Doubt and Escape

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"Minato, not right now. Naruto is going to meet his team soon and start his true shinobi career. That's a big step and milestone in his life. We can't just take time off whenever anymore," the sound of Kushina's raised voice broke Naruto out of his dream with a start.

"Kushina, we should take more time off and do something as a family, come on dear, families do things together don't they?" Naruto had rarely heard Minato's voice over the past few weeks, the graduating class and assigning of genin teams had kept the man trapped up in the Hokage tower for days and nights.

"Well, I wouldn't know Minato, it's not like I've had a family before," Naruto could hear the daggers in Kushina's voice and could almost see the fire in her eyes and she grew frustrated with whatever Minato was persisting with.

"And you think I have? Neither of us has had families and we know what it's like so we have to be the best family Naruto can have, that means going out and doing family things together."

"Don't twist my words, Minato. You know I want to be the best family and parents for Naruto as well, now just isn't the time," Kushina was

"Kushina, we need to do things together to be a good family." Naruto felt a pang in his heart of worry for Kushina as he heard Minato's words. It wasn't as if he didn't care for the woman, she was the one that raised him, listened to his problems, made him part of who he was today but she just never felt like a mother to him. Motherly definitely, just not HIS mother. It wasn't just Minato's words, but the older blonde's tone was just off. Something was wrong and Naruto wasn't willing to stay and find out what.

"That's enough, Minato. Can't you hear yourself Minato? You're being selfish!" Naruto flinched as Kushina's raised voice turned into yells. He threw on a long black jacket over his clothes, having not changed before going to bed and hopped out his window, his bare feet hitting the tiles of the opposite house's roof with a soft thud. His shoes were by the front door of the house and with the way the 'conversation" between Minato and Kushina was going, he didn't feel like interrupting them and alerting them to his presence. He knew Kushina could probably tell that he was gone due to her sensor skills but would be unwilling to bring it up with him later. It was a dirty trick, using her guilt to keep her silent, he knew that but he couldn't stop himself. He wanted escape, to get out of that toxic stifling space.

"Finally," he let out a sign before taking a breath of fresh air as he found himself walking down empty and silent streets, not having anywhere to go or a destination in mind yet still letting his feet take him away. He paused for a moment as platinum blonde hair caught his eye, not the same shade as his and the teen from his dream but still the same style that he recalled the blonde teen from his dreams wearing his hair in. Naruto recognised the man, often seeing the man, Inoichi, by Minato's side in the Hokage's office while delivering lunch on his off school days. Something Minato suggested as a bonding activity.

Without realizing, he had begun to follow the man and the two had walked into a section of the village Naruto had heard of but never seen, the warnings Kushina had engrained into his mind enough to steer him away. Away from the infamous 'Red Light District' of Konoha. He braced himself for the praising stares of the villagers that he had become accustomed to only to be met with surprise as no one on the bustling streets of the red light district kept moving on, not spacing him a glance.

It was refreshing. Like a breath of fresh air that his lungs gratefully welcomed. He grinned to himself and felt a weight he never knew existed fall off his shoulders. He didn't know what came over him but with a sudden burst of energy he let loose and started running through the streets, lit but the soft red light emanating from the various red paper lanterns that hung through the streets.

"Oi, kid!" a gruff voice caught his attention and his attention snapped to the stall owner on his left.

"Uh, what's up?' Naruto cringed as his voice cracked but the man didn't seem to notice or if he did he didn't care.

"I'll give ya a hundred ryo if ya deliver this to Madam Aiya," Naruto looked at him confusion before the realisation set if and he glanced down at himself, his dirt covered bare feet and messy clothes, an old black jacket hurriedly thrown over him, blond hair messy from running through the streets. The store owner held out a brown package and Naruto instinctively took it, the man thrusting a few notes in Naruto's hand as he did so. "Don't take too long, kid," and with that the man shooed the blonde off and Naruto started walking only to realise.

"Who the hell is Madam Aiya?"