(Time skip - The day after leaving Nami no Kuni)

After departing from Nami no Kuni, the group of Naruto, Anko, Yakumo, Satsuki, Zabuza, and Haku had a silent and slightly awkward trek back to Konoha. The main source of this stemmed from the events that happened over the past few hours, Team 12 still not trusting the two and vice versa. Soon, the lull of the moment was broken by Anko who decided to ask about the past few years of the new members of their group.

"So... Where have the two of you travelled over the past few years?" Anko asked, trying to dispel the awkward atmosphere.

"We've been here and there, we never really stayed in one place for too long. Didn't know if hunter-nin were snooping around, so we tried to make as little contact with people as possible, only stopping to trade with a few merchants before we left." Zabuza replied, releasing a relieved sigh that someone broke the ice.

"It's just as Zabuza-sama said, we didn't stay in one place for very long at all. In fact, our time in Nami no Kuni was probably the longest we've stayed in one place." Haku chipped in, also glad the Anko had broken the ice.

Soon the group fell into a comfortable conversation, the girls asking the two about their travels and adventures over the past few years. A big shocker for them was that Haku was only a year older then them, which was astonishing considering how strong she was.

(Time skip - A few hours later)

After Anko broke the ice and they finally became comfortable around each other, time flew by quicker then they thought, during their conversation night had fallen forcing them to set up camp for the night.

"Ahh, well that was a fun conversation huh!" Anko cheerfully said, having learned some interesting things about the pair, as she started to prepare the fire.

"Heh, I'll admit, it wasn't so bad. I half expected you brats to keep quiet like the adults talked." Zabuza said, laughing slightly as he proceeded to pitch the tent.

"It was fun, I'm glad that I got to know Anko-san, Yakumo-san, Satsuki-san, and Naruto-san a little more!" Haku happily said, helping her master with pitching the tents.

"Tch, whatever. It's not like your stories were interesting or anything, I was just trying to kill the time." Satsuki said, helping Yakumo with collecting firewood.

"I agree with Haku-san, it was very nice to get to know you and Zabuza-san more!" Yakumo also cheerfully said, piling on the firewood that Satsuki brought her.

While the others were happily chatting with each other, Naruto opted to remain silent as he did during the past few hours. It wasn't that he wasn't interested, but rather he was thinking about his plan when Zabuza and Haku entered the gates. No doubt having an A-class missing-nin from Kiri is going to warrant action, no matter how peaceful they appeared.

After they had finished setting up camp, Naruto had offered to keep watch, which the other accepted gratefully. However instead of waking one of them up to switch shifts with, he stayed up the whole night, letting the others get a full night of sleep.

When morning broke, everyone had realized that none of them remembered ever being woken up to switch shifts with their blonde companion. Rushing out of their tents, they were met with the delicious aroma of something cooking that tantalized their noses. Looking towards the direction of its source, they saw Naruto standing over the fire from last night a pot and pan cooking up breakfast.

Dumbfounded by the sight, they were broken out of their thoughts when their stomachs rumbled, catching the attention of the blonde.

"Oh, good morning everyone. Did you all sleep well? I hope so, breakfast will be ready in a few minutes so please go wash up before you come eat." Like a mother, Naruto ordered the remaining members of his group to get ready for the day before they ate.

Quickly washing up, Zabuza was the first to get done as he sat down on a log that rested near the fire. Figuring that since the rest of the group consisted of females, they'd have a little time to kill before they got back.

"Hey brat, so you alright? You stayed up the whole night without swapping out you know." Zabuza said, trying to start up a conversation with the blonde.

"I'm fine Zabuza-san, one member losing a night of sleep for five others to get fully rested is a fair trade in my opinion." Naruto replied, finishing with frying the strips of bacon and eggs while stirring the breakfast stew that consisted of potatoes, sausage and various other vegetables.

After hearing the blonde's reasoning, Zabuza could only laugh. Not that it was funny, but because it made so much sense.

"Haha, well if you put it that way it does make sense. So tell me, where'd you learn kenjutsu. The that style that you use and that sword... they look so familiar to me yet they don't. Who taught you?" He asked, the question that had been nagging at him since the moment they crossed swords weeks ago.

