The prospect, along with the cold shower and a set of fresh clothing, a set that didn't look as prisoner-y as normal, had Naruto excited, rushing back and forth and practically running circles around Morino, trying to get the old man to hurry it up. Not that he knew what route they needed to take; he hadn't been down the hallways that led outside for quite some time and the times Morino did take him the hallways were too similar to remember where to go.

He had learned the trick by now, though, and even Morino didn't really know about it. Despite the collar, Naruto had learned to channel his chakra as though the collar wasn't even there. Morino knew this. Well, it did still suppress great deal, but he had learned to work around it. And because of this, he had picked up the same trick as the agents used to navigate around the place. The secret lay in the way the Genjustu of the place shimmered in some areas. At first it looked like a weak spot in the Genjutsu, but there were different patterns and colours to them, and Naruto was memorizing those patterns and where they seemed to lead. He did that while hyperactively running around and buzzing around Morino like an annoying fly. Luckily, Morino was completely used to Naruto's endless energy and shrugged it off.

They crossed paths with a familiar blond-haired man, flanked by a blonde-haired girl that looked a lot like the man, but younger. When Naruto saw them, he let himself fall silent and he somewhat hid behind Morino, keeping his hands together in front of him and his eyes down. Technically he wasn't supposed to be free of his cuffs and there was a silent agreement between Morino and Naruto that he would act accordingly when he ran into someone from outside the department.

Inoichi Yamanaka greeted Morino as their paths crossed and they stopped to exchange pleasantries and information. "Morino-san, how are you doing?"

"Quite well actually, but the issue you've been called in for is pressing. I am on my way to the Hokage to discuss it." The girl was looking around. It seemed to be her first time here. Naruto was staring at her, ignoring the conversation as it went on. He knew her... Ino, a girl from school. The moment she looked at him, he turned his face away, taking a step forward so he would be hidden behind Morino. He didn't know why, but he didn't want to be recognised. His head also suddenly felt a little foggy, like a headache was about to start, but didn't hurt yet.

She craned her neck, leaning over to see the boy hiding behind such a scary man. Naruto grabbed his collar again, letting his nails scratch over the surface in a rhythmic fashion. It was amazing he hadn't ever been able to claw through them with how often he did this, but the collar had always held firm. It was almost reassuring to him in some way. Something that didn't break despite his best efforts. Now it provided adequate distraction from the prying eyes.

Ino didn't notice or didn't acknowledge his distress and just kept gazing at him and stepping closer. Naruto felt cornered. He had been in this darkness for such a long time that the reminder of his days in the sun was painful. More painful than he had expected them to be and Ino was too strong a reminder of that time.

Ino took a step sideways trying to get a better view and didn't leave any room for Naruto to shy away to. He watched her eyes widen in recognition through the corner of his eyes. He shuffled back for as far as that helped, grabbed the back of Morino's shirt with one hand while keeping the other on his collar. As he stepped back, he let out a tormented grunt that came out too much like a growl.

Morino turned around to look at him and Inoichi followed his lead. Three pairs of eyes were now resting on him and that was more attention than he has had in a very long while. His eyes darted between them, not knowing who to focus on. He felt crowded, like with the villagers so long ago but without the malintent towards him.

Morino looked reprimanding, probably seeing the growl as a sign of aggression and with a deep sigh and a barely contained roll of his eyes, Naruto looked to the floor showing no intent of aggression. The shift in Morino's posture told him Morino knew he hadn't meant it wrongly.

Inoichi recognized him too, but it was Ino who voiced it. "Naruto?" She almost yelled. "What are you doing here?" She stepped up to him, ready to greet an old friend. But Naruto just turned away from her and stubbornly kept staring at the ground.

"Ino, leave him be." Inoichi said and with that, Ino seemed to suddenly remember where they were exactly and the significance of the collar around his neck. She stared at him wide eyed, but when her father started moving further into the building and called for her to follow, she made a quick bow to Morino and threw Naruto a smile he didn't see before scurrying after Inoicho.

A few moments of silence passed before Morino sighed. "I didn't expect you to shy away, Naruto." He said and started moving in the opposite direction of Ino and Inoichi. Naruto just grunted in defeat and followed. "So, why?" Morino inquired.

Naruto remained silent for another moment before answering. "She... was a friend?" Naruto said, wondering if she had actually been a friend, but he knew her and now she saw him as a criminal, probably. He wasn't. Well, technically he was, but not like that. "I guess I don't want them to think badly of me. My old friends, that is." He said in a small voice.

