wish it would open up or…"

Naruto started a little when he saw the vines and leaves shiver. Upon uttering the words open up the plants seemed to come alive and eagerly obey his order. In a short time there was a perfectly shaped archway leading into the darkness of the weird plant wall, and even though he could hear that little voice in his head screaming not to go in there, the little adventure seeking part of his brain was fired up and hollering for him to go in already. Steeling himself as well as a six year old can, he walked into the dark tunnel of greenery and felt the hair on his neck stand on end as the arch closed up behind him. The pure darkness scared him, but his fear was washed away instantly as a new arch in front of him opened up and a bright light nearly blinded him. As they adjusted to the new light he got his first glimpse of what lay before him and his eyes widened with childish glee.

Standing tall and strong in the center of the area was a weeping willow tree with thousands of leaves of different colors hanging down to create curtains that draped down around the large trunk of the tree. Perhaps calling the tree large was underplaying it, but even as it stood taller than all the trees in the surrounding forest and spread wider with branches threatening to stretch into the tall dome of bushy vines around it, there were even larger trees around Konoha. Still, the colorful leaves and the curves of the branches above were far more beautiful than the boring trees around the village. What drew his eyes the most was the large fresh water spring surrounding the base of the tree and spreading out in a big rough circle around the clearing. The water seemed to glow with power much like the odd lights that had guided him there, but this was different somehow. The glowing water provided such a brilliant light that it brightened the entire area, and had obviously been what had nearly blinded him.

Surrounding the water were hundreds of different varieties of flowers, and bushes practically bursting with various colors of berries. Eyeing the berries he felt his stomach rumble, so he wandered over to the nearest one to gather a few to sate his hunger until he could get back home. Finding a particularly ripe berry he grabbed it gently with his hand to pick it, but he was met with resistance. A few gentle tugs garnered little results so he gave it a good harsh tug, but still there were no results. Frustrated, he huffed before using both his hands to give it one last mighty pull. Naruto felt the slightest little bit of resistance slip, but before he could rejoice he felt what could only be a harsh smack on his knuckles akin to having your hand slapped by an angry mother for digging into the cookie jar. Yelping in surprise he let go and yanked his hands away from the bush to escape from whatever had startled him, only for his eyes to widen again as his jaw dropped.

The bush that he had been trying to pick from suddenly glowed with a bright blue light before the berry he had been tugging floated up into the air… in the hands of a tiny winged person! Naruto stumbled back as the little glowing person flew into his face with the berry held to the side. He couldn't see any distinct face, but he could almost see the scolding glare that the little thing must be sporting judging by the little voice that soon sounded from it.

"And just who gave you permission to go around stealing other people's food, hm?" The little thing spoke in a feminine voice that resounded with a mix of motherly and pure feminine fury.

Naruto looked sheepish as he eyed the little thing with worry, "S-sorry Glowy-chan… I didn't mean to steal, I was just really hungry."

The blue glow seemed to intensify a little and Naruto felt a certain dread fill him as she spoke again, "….Glowy-chan? Did you just… call me…?"

Naruto realized his mistake and tried to restore peace as quickly as he could, "Sorry! I don't know your name, so I just kinda… gave you a… nickname?"

There were a few moments of silence while the boy stared into the bright blue lady holding the berry against her side. Then, with a small indignant huff, she flew back into the bush disappearing among the leaves as various little bits of laughter seemed to tinkle in the breeze. Naruto was still in shock from being scolded by the little person as he stood up, only to leap out of his skin when he heard another voice speak from behind him. This one was also decidedly feminine and carried an air of graceful nobility, though unlike some of the higher ups that had been to visit his family in the past he heard no condescension in their tone, only amusement.

"Don't mind Ana-san, Naruto-kun, she's just a little protective of her berry bushes."

Naruto turned around expecting another little glowing person, but he was very surprised to be faced with three fully grown adults. Two of them were dressed in traditional Chinese Hanfu clothes customized for the male and female in hues of deep green and black. Each wore a Jian style straight sword at their waists that looked elegant, but battle ready. The male's sword was encased in a black sheath that stretched to about sixty five centimeters in length and was engraved with depictions of crawling ivy. The guard was a simple set of forward sweeping wings made of iron, and the grip was large enough for a hand and a half with tightly wound wire covering the wood beneath. A long red tassel was tied to the pommel which was shaped like a rather sharply pointed tear-drop leaf. The sword strapped the waist of his female associate was uniform in design save for the length of the grip and blade, both shorter for a one handed fighting style with a forty five centimeter blade.