Turning slightly to face the older man, Naruto just gave him a blank stare before he shrugged, turning back to finish up cooking.

"Sorry Zabuza, but that I can't tell you... but the one who taught me would kill me without a swcond thought if I told someone whi they were." Naruto said, to which Zabuza nodded, understanding that he didn't want to be pressed to answer anything else.

"Well when you're ready brat, make sure I'm the first person that you tell alright!"

Moving past the slightly uncomfortable topic, the two moved onto swordsmanship, jutsu, and training. Soon Zabuza had a wide grin on his face and was laughing, patting Naruto on the back as Naruto had a small smile on his. If one were to look at the scene without any prior knowledge of the two, they would have suspected that they held a close bond with each other.

Four people did see the scene; two were bewildered at the odd display of closeness, one just smiled at the display, and the final pouted at the sight.

"Hey! How come you never act that way around me huh!" Anko complained, pouting at Naruto for never showing her the same smile that was on his face at the moment.

Hearing her voice, the two turned around and were greeted with the sight of the rest of their little group back from a lengthy half hour long session of washing up.

"That's because you aren't as great as I am!" Zabuza proudly said, puffing out his chest as he boasted to a now irate Anko.

The tension was broken by soft giggling from Haku as she approached the two, happy for her master.

"I'm very happy for you Zabuza-sama! You've found someone who you can truly connect with!" Haku said innocently not realizing the double entendre of her words.

"Uhh... The way you put it makes it sound really wrong Haku..." Zabuza muttered as Anko smirked while the rest of the group blushed slightly.

Though the atmosphere turned awkward for a brief moment, it was soon broken when everyone started laughing and gather around for a delicious breakfast courtesy of the blonde sitting with them.

Packing up quickly and removing any traces of their overnight stay from the clearing, the group continued on towards Konoha with the light of the rising sun.

(Time skip - 2 hours later)

Finally, with the sun overhead in the cloudless blue sky, the group had finally made it to Konoha. The immense gates a welcome sight after nearly a month of being away. While the Konoha ninja were looking on in fondness, besides a blank faced Naruto. Zabuza and Haku looked on in awe, the two never having truly seen the impressive gates in person.

"How amazing, they're enormous" Haku said, her eyes wide as she stared at the sight in front of her.

"All my life I've never seen them in person. Really dwarfs the stories that your hear from other people." Zabuza said, whistling in appreciation at the sight.

As they neared the gates, the familiar faces of Kotetsu and Izumo came into view.

"Hey, Izumo look!" Kotetsu nudged his partner awake, seeing faces he hadn't seen in nearly a month.

"Huh? Wha? What is it Kotetsu?" Izumo said groggily, his brain still in the process of booting up.

"Looks like Team 12 is back from their mission! Took them a lot longer then I expected though, thought it was just an escort mission."

"No you dolt, it was an escort and protection mission! Didn't you write down their mission details for leaving!?" Izumo snapped, knocking his partner on the head for his memory slip.

Once they got to the gates, the two greeted them but paused when they saw who they were with.

"I-Is that Za-Zabuza Mo-Momochi?!" Kotetsu stuttered out, clearly intimidated by the man in front of him. His partner was also shaken up, the clipboard in his hand shaking along with his body.

Seeing their scared states, Anko quickly defused the situation before things got out of hand.

"Hey, he's with us! We need to get to the Hokage's Tower immediately, so hurry up so we can get a move on!" She order, as the two instantly stiffened up and followed through. However, before they could process Zabuza and Haku, a squad of Anbu surrounded the two.

"Halt, the two of you are under arrest." A boar masked Anbu said, taking a step towards Zabuza and Haku.

But before either side could retaliate, Naruto stepped in between them.

"Anbu-san, I know that you're doing your duty to protect the village but these two are under the protection and are being escorted to the Hokage himself by Team 12. Due to circumstances of our mission, they have decided to join Konoha willingly as a way to gain amnesty from Kirigakure. So please allow us to proceed with our passage." Naruto said in a level tone, but during the exchange, his eyes started to spark an electric blue glow as opposed to his normal navy.

Stiffening slightly from the soul piercing gaze of the boy in front of him, the Anbu relented, signaling the rest of his squad to disperse.

