It was a fair morning in Wave Country, which was strange after all the bloodshed that occurred the day before.

Gato, the horrible man who held an iron-fist across Wave Country, along with Zabuza Momochi, the feared Demon of the Hidden Mist, died on the bridge that was a beacon of hope to all the inhabitants of Wave.

A lone bird found its way into the room of one sleeping Uzumaki Naruto. The constant chirping of the tiny creature caused the young Jinchuriki to stir and eventually awaken.

His eyes scanned the room and instantly picked up the presence of an unknown ninja staring at him from across the room. Through instinct alone, he threw a kunai at the ninja, only for it to be easily grabbed and put away.

Naruto jumped back, getting his fighting stance ready. Without taking his eyes away from the intruder, he turned the light switch on. Naruto figured that darkness would only hinder him and give his nameless foe an advantage.

"Naruto-sama, is anything wrong?" A tender voice asked from the direction of the stranger.

That's when Naruto remembered the events before Zabuza died.

Flashback

Naruto was looking at the seemingly dead Sasuke, he had pushed Naruto out of the way from the barrage of senbon. Sasuke sacrificed himself due to Naruto's incompetence.

Naruto could only feel rage, his memory became fuzzy and the only thing he remembered was hearing his opponent saying she was a broken tool that didn't deserve to be alive. He had recognized her face, the same woman from the woods!

Naruto quelled his rage, noticing that he was outside of the ice mirrors, startled that he wasn't injured at all.

Naruto was about to say something to Haku, but a strange noise had interrupted him. It sounded like a mix of birds and electricity. He then heard Kakashi-sensei yell out "CHIDORI!"

Haku turned to Naruto and spoke "I'm sorry, but I am needed right now" she started to run towards the strange noise. Naruto could tell right away what she was planning. He ran after her, only to see his sensei aiming a chakra filled hand towards Zabuza.

Haku had managed to get between Kakashi and Zabuza and steadied herself for certain death.

"Kakashi-sensei stop!" Naruto yelled out.

Kakashi, who lost concentration due to his students loud outburst, stopped suddenly and his hand came into contact harmlessly with Zabuzas' partner, Haku.

The Nin-dogs holding Zabuza in place 'poofed' out of existence, but before he could move at all, Kakashi spoke out "Looks Like we have company.." Zabuza turned towards the end of the bridge. There stood Gato along with a small army of thugs, all of them harboring a wicked smile.

"Gato?-! What are you doing here? I can take care of this by myself!" Zabuza yelled angrily.

Naruto on the other hand was spacing out. 'What just happened? I'm not hurt anymore! Could this be the work of the Fox?'

Naruto looked at Zabuza when he heard his name. "Hey brat, give me your kunai." The only response Naruto gave was a "Whatever" As he threw his kunai softly at the missing Nin.

Zabuza caught the kunai and ran straight towards Gatos' private army, killing any who got in his way. "WHAT IS HE?-! HE'S THE DEVIL!" Gato screamed as Zabuza closed the distance between them. Zabuza was moving quickly, even with several swords and sickles on his back caused by the mob surrounding Gato.

"I'LL SEE YOU IN HELL!" Zabuza yelled as he slashed Gato repeatedly. With each slash, Zabuza was greeted with painful cries coming from Gato. Each pain filled cry more satisfying than the one before.

Zabuza stopped at the end of the bridge and took a look at the dying man. Zabuza ended Gatos' wretched life with one final slash at his throat, effectively knocking the man off the bridge.

Zabuza turned and began to trudge slowly towards Kakashi and his blonde student. The mob separated from Zabuzas' path. Zabuza fell towards the ground only to be caught by Kakashi. The silver haired ninja looked at Zabuza with respect and returned to Naruto and Haku.

Haku watched as her master was placed carefully on the floor. She ran towards her dying father figure. She knelt and caressed his head. No tears left her eyes; she has been through so much already. She knew what death was and had become part of everyday life for her.

Haku was going to say "I failed you Zabuza-sama", but was interrupted by Zabuza. "Haku… You didn't fail me… I'm glad it ended like this… You don't deserve anything that's happened to you." Amongst the words he spoke were bloody coughs.

Naruto turned away, but he heard Zabuza calling for him "Hey, Brat…" Naruto walked towards Zabuza and knelt next to Haku, listening attentively. "You have a good heart brat… take Haku with you. Give her a good life…"

"Huh?-! What?-!" Naruto said in confusion. He looked at Zabuza, he had a 'dead serious' look. Naruto then looked at Haku; she had a shocked expression as well but was processing the information until her face relaxed and spoke to Naruto.

"N-Naruto-s-sama" She stuttered for a moment, letting the name sink in.

End of Flashback

Naruto looked at Haku; she was relaxed and looked at him worriedly. Before they could say anything, the door opened and a head of pink hair spoke up "Hey Naruto-baka, are you…awake?" She started, but got distracted by the kunoichi across the room. Sakura remembered Haku from the bridge, as an enemy that is. She took out a kunai and yelled "What the hell are you doing in here?-!"