Standing a foot ahead of the two was a woman, perhaps the most beautiful woman that Naruto had ever seen, aside from his mom of course. Hey, just because she doesn't seem to notice him doesn't mean he can't still be a momma's boy! Regardless, this woman was the very definition of grace and beauty. Her body was lithe and sported modest curves for a more subtle beauty seldom seen among the hardened women of the ninja village. Slender legs that stretched for days were barely visible beneath the hem of a long gown of a familiar yellowish orange. Her petite feet were hidden among the tall grass and flowers beneath her, but there was no hint of footwear to see. The gown she wore was sleeveless so that a good amount of her flawless smooth skin was visible, with a hint of her shoulders that teased the eyes. Her gown was cut high enough to hide away her assets from prying eyes furthering the regal air that had dripped from every syllable she spoke before. A heart shaped face glowing with warmth was framed by long locks of straight platinum blonde hair that stopped near her chin, the rest flowing to her shoulders and down to her mid back behind her. Naruto was in a trance as he stared into her eyes, his cerulean blues pierced by startlingly grey eyes that seemed to peer right into his soul.

The beauty brought her delicate hand to her lips to conceal a small, pretty smile as her eyes danced in amusement, "Naruto-kun, you should stop staring… its embarrassing."

Somehow that helped to snap Naruto out of his small half-coma and he blanched in horror. Back in Konoha it was often punishable to stare at any girl for too long and he was not in the mood to have his brains bashed in by this pretty woman or her two friends with their very dangerous looking weapons. With a swiftness that can only be born into anti-perverts Naruto bowed at the hips several times like a novelty drinking bird.

"I-I'm so sorry miss! I didn't mean to stare! Please forgive me, pretty-beautiful-not at all wanting to beat a child senseless-sama!"

The platinum blonde let loose a small nervous chuckle like wind chimes in a summer breeze as her two guards exchanged a look. She found her composure before clearing her throat softly and smiling toward the little human boy still holding a firm ninety degree angle bow, "You're forgiven, Naruto-kun, and please call me Aingeal. You have nothing to fear from us here in our sacred hollow. Well… maybe Ana, but she's a sweet girl at heart."

"Ana… do you mean that little… glowing lady with the berry? What the heck was she?" Naruto asked as his fear washed away in favor of his usual innocent curiosity.

Aingeal walked over to Naruto and knelt down to be on level with him as she spoke, "We call ourselves Aos Si a term from our native home lands. You would call us fairies…"

Aingeal was prepared for denial or suspicion, but nothing could have surprised her more when Naruto gave a nod and a bright smile before replying cheerfully, "Yatta! That's so cool! Wait, you said us, so does that mean you and your two friends are fairies too? I don't see any wings though. Oh, do you hide them? Can I see?"

Naruto felt her smooth and delicate hand placed over his mouth and he stopped on a dime from his rapid fire questioning while his cheeks lit up like fireworks during the Kyuubi festival. His eyes looked up to see the mirthful look on Aingeal's face and he only felt more embarrassed by his pervious enthusiasm. After a moment she was obviously aware that he was done speaking at speeds no human ought to be able to keep up with so her hand was removed. Before Naruto could apologize or even attempt to look sheepish out of pure decency he was startled by the appearance of three sets of wings. Aingeal sprouted a set of pure white wings that were eerily similar to those of a monarch butterfly. The gossamer wings fluttered momentarily as if stretching before relaxing in a sedate position perpendicular to her back.

Looking behind her Naruto was pleasantly surprised that her two friends had also revealed their wings. The woman, who he just now noticed had beautiful straight violet hair, had a set of very sharp petite wings that reminded him of the white butterflies that often crowded in the parks around the village, though hers were the same shade of purple as her hair. The male sported a set of longwings that stood up proudly over his broad shoulders that were colored a deep green like his uniform… and his shoulder length hair! Naruto could see that the color of one's hair seemed to correspond to the color of one's wings, but he wasn't going to just assume anything. That had gotten him in trouble before.

"As you can see, yes, we hide them when we meet a human for he first time. Though I know you can be trusted little one, we can never be too careful. We can assume a very human-like form in order to blend in, but it severely hinders our power, so we must do our best to give no one reason to harm us. I hope you aren't upset that we were hiding something from you." Aingeal spoke sincerely with a hint of worry in her voice.

