Having spotted a blob of orange and blonde Athena instinctively stepped aside and out of the way of direct impact. Naruto stumbled, not being able to control his velocity, and fell face first on the floor. He groaned in pain as he slowly pulled himself into a seating position. All eyes in the office were on him and he blushed a mighty red. He chuckled nervously as she stood up and dusted off his clothes. He glanced at Athena a bit apologetic.

"Sorry, I forgot again"

Athena nodded with a small smile and patted his shoulder. It had been a while since the two last saw each other. She wondered how he's been. Hopefully he had no problems when it came to shops and bullies. She had told him to inform her of such things anytime they met. He looked a lot better. He had more muscle on his body and he seems to have grown an inch or two. He's almost at her height. Athena nodded to herself, proud of his growth. That's all she wanted. She wanted him to be healthy and happy. He seemed happy so she'll call it a job well done. She planned on carrying him out for ramen later.

Currently there was some important business to handle.

She stood in the Hokage office. Naruto beside her. Her parents were seated and Kakashi stood to one side, looking disinterested. He's somehow always in these little meeting. Maybe because he's Athena's current care taker. Or at least he was.

This meeting was something she requested. Her parents planned on leaving in two days. She had made sure they included Naruto in their plans. It wasn't hard seeing as he is indeed their god kid. So of course they would take him under their wing with the old man's permission. That was already cleared and out of the way. The only issue remaining was Naruto himself. Or rather his lack of information. Athena had told the old man that it was time to let the cat out of the bag. Naruto needed to know. The sooner the better. If he knows now he'll have some closure. He'll understand why the village has a distaste for him. He'll work a lot harder because of it. He needed to know who his parents are. To claim his father's name and be the genius she knew he was. He just needed guidance. And that is something she knew her parents could give him.

"What's going on Gramps? "

Athena caught the old man's eyes and glared a determined glare. He was not going to back out of this. Not while she was there.

