A/N Welp, my friend canceled on me today (the bastard) and I had nothing to do. Plus I got of bit of inspiration so you guys get another one. This is also my longest chapter so far so enjoy that. You know, I really love fleshing out characters and such. So this chapter was for the most part a joy to write. And there are some scenes I just really wanted to write. Can you guess which ones?

I don't own jack shit.

Enjoy.

"People talking and Naruto talking in his mind and in the flashback"

'People thinking'

"Naruto speaking"

'Naruto thinking'

"Bijuu speaking"

'Bijuu thinking'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

*Akatsuki hideout, Izumi Uchiha's room*

Izumi Uchiha was many things, a kage level kunoichi, a beauty that was beyond what most women could ever hope to achieve (she was also currently in a black and crimson silk negligee that hid nearly nothing and would cause any man to faint from blood loss if he were lucky enough to view her stunning form) and an ardent pocky enthusiast. One thing she wasn't was a morning person. She detested them, she loathed them, she would brutally assault the one who first came up with the concept just to spite them. Which is why we find her here in bed trying to stave off the morning. As she laid there she thought back upon the dream she had. It was a common one that she cherished deeply; the first time she had met Naruto.

Xflashback 12 years ago streets of KonohaX

Izumi had recently been promoted to chunin rank and was being praised right and left for her abilities. Honestly she didn't care for all the praise. She just wanted to do her best to keep her loved ones safe. But of course no one ever looked to that, they only cared about her potential to eliminate the enemies of Konoha (or enemies of the Uchiha if anyone asked her 'father' Fukuko). She was honestly getting a little sick of it. Currently she was just walking around Konoha, avoiding anyone she knew so she wouldn't have to deal with all their praise (and possibly score some pocky).

After an hour or so of simply walking around (and grabbing a treat) she settled down on an empty swing in one of the more distant (and thus perpetually much emptier) playgrounds. Today was a school day so most children would be in school, ensuring her some privacy. As she idly sat there she started to hear the shuffling of either a small animal or a child in the trees a little ways away. Curiosity piqued she got up and walked over to where the sounds were coming from only to see something she found adorable; a small 4 year old boy in an emerald green kimono (Izumi figured it to be of Hyuga design from the craftsmanship) trying to catch a rather plump bunny.

"Come back bunny-chan! I want to play!" yelled the blonde child as he ineffectually chased the surprisingly speedy bunny. Izumi felt a rather amused smile spread across her face as she continued to watch. Eventually the bunny escaped into the forest and the blonde boy simply stood there with a pout on his face. Izumi couldn't help but start giggling at the cuteness of it all. At this the blonde boy finally took notice of her presence and turned around to face her.

"Oh. Hello pretty-nee-chan! Do you want to play with me?" asked the exuberant child. As Izumi got a good look at him she couldn't help but think he was the cutest child she had ever seen. For some reason she felt the sudden urge to hug him close and not let go (and possibly squeal like she had seen other girls do when confronted with incredibly cute things). Quickly banishing these feelings lest she do anything embarrassing she responded.

"Sure. What is your name child?"

"Yay! I'm Naruto! Naruto Uzumaki!"

"I am Izumi Uchiha."

"Let's go play Izumi-nee!" Naruto happily exclaimed as Izumi found her hand grabbed and herself pulled towards the playground. And so for several hours she played with Naruto and honestly found herself enjoying it deeply. Eventually Naruto tired himself out and was now sitting on a bench with Izumi (who was sharing her pocky, an incredible thing to anyone who knew her and her obsession with the chocolate covered treat). As they sat Izumi grew curious as to why such a young child was roaming an empty playground alone.

"Naruto-chan, why are you here by yourself?"

"That's because everyone else was busy and the man that runs the orphanage makes me stay outside for the day. I can't go back until dinner time." Naruto said sadly.

'Who makes a 4 year old stay out unsupervised all day!? I'm taking this up with Hokage-sama the moment I leave…' Izumi thought while carefully concealing her anger.

"Hey Izumi-nee, why are you all alone today?"

"Oh, I was just promoted and felt the need to be alone for a bit." At this Naruto's eyes widened and started to sparkle.

"So you're one of those super cool kunoichi's who protect people?" Naruto spoke in an awed tone. Izumi was for a moment caught off guard; usually children would immediately think of all the powerful techniques kunoichi would do or the enemies they would 'heroically' defeat. But never had she heard a child immediately go towards protecting others.