Naruto merely smiled at her while dismissing her worries with his next statement, "Don't worry Aingeal-sama, if you say that it was important then I can't be mad. Things are the way they are, ya know?"

Aingeal regarded the little one with a tilt of her head, "You are… a very intelligent little one, aren't you? At six years old you speak like you are much older."

"In Konoha ninjas have to learn fast because we start to train from an early age. I don't know how to write too good yet, and there are a lot of big words that make my head all fuzzy, but I learned to speak early because of how important my family is. I don't do much talking, but if I get talked to I wanna be ready." Naruto answered with innocence and not a hint of sadness when referring to his lack of socialization.

Aingeal didn't like the sound of his last statement so she let her curiosity get the best of her, "Naruto, what do you mean you don't do much talking?"

Without missing a beat he gave her a warm smile, "Oh I don't get talked to very often Aingeal-sama. When we get visits from our Godparents they usually spend their time with my parents or my sisters. I tried talking to my Godfather once, but he summoned a toad for me to talk to instead while he told a story to my Tou-san and my imoutos. Gama-kun was nice, we shared a set of dango while he showed me how to hop. I never bother my Godmother because she is usually giving the girls a check up. She is the best doctor ever, ya know? You don't bother a doctor while they are working."

"I see… well, your Kaa-san and Tou-san must spend time with you, right? And your two imouto must love to bother their nii-san?" Aingeal wore a warm smile, but internally she had a very bad feeling.

"Tou-san is very, very busy at work leading the village. He is super strong so he has to be ready to protect everyone. When he has time at home he spends it with Mito and Akane so they can get stronger because they… they are sick, I think. Mom said once that they needed a lot of care so that they could stay healthy. I want them to be okay, so its better if everyone does everything they can. Mito and Akane don't like me very much, and I think its because I'm a boy. I don't let it bother me though, it is the way it is." Naruto gave a small shrug as he put his hands in his pockets, his face still smiling serenely without a hint of force behind it.

Aingeal felt a little sorry for him, but she just couldn't pity the boy when she looked into his innocent eyes and saw only the light of a pure soul. So many would have fallen prey to depression and sadness, but Naruto was just… content with how things were. It wasn't proper, and she had everything she could do to not order his family pranked severely for their stupidity, but if Naruto was all right with it… she would endure. Besides, she could always send out a few of her people later on once her anger had cooled down enough for her idea of pranks to not include hot tar and down pillows. Gathering herself up she stood back on her feet and pushed her inner feelings aside to deal with the now.

"You're such a ray of sunshine, Naruto-kun. Come, I want to show you something important." Aingeal held out her hand toward the child and her smile brightened when his warm palm met hers.

The two of them walked around the clearing along the edge of the spring. Naruto noticed several small bits of light fly up and out of the surrounding bushes and down from the branches high above them. Each of the small lights was another fairy and now that they weren't hiding he could see many dozens of colors besides the blues and greens that he had seen before. It was at that moment he realized that he had been following dozens of these little fairies on his way there. The thought that he wasn't alone out there brought a warm feeling to his stomach. It was odd to feel something like that just because he had been with others, even if they were little fairies that were hiding from him. Aingeal noticed his internal struggle by the look on his face.

"Are you okay Naruto-kun?"

Naruto looked up at her as they strolled slowly to avoid crushing any of the flowers or bushes littering the landscape, "Well, I just got that on my way here I was following a bunch of you guys. I got this weird feeling in my tummy… like I warmed up or something… when I thought I wasn't alone in the woods."

Aingeal nodded while listening, "Well Naruto, sometimes it feels good to not be alone. We fairy folk have always lived together since the beginning. We believe in family and community above all, and we guard the forests to protect our home and our people from that which lingers in the dark."

"That which… lingers?" Naruto copied slowly as his mouth felt out the word.

Aingeal smiled and nodded once more, "Yes Naruto, there are things that hide in dark places while we live in the light. These dark things have always been at war with us. It is as it is, so you would say."

Naruto brightened up with understanding when she put it in such familiar terms. Those words were what he lived by and how he saw past the complexities of his little life. Seeing that Aingeal had nothing more to add he decided to let the conversation rest and focus on where he was being led. The two were headed to a very large tree stump that seemed very out of place amidst so much life. To assume that the remains of what was likely an intimidating great oak was dead would be a very big mistake. Naruto noticed that the roots dug into the ground had suffered no damage or rot even though the tree must have been felled long ago. With the curious eyes of a child Naruto leaned over the large stump to examine the many hundreds of rings that displayed the age of the ancient tree with wonder.

