Chapter 57: Finally

Haku and Naruto peacefully strolled through the markets of Saizkuma island. The young kunoichi couldn't help but smirk on seeing the annoyed look plastered on Naruto's face. Shopping was one of his least favorite activities, and for the past few weeks Nono had been repeatedly sending him for such a simple errand along with Haku.

At one point of time, he had even presumed she was trying to set him up with Haku.

And she had good reasons behind it...

Both of them were almost the same age, were orphans, missing ninjas as well as criminals. Despite these familiar traits, they were people who had known the pain of being alone and discarded from society. Social pariahs...

Naruto had also noticed Haku was always writing something in a personal diary since the past few weeks...

"Are you trying to write something?" asked Naruto suspiciously, speaking for the first time.

"Yeah, I have some free time these days so I'm kind of writing a silly novel. It's nothing more than a hobby..." confessed Haku with a shy smile, making him raise one of his eyebrows.

"What's it about?"

Now that was surprising, it was quite unusual for the uncaring Naruto to be so interested in her personal life. But since both of them had nothing better to do right now, and there was no hidden danger in this activity she decided to talk to him. He was a decent guy to have a conversation with...

"It's about people who are not able to adjust in society due to different reasons. The main character is quite complicated, he's kind of like you..." said Haku jokingly,

"You sure you're not making a story on my life?" asked Naruto bemusedly, but deep down the idea seemed quite interesting to him. It was quite intriguing how people viewed him as a person.

"Nah, not exactly..." said Haku nonchalantly, and was surprised when he sighed in relief.

"That's good, because it probably won't have a fairy tale like ending..." said Naruto mysteriously, a faint smile adoring his handsome face.

"What makes you say that?" asked Haku curiously, but he simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Call it a hunch..." replied Naruto nonchalantly,

Haku could not help but stare at him as he walked forward, among all the people she had known in her life Naruto was perhaps the most complicated and mysterious person. There was simply no definite category in which she could put him...

On one side, he was Zabuza's murderer but was also the one who helped the young children of the orphanage, and gave her a new chance at redemption.

He was respectful to her and never raised a single lecherous glance at her, she could easily see the burden which he carried on his shoulders. Even then, he was searching for his promised land, to get away from the shit he was caught up in...

Many people called him a traitor, monster, butcher but all she could see was a young boy who was simply drifting in the different directions where his destiny was sending him. He was quite accurate when he guessed she was writing a book on him...

Guess a small part of her heart had fallen for his charm. How could she not like him, when he had been so kind, friendly towards her. In an indefinite way, he was her first friend and perhaps crush. But deep down she knew that was where the curtain would fall...

Just looking in his eyes was enough to show he was in love with someone else, and was quite loyal towards her. Despite the months of his stay around this island, Naruto had never once visited the 'special comfort houses' which were quite famous for various kinds of pleasure. He would instead spend time with Ria and the other young orphans, their innocent smiles bringing a little light back in his dark life...

"Hey, Haku. I'm kind of tired, I can't take this shopping anymore...can I go now?" asked Naruto tiredly, and showed the bundle of bags he was holding.

"Hm, you're admitting defeat?" questioned Haku bemusedly, as he sighed.

"Sure, you win the bet. I simply can't deal with this. I'll take these groceries back to Nono, see you later..." said Naruto quickly, and before she could say something he ran off with impressive speed.

Her eyebrows twitched on seeing him fleeing like this, guess even a mysterious person like Naruto had some common traits that all men possessed!

"Slacker..." cursed Haku, and started walking towards another store.

She had barely walked for more than 2 minutes, when her ninja senses kicked in as she felt a presence around her. Her years of training as a tracker ninja easily showing that the person was a ninja with quite high chakra levels.