"I guess so. Tell me Naruto-chan, what do you like best about kunoichi?"

"That they're like guardian angels and protect everyone!" Naruto immediately said. Again, Izumi was shocked.

"Don't you prefer all the cool attacks they can do? Or the fact they can destroy all their enemies?" Izumi asked plainly while staring off into the distance.

"It's cool they can do those things but I don't like hurting people… I just want to be friends and help those I care about. Like Lei-chan, Ten-chan and Hinata-chan! I just want everyone to be happy and safe, like a big happy family." Naruto finished earnestly and without a single bit of ill intent or really any negative emotion in his face and voice.

Izumi was once again surprised with this child. 'So innocent and kind…' No wonder he was the constant talk of many older kunoichi. Izumi then realized something rather vital; this was what she was fighting for. For those like Naruto who only wanted to live peacefully with those they loved. As long as those like him resided in Konoha Izumi knew she would give anything to protect it…

After a bit more talking Izumi took Naruto for lunch and bid him a good day when a Hyuga arrived and asked if he wanted to come and visit the compound (she of course promised to continue being his friend and visit him occasionally). Over the years Izumi would find herself getting to know Naruto better and better and before she knew it, he had carved himself a deep place in her heart...

Xflashback endX

She had been devastated after finding out about his abduction and subsequent presumption of being dead. But she still held out hope that somewhere, somehow that kind gentle boy she grew to love was alive and well (and in many of her more tame fantasies waiting for her to return to him). As she started thinking about how her Naruto-kun would look now all grown up she felt the call of her lower lips as she grew aroused.

'I may as well deal with this. Besides, I'll never tire of thinking of Naru-kun… ufufufu…' Izumi thought to herself as she reached her right hand downward and moved her now dampened panties out of the way as she gently caressed her outer lips. She uttered soft moans as she started to increase the pressure she applied before suddenly plunging her index finger into her now soaking wet pussy. She gasped at the sensation and ever so slowly started to pump in and out. Soon she added a second finger and used her left hand to tightly squeeze her right breast through her silk negligee. She started to moan Naruto's name as she tightly pinched her nipple and increased the force of her fingering. The thoughts of her beloved pushing her quickly towards climax and with a bit more she would go over the edge… Izumi started to rapidly pant out Naruto's name as she was reaching peaks of absolute pleasure and right when she was about to finally break into an intense orgasm of incredible proportions her Akatsuki partner Kishiko Hoshigaki walked in.

"Hey Izumi, leader-sama ha…" she stopped in midsentence as she realized what she walked into. She and Izumi locked eyes; Izumi with a strange mix of arousal, pleasure, embarrassment and building anger and Kishiko trying to decide whether to laugh or be embarrassed about the situation. Kishiko decided that an angry embarrassed Izumi, while hilarious, would be ultimately bad for her health and left the room without another word being said. She immediately bit her knuckle to stifle her laughter once outside the room with the door firmly closed. She would enjoy teasing the usually stone faced Izumi with this when she calmed down and wouldn't be as willing to stick a kunai through her face.

With her mood now killed and incredibly embarrassed, Izumi quickly cleaned herself up and dressed. As she stepped out of her room a bit later she saw Kishiko standing to the side, trying and failing to smother an amused smile. Izumi adopted her usual stoic face and with a bit of killing intent mixed in with her best Sharingan enhanced glare said with a tone that was all seriousness…

"Not. A fucking. Word." And walked along towards the meeting room with the still smiling Kishiko following in her wake. While the day started in an anticlimactic (literally) way, Izumi would be looking back on this day as an important start to a new chapter in her life. And it all started with this meeting…

*The morning of the council meeting, Namikaze estate, master bedroom*

We find our hero enjoying his stay at his new home (he had slipped a clause into the contract about being able to inherit everything he was owed just in case they used his gender to keep him from what was rightfully his). Currently he was peacefully resting in the massive bed, thinking on what to do with his day (he wasn't due to perform again for a few days). Maybe he should pay a few visits to his old friends? 'Hey Kura-chan? What should I do with my day?'

"Come into your mind tonight so I can give you something special. Ufufufufufu…." Kurama said teasingly. This banter had been going on for years and was a game the two would play. Secretly (or not so secretly) Kurama loved these little conversations and the times she spent alone with Naruto in his mind. Even if he was too dense of an idiot to realize these 'games' were completely serious offers for passionate love making that would shatter both of their worlds in ecstasy. '*Sigh*, the things I do for love.'