"Whoa, that was impressive Naruto! Staring down an Anbu captain and actually talking back to him, you got some balls brat!" Anko said, whistling slightly in awe at the exchange.

"Hey, thanks for sticking up for us brat. I half expected a fight to break out." Zabuza admitted, patting Naruto on the shoulder as a sign of thanks.

"Umm, thank you for standing up for us Naruto-san. That was very brave of you to do so." Haku said in a bashful tone, a light dusting of pink on her cheeks as she smiled at him. She never noticed that behind her, Yakumo and Satsuki's eyes started twitching slightly.

After settling the tense moment from before, the group headed towards their original goal, ignoring the slightly tense atmosphere around them from the people who knew who they were, specifically Zabuza.

(Scene change - Hokage's Tower)

Eventually, they made it to the top of the tower, the secretary nervous knowing the face of the man in front of her but eventually allowed them inside. Team 12 went inside without problems, though they were on guard, strangely they acted somewhat protective of the two who followed behind them.

In contrast to the cool yet cautious entrance of the four in front of them, Zabuza and Haku were nervous and tense, Haku especially. But most of her anxiousness vanished when Zabuza put a comforting hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently, reassuring her that everything would be fine.

Finally, they stood in front of Minato who had a squad of Anbu stationed near the windows, earning a nervous glance from the two outsiders.

"Team 12, welcome back from your mission. That certainly took much longer then I anticipated. I imagine that some... complications came up correct?" Minato spoke calmly, though near the end he casted a glance to the two behind them.

"Hai Hokage-sama. The C-Rank mission that was assigned to us about a month ago quickly escalated into a A-Rank due to the influence of various missing-nin and mercenaries." Anko reported, her arms folded behind her back.

Behind her, Yakumo and Satsuki gulped when they saw Minato's eyes widen at the bit of information, obviously expecting the worse lecture of their lives.

"You mean to tell me that you broke common procedure and carried out the mission regardless of the danger that was present?" Minato said, his voice growing colder as he neared the end causing a bead of sweat to drop down the heads of everyone present.

"H-Hai Hokage-sama. But I assure you that it was-" She was cut off by Minato in the middle of explaining her reason for doing so.

"Anko. Mission protocol states that in the event that a mission isn't what was requested, the team or ninja is to immediately return back to the village and blacklist the individual that requested it. You brought 3 genin who haven't had any experience with missions outside of the village on an A-Rank mission that could've cost them their lives. Do you know how irresponsible that is!" Minato nearly shouted at the end, obviously displeased by her actions. Anko could only drop her head in shame, her genin looking on with wide eyes at the exchange.

"What you did endangered the lives of the ones who you're supposed to be helping nurture and grow! What if one or all of them died!? What would you have done?"

By this point Anko was shaking slightly, her hands clenched into fists as Minato's words started cutting her much more deeply then before, having flashbacks to her old Anbu squad that died because of her.

"Honestly, I expected better from you! You should what breaking protocol entails but you went ahead and did it anyway! Even for you tha-" Minato wasn't able to finish his lecture as Naruto stepped forward in front of his team, his usually blank navy eyes replaced with cold electric blue ones.

"That's enough Hokage-sama!"Naruto said, raising his voice at Minato, stunning the occupants in the room from the anger that was held in it.

"While most of what you have said is true, Anko-sensei didn't break protocol on her own. If you had listened to the rest of her report, you would have learned that it wasn't her who decided to do so. I was the one who insisted that we carry on and continue the mission." Naruto said, his eyes narrowed at Minato, angry at the fact that he started lecturing Anko before he knew all the facts about the mission.

"Naruto." Anko softly said, tears starting to lace the corners of her eyes from a combination of Minato's lecturing and Naruto's words in her defense.

"Hokage-sama, it wasn't just Naruto! We all agreed as a team to keep on going!" Satsuki said as she stepped forward next to Naruto, not letting her teammate take all the blame for what happened during the mission.

"Satsuki and Naruto are right Hokage-sama! Anko-sensei told us to turn back and follow protocol but we insisted that we continue with the mission regardless of what would happen!" Yakumo said as she also stood with her team, knowing that Anko wasn't the one to blame.