Aingeal walked to kneel down opposite he little boy with a serene smile on her face. Her delicate hand gently brushed across the smooth surface of the wood with care. No matter how many times she came to view this particular old stump she couldn't help the feelng of warmth in her heart. Each time she visited this spot it was like seeing an old friend that you hadn't seen in years, which in reality wasn't far off. She saw Naruto engrossed in trying to count the rings and she couldn't suppress a giggle. It wasn't often that the fairies were visited by any mortals, much less any children. Their innocence was heartwarming to the fairy folk, and just by the idle chatter she heard while passing through the berry bushes and flower patches she could tell everyone was feeling it.

Naruto let out a startled yelp of surprise when he felt the wood beneath his hands shift and shiver, "Whoa! What the heck is that? Did I mess up something?"

Aingeal couldn't hold back her light laughter seeing the panic in his eyes, "Oh no, not at all Naruto-kun. Dervenn was just waking up, that's all. Also, he is a bit ticklish."

Naruto blinked a few times before looking down at the stump to see the surface of the wood moving like water, the rings warping as the wood creaked and groaned like the steps in an old house. Naruto let his hand touch on the shifting surface of the wood and felt it shiver at his touch. Swallowing a little lump in his throat he let his hand glide across and watched in awe as it left a trail just like it would in his bath water. Noticing the disturbed wood settle down after a moment Naruto decided not to bother it further, even if every fiber of his being wanted him to try and make more waves. Dervenn felt the child move away and seemed to relax until the waves on the wood settled into barely noticeable ripples.

"Okay… Aingeal-sama… what the heck?" Naruto looked up at the pretty fairy in confusion.

Aingeal couldn't help giggling at the cute expression he made, and the subsequent blush on his cheeks when he realized she was giggling at him, "This is Dervenn, the Eldest Oak, Keeper of Sight and Sound. He was but a sapling when I was a child and the two of us grew over many, many years. When his trunk grew to great and the wind sought to bring him down, we blessed him so that he would continue to grow his roots beneath the earth. With his roots he sees all and hears all, no matter the tree they all speak to him and he listens. Through him we fairy folk have been able to safeguard the forests of the world for generations. The last time that Devrenn awoke to alert us of a great tragedy in the forests was six years ago on the tenth of October."

Naruto thought about that for a moment before the proverbial light bulb snapped on, "That's my birthday! Me and my sisters were born that day."

Aingeal nodded and her face grew a little sad as she let her hand glide across Devrenn causing many waves and ripples on the wood. The waves reshaped and bits of the wood shot up to create shapes right before Naruto's eyes. The boy was startled at first, but as the shapes formed and he recognized them he became very curious. Slowly a three dimensional wood model of the Kyuubi formed and snarled at him with the most unintimidating little sound he could imagine. He would have laughed if it weren't for the very serious face that he saw Aingeal wearing at the time. Keeping his laughter to himself he watched as the Kyuubi prepared some kind of attack. Little bits of wood seemed to fly up and gather into a ball that would have dwarfed one of the Hokage head statues at the monument.

Just as the suspense seemed to be wearing on Naruto he jumped when a little figure that looked just like his father flashed in to divert the attack. He might have cheered, but then he saw the scene shift and his face became grave. The attack that would have destroyed his home was sent away using his father's prized technique… only to land in the middle of a forest and obliterate hundreds of trees and all the life within them. Naruto felt something then, something he had never felt before… it was a pain of loss, and yet he didn't know why. Seeing so much of nature destroyed in a flash… even if it was a little wooden scaled down model… a tear fell from his left eye that he hadn't even noticed gathering.

"As is natural for any being, this man saved his people the best he could. Unfortunately, he sent that dark power into our forest and destroyed thousands of lives, both plants and animals. There was nothing we could do because we had only received the warning after it was too late. No one had been keeping an eye on Dervenn because we had been celebrating the marriage of my son and his beloved. My son… he felt responsible, and so he left to do whatever he could."