Either he/she was careless, or was deliberately revealing his/her position. Whatever the reason maybe, she decided to deal with the situation immediately and in a secluded corner so that no innocents get caught in the crossfire, if it escalated to a fight. Ninja battles were quite famous for mass destruction, and any damage here would only attract the attention of the authorities who were hell bent on projecting these islands as a safe, happy, entertainment center.

She had just been relived from living a life on the run, and was quite determined to prevent attracting any more ninjas towards her or the orphanage, and most of all towards Naruto.

Turning around a few corners, she stepped into an isolated alley where her pursuer was waiting for her.

The person's face was not visible due to the lack of light in the dark corners, but judging from the body structure and beautiful smell this was definitely a woman. Haku was surprised when a pair of dark ruby colored eyes opened...

And in that moment she knew who this person was, after all she had often caught Naruto staring at a certain woman's picture at night.

"So, you're Haku..." said the woman calmly, although her icy tone was certainly not quite welcoming.

"And you are?" asked Haku patiently, even if this woman was indeed the person in Naruto's picture; it didn't mean that Haku knew her name or history. Naruto had been extremely secretive about his past life in Konoha or the people he had known.

"We need to talk..." said the mysterious woman tersely, surprisingly gaining a nod from Haku.

"So it seems. Let's go for a cup of tea..." offered Haku politely,

"And what makes you think I want that? Why can't we just talk over here?"

"I have an idea as to who you are, and since you seem to know who I am...I think you have misunderstood the entire situation. So, I suggest we have a civil conversation instead of fighting for no reason, as it would surely attract the attention of the local police. And neither of us want that now, do we?" asked Haku cunningly, and smirked when the woman scowled a bit.

"Fine..."

(Nearby Tea Shop: 30 Minutes Later)

When Haku had presumed Naruto was in love with someone, she hadn't imagined her to be this beautiful. The woman sitting before her was the epitome of feminine beauty combined with the deadly skills of a talented ninja. The fact that she was able to hide her presence from Haku and the unaware Naruto was quite a feat, even if both of them were not kneading chakra they should have at least felt something...but the truth was they didn't realize she was keeping an eye on them at all.

"Wow..." said a surprised Haku, making Kurenai raise one of her eyebrows.

"Excuse me?"

"You are quite beautiful, stalker-san..." teased Haku mischievously, and chuckled when Kurenai's eyebrows twitched violently.

"I am not a stalker, and what do you mean by beautiful?" asked Kurenai suspiciously, as Haku quickly raised her hands in surrender.

"Alright, I was joking about the stalker part, but you are quite beautiful. I see why Naruto is so loyal towards you..." said Haku happily,

"What do you mean?" asked Kurenai curiously,

"Before that, can I ask your name? It's strange having a conversation with someone whose name you don't know..." confessed Haku, while Kurenai eyed her suspiciously.

"Akira..." lied Kurenai effortlessly, this girl may have been friendly towards her but it didn't mean she needed to know everything.

"I see..." said Haku acceptinly, truly aware that the name was a lie but it was a start regardless.

"Where is Naruto?" asked Kurenai bluntly, it was no point in beating around the bush when she had clearly seen her partner shopping with the girl half an hour ago. The fact that he suddenly ran away seemed very suspicious, had he sensed her presence?

It was unlikely, since she was not kneading chakra and suppressing her presence. But then again, Naruto was a veteran Anbu captain who had been in the field for years, so nothing could be assumed for sure.

"At our hideout, why do you want to meet him?" asked Haku seriously, receiving a sharp glare from the genjutsu mistress.

"That's none of your business..." replied Kurenai icily, making the young girl before her sigh tiredly.

"Then I'm afraid we are at an impasse, it was nice meeting you Akira-san..." said Haku curtly, and was about to get up from her seat when a firm hand was placed on her right arm.

Dark black eyes met sharp ruby eyes as a battle of wills was fought between the two female warriors, until the older one spoke in a relatively cool voice.

"We're not done yet..." instructed Kurenai icily, her weeks of experience as a captain quickly kicking in.