"You guys..." Seeing her genin standing up for her was the last straw as Anko let a few stray tears fall from her eyes.

"As you can see Hokage-sama,wewere the ones who broke protocol. Anko-sensei was simply doing her duties as a sensei and allowing us to carve our own path as ninja as she protects and guides us. If there is anyone who you wish to place blame on, then place it on me, but don't think about placing it on Anko-sensei or my teammates because they aren't the ones responsible for any of this." Naruto said his eyes never losing the fierceness that burned inside of them.

Everyone was stunned by Naruto's vocal defense of his teammates, especially Minato who had never heard his son's voice be more then a deadpan. Finally, after a few tense seconds, Minato sighed.

"Anko, I sincerely apologize for my actions. I should have let you finish your report before I said anything else." Minato said in a solemn tone, disappointed at himself for his actions.

"I-It's fine Hokage-sama, I understand that you were concerned about my genin and about mission protocol." Anko quickly replied, wiping the remaining tears from her eyes, a small smile back on her face.

The tense moment passing, Anko gave her report of what transpired over the course of the mission, from the demon brothers to Gato to the reason as to why Zabuza and Haku were here now; though she did leave out the battles that happened, knowing that Naruto wouldn't appreciate it.

"So Zabuza-san, Haku-san. You want to join Konoha? I'm sorry for being rude, but why?" Minato questioned the two, still skeptical that such a ninja would join out of the blue.

"Hokage-sama, I know that you don't trust me and will probably never fully be able to either. But I don't have any ulterior motives other then to be able to stop running. I've grown tired of running and I honestly just want a place that I can call home. And so I can spar with this blonde brat whenever I want." Zabuza said, telling Minato of his honest reasons for wanting to join, but the last part of his statement made Minato tilt his head in confusion.

"Huh? Do you mean spar with Naruto?" Minato asked, greatly confused at first, but then he became suspicious when Zabuza gained a confused look while Team 12 looked nervous.

"Is there something that you're not telling me?" He asked, or rather demanded, looking at his son.

Sighing, Anko gave her report once again, though this time she didn't leave out the parts about Naruto. To say Minato was shocked was an understatement, his eyes were wide and he wasn't able to believe any of the scenes that Anko described until Zabuza and the rest of the group vouched for him.

Regaining his composure and shelving the questions he had for his son for later, he questioned Zabuza and Haku once more about what they could offer the village. Of course Zabuza offered a wide repertoire of Suiton jutsu as well as his loyalty and services which Haku also offered. Haku also told Minato about her kekkei genkai, although reluctantly, which added to the pile of reasons that they should be allowed to join.

But Minato was shocked once again when Naruto also vouched for the two of them. Telling him that the two would be great assets a allies to have, saying that he would even take responsibility if anything were to happen that involved the two, going so far as to bow to him. Seeing his son risk his own reputation and pride, Minato couldn't disagree.

Finally, Minato agreed, seeing that the pros greatly outweighed the cons of letting the two join.

"Well now that that is all settled, I would like to personally welcome you to Konoha!" Minato said with a smile, as Zabuza grinned while Haku returned the smile.

"Why don't we get all the paperwork out of the way first though. Zabuza-san I assume that you will be using the same name right?" Minato asked, pulling out a series of forms as he questioned the younger man.'

"That's right Hokage-sama, I would like to keep my name if possible." Zabuza replied, as Minato smiled and jotted Zabuza's first and last name down.

"Now then, Haku-chan, what about your name?" He asked once more to a very quiet Haku, to the concern of the people present. As Minato was about to ask if she was alright, Zabuza stepped in.

"Hokage-sama, Haku will keep her first name but her last name will be Momochi." Zabuza said in a stern tone to the absolute shock of everyone present.

"Za-Zabuza-sama! Wha-What are you saying!" Haku frantically asked, though a part of her was hoping that he wasn't joking.

"You heard me Haku, your last name will be the same as mine." He said in a soft tone putting his hand on her head making her blush at the foreign show of affection.

"So I can assume that..." Minato started, a smile on his face knowing what Zabuza was implying.

