Authors Note: Hi. My writing has not been reviewed. Please forgive any mistakes. Thank you.

For as long as Naruto could remember small things happened to him that made no season.

Take birds, big or small they never chirped around him. Naruto first really noticed it when his mother took him to the market with her. One of the stands that sold live chickens had taken his interest. Drifting away from her, Naruto had stood there a good half hour, not one of the weird looking feather creatures chirped, cried or made any noise. As one they just watched him. Unblinking.

"Naruto!" His mother's angry voice had dispersed the gathered crowd. Grabbing him by the arm, she dragged him away giving him a mean lecture about what happens to boys who left their parent's side in crowded places.

"But Mom-" he had tried to explain.

"Shut up! I'm talking!" Her famous temper had shown.

Speaking of famous things there was then his parents, Jiraiya and Tsunade. They never acted like normal parents did or the way they were supposed to according to his few friends. Mommies and daddies were apparently supposed to sleep in the same bedroom. He had seen his mother's, it was nice, better than his dad's, so why did his father sleep downstairs in the spare bedroom he wondered? Also his parents didn't touch mouths the yuck way other mommies and daddies did. Naruto wasn't complaining it was gross seeing that. All those cooties! Fact of the matter was, his parents were different, why?

"Dad, why do you sleep downstairs?" He had one day asked. His dad was startled by the question almost dropping the stack of boxes he was carrying.

"Kid, what do you mean?" He had asked once he set them down.

"You and Mom, you're weird! At least from the stuff my friends say."

"What do they say?"

"Mommies and daddies always sleep in the same bedroom."

"The oldest lie in marriage. No, they don't." His had father chuckled. Naruto had looked at him more confused.

"Shikaku says they do!" Naruto had gone on to list his smartest friend who annoyingly just wanted to sleep a lot but knew his stuff. "Tsume said it too!" She wasn't as smart but still. "She says all parents sleep together, they also wrestle at night without clothes on and that's where babies come from!" He had felt the arrogance of being right and knowing it. The conversation however had led nowhere. His father seemed to have a cold and coughed away his answer after that. Maybe his sickness was why he was downstairs?

Speaking of sickness, Naruto never once got one. No flu, chicken pox or tummy ache. His friends and even his parents often got sick but he didn't. Even when he fell or hurt himself Naruto had never bleed. The one time he did, he took a knife bit the inside of his lip and gave himself a shallow cut. The knife slide right threw then the pain came. As did his pained screams. Lucky for him Naruto had been smart enough despite the pain to think to put the knife away. By the time his mom came it was already hidden. She had grabbed gently his hand and tried to heal it but by the time she tried, the cut had healed away. This time when she explained it away he felt warm inside.

"You a special boy Naruto. Always have been."

That night Naruto found himself with his usual insomnia and decided to do some snooping.

"He's getting suspicious Jiraiya. He cut himself today." His mother had seen! Naruto hid round the corner to find out what his punishment was.

"We aren't exactly giving him reason not to Tsunade, we aren't exactly a convincing couple."

"Don't." His mother had used that scary voice of hers. "I'm with Dan." Naruto had no idea what that meant.

"I won't." Naruto continued to listen in. Filing away 'Dan' for later. "We just need to put on a better effort. The kid is five. Soon he'll be ready and we can't have him unsure about this."

"Fine." His mother had sighed. "You can move into the bed today. And kissing is fine but no tongue!" Naruto quietly snuck back to his room that night. The next morning as sure as day, his father made quite a show of leaving his mother's room.

"Morning."

"Morning Dad."

"It's three! Where have you been?!" Came his mother's angry tone one night waking him.

"I was with a girl! I told you that!" The sound of a loud smack followed his father's words. His father's pained gruff came next.

"Wednesday night! That is your night not Friday!" Wednesday? The night his father had to help Uncle Orochimaru? Is that what his mother was talking about? "God Jiraiya! I didn't think you were serious when you said you had to 'pork the sushi waitress', in front of your son at the dinner table!"

"Hey! Don't bring him into this!" His father raised his voice something he never did. Naruto curious and partly afraid for his mother, quickly got out of bed and moved fast to his parents' keyless keyhole to look through. His parents both stood red-faced nose to nose. "I'm a good father to that kid! Don't for a second say I'm not!"

"Dan would be better!" His mother scoffed. His father flinched back like her words burnt. His face then became hard again.

"Goodnight Tsunade!" His father stormed towards the exit of the room. Naruto unable to move froze there in fear. When the door opened his red-faced parents turned pale. Immediately his mother and father came closer or tried to. Naruto backed up not letting them.

"Who's Dan?" First he looked at his father then mother.

"Naruto, what you doing out of bed?" She said instead avoiding the question. "Come on, let me tuck you back in-"

"No, who's Dan?! You said he would make a better father for me than Dad! Who is he Mom?!" Naruto was on the verge of tears. How could she say that. "Dad?" Maybe he would give the answers.

"He's your mom's old friend, Buddie. No one important." His father came over this time he let him. "Hey." His father crouched down. "How about tomorrow we start your training just you and me?"