'But last time I did that you socked me…' Naruto nervously replied remembering the vicious haymaker he received.

'That's because after spending hours picking the right outfit and creating the most romantic scene I could think of you came in and said "Hey Kura-chan! What's with all the flowers? And why are you dressed so fancily?" Not a single damn compliment you bloody fucking idiot!" Kurama inwardly raged and had to restrain herself from lashing out. Why did someone so perfect otherwise have to be so oblivious?

"Well that was the past. I won't do that this time." 'Well, as long as you don't piss me off...'

'Alright. I'll come in tonight. I may as well grab a shower and get breakfast.' Naruto finally thought as Kurama hmmed in agreement (who was she to say no to a free show of her man in the shower?). As Naruto was stripping off his sleeping attire and thinking on what he should do for breakfast (pork or miso ramen? Such hard decisions) his door suddenly opened and in walked the cat masked Anbu, Neko.

Neko had used her position as Anbu captain to snag the sweet deal of being the one to get Naruto this morning for the demonstration of his abilities. And after giving a minor beat down to several other Anbu kunoichi who tried to take her place arrived at the Namikaze estate over an hour earlier than she needed to; as a prime target for kidnapping it was in Naruto's best interest to have a kunoichi around at all times being her mantra. Since Naruto had opened up the estate for the first time in years she was able to sneak in instead of having to wait outside (picking the lock was child's play for her and since Naruto hadn't been instructed in how to activate the defense seals yet she didn't have to worry about that).

Neko then eagerly used her sensor abilities to find Naruto and here she was. Staring at a very surprised Naruto who had just removed his boxers (which were in his hand). They stared intensely at each other for what felt like a few awkward minutes.

.

.

.

"Neko-chan, what are you doing in my house?"

And with that sentence a floodgate was broken and Neko experienced a powerful nosebleed while making sure that she memorized every last detail in front of her (Anbu training had its merits). Naruto quickly put his boxers back on and grabbed a robe to cover himself as Neko finally calmed down enough to stop the nosebleed.

"I have been instructed by Hokage-sama to fetch you for a demonstration of your abilities this morning." Neko replied in a professional matter as if the past few minutes never occurred.

"Okay. I understand that. But why did you barge into my room unannounced?" Naruto asked in a tired tone. This wasn't the first time someone did this. Usually it was manager's at the kunoichi clubs he worked at trying to get a 'private' performance or just get a good long look. Thankfully there was usually an escape route handy or someone else to help him out.

"As a prime target for any hidden kunoichi village it would be foolish to not keep an eye on you just in case." She replied a bit too quickly. To Naruto it felt almost as if she had run herself through a mock run of this conversation beforehand so she would be believable…

"Right… When is the demonstration?"

"In a little over an hour."

"In that case I'm going to take a shower and grab breakfast." Naruto said as he grabbed a towel and headed towards the bathroom. As he entered and turned to close the door he found himself instead squeezing the chest of Neko. Naruto was currently in a state of mental shock and froze while a red blush started to form on his face.

*squeeze* *moan of pleasure*

Instantly Naruto released her breast and jumped back while trying to think of a proper apology.

"It's fine Naruto-kun." Neko said after taking a moment to collect herself. 'I saw him naked and he squeezed my breast! I'm so glad I got to do this!' she inwardly thought as a chibi-version of herself was dancing about in joy.

"O-okay then…" Naruto said in an awkward tone before realizing something. "Why are you in the bathroom with me?"

"Like I said before you are a prime target for any hidden kunoichi village. As a proud member of Konoha's Anbu I need to keep an eye on you and insure your safety."

"… Even while I'm in the shower?"

"One can never be too cautious."

"I think I'll just get dressed then…" Naruto finally said as he went back and grabbed his clothing to change into (a loose fitting black battle kimono he wore whenever he knew he would have to fight). As he stood there he stared at Neko. Neko simply stared back. And so another awkward pause filled the air until finally… "Neko-chan, do you mind?"

"Oh! Do not worry about me. Just go ahead and continue getting dressed." Neko said sounding rather hopeful.

"I meant would you mind leaving so that I can get dressed Neko-chan."