"So, it seems. You're lying to me and I am not being too co-operative either. So I suggest we present the truths, Naruto is a friend of mine and I would be damned if I let an assassin get near him when he's the number one target of Konoha's hit list. Even if he knows you, I am not revealing where he is unless you tell me your intentions..." explained Haku honestly, and didn't flinch when Kurenai glared at her.

"You're not gonna budge, are you?" asked Kurenai tiredly, the fatigue of the past few days of searching finally getting to her.

"No..."

"I just want to talk to him, I have something for him..." said Kurenai honestly, as Haku looked at her for a few moments.

"Are you his wife or fiance?" asked Haku in a friendly voice, and couldn't stop her chuckle when Kurenai's cheeks went bright red.

"It's not like that...we're...complicated" finished Kurenai awkwardly, not finding the right word to describe her connection to Naruto.

"Hmm, I believe you..."

"Just like that?" asked a surprised Kurenai, but the girl simply shrugged.

"Please, I've seen him countless times staring at a picture of you. He kind of reminds me of a tragedy hero..." joked Haku, and was pleased when even Kurenai got a faint smile on her face.

"I guess you can call him that..." whispered Kurenai,

The tea was served before them, as the former rivals gave each other a firm nod before sipping the hot drink. The tension between them gone, as they were able to gain a common ground which was Naruto himself.

The silencing seals placed around their corners doing an effective job of keeping their conversation a secret. And just to be safe, Kurenai had also casted a genjutsu in the area around them making them look like common civilians.

"How is he?" asked Kurenai hesitantly, and this time Haku gained a thoughtful look in her eyes.

The young girl didn't know that with every changing expression on her face was leading to increase in Kurenai's anxiety. Her last meeting with him in wave was close to a disaster. They had fought, she had accused him, hurt him both physically and emotionally. And he had accepted it with a smile on his face, and even apologized for his actions.

But in the past few weeks, she had quite a lot of time to think and judge his actions. Why he lied to her...

And now that she thought about it, he had no choice. It was a mission directly from the Hokage, and now that she knew what it was Kurenai couldn't help but understand that he had protected her with his actions. And only made a mistake by ordering her to kill him, but he had rectified that and apologized so there was no need to drag it forever.

"He's changing..."

Haku's answer certainly caught her by surprise as she looked at the girl quite anxiously, hoping to dear god that something bad had not happened.

"Naruto is a good person, but there is another side of him that I have seen quite a lot during the past few weeks. We're currently hiding at an orphanage which Naruto helped set up with a very kind nun. He has been regularly sending money for the young orphans since the past few years..." said Haku proudly, completely surprising Kurenai.

Just how much did she didn't know about him?

"Akira-san...does Naruto dislike his parents?" asked Haku sadly, and the woman's depressed look gave her the answer.

"I tried to deny it, but now I see it. He dislikes them from the bottom of his heart for leaving him alone, for condemning him to a life of hell. They chose the village over him, while they are remembered as heroes...he was always viewed as a demon, a pariah...

...his parents are the reason for his suffering" concluded Kurenai sadly,

"Has he spoken about them to you?" asked Kurenai worriedly,

"No, he does not. But I heard one of the orphanage girls ask him about them, I was there with him and the hatred that burned in his eyes scared me. There was a lot of anger, lot of pain in those eyes..." said Haku seriously,

"I understand..."

Silence prevailed between the duo as both of them wondered what to say, when Kurenai decided to ask something that had been troubling her ever since she came to know about Haku's connection to Naruto.

"How do you know him?" asked Kurenai seriously

Haku didn't say anything except stare at her for a few definite seconds, her eyes searching for any kind of deception. She had also observed how lightly armed Kurenai was, if she was indeed an assassin then she would be a fool if she thought she could take on Naruto with that much firepower only.

Not to mention they had a Sannin at the orphanage, and Nono may not look tough but she was no slouch either.