"Yes you can Hokage-sama. I'll be adopting Haku as my daughter starting today!" He said in a proud tone as Haku's eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"Za-Zabuza-sama..." She said, her eyes never leaving him as he gained an irritated twitch of his eyebrow before he knocked her on the head gently.

"You idiot, didn't you hear what I just said! Don't call me Zabuza-sama anymore, just call me... Just call me... Call me Tou-san or something. Just not Zabuza-sama!" Zabuza said, turning his head away crossing his arms as a light dusting of pink colored his cheeks , Anko snickering at him.

"Oh wow, looks like the big bad 'Demon of the Hidden Mist' is a tsundere!" She jeered, to which Satsuki and Yakumo turned their heads away to stop their impending laughter as Zabuza gained a bit more pink from embarrassment, growling a little.

Unable to hold it in any longer, Haku latched onto Zabuza as tears started to fall down her face as a beautiful smile appeared.

"O-Of course Zabu- I mean To-Tou-san!" Haku exclaimed, the happiness in her heart surpassing anything that she's ever felt.

After things settled down and all the paperwork had been filed away, Minato told the two that they were going to be under suspension and supervision from an Anbu squad for an unknown period of time to which they accepted knowing that it was justified given their backgrounds.

"Now that everything is settled, where will the two of you be staying?" Minato asked, and immediately they froze.

The reason they joined Gato was that they would have gotten paid a large sum on money, having exhausted the last of their funds prior to being hired. In other words, they didn't have the funds to rent out a place to stay.

But the two didn't have to fear as Naruto stepped in and offered them a place in his apartment, to the shock of everyone present.

"They can stay with me Hokage-sama, my apartment has plenty of room and I'm not only any of it." Naruto said, knowing that he did indeed have the space to spare.

"Ar-Are you sure brat? I don't want to intrude or want you to feel obligated to give us a place to stay just because you brought us here you know." Zabuza said, not wanting to be a bigger burden on the person who just gave him a new lease on life.

"Zabu- i mean Tou-san is right Naruto-kun, we don't want to intrude." Haku said blushing slightly, though part of her did want to stay with the blonde who did so much for her and her father. Unknown to her, the two other girls behind her twitched when they heard the -kun part and saw her blush.

"It's no trouble at all you two, my apartment is a decent size; having two bathrooms and three bedrooms. I've taken the smallest of the three and the other two are just collecting dust." Naruto replied, once again winning the two over with his argument.

Minato wanted to object but knowing the inevitable outcome, he opted to keep quiet and smile, though he felt slight envy for the two that would be living with his son just like he used to.

After about an hour, everything was settled and Minato dismissed everyone except his son. Seeing as he was probably going to be questioned he gave Zabuza and Haku a spare key and told them where his apartment was, saying that he would see them later. After bidding farewells with everyone, he faced his father who had a longing look on his face.

Naruto remained quiet, as the atmosphere started to turn awkward, at least for Minato. The lull of the moment was finally broken when Minato asked why Naruto was suspecting him of since he was asked to stay behind.

"Naruto... Is it true?" Minato asked in a soft tone of voice.

"Is what true Hokage-sama?" Naruto replied, his eyes and voice back to their original states of navy and deadpan.

"The strength that your team, Zabuza-san and Haku-chan witnessed. Are you really that strong?"

"...Why do you need to know Hokage-sama, besides that fact that it would shed some light about myself." Naruto replied, obviously not pleased with the question.

"I need to know Naruto. So please, just answer me yes or no." Minato asked, his eyes pleading Naruto to answer him.

Finally Naruto relented, heaving out an annoyed sigh, he shook his head in the positive, making Minato widen his eyes.

"Then why Naruto... Why hide your strength?" Minato asked, unable to comprehend the reasoning behind his son's decision to put on the facade of being the dead last.

"Because it's much easier that way Hokage-sama. I don't like being the center of attention and even more I have some reasons that I can't tell you." Naruto replied, Minato giving him a small smile.

"Are you going to drop your facade in the village now?" He asked, hoping that his son would, knowing that it would get him more contact with the other ninja and villagers.

"I don't know Hokage-sama, we'll see." With that, Minato nodded knowing that he was probably driving his son's patience with him. Before he left the office, Minato said one more thing.