"Oh! Err… but as a proud member of-"

"Konoha's Anbu you need to keep an eye on me? It'll only be a few minutes Neko-chan. I'll be fine." Naruto said gently but with a firm tone.

"… Okay…" Neko finally dejectedly said while leaving the room. A near visible raincloud over her head.

"That took way too long."

"It was funny as hell though."

Naruto merely sighed.

*A few minutes later*

Now dressed to do battle (and even grabbing his plain ninjato and fastening it to his back using a special harness) Naruto exited his room and strangely enough did not see Neko. He looked around and was beginning to wonder what could've happened with her until he smelled something incredibly delicious coming from his kitchen. Now intrigued he walked towards his kitchen and was pleasantly surprised to see Neko unsealing food from a sealing scroll and arranging it on his table. On it he saw two plates of scrambled eggs, hashbrowns and a few strips of bacon along with a small bowl of fruit and a large glass of orange juice with a pitcher filled with more next to the glass. All in all it looked (and smelled) spectacular.

"Is this for me?"

"Yes. I-I thought that since I would be getting you so early that you wouldn't have the chance to eat a proper breakfast so I made this for you. I-I'll understand if it is not to your liking." Neko said shyly while averting her eyes. Even though Naruto could not see her face he still found this side of his long time friend/occasional protector incredibly cute.

'Jerk never finds me cute…' Kurama thought with a pout at this scene.

"Thank you Neko-chan. This all looks wonderful." Naruto said with a grateful smile that made Neko blush and her heart flutter.

"Yugao."

"Excuse me?"

"M-my name. It's Yugao. Yugao Uzuki."

"Then thank you for this Yugao-chan. I appreciate it." Naruto said happily. Truthfully he had wanted to know her name for years and was glad she was finally telling him (it being against regulations to do otherwise unless you trusted the person implicitly).

"T-then could I possibly eat with you?" Yugao shyly asked while nervously rubbing her arm.

"You made the food so of course you can."

At this Yugao smiled happily and sat down, and in a slow deliberate motion meant to fully tease Naruto, removed her mask. Naruto found her to be an incredibly beautiful woman with soft pink lips, a sharp nose and brown eyes that expressed both kindness and confidence. Her pale skin contrasted beautifully with her purple hair and when the sun hit her Naruto swore she looked like a benevolent goddess. There was a reason Yugao was considered among the top beauties of Konoha. For a moment Naruto was momentarily stunned but after seeing the likes of Kurama he was able to quickly pull himself together.

"You're very beautiful Yugao-chan."

"T-t-t-thank you." Yugao said with an atomic blush that Naruto thought looked lovely with her pale skin.

'Stupid jerk won't shut up about her.' Kurama started to brood angrily.

"W-w-well then, we should eat before this gets cold. We will need to head to the training ground where you'll be tested, immediately after this." Naruto merely hmmed in agreement since he already started to dig into his food. And as he thought it was wonderful.

*Roughly 20 minutes later, private Anbu training ground*

Naruto and Yugao arrived in a body flicker near the edge of the large clearing that served as the training ground (it is intended for those using particularly powerful and destructive jutsu so it was even larger than the standard training field). Immediately he was being stared at by the surrounding mass of females consisting of the clan heads, the advisors, miscellaneous high ranking jonin level kunoichi and several groups of Anbu who had won the impromptu 'which squad gets to watch Naru-kun' lottery. Naruto suddenly felt a bit shy. He wasn't used to demonstrating his fighting ability to so many critics without his cloak to hide his face.

"H-hello everyone." He said bashfully which only served to endear him to all those there even more.

'Holy shit!' being the collective thought to all the clan heads who had not seen Naruto yet. Suddenly they all felt incredibly nervous and started to preen themselves in the hope that Naruto wouldn't think that they looked so slobbish all the time. Many silent curses for not being prepared were uttered in those moments.

As the clan heads were finishing up and about to approach Naruto to hit on- erm - 'greet' him Hiruko's voice suddenly sounded.

"Hello Naruto-kun. I'm glad you made it on time. Are you ready for these tests on your abilities?"

"Of course."

"Well then, we will be testing several facets of your abilities today. First we will see how your kenjutsu fairs. Then we will see how you deal with genjutsu and finally we will have you spar with several kunoichi to see how your elemental fighting does. We will test Siren's song at a later date since it so unique that several of our scientists wish to study it. Is that alright with you?"