"Wait Sakura-Chan, she's not an enemy! She's my friend!" Naruto explained, receiving an odd look from both Haku and Sakura. 'His friend?' Sakura and Haku thought simultaneously. Sakura relaxed, but didn't take her eyes off the missing Nin.

"Well… Hurry up, Naruto-kun. Breakfast is getting cold." 'What did I just say?-! Since when do I call him Naruto-kun?' Sakura thought as she left towards the kitchen, shocked at the honorific she just gave him. Naruto was thinking the same thing "What did she call me?-! Naruto-kun?-!"

Haku just stood there, looking at the expression of the young blonde. '…Interesting…' Haku thought as a small smile formed on her face.

After a quick and awkward breakfast, (due to Sasuke staring at Haku with eyes that can pierce through skin) the five Ninja left towards Konoha. Haku and Naruto were the ones leading, Sasuke and Sakura in the center, and Kakashi covering the back. There was no real reason for this order; the ninja had distanced themselves from each other. Mainly Sasuke and Sakura from Haku and Naruto, they did not trust her at all and Haku was feeling disturbed by their glares.

Haku noticed that Naruto was unusually quiet and asked "Naruto-sama, is there anything bothering you?"

Naruto broke from his momentary silence and said "Hmm? Everything is fine, but can you at least drop the 'Sama'? You could call me Naruto-kun or just Naruto."

Haku looked confused and with a small smile she said nicely "I am sorry Naruto-sama, but Naruto-sama is the only name I can call my master." Haku laughed silently at Naruto's irritated reaction.

Sasuke and Sakura were staring at the duo with killing intent (Sasuke) and concern (Sakura). They both said simultaneously "I don't trust her, not one bit."

Meanwhile, Kakashi was reading a certain orange book while giggling happily. A simple thought was crossing his mind 'Icha-Icha-Icha-Icha'

Naruto on the other hand was having a discussion with himself that was shaking his world view. 'The world isn't what I thought it was; betrayal, death, and paranoia. Every ninja faces this every day, if I want to become Hokage, I need to get stronger and accept these terms.'

Naruto unknowingly matured during this mission, more so than anyone could have ever guessed. Although his goal of becoming Hokage remained unchanged, he started thinking about the future more than before. The old Naruto theoretically died on the bridge, but a new Naruto. Not as spontaneous or dim-witted, but one who thought before he acted.

Haku stared at her young master with interest as his face started to twist in deep thought. "Naruto-sama, I know something isn't right, please tell me what is wrong." Haku said softly, her voice showed deep concern for Naruto.

Naruto broke out of his trance and decided not to tell her the reason. "You don't need to worry about me Haku-chan; I'm just a little bit hungry." He didn't lie, anybody who even remotely knew Naruto would learn of his huge appetite.

Sakura suddenly lost her footing and tripped; Sasuke couldn't care any less, but decided to catch her. The pinkette could only think 'something is wrong, it involves Naruto, but what?'

Sasuke was surprised- no, he was shocked. He caught Sakura and she hasn't even said anything! He sighed happily; he was spared the migraine by some mystical being. Tears of happiness rolled up in his eyes, after setting Sakura down, he ran towards the tree branch on which Sakura tripped. He looked around everywhere and looked up at the sky and said almost with respect "Kami? Is this your work? If it is, show me a sign!" As if on cue, Kakashi, who was still reading his little book, stepped on said "holy branch", tripped and dropped the book. Said book was then mauled by a raccoon and the remains flew away in the breeze.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Kakashi screamed in agony.

Sasuke was overjoyed and began cutting the branch off of the tree while screaming "Praise Kami!"

Meanwhile Haku was getting bombarded with information that involved ramen. She made the dreaded mistake of questioning Naruto's favorite food. Haku had half a mind on knocking Naruto out, but stopped when she had a sudden craving for…. Ramen!

"… And that's how ramen not only saved my life for the 23rd time, but how it stopped a war with The Village Hidden in the Clouds. Now do you doubt the power of ramen Haku-chan?" Naruto said enthusiasm evident on his face after hearing her stomach grumble mid-way through his ramen based stories.

"…"

"Come on Haku-chan! My stories didn't affect you?-!"

"…"

Sakura was getting nervous; she tripped a total of three times already. She was positive that Naruto had something to do with her clumsiness. Sakura caught up with her blonde teammate and had to call his name several times to get his attention away from Haku.

"Um… Naruto? What are you and Haku talking about?" She said calmly until she said her name. Sakura did not like Haku at all. 'She hurt Sasuke-kun! She deserves a horrible death! Sakura thought. 'Or maybe it's because Naruto isn't showing his undying attention towards you?' Inner Sakura said with a smirk. "What the f-?-!" Sakura said out loud with a small blush, while receiving an odd look from Naruto and an amused smirk from Haku.