Plus, there was the fact of Naruto looking at her picture with a somewhat lost look in his eyes, he certainly seemed quite attached to her. Deciding to take a gamble, she spoke in a relatively calm voice.

"We were enemies once, he defeated me and killed my mentor who was my only family..." said Haku evasively, not revealing the exact details about her connection to Zabuza or her own identity.

Kurenai seemed surprised that Naruto could be the killer of this girl's precious person, and even then...

"I was captured by him. With everything gone, I expected him to kill me or do many bad things since I was his prisoner...but he gave me a second chance by allowing to serve at the orphanage. A chance to choose my own path, and so far it has turned out quite well. I may not know everything about him, but I consider him a friend...

...he's family, and I won't let anyone hurt him. So think twice before trying anything funny" warned Haku, her menacing glare promising a world of pain to Kurenai.

Instead, she saw the woman...smiling?

"Thank you...for looking after him" said Kurenai gratefully, giving a short bow to the surprised girl before him.

"Hey, I was just being nice to him. He's done so much for me..." replied Haku shyly,

"He does not have many friends, well not right now. It's nice to know that he has people who look after him, despite what the world sees him as..." suggested Kurenai hesitantly, as Haku shook her head vehemently.

"It doesn't matter what others think. We're ninjas, as such none of us are saints. Everyone has blood on their hands, even the most kind father could be a deadly assassin ninja. I don't care what he's done, he was good to me and the other unfortunate children and in the end that's all that matters..." said Haku stubbornly,

"True enough..."

"Akira-san, before we go to meet him. I want you to refrain yourself from saying anything that might hurt him, he has been slowly getting his old smiles and happy behavior back by being around the kids. Plus, there's the fact about his collapsing health-"

"What? Is he alright?" asked Kurenai worriedly, the mere word 'collapsing' had sent her heart in a crazy frenzy.

"I don't know, he goes out for some mission and always comes back half dead at midnight's. The nun who looks after him does not say anything, and I'm not much of a medic but even I can see his health is deteriorating rapidly. So please be careful with your words and actions..." suggested Haku

Kurenai cursed her fate once again when this new information was presented before her. How was she supposed to tell Naruto about the truth that he had a clone daughter, who was now dead and secretly buried. Not only that Hiruzen had gone ahead to clear that information from Naruto's mind...

What if that would affect Naruto's health badly?

She definitely needed to see him now, to make sure he was safe. Her entire reason for coming here, for undertaking such a huge risk was to reveal this treachery to Naruto, to be the one person who remained truthful to him when everyone else was lying.

But now she was not so sure about her decision...

"Take me to him, please..." said Kurenai urgently, gaining a nod from Haku.

Things had just gotten from complicated to fucked up...

(With Naruto)

The young captain peacefully sat on a large stone, his serene blue eyes happily observing the two young children playing in front of him. Childhood was perhaps the best part of a person's life, and watching the smiles on these 2 children's faces made him proud. Because it proved that even if he had sinned, he had done some good too.

This orphanage and the children living here were his salvation, by helping them have a chance at a peaceful, normal life - he was compensating for his actions of hurting other people for the greater good of Konoha.

He idly wondered about his life after this operation, Hiruzen had promised to bring him back to the village as a hero.

But was it really possible?

He had been living in the outside world for months now, and it had shown him certain aspects which had went unnoticed by his naive heart earlier when he accepted this mission. Even if he was a skilled Anbu captain, in the end he was still a 15 year old teenager who lacked some insight behind the harsh truths of life. But now he was able to see them clearly...

Revealing the contents of Operation Ghost would destroy the trust which the people had in the Hokage's. Not only that, if the rumors about Princess Karen soon ascending to the Royal throne were true...then a revolution would start very soon.

Knowing that bitch and her connections to Danzo, she would not hesitate in removing Hiruzen from his post.