"Yes." Naruto responded while mentally readying himself for this. Naruto absolutely abhorred killing (which is why he made sure that he would only be sent on missions he wanted so that he wouldn't be sent on say constant assassinations and such). He would kill but only when he knew he didn't have a choice or when it was necessary. It was an evil he agreed to commit if it meant doing what he believed was right and protecting others.

"Good. Now for kenjutsu. Hayako!"

Appearing in a leaf body flicker was a short brown haired woman of average height with bags under her eyes and a fine katana strapped to her back. Overall she looked rather sickly.

"You *cough cough* called Hokage-sama?"

"Yes. As one of the foremost kenjutsu experts in Konoha I want you to put young Naruto-kun here through the ringer and tell me of his skill level."

*cough* "Understood Hokage-sama." And with that both Hiruko and Yugao (who uttered a quick 'good luck') body flickered to the edge of the clearing with a clear view of the combatants.

"Hello Naruto-kun. I'm *cough cough* Hayako Gekko. The rules for this little spar are kenjutsu and taijutsu only. We will stop when I've gauged your skill level enough to make a proper evaluation.*cough* Oh and you better treat my cousin Yugao right or I'll filet you." Hayako said with a cheerful tone while sliding into her signature Dance of the Crescent moon stance.

"O-okay." Naruto was a little confused on what Yugao had to do with this but responded anyways and slowly withdrew his ninjato. He stood in a loose stance with his right foot slightly in front of his left and both hands holding the ninjato in front of him.

Time slowed to a crawl as they eyed each other and played a mental battle before on an unseen signal both flew towards each other. Hayako slashed downward at around half her normal speed to 'test' Naruto's reflexes, Naruto easily rose above her expectations as he used his ninjato to deflect her blade and slide around to her side where he tried to launch his own forward stab. She saw this coming and nimbly moved around his stab while delivering a kick towards his unprotected side that Naruto was forced to dive backwards to dodge. The two were now standing roughly a dozen feet apart, once again staring intensely at each other. In all this happened within less than a second.

"You're good." Hayako said with a smirk on her face as she was starting to enjoy this spar.

"Thank you." Naruto smirked back. While he hated killing he did enjoy sparring. And it had been a very long time since anyone was able to spar with him in kenjutsu (barring Kurama of course but those were primarily beatdowns she called 'sparring').

Once again on an unseen signal the two threw themselves at the other, this time Naruto trying a wide horizontal slash to try and control the momentum of the fight. Hayako of course instantly figured out his intention and instead of raising her blade to block his she used her flexibility to duck beneath it and tried to slash at his midsection. Realizing his mistake Naruto switches direction and aims his attack downward to prevent her from following through. Not expecting Naruto to have the skill to near instantly change the direction of his attack Hayako rolled out of the way and then used her reach advantage with her katana to launch herself at Naruto while swinging her blade diagonally (she was just out of Naruto's ninjato's range but he was still in hers).

Thinking quickly Naruto used the same trick she did earlier and nimbly slides to the side of her swing while launching his own devastating (if it landed) kick. Impressed at his action Hayako allows his kick to graze her, giving her the needed momentum to spin around quickly while raising her blade for a smooth circular slash that would decapitate Naruto if it landed. Once again borrowing a tactic Naruto puts on a boost of speed to fully duck under the slash and used his ninjato's maneuverability to aim a quick stab towards Hayako's exposed belly. Hayako expecting this continued to spin and amazingly used the force of said spin to knock away Naruto's blade while sending a roundhouse kick towards him. Naruto blocked the kick with his forearm while moving away, lessening the force behind it. He then moved in and launched several quick successive slashes that were precisely aimed to incapacitate Hayako. Now on the defensive Hayako used her sturdy blade to block and parry Naruto's slashes while looking for an opening.

She found one when Naruto slightly overextended and was off balance for less than a second. Capitalizing on this she rushed in to finish him with a slash to the muscles in his arms when Naruto smirked and let go of his ninjato. Quickly pulling his arms back he launched a flurry of smooth and quick jabs that Hayako barely dodged before finally jumping back a safe distance. Naruto quickly grabbed his ninjato again and stood in a ready stance.

They stood their unmoving until finally Hayako uttered a sweet tinkling laugh.