"It is time I told you of your parents and the power you hold"

~~~~~~~~

Naruto was frozen to the spot. Did he hear correctly. Did the old man just say that he would reveal the identy of his parents to him? That he would tell him of the power he held? He was going to find out who his parents were. That thought made him happy and afraid at the same time. What if they didn't want him? What if that is why he ended up alone? What if they, like everyone else in the village, hated him from the moment they laid eyes on him? Were they still alive? What if they did love him. Where were they now? Are they alive out there somewhere? Are they dead? If so how did they die? Was it his fualt? Maybe it was. A lot of things were his fualt. He never meant to hurt anyone and yet it seemed as if he always did. Maybe he hurt his parents. Maybe he was the reason he was alone.

"I didn't plan on telling you any of this until you were older, but Athena insisted I tell you now before you leave" the old man said as he blew out the smoke he received from his pipe.

Leave? He was leaving? No one said anything about that to him. Athena sure didn't say anything about leaving. He was confused. He looked to Athena for answers, but he only got a reassuring smile as she motioned for him to return his attention to the old man. He did as she silently instructed. Athena has never led him astray or done anything to hurt him. He would trust her. If she hadn't told him about him leaving she had her reason. It was either not the right time or she was just being Athena. Not saying anything until she is asked.

He was stiff with anticipation. He didn't speak. He hardly remembered to breath. This would be a life changing moment for him. It was nerve racking.

There was silence in the room as Hiruzen shuffled through one of his drawers in search of something. It made Naruto even more nervous. His palms were sweating. He gripped his fist before releasing it again and rubbing it against his pants.

Hiruzen seemed to have finally found what he was in search of. He looked at it with a sad smile. He placed it on his desk and motioned for Naruto to approach him.

With slow steps Naruto approached the desk. He stood in front of it until Hiruzen motioned for him to come behind it and stand beside him. Again he did as told and stood beside the old man.

On his desk was a photo. There were but three people present on it. Two were recognized immediately. It was the old Hokage and the late fourth. It's the first Naruto had seen a picture of him. He had seen his stone face everyday, but that is different to seeing him on a photo. He was a blonde like him. He had blue eyes like him. He was dressed in the Hokage attire. He had pulled the big hat a bit low over his face and was grinning like a child. There was something about thag grin. Naruto couldn't help but grin as well. Next to the fourth Hokage stood a woman. She was smiling just as big. Her hair was a deep red and very long. Her eyes were a beautiful violet that glimmered. Naruto didn't know how to describe the woman as anything other than beautiful.

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"Minato Namikaze, late fourth Hokage and his wife Kushina Uzumaki" Hiruzen informed as he watched the boy carefully. "You're parents "

Naruto's eyes were wide with shock as he took in the news. They were his parents? The fourth Hokage was his father? He couldn't believe it. All this time he was the son to one of the strongest ninja the leaf had been graced with. He had heard lots of stories about him. The most prominant being the one of him saving the village from the demon fox. He had never met him and never had a distinct opinion of him. He just thought he was cool. He was the Hokage who saved the village. Who wouldn't find that cool? He never dreamed that he could be his father. The thought never once entered his mind. For a moment he thought that the old man was lying. That he was pulling his leg. Paying him back for all the pranks he pulled. The thought did not remain long. The look on the old Hokage's face and in his eyes said it all. He was telling the truth.

He looked at the photo with new eyes. He started comparing himself to his parents. To his father. He could now see the resemblance. He looked exactly like his father. He thought those two side bangs were cool. Maybe he should grow his hair like that. He couldn't find any of his mother's physical features on himself. She was an Uzumaki though. That's what makes him one.

Why wasn't he named Namikaze?

He thought about it. If he was named Namikaze everyone would know he was the son of the fourth. If it was like that then he would not be pestered by bullies or treated the way he did. He was a nice thought and fantasy, but he needed to be realistic. If he was named Namikaze he could be in danger. Alive or not the fourth was an impressive ninja. If people knew he had a child it could bring trouble.

Naruto couldn't help but think there was another reason. He had a feeling it had to do with the weird tattoo on his stomach.

"How did they die? " he asked. His eyes never leaving the picture.

Hiruzen glanced at the photo. His eyes then went to Tsunade and Jiraiya. They both had a far off look on their faces as they stared into space.

"The night you were born was the night the fox attacked"

The way Hiruzen said it made him suspicious. It was connected wasn't it? It wasn't a coincidence.

"Do you know the meaning of the word jinchūriki? "

Naruto nodded. It's a term used for those who have one of the tailed beast sealed within them. That is all he really knew of them.

"You're mother was the jinchūriki of the nine tails" Hiruzen revealed.

Naruto didn't physically react. He just stood. His eyes were still on the photo. His mother held the nine tails within her. And it got out on the day of his birth. He connected the dots. He looked up, meeting the old man's eyes. His gaze was filled with so many emotions that it was hard to determine the key emotion.

"It got out because of me? "

Hiruzen widened his eyes and turned his entire body to face the boy. He opened his mouth to say something, but someone beat him to it.

"Don't you dare blame yourself " Athena said surprisingly loud. She had never been loud. It didn't matter what the situation. She was always quiet and calm so the new volume shocked Naruto. "What did I tell you Naruto? "

"Not to apologize for things I did not cause" he said repeating the words Athena had drilled into him.

"So why are you disregarding what I told you? "

"Because.. It's my fault "

"It's not your fualt. You did nothing wrong. No one blames you. Your parent did not blame you. They loved you. You were their pride and joy. They would not want you to have such an absurd thought in your head" Athena said firmly as she leveled an intense gaze upon the boy.

Naruto swallowed and nodded. He gripped his fist and held his head down. Athena may say that, but he still felt guilty.

"Hold your head up and get rid of that unnecessary guilt"

He nodded and did as told. He met Athena's firm gaze. He still felt guilty.

Athena sighed. A small smile graced her lips.

"Your heart is too big for your own good Naruto. I don't know what else to say to make you evaporate that guilt"

Naruto had a small smile of his own. He didn't know why he was smiling. He just did because Athena was smiling. It did make him feel better though. He should stop blaming himself. He did nothing wrong. His parents loved him. At least that's what Athena told him. He believed her. She never lied to him.

"How did they die? " he asked again. "Tell me"

"They died protecting you from the fox" Hiruzen told him. "Before they took their last breath they sealed half the fox within you. The other half was sealed within your father"

It hit him harder than anything in his life. That is why the villagers hate him. That is why they call him a demon. That is why he's treated the way he is.

He contained the very demon that almost destroyed the entire village.

It all made sense. There was a reason for the hate. He felt a weight lift off his shoulders. At least they did not hate him because he was born. But the fact still remained. He held the nine tails within him. Is that what the tattoo was?

"I'm a jinchūriki"

~~~~~~~

Athena's hands found her pockets as she silently watched the other blonde. His expression was unreadable. He was perfectly still. She wondered what ran through his head. She hoped he wasn't blaming himself again. She wouldn't allow him to continue with that mindset.

It's ironic how she could do nothing against her own negativity, but made it her goal to save someone else from their own. Or maybe it isn't. Maybe it's because she could not pull away from her negativity. From her past. Maybe it was because of her emotional struggle that she wanted to make sure Naruto didn't think about the same things she does.

"What I have inside me does not define me, right Athena? "

She blinked. She looked into those blue eyes. She smiled. He remembered. Huh. She could hardly remember that day herself. It wasn't her favorite.

"Exactly "

Naruto smiled.

"Now that I know who my parents are I have to work even harder to become the Hokage. I'll make my father proud"

Athena chuckled and removed her hands from her pockets. Her worries were gone. At least for the moment.

"Yes you will" She patted the boy on the head. "That is why you're leaving the village with my parents and I to train"