"That's unexpected. I would have thought you'd be more blue about seeing her."

"Blue?" Naruto asked, cocking his head.

"Yes, blue. Your happy go lucky hyperactive childish side. The colour of your eyes is linked to how you act... Well, I suppose you don't know that because you never see your own eyes, do you?" Morino turned to him as he asked the question and as he looked at Naruto his eyes slightly widened. "Ooh, that's surprising. You are blue." Morino chuckled. "I guess even you can grow up, even if it is just a little."

"What's that supposed to mean, you old fart?" Naruto yelled at Morino while flailing his arms.

Morino laughed, petting Naruto on the head. "It means what I said. You seem to have less changes then when you got here. You've grown up a bit these last four years. It suits you."

Naruto huffed, crossed his arms and looked away, but couldn't help the slight blush on his face. It was nice to get a compliment. There weren't a lot of those in a place like this.

"Come on, let's go."

Naruto took a step to follow Morino when his head started hurting a little. Naruto placed a hand on his head and closed his eyes. He breathed out slowly and carefully and stumbled half a step back. The pressure was something he never felt before, but it was bearable, so he shrugged it off. He opened his eyes to see Morino looking at him intently, watching for anything out of the ordinary, as always. At least for as far as ordinary was possible when it came to Naruto.

"Ne, Morino-san. If you could pick and choose the personality to suit a situation the most, wouldn't you do that too?" Naruto's voice sounded distant, distracted.

Morino look back at him. Naruto was staring off in space and clasping his collar again. Did Naruto use his different sides like others used the versatility of skills and weapons; whatever was most suited? That was an interesting concept. Morino nodded at that. Using what you have and can to your advantage was something every Shinobi would do. Naruto just had more to choose from.

Whatever just happened inside Naruto's head, it seemed to fade along with the pressure. His face broke into the all too familiar smile and blue-eyed twinkle. "Is it going to be day-time when we go outside? I'd really like to see the sun again!" He was hopping from one leg to the other, excitedly looking at Morino.

Morino hadn't seen Naruto like that before. It almost looked like one side of him had mixed with another, but that smile just made Morino wonder if something really happened. It had been just a short moment and Naruto clutching his head wasn't really uncommon. Shying away and ignoring something out of the ordinary was something uncommon, though. Not to mention caring about how others reacted to him. That had never seemed an issue to Naruto until they met Ino. Well, Morino assumed it held some nostalgia to Naruto, maybe. It wouldn't be weird to want to keep a certain image up with old friends. "It'll be early morning." Said Morino, walking on again.

As they neared the doors that led outside, more and more torches decorated the walls. They were there to let people get used to light before walking out into the daylight, but even the mild torch light was almost too much for Naruto. It was hurting his eyes and he squinted against the light.

They turned another corner and the torched were replaced by actual lights. They were much brighter than the torches, and Naruto stopped when the light hit him. He held an arm in front of his eyes and turned his face away. Morino saw Naruto flinch back and quickly walked over. Without a word, he produced a bandage and wrapped it once around Naruto's eyes, tying it at the back. It was essentially improvised sunglasses and took the sharp edge away from the light. It was enough for Naruto not to need to shield his eyes anymore.

When he was able to focus on his surroundings again, he found himself in a kind of reception room. Inmates were checked in here. There was no check-out counter, though. The hall was high, high enough to be intimidating and make you feel small underneath the seemingly endless arches that supported the ceiling. The ceiling was cloaked in darkness, too high for the lights of the lamps to reach it. The cold stone used throughout the room accentuated the inhospitality of the room. Iron bars and seals designed to keep people from escaping were littered all around the place. If someone would even step somewhere that wasn't allowed, the seals would activate and burn the victim.

"There is one thing before we go outside. You need your cuffs." Morino informed him. Naruto sighed. He knew from his previous trips and the cuffs were an added barrier for his chakra use. He didn't like being limited like that. It took away... possibilities.

"You know the drill. Back against the wall over there." Morino said, pointing at a wall laced with intricately drawn seals. Naruto sighed again. The cuffs he was getting was specially designed for inmates leaving the building and connected to the assigned guard. Stray away too far and the inmate gets, well, burned. They are not very imaginative about punishment with seals. Probably because these were mass-producible by most Shinobi.