Naruto couldn't speak as his eyes went from Aingeal to Dervenn to watch as another scene shifted into focus. As the wood reformed it showed a struggling man and woman… his mother and father. There was a shapeless bundle there as well which he assumed were him and his sisters. His father was desperately trying to perform the technique required to seal away the beast, but the chains his mother was famous for seemed too weak to keep the Kyuubi at bay. In a last ditch effort to cause destruction the beast broke free enough to lash out with his claws towards the family, only to be stopped by a small being barely visible beyond the speck of wood that leapt up to stop the claw. The speck of wood seemed to burst to reveal a young man with shaggy hair holding a two handed Jian sword and wearing traditional Chinese style swordsman armor. His sword was raised to block the claw and the Kyuubi did not seem pleased to see this turn of events.

Naruto noticed his parents suddenly fall into a heap near their children before another fairy flew into the scene. This small speck burst into a young woman no older than the male holding the Kyuubi back with strong blocks and parries. The female saw his plight and summoned forth hundreds of roots and vines from the earth below the beast to wrap him up tightly. Kyuubi thrashed and slashed his claws wildly until one of them was on track to slash the female fairy. With no time to lose the young male fairy dashed to the rescue of his beloved and took the attack in her place, his sword falling to the ground as the young woman seemed to fall to despair.

"My son fought bravely to keep the weakened beast from doing more harm to the humans and the forest, but when he saw his wife so close to death he did the only thing he could. His sacrifice kept her alive long enough to drain the beast of his power until he could no longer fight back. Unfortunately… your father had been more successful in his attempt to perform his ritual than he had thought. The Shinigami arrived to seal away the monster as he had been instructed by your father, but when he went to collect his fee my son offered his own soul in exchange. He was dying and his light had been tainted by the demonic chakra of the Kyuubi. Not wishing to be left alone, his wife accompanied him to the afterlife… but not before the two of them left something behind to be remembered… they combined their light and left their legacy to you."

The two fairies stood holding one another even as the male trembled in shock and pain. His wife fussed and fretted as any proper lover would. She clearly was not ready to give up on him even as his light faded. Soon the Shinigami entered the scene and Naruto felt his body grow cold at the simple sight of death itself. As Aingeal had dictated to him he watched the deal be struck as the demonic fox was torn apart and sent into the two female babies in their warm bundle. The two fairies exchanged a few unheard words before they looked over to the last baby left untainted by the Kyuubi. He watched them clasp their hands together and each of them placed a kiss on their lover's knuckles. A strong light formed in their grasp that even the wood of Devrenn was having difficulty recreating. With their light drained they grew weak and could barely stand, but they had a determination in their hearts. Together they sent their light out into the air and directed it toward the little wooden Naruto. In a dazzling flash that made both Naruto and, surprisingly, Aingeal wince the light imbued itself into his little body and then vanished from sight. The scene fell apart as the Shinigami led the two fairies away.

Naruto sat back in the tall grass as he tried to put together everything that had happened in his head. He had never been told what happened that day, and he was pretty sure that no one knew about the fairies' intervention either. To think that the Kyuubi that everyone feared was trapped in his sisters' tummies… it scared the hell out of him. It only furthered his resolve to never question the watchful eyes his family kept on them, even if they did often push him away in the process. Who was he to put the safety of the village beneath something as petty as worrying over attention? There were so many things falling into place while more questions sprang up in his mind.

"I understand that this is a lot to take in, Naruto-kun. I hope that you believe all of this because you mean a great deal to my people… and to me." Aingeal looked at Naruto with sad eyes that hinted at a longing she seemed to struggle with.

Naruto, being six and not understanding much about facial expressions and body language, tilted his head cutely while wearing a puzzled look, "I don't understand. Why would I mean anything to your people?"

Aingeal let a small smile grace her lips as she looked fondly on his innocent curious eyes, "When two fairies wish to have a child they must combine their light to form a new, stronger light. There is more involved that I will touch on when you are older, but what I will tell you is that when my son and his wife combined their light they blessed you with it… leaving their legacy to you. Naruto, in a way… they became your parents."

"So wait, then you are my… my Obaa-chan?" Naruto looked up at the pretty fairy before him with eyes full of… longing?

Seeing the look in his eyes she was all too eager to nod, "Yes Naruto-kun, because of their actions I became your Obaa-chan. I can feel it in my li…"

Aingeal had no chance to speak any further before a little blonde bullet launched across Dervenn into her stomach. She felt the air rush from her lungs as two small arms held her tightly. She could feel the little boy nuzzling into her gown and she couldn't resist the urge to wrap her arms around him in return, pulling him up enough so that she could rub her face into his hair lightly. It had been six long years since the death of her son and her daughter in law, and the hole left behind in her heart had yet to close. She could feel their light from this little one and for six years she was forced to resist bringing him here to meet him. Naruto would always be the flesh and blood of the humans, but his light would be hers and that was enough for her to love him like her own.