"You really are good.*cough cough* That's enough for now. Hokage-sama! I'd rank Naruto-kun around mid jonin level in kenjutsu. Come spar with me again sometime Naruto-kun." Hayako said as she smiled and winked at him before body flickering to the sidelines.

"I'd love to." Naruto eagerly responded.

The spectators were watching this incredible display of prowess with wide eyes and mouths agape. They had heard that Naruto was talented but to be able to keep up with Hayako? Who was considered probably the best kenjutsu user in the village and regularly helped train the Anbu themselves. Even the Anbu watching were amazed with his skills and were secretly plotting to 'invite' Naruto to come by and help them with their training in a nice deserted (and private) Anbu training ground later... The clan heads themselves were having similar thoughts since kenjutsu was a useful skill to have and they were sure Naruto wouldn't object to mentoring their fellow clanswomen in the privacy of their compounds…

"Now, Kurenai! Try to capture Naruto in genjutsus of ascending power." Hiruko called out breaking the stunned audience out of their thoughts.

"Understood." Came the smooth reply of Konoha's ice queen. She then proceeded to try and catch Naruto in a genjutsu. In a bout of surprise she realized that she couldn't get any of her mid to lower tier genjutsu to work. After spending nearly an hour trying genjutsu after genjutsu she finally decided to bring out her more powerful illusions. She found that only the strongest could even slightly affect him and even then it wasn't enough to do anything that would cause too much trouble. She hypothesized that it would take an immensely powerful genjutsu on par with the fabled Tsukuyomi to be able to deceive him... After thanking Naruto for his time she reported her findings to Hiruko.

"Interesting. This certainly raises Naruto-kuns' abilities a tad if he is immune to most genjutsu's. Anko, Kasumi, Asuna! I want the three of you to test Naruto-kuns' elemental combat ability."

"Understood!" was the reply she immediately received as all three kunoichi eagerly appeared in front of Naruto.

"Hello handsome! What do you say after this me and you find a nice hotel room and I can personally 'instruct' you? Ufufufufu." Anko immediately said as she hugged Naruto closely and made sure he felt her large d cup breasts behind the thin mesh body suit she wore.

"Anko! Calm yourself. We have a job to do. H-hey Naruto-kun. D-do you remember me?" Kasumi yelled at Anko in slight jealously at being so close to Naruto and then changed her tone instantly to a timid one when speaking to Naruto.

"Inu-chan?" Naruto asked (realizing it was the Anbu who often played with him when he was younger).

"Y-yeah. It's been a while hasn't it?" Kasumi said with a tone of happiness coloring her voice since Naruto had indeed remembered her.

"Indeed. How have you been Inu-chan? Or should I say Kasumi-chan? I hope these past six years have treated you well. You certainly look like they did." Naruto said with an easy smile that made the so far uncaring Asuna finally take notice of his looks (she was actually a very passionate lesbian and had never found a man attractive before so finding herself noticing Naruto's looks served to surprise her and make her wonder…)

"T-thank you Naruto-kun. You look great as well. Heheheh…" Kasumi said starting to get flustered from the compliment and was unleashing a nervous laugh. She felt like a schoolgirl talking to her crush and couldn't help but wonder if she was making a good impression on Naruto. Anko who was watching the conversation between the two was starting to grow a bit jealous and started to rub her breasts onto Naruto so he would pay more attention to her. This of course setting off Kasumi's jealousy again but strangely enough it was Asuna who finally forced Anko off of Naruto. Strange because it seemed Asuna had a jealous look on her face… 'But isn't Asuna a lesbian…?'

"Now then, if we could start this little spar that would be great." Asuna said surprising herself with her previous action and jealousy of Anko.

*sigh* "Alright"

*hmph* "Fine" Kasumi and Anko responded respectively since they were enjoying this time speaking (well molesting in the case with Anko) with Naruto. The three then jumped back a bit and got into their stances: Anko in the stance for her hebi-ken, Asuna with her signature trench knives and Kasumi in a loose stance with her hands ready to cast a jutsu.

"Give us all you got!" Anko yelled happily.

And like with Hayako, Naruto waged a mental battle with his opponents for several moments before finally everyone exploded into movement. Asuna charged in with her trench knives at the ready while Kasumi jumped back with Anko, both readying a jutsu. As this was happening Naruto stomped his foot downward bringing up several massive blocks of stone that he then punched, sending them flying towards his opponents. Asuna cut through the stone easily but was blindsided by a blast of lightning that immediately followed it and was forced to dodge to the side, buying Naruto a few seconds. Kasumi and Anko were both forced to drop their jutsu and were immediately set upon by Naruto who had conjured up a massive ball of fire (the size of a decent shed) and threw it towards them.