Things were about to get a lot more complicated in Fire Country and in Konoha. After watching the same treatment being given to Gaara made him extremely angry at the ninja world.

Yes, he had sworn to protect Konoha...but was it even worth it?

Shin, Sai, Isane, and so many young Root Anbu had been sacrificed for that double faced village. He had promised to protect the village for their sake and their dreams, but the harsh truth was that not even a single one of those heroes were being remembered for their greatest sacrifices. Their names vanishing with the passing time...

Anbu were supposed to protect from the shadows, but even they had families and loved ones. In the past he had thought himself to be a mere pawn to be used and thrown by Konoha, because he wanted to repent for killing Shin, getting Sai killed and butchering the entire Root force. While also for hurting Kurenai and his friends though his actions...

But now that he had forgiven himself and was moving on, he was able to see things in a broad perspective.

Anbu's were not pawns but people, they could not be used so callously and not even be remembered for the sacrifice which they made for their village. They deserved that honor after sacrificing everything.

And what about him? Where did he stand?

Apart from his promise to Shin and Sai, why was he even risking everything to protect a village who hated him from the bottom of its heart?

He could still remember that mob beating which he had received a decade ago, it still made him very angry.

Maybe it was due to Kurenai, Kakashi, and his friends and family. For their sakes, he was still willing to protect a village that was corrupted from the top to bottom.

Even then he couldn't help himself from seeing the bigger picture. Apart from a handful people back in Konoha, the entire population hated him and would continue to scorn him even if Operation Ghost was revealed. If not for anything, they would blame him for forcing Hiruzen to order such a mission or even continue to call him a traitor for being a part of Root.

The people of Konoha were very selfish, two faced back stabbers. Humans whose morals were so fucked up that no amount of preaching would set them on the right path. The Uchiha clan had also faced such a treatment for years, and when they had enough and were about to rebel...Konoha used one of their own clansmen to slaughter the entire clan for the greater good.

But what was the greater good?

Every good person whom he had known was dead or dying, while the selfish civilian bastards and prejudicial ninjas were living happily. They were content in living in a world of lies, happy in torturing people like him, placing all the blame on a few unfortunate souls just so they could live happily.

And to think his own parents had not only died for such ungrateful bastards, but also sacrificed him happily. It was quite ironic that in the past he had thought himself to be a pawn, since his own parents had seen him as such. He definitely had some self esteem issues...

But not anymore...

It was not him who he was wrong...

...but it was the world which was fucked up.

"Onee-chan..."

The combined voice of the 2 children before him snapped him out of those depressing thoughts. A fond smile came on his lips as he saw Ria and a 4 year old Ken standing before him. The two innocent children had such beautiful smiles on their faces...

Ria was holding a sunflower in her hands, while the little Ken was holding a fine paper plane in his little hands.

And they were giving it to him...

Kneeling before the two young children, he flashed them a bright smile while placing each of his hands on their heads and gently ruffling their hair, earning small giggles from them.

"Are these for me?" asked Naruto happily, gaining 2 eager nods.

"I brought these flower for you...Nii-chan" said Ria happily,

"Um...I made this plane" said Ken hesitantly, the little boy seemed quite unsure about his own handiwork as he worriedly compared his gift to Ria's.

Naruto easily saw through both children, and couldn't help but feel at home. This was a world which he wanted to live in, a world free of lies, a world of love and compassion.

A world where people didn't betrayed each other for any possible reason.

A gentle world.

He wanted to build such a world for Kurenai, for her to live freely...

Something which was impossible in the ninja world and its corrupt system of hatred and greed.

He gently caressed Ria's soft cheeks earning a soft giggle from her...

"This flower is quite beautiful like you...thank you, Ria-chan" replied Naruto gratefully, and he could practically sense the other little boy looking at him.

"What about me? What about me?" asked Ken repeatedly, anxiety easily visible in the boy's face.