"Aingeal Obaa-chan… am I… am I the only one?" Naruto asked softly while keeping his face pressed into her warmth.

Aingeal looked down at her little grandchild as her hand tangled into his messy hair, "What do you mean, little one?"

"I mean… are you just my Obaa-chan… are Mito and Akane your…?" Naruto sounded a little scared as if worried she would tell him something terrible.

"No, Naruto, I am yours and only yours. You are the only little one who possesses the light of my son. Why do you ask?" Her hand stopped as she leaned over to look at his face, which to her shock was stained with tears even though he hadn't been openly crying.

Naruto swallowed and when he saw her face he let his voice crack a little for the first time, "I was afraid that you would go and take care of them too… and I would be alone again. I don't think I like… being alone anymore."

"Never again, my little Naru-chan, never again."

A soft groan sounded into the night air as a certain dog masked ANBU guard awoke to the sounds of crickets playing their songs to the cool, dark night. His vision slowly returning from the blurry mess it had been, so he stood to his feet and smacked his head with his fist a couple times to shake out the cobwebs. He didn't quite understand what had happened to him, but whatever it was must have been one hell of a ride if he ended up on a random roof in the middle of the night. And then he froze and remembered that he had been guarding little Naruto, and that the boy had wandered off into the trees surrounding the Namikaze estate. Checking his watch he cursed rather loudly before slapping a hand over the mouth of his mask. Hearing no one stirring inside he quickly moved through the shadows to get into the main house.

Minato had given only a select few ANBU the ability to enter his home through the security seals placed on every inch of the house. Thankfully the dog masked home invader was a trusted friend of the family, so he slipped past the seals like nothing. Creeping through the shadows he quickly found his way to the upper floor and down the hall to the bedroom that he knew Naruto slept in. It was one of the two smaller rooms, which really seemed a bit unfair considering the boy was the eldest, their only boy, and for all intents and purposes their heir. Injustices of life aside, dog-kun found the door unlocked and entered with the stealth of a specter. The amount of relief that washed over him when he saw the unmistakable mop of blonde hair sticking out from under the covers was immeasurable. Feeling bold, he walked over to the sleeping boy and pulled the covers down enough to see the adorable sleeping face of Naruto snuggled into his pillow and holding a stuffed animal of some kind. Growing curious, he knelt down to peek at the toy and found a stuffed monarch butterfly.

'Strange choice… but I suppose we all have our quirks. Speaking of, I think the latest book finally got delivered to the shop today…'

Dog-kun then noticed that Naruto had some bandages around his thumb and he grew worried, though on closer inspection the bandages were secured professionally and the scent of disinfectant eased his mind. Obviously a medic had seen to the boy, which meant that someone had at least taken the time to notice he was hurt. He toyed with the idea that perhaps his Godmother had been by and taken a look at the boy, but then he let his cynical side squash that idea where it lay. Feeling the need to let off steam at one of the training fields, he placed a hand on top of Naruto's head to rub a bit. To his surprise the boy reacted and seem to press into the touch, something the boy had never done during these little nightly visits that dog-kun had made during his night shifts. No one would ever be able to see it, but behind his mask he was smiling fondly at the little bundle.

'Maybe someday soon when my time in ANBU is complete I will be able to get to know you, Naruto… I hope its soon. I always wanted a little brother.'

Dog-kun left the room as quietly as he had come after tucking Naruto in gently. His need for pointless destruction had cooled down when the boy had reacted to his brotherly gesture, but damn did he need a shower and a bottle of sake to get rid of the headache that was plaguing him. He never saw the small green light that shined from the bedside table drawer, or the glowing little head peek out to watch him leave. Naruto would never be alone again, that was for certain.

There we go, first chapter to a new story over! Please read an review, let me know if I ought to keep this one going or let it die in the flames of Hades!

Also, if anyone has suggestions for names that have meanings that would fit different types of fairies, suggestions for the skills of fairies, or any suggestions of any kind at all that aren't flames in disguise feel free to let me know.

Don't forget to share the story with your friends!

Also, notice me senpais... if it isn't too much trouble...