"Minori, you need to get out of here! It's not safe. Get to a tunnel, go to Konoha, find Kushina." Kenchiro shook his younger brothers shoulders, his sword already strapped to his waist.

"But I want to come with you!" Minori's eyes were wide with fear and worry. His dad was already outside and as his firstborn Kenchiro was expected to be at his side.

"No Minori, you can't. You're too young and I don't want to lose you. Not like mom." The teen's violet eyes were unwavering. His command was not to be ignored. "Go!"

Minori's eyes clouded over with tears as he finally nodded.

-----

The noise outside was horrifying, but it did nothing to dissuade him from his path when he heard his brother cry out in alarm. He had been doing what Kenchiro had told him to do, but then he heard it.

Kenchiro had always been really expressive. They all were really. But he had never heard him cry out like that before. He had never heard such a primal cry come from his brother. But he knew who it was all the same.

When he got there his brother (his amazing older brother) was surrounded on all sides by six Kirigakure shinobi. And jounin by the looks of it. He fought them with all his might. So viciously Minori wondered what had happened from his position. So viciously he was petrified from fright.

Then he saw. His father lay on the ground, his green eyes dull and blood seeping through his shirt. He didn't move. There was no rise and fall of his chest. There was nothing.

Then Kenchiro fell. And he let out a loud sob. The only standing Kiri nin (because his brother didn't go down without a fight, no siree) looked his way and grinned ferally. He raised his sword, still drenched in his brother's blood and he charged, bringing the blade down toward his face.

-----

Minori awoke with a start. His hands clutching at the large scar just beneath his left eye. He trembled and shook. Tears rolling down his cheeks freely.

"Uncle? What's wrong?" Naruto stood in the doorway of his room, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"It's nothing kid. I'll be fine. I just had a bad dream." He smiled slightly, something he hadn't really been doing much of until he met the boy.

"Really? I used to get nightmares too. They went away when I entered the academy though." Naruto sat down in the arm of the sofa his uncle was occupying.

"Hmm, how long has that been?" Minori leaned his back against the other arm, wiping his face.

"Uhh, let's see. I started when I was five so.. four years I guess." He tilted his head to the side. "I failed the graduation exam again yesterday." He frowned and looked down at his feet.

"Really, I think Kiri shinobi entered at like four or something. They usually spent six to seven years training." Minori rubbed his chin slightly. "Of course I wasn't apart of that. They only taught me kenjutsu and let me study sealing."

"You mean like how the kyuubi is in me?" Naruto asked leaning back a bit.

"Yeah, they wanted me only because I was an Uzumaki. I guess they figured since we were so good at it they should try to train one as their own." He rubbed his arm before turning to the boy. "That was something they definitely failed at."

"Can you teach me?" Naruto moved to sit next to him.

"Can you teach me sealing?" He looked at his uncle, silently begging.

"Well of course. When I visited the Uzushio ruins last year I found secrets no other Uzumaki possibly could. Because they were main family secrets. Our secrets." He winked at Naruto. "Along with some of our secret recipes of course. Mom was an amazing cook."

They both laughed together before Naruto spoke again.

"We're going to see my parents house today aren't we?" He was smiling, but a tear leaked out of his eye.

Minori pulled him closer. "Yeah we are kid. Yeah we are."

I'm such a sucky author. I'm not sure how long it's been but I do know that it's been too long. On the bright side, I've demolished the brunt side of my studying and my two hardest finals are tomorrow. After that I should be able to devote more time to all my stories, not just the ones I have prewritten.

Sea