"So what were you two talking about?" Sakura repeated slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, I was telling Haku-ch-"Naruto got interrupted by Haku suddenly.

"Naruto-kun was asking if I would mind having lunch with him when we get back to Konoha." Haku said with an evil smirk that only got wider after seeing a vein popping out on the forehead of the pinkette.

Naruto, who was oblivious to what happened between his two kunoichi friends, happily said "I KNEW my stories would make you see things my way!"

Haku used this opportunity to tease Sakura a little bit more "Oh yes Naruto-kun, they certainly did! I can't wait…" She ended the sentence with a devious smirk.

"Oh…" Sakura gulped as she saw the way Haku looked at Naruto. She then noticed how quickly Naruto calmed down; he looked as if he matured over the past couple of days. "W-Well, I hope you guys have a good time!" Sakura added quickly.

The group of ninjas made their way through the gates of Konoha, the guards giving strange looks at Kakashi and Sasuke. It looked as if Kakashi witnessed the murder of a family member. And Sasuke was holding a huge branch to which he called "Precious".

Kakashi between sniffles said "Haku you need to report to the Hokage. He'll decide whether or not if you can stay here. Naruto, you lead her to the Hokage tower."

"What will you do Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, slightly confused.

Kakashi sighed "I need to get a black suit, a small book shaped casket and a burial site." Then he teleported away into the shadows.

Haku, Naruto, and Sakura sweat-dropped at this and left toward the Hokage tower, until Haku stated something "Sakura, why are you going with us?" Naruto nodded slightly.

"It's true Sakura-chan, don't you need to rest and let your parents know your back?" Naruto said as nice as he could.

Sakura winced at the response she had gotten from Naruto; she thought he would have wanted her there. "Y-Yea I know, but Inos' house is in the direction of the Hokage tower, I need to tell her something." 'Whew! That was a close one!' She thought to herself.

'Hmm I always thought that Ino hated Sakura… Hmmm no matter'

The trio walked towards the tower, all along the way, Naruto had been talking to Haku about all of the sights that need to be seen and the like. Haku paid attention, not to Naruto, but at the villagers who gave Naruto a nasty look whenever he passed by. 'This feels familiar' Haku thought solemnly.

After parting ways with a somewhat bummed Sakura, the blonde and brunette entered the tower and approached the Hokage. "Oi, jiji-san!" Naruto said happily.

"Ah Naruto, good to see you again, how have you been lately?" the Hokage said calmly.

"Listen old man, we need to talk about something serious." Naruto said abruptly while pointing at the door.

The door opened and Haku walked in, bowed and stood behind Naruto. Rather closely the Hokage noted.

Before the Hokage could ask who she is, Naruto explained everything from the beginning.

One Hour Later

"I see…" Hokage said while taking a deep breath of his pipe. "Haku… You realize I have to find out if you actually want to revert to Konoha?"

Haku looked at the Hokage with calm eyes and sighed "I understand Hokage-san." She looked at the confused Naruto and looked at her feet, sadly.

"Do not worry Haku, you are now welcomed here in the village. I noticed that you indeed care for Naruto." At this, Haku smiled and looked at Naruto. He was looking at her too. He gave her a foxy smirk and turned his attention back to the Hokage.

Haku was indeed taking a liking to Naruto, she blushed slightly when she received his foxy grin, and she thought he liked her too. Unfortunately, Naruto is extremely dense and oblivious, he thought of Haku as a close friend, one he could always rely on.

"Even so, Naruto please come back for Haku in 2 weeks. By regulation, she has to take specific exams to show her skills as a ninja. You're dismissed Naruto.

Before Naruto could say anything against this he was "escorted" outside by several ANBU squads.

Once outside, Naruto decided to head home. He walked with his hands in his pocket and his head facing the floor. He was deep in thought, thinking on what happened in the past several weeks. His thoughts were broken after he heard a faint growl. He turned towards the noise and saw a tail sticking out of a bush. He gently reached his hands for the hurt animal and barely flinched when he got bit. When he pulled the animal out of the bush he was surprised to see a completely black fox.

'The villagers still hate foxes, huh? He thought sadly

After the attack on Konoha by the Kyuubi, foxes of all kinds were suddenly hated. They couldn't be sold as pets, and owners of said animals had to pay a hefty tax.

Naruto looked at the little fox and instantly felt bad for it and decided to take it to the only place he could think of... The Inuzuka Vetenarians.

He remembered the location after running away from one angry Iruka who caught them (Naruto, Kiba, Shikamaru, and Chouji) skipping class. Kiba hid the group in one of his Clans' vetenarian buildings.

Naruto opened the door and saw the whole waiting room empty. He was greeted by a really brash Vet, Hana Inuzuka .

A/N: Well what do you guys think? This is a NarutoxHarem Please R&R Flames welcome I'll post soon