"This plane is also quite cool. You'll be a great artist someday...Ken-kun" praised Naruto, earning a bright smile from the young dark black haired boy.

He was extremely pleased on seeing the victorious smirks on their faces as they gave each other a high five. Looking at the accumulated dirt on their clothes and bodies, an idea came in his mind.

"You two need a bath..." suggested Naruto, and got up from his previous kneeling position.

"Nii-chan, give me a hug before we go for a bath, please" requested Ria politely, and raised her arms expectantly.

"Me too, Nii-chan..." said Ken quickly, and repeated the same action.

They were delighted when Naruto merely chuckled a bit while picking them up with the help of his strong arms. Both young children quickly encircled their hands around his neck for support while nuzzling closer to his warm chest.

His strong arms providing a protective feeling.

Naruto was quite pleased with the way Ria had grown up, he could still remember the lone blonde girl whom he had found in Wave. She was so lonely and surrounded by the hyenas that were Gato and his thugs, but now she had a home and friends whom she could depend on.

He had never seen a child so happy, helping set up this orphanage was perhaps the best decision he had made in his life.

"You two sure are getting bigger..." complimented Naruto,

"Just wait, Nii-chan...I'll get stronger than you one day" promised Ria confidently, as Ken glared at her.

"Ria..." chided the young boy, who seemed to admire Naruto and considered him his idol.

He kind of reminded Naruto of a young Konohamaru...

"Alright, no fighting. Ria, you're the elder sister so you have to teach Ken all sorts of things..." advised Naruto sagely,

"I will, Nii-chan..." said Ria excitedly, as Naruto's gaze shifted towards the young boy in his arms.

"And Ken, you're the boy so you have to protect your sister..." suggested Naruto with a kind smile on his face...

"Mm-hmmm"

"Promise me..." requested Naruto, earning two confident nods.

Which in turn resulted into the young children receiving a warm hug and soft kiss from their foster elder brother and caretaker.

Kurenai was simply left speechless by the scene that was playing in front of her eyes. It was so beautiful and heart warming that even made a tear slip from her eye. Was this really her Naruto?

She looked on her right side, only to find Haku giving her a knowing smile.

"There is nothing going on between me and him, we're merely friends..." clarified Haku honestly, as a faint blush crept up on the genjutsu mistress's face on being proven wrong.

She suddenly felt quite embarrassed for even suggesting such a thing...

"He's a good man, Akira-san. He's an honorable man...and he loves you" said Haku calmly, while giving a reassuring squeeze on Kurenai's shoulder.

"I know..." said Kurenai in a relieved voice...

"And I love him too..." thought the genjutsu mistress secretly,

"But that does not mean that you can take him for granted, or else I'll be waiting..." teased Haku, earning a sharp glare from Kurenai which only softened when she noticed the playful smile etched across the young girl's face.

"Of all the people in the world, my life seems to be the most complicated..." joked Kurenai, making Haku laugh.

"I'm happy for you..." said Haku truthfully, even if a small part of her heart was sad. But knowing that Naruto loved this woman, and seeing the concern she had for him...the right thing for her to do was step away.

He deserved to be happy...

She was surprised on receiving a light hug from someone and it turned out to be none other than Kurenai herself.

"Thank you, Haku..."

The gesture was returned by the young girl, and she smirked when she saw Naruto turning around and his eyes landing on Kurenai's back. The look on the poor boy's face was simply priceless, his eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets...shock clearly evident on his face. Haku even saw him muttering "What the fuck..."

...which only earned two curious questions from the young children in his arms.

She gently broke the hug and offered one last smile to Kurenai, before walking towards Naruto- a playful smirk coming on her beautiful face. Reaching towards his ears, she whispered 3 simple words that made the boy blush crimson red...

"She's all yours..."

Dark ruby eyes met with shocked light blue ones, and the latter's breath got hitched when the former spoke something...

"It's good to see you, Naruto..."

"Kurenai..."