With another sigh Naruto placed his back against the wall, Morino standing next to him. The cuffs were placed on his wrists followed by a sharp, but short pain through his spine as Morino poured chakra in the linking seal. He hissed at it but didn't respond further. Morino had once told him most men scream out and fall to their knees, and that he thought it was amazing Naruto had such a controlled reaction to it. Naruto, however, didn't think the pain was that bad compared to other pain he had felt in his life.

As soon as the link was complete, Naruto was back to cheerfully jumping and running around, trying to get Morino to the door quicker. It reminded Morino of dangling a leash in front of a dog and watching it getting excited over going outside. He chuckled, greeted the guards and led Naruto outside.

Thanks to the lights and the bandage, the early morning light didn't feel too bad for Naruto. The sun just barely peeked over the horizon. There was a little fog hanging in the air and a few birds could be seen flying about. There were only a few clouds, near the horizon in a soft pinkish hue. Naruto stopped for a second, taking a deep breath and filling his lungs with the clean air. He loved this. Breathing and the free feeling it gave him. It was probably was he missed most about being outside. There was nothing else to really miss for him. People were cruel to him anyway, so in a way staying inside was good too. At least the people in there recognized him as a human and even a companion to some extent, Hisato and Morino being closest to him.

They walked through the early morning chill. There were only a handful of people walking around and most were too preoccupied to notice the unusual duo making their way through the streets. "Did I ever tell you that Sarutobi-sama has appointed a new Hokage?" Morino asked.

Naruto, walking next to him looked at him with wide eyes. "Did he retire?" He'd be sad if he didn't get to see Jiji.

"No, he still does duties as a Hokage, but the fifth Hokage has been chosen a few months ago, Hatake Kakashi. Over the next couple of years, Hatake-sama will be taking over more and more duties until Sarutobi-sama can retire. Our audience will be with both of them." Morino informed him.

"Haa~, what's this about anyway, dragging me along and all?" Naruto asked, attempting to place his hands behind his head, but failing due to the cuffs. He dropped his hands in front of him again and glared at the horrible cold metal on his wrists.

"The Ame nin provided some information and it has to do with you. Since you haven't met the new Hokage yet and he needs to make a decision about your future, I thought it only fair he got to meet you before he does. Sarutobi-sama agreed with this but didn't want the meeting to be in the department. That's why I'm taking you there." Morino watched for Naruto's reaction from the corners of his eyes but kept a steady face himself.

Naruto let out a short laugh. It amazed him that despite everything there were people that genuinely cared for him. It made it difficult sometimes to hold a grudge, but remembering the stares, harsh words and abuse from his early years, the grudge was quickly settled back in his heart. Still, it was nice. Urgh, he was going soft. "I guess I will put effort into being most presentable before our new Hokage-sama. It seems first impressions will be important. What information does Lord Fifth have on me?" He said stiffly. He saw Morino turn to him more, looking at his face or more specifically his eyes. Both were dull, but not empty. Emotions were blazing behind those eyes but didn't reach his face.

"I imagine that Sarutobi-sama has told him what he needs to know." The rest of the way was silent. They reached the Hokage tower and entered, Morino greeting the guards and Naruto following silently, taking off the cloth covering his eyes as they walked inside.

Morino knocked on the door to the Hokage's office and waited for a reply. Naruto went back to grasping his collar and running his nails over it. He noticed the lady behind the desk staring at him and decided to return the favour. He turned his whole body towards the lady, making full eye contact and letting his grin spread over his face. It took only a few seconds before she shifted underneath his gaze, trying to avoid eye contact but failing as there was no real way for her to turn.

His grin turned creepier by the second. He was enjoying watching her squirm. There weren't many in the department that squirmed so easily and openly. It was fun. That was, until Morino unceremoniously punched him on the head, effectively making him end up sitting on the floor grasping his head.

"You're scaring her. Apologize." Morino said in mock anger. He was silently entertained by Naruto's antics, but he couldn't show that openly. He was the adult and guard in this case.

"Auwww, I'm sorry, Papa!" Naruto looked up at him with tearful eyes and a pout. It was almost enough to break Morino's facade. Almost... "Not to me, smartass, to her. And don't call me that!" He snapped back, one hand balled in a fist in his side and holding up a finger in warning. Naruto sweat dropped. Yeah, definitely not a father type...

Naruro looked back at the lady behind the desk, giving her the most innocent big smile he could muster. "I'm sorry, Nee-chan!" She just blinked, letting the silence fill the room until an ANBU opened the door to the Hokage's office asking them to enter.

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