The force of the explosion knocked them both back as Naruto then refocused on Asuna and started to run in close in order to keep the flow of battle in his favor. Asuna smirked and started throwing quick slashes at Naruto who countered with his own punches and kicks accompanied by gusts of wind and blasts of fire. After a few moments Anko burst into their ongoing battle with her Hidden Shadow Snake jutsu which sent a mass of snakes from the sleeves of her trench coat at Naruto in an attempt to either bind or poison him.

With a smooth circular movement of his arms and upper body Naruto used the force of his winds to re-direct the mass of snakes towards Asuna who immediately substituted with a log. While Asuna did this Naruto sent a powerful uppercut towards Anko which had the effect of forcing a spear of earth to emerge from the ground and nearly skewer her. But thanks to the flexibility she had (something the hebi-ken deeply relied upon) she was able to dodge in time. Naruto was about to launch an attack at her when suddenly the absent Kasumi re-appeared atop a massive earth dragon she had created in the mayhem. The dragon then started to launch large rock projectiles at Naruto who was forced on the defensive as he dodged each one. He then threw up a 'smokescreen' of fire around himself in order submerge himself into the earth.

Naruto then violently emerged from underneath the earth dragon effectively destroying it and flying into the air before breathing a stream of fire in midair onto the falling bits of earth, turning them into burning projectiles. Surprised at his resourcefulness Kasumi, Anko and Asuna started dodging while moving towards the falling Naruto in order to engage in close combat. While falling Naruto unsheathed his ninjato and concentrated deeply, this was going to take quite a bit out of him but if he pulled it off the effects would be worth it. Spectators with good enough eyes noticed a building up of electricity around him as he got closer to the ground.

Right as he landed he spun around on the balls of his feet swinging his ninjato from which a large dragon made of lightning emerged and attacked the flabbergasted kunoichi's. The dragon exploded in a frightening display of power that encapsulated nearly half the field. Kasumi (who had uncovered her Sharingan while creating the earth dragon earlier thus being able to see the attack coming, move mostly out of the way and prepare a shield of lightning chakra to redirect most of the electricity) was able to get out of the attack with only a few burns while Asuna who was dead center of the blast was now unconscious (having created a layer of wind chakra around herself in a desperate attempt to lessen the damage, which while it did, drained her reserves with the amount needed), Anko on the other hand had her right arm completely numb and was having difficulty moving since her idea to burrow deep into the ground was only partially successful.

Naruto was not in the best shape either since the attack drained a massive amount of his strength. As he was pondering on what to do next he heard the aged voice of Hiruko.

"Enough! You have all fought well. Medics go and check them out." Naruto then fell on his behind feeling incredibly tired at the moment as a medic kunoichi ran up to him (beating out all the others who were running towards him as well). She bashfully treated any of his injuries and nearly fainted when he turned to look at her in order to thank her.

Getting up he made his way towards Hiruko who was discussing his abilities with Kasumi, Anko and the newly reawakened Asuna (she had been given both a chakra pill and a small chakra infusion to be able to discuss Naruto's abilities before having to go back to rest).

"Naruto-kun, I'm happy to inform you that your ability is being ranked at elite jonin. Come by in a few days in order to learn who you'll be working with." Hiruko said with a happy and proud smile.

"Congratulations Naruto-kun! W-what do you say we go out for a dri-" was as far as Kasumi got before Yugao and her Anbu squad appeared next to Naruto. Yugao promptly uttered a farewell before she grabbed Naruto's shoulder and body flickered to her Anbu squad's personal training ground in order to familiarize Naruto with the kunoichi's who he may be working with in the future (or at least that's how she phrased it in her mind).

Several moments of silence followed this sudden departure before Anko and Kasumi uttered what everyone else was feeling. Especially the clan heads who started to rush over the moment Naruto was freed to talk.

"SON OF A WHORE!"