"It sounds like a good idea to me." His mother came over and if Naruto didn't imagine it his father flinched when she did. "We could use some training to energise us tomorrow. We all tired tonight and we've said some horrible things we didn't mean." He didn't know if she was talking to him or his father. His mother crouching in front of him too and looking at his father when she spoke. His father's head finally turning the two looked at each other quiet. "I'm sorry." His mother said.

"Me too." His father easily returned. His mother was about to turn back to him but suddenly stopped when she caught eye of him watching them. Turning back to his father he saw her cheeks redden as she leaned in hesitantly and pressed her lips against his father's.

"Ew!" Naruto covered his eyes and turned away. What was with grown ups and that? When he heard his parents laughing he opened his eyes and split his fingers so he could peek through them, seeing the coast was clear he put them down. "Don't do that again!" He pleaded. First time seeing it was enough.

"Can't promise it won't!" His father patted him twice on the shoulder chuckling. His mother just smiled quietly. Naruto was disgusted by both. "So what do you say to that training?"

"Heck yeah!"

"Chakra-" His mother explained later to Naruto who was bored out of his mind. His father had bailed earlier in the afternoon for an urgent mission last minute so his mother had offered to give his first lesson instead. Had he known it was theory! Naruto would have said no. "Is the energy that flows through everything dead or living, person or object. Insect or mountain. Without chakra at all a thing cannot exist."

"Mom, do I have chakra?" Maybe he didn't and that's why the chickens looked at him weird that day.

"Yes Naruto! Have you not been listening! You wouldn't exist!" But I could, because why were the chickens looking at me weird that day? He wanted to say but instead.

"I have. I just- is there a test to see if some has chakra!" A bright lightbulb lit over his head.

"There is." His mother frowned at him not happy with the lesson distraction.

"Could we please do it right now?! I promise I'll do two chapters when we done!" They were only supposed to cover one today but from what little he saw his mother loved theory. His bribe might work.

"Fine." It did. "But when we done, you sit and listen. No fidgeting, no complaining!"

"Deal!" Naruto grinned excitedly wondering how this would work. Most of him was excited, a small part nervous. What if he had no chakra?

"Give me your hands." His mom holding out her own commanded. His were warm in hers when he placed them there. A feeling of home and love flowing into him as she held his smaller hands. His mother must have felt the same because she smiled at him. "Close your eyes." She requested. Once he did his mother's voice seemed distant. "I'm going to guide you to a place called your mindscape Naruto. Tell me what do you see when you stop."

"Okay." Naruto floated away in the quiet darkness of his mind. He was being led somewhere he could feel that. Like by a soft current out at sea carrying him. His only anchor and sense of direction he came from his mother's gentle hands.

"You okay Naruto. Nothing's going to happen to you my baby."

"I see something Mom." Naruto suddenly stopped and found himself ankle deep in a shallow pool of water. "There's water. Not a lot. Just up to my ankles."

"Good, what else?" Naruto took a moment to look around a bit.

"Cages. Nine of them, in a circle round me with big red bars." Naruto took a closer look. "The cages don't have anything in them." That was a bit disappointing. "Just-" he saw something. "There's a floating ball in one Mom. It looks like its made of ink." He entered to investigate.

"Don't touch it!" His mother's sharp warning came. Naruto withdrew his outstretched fingers.

"Sorry." He apologised blushing in here and probably out there. Moving away from the small ball and out the cage. Moving through the other eight, Naruto saw similar but very different balls of the same size in their individual cage. "The last one looks like sand with these weird black patterns." He gave his mom his ninth report on these balls.

"Okay Naruto. I want you to get back to the centre of these cages." Naruto did. "Look up." He also did. "You see that right? That's your chakra." Naruto did. He saw a gigantic blue orb floating above like the sun but not so high and lighting this place. The sight was awesome simply. Jumping as high as he possibly could he tried to touch it like he did many times in the real world with the moon, stars and sun. His fingers didn't even graze it or get anywhere near it. Again like the sun it was simply too far.

"Mom! I see it but I can't touch it!" Naruto suddenly found himself yanked out.

"That's because you not supposed to. Not yet." His mother affectionately kissed his brow once he was back. "Also next time don't shout! I'm right here." Her face turned angry before she smiled at him again. "How was it?"

"Awesome!" He remembered her noise complaint and kept his voice contained despite his excitement. "The ball above my head was really huge! Bigger than Grandma Mito's house!"

"That is big." His mother looked genuinely very impressed which made him happier. "You weren't scared were you? Especially when you saw those other balls?"

"No." Naruto scoffed. He wasn't wimpy Hiashi who Naruto sometimes confused for Hizashi. "What were they Mom? Was that my chakra?" He couldn't help ask.

"Not really." She answered him vaguely. Drawing his attention back to the lesson textbook with a gesture. "You owe me two chapters young man. I kept my end of the bargain. Its now time to keep yours." There was no debate in her voice so he did.

About three hours later the lesson was done. Naruto also had eaten, bathed and was now ready for some much needed sleep. The lesson earlier left him totalled. His mother coming in to tuck him goodnight gave his messy spiky hair a fresh messing before she kissed his forehead.

"Goodnight Naru. I love you." She whispered into it. Holding her head there to kiss his forehead a second, third and fourth time before moving back. Affectionately she smiled at him waiting for her own goodnight.

"Goodnight Mom," he yawned. "I-" He fell asleep before he was even done.