*With the clan heads during the fight*

The clan heads, like everyone else present, were watching Naruto in awe, wonder and a bit of lust as they saw the extent of his abilities. Several clan heads were now going to use this new image they had of the heroic and powerful Naruto in their fantasies (*cough Asahi, Mikoto, and Tsume cough*). One thing was for certain though, the fight for Naruto had just had its' stakes raised. And each clan head was unwilling to go down without a fight (unless it was Naruto doing the pushing of course)...

*That night, Naruto's mindscape*

After an incredibly tiring day doing nothing but seeing the limits of his fighting abilities (although he kept a few things hidden, it wouldn't be nearly as interesting if he simply divulged everything now would it?) and groping (Yugao's unit turned out to be incredibly handsy…) Naruto promptly went home, bathed and collapsed into his bed falling into a deep sleep.

While his body was replenishing itself he slipped into his mindscape and saw that it had changed quite a bit from the norm. When Kurama had first become his teacher all those years ago Naruto relinquished control of how his mindscape looked to her (they couldn't exactly train if she was constantly forced to stay behind a cage and not properly instruct him so now the cage was gone, replaced by a cute ruby choker with the kanji for 'seal' emblazoned on it around her neck). Normally she kept his mindscape as a nice little forest with a simple cabin and a decent sized clearing nearby for combat training. But now it was a festival in full swing; food stands and game stands everywhere, happy children running about, even couples happily holding each others' arms as they meandered around the place. It was so perfectly detailed and enthralling that for a moment Naruto forgot this was his mind.

"Do you like it?" asked a suddenly appearing and surprisingly demure Kurama. She was garbed in a very simple scarlet yukata which while being modest proved its worth in showcasing her curves and adding a certain 'girl-next-door' allure she had not previously had. Kurama had also put her beautiful crimson hair into a braid that went over shoulder which only added to her current charm.

"I love it. And you look wonderful Kura-chan." Naruto added after taking a few moments to make sure he could speak without stuttering while looking at his friend/teacher and dearest confidant.

"T-thank you. Well, come on lets enjoy ourselves!" Kurama said while trying to hide her reddening face. She then grabbed Naruto's arm and held it closely to herself, emulating the created lovers walking around. She would be damned if she let an opportunity like this pass by!

*Several hours later*

*content sigh* "This was quite fun. Now let's find a seat for the fireworks finale!" Kurama gleefully said while still holding tightly onto Naruto who had an amused smile on his face. He always found her rather adorable when she showcased her more childish side at times like the past several hours the two were going from stand to stand talking, playing games (it was currently dead even on who had won the most), eating different foods (the taste being taken from Naruto's memories) and generally having an incredible time. Naruto had to admit, he truly cherished all the times he spent with Kurama. She had always been there for him (having a direct line to most of his thoughts and emotions she could easily tell when he needed support or encouragement) and he couldn't help but hope that she would always stay with him.

Kurama then found the perfect place to view the upcoming fireworks; a bench nestled in front of a grove of blooming cherry blossom trees with a clear view of the dark sky. She immediately pulled Naruto down onto the bench and sat closely to him. Naruto unexpectedly moved his arm around her and pulled her into a more intimate embrace. This served to fluster Kurama as she tried not to stutter or do anything embarrassing and just as she was about to say something the fireworks started.

The sky exploded into brilliant shades of green, blue and red as simple patterns of flowers or faces were formed in the night sky. Kurama found herself simply relaxing in Naruto's embrace and watched the fireworks avidly. As each new firework was set off she marveled at the incredible beauty and intensity of that single moment. Kurama could honestly say that she was at the moment content with her lot in life as she enjoyed the rest of the fireworks show…

After a short while the fireworks finally ended in a mesmerizing finale of nearly a hundred fireworks all painting the sky in bright colors as if the gods themselves wanted to give even a small fraction more of beauty to this world. As the final firework dimmed Kurama sat in a comfortable silence with Naruto. She had closed her eyes and simply relaxed in his arms listening to his heartbeat.

"Hey Kurama?"

"Hmmm… yes Naruto-kun?" she responded automatically, his heartbeat lulling her nearly to sleep.

"I'm sorry if this is weird or if I'm wrong but can I ask you a question?"

"Sure. You know you can ask me anything."

"Kurama…" Naruto suddenly turned his face towards her and stared into her eyes with an unreadable expression on his face.

"… C-could it be that… that you're in love with me?"

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A/N Blam! Cliffhanger! Enjoy it. On a side note how did you guys like the fighting scenes? And the mini-lemon with Izumi?

Read, review and ask questions.