"I'm glad that you're not hurt Naruto... And welcome home." He said in a soft tone.

Pausing slightly at the door, Naruto replied before he left.

"Thank you Hokage-sama." Naruto replied before he closed the door softly.

(Scene change - Naruto's Apartment)

Arriving at his apartment, Zabuza and Haku were a little puzzled why he would live so far from the village center, but then they noticed that there were no other houses or complexes within at least one hundred meters and there was a training ground directly across road.

From the front, it looked like a fairly well kept building, there was no real damage or decay viable to the eye. A plain gray, it wasn't the most eye catching but it did look nice. Making their way up to the second floor, they noticed that it seemed like there weren't any other occupants of the building besides Naruto, the dust that had covered the top and bottoms of the doors a clear indicator that they haven't been opened in quite some time.

As they made their way to the end of the floor, they saw small gardening and planters boxes hanging on the handrail in front of the door of the apartment that belonged to Naruto. The two were surprised to see that the blonde had a rather serene hobby, seeing that he seemed like the type to not have any interest in such mundane things.

Making their way to the door, they opened it up and the gray from the outside disappeared and was replaced with a clean and calming white. The apartment was like he said, being rather spacious for only one person. Quickly scanning around the room as they entered, they noticed that it was spotless, not seeing anything that was out of place or dirty.

Taking their sandals off and placing them in the shoe storage that rested near the front door, they continued to explore their new place of residence. The living room had a black couch with pillows and black armchair overlooking a television, a black coffee table resting in the center of the room with white coasters on it. In the corner sat a black and white bookshelf filled with various kinds of literature: books, scrolls and magazines. Spread through the room were lamps that matched the walls with white shades covering them, another lamp hanging overhead above the table.

Making their way into the kitchen they saw that it had a countertop that overlooked the living room, giving whoever was in the kitchen a clear view of what went on in the living room. Entering it, they saw that it was relatively simple. A black marble countertop, a sink and disposal unit, a stove and oven unit, a refrigerator, a microwave, a coffeemaker, a dish washer, a garbage can. The cabinet under the sink contained cleaning supplies such as extra dish soap and paper towels. The cabinets above the countertop contained various ingredients in one and snacks or instant meals like ramen in the other. It was pretty standard for what it contained, though it had a window in front of the sink that had a beautiful view of the village another gardening box hanging in front of it filled with various herbs for cooking such a thyme and rosemary.

Leaving the kitchen, they entered the hallway and saw that there were six rooms lining either side of it and one in the back, three on the left side and three on the right. Walking to the three on the right, they discovered that the first door was a storage closet containing extra shampoo, conditioner, detergent, and various other cleaning products. The two after were the bathrooms, which were again very standard; a sink, cabinet, towel rack, and shower being what stocked it though the bathroom of the far right had a tub as well as being slightly larger.

The rooms on the right were the bedrooms, The rooms furthest to the back of the hallway were empty, having a simple set up of a bed, closet, dresser and drawer. The first one closeted to the entrance of the hallway belonged to Naruto. They were nervous at first but then the opened the door to his room.

His room was very plain, the set up from the other rooms being present though they did see that it was smaller then the other two rooms. There were no posters on the wall, nothing that really differentiated it from the other rooms other then a small bookshelf and laundry hamper that sat near the closet.

Closing the door, they made their way to the final door at the end of the hallway and saw that it was a washer and dryer.

Whistling slightly, Zabuza couldn't help but admire his new place of residence, after deciding which room would be his, he eventually took the room furthest from the hallway after coaxing from Haku. Setting his Kubikiribōchō against the wall, he pulled out a storage scroll that contained his belonging and started sorting out and organizing his new room. After he finished sorting his belonging, he grabbed his worn clothes and took them to start washing them.

In contrast to her father, Haku plopped onto her bed and savored the soft feeling of the mattress, her smiling from having a home never leaving her face. Spending a few minutes like this, she eventually got up and began organizing her room as well, but hearing her father begin washing his clothes, she opted to take a shower first. Making her way to the bathroom, she greeted her father with a smile which he returned before going back to his laundry. Entering the bathroom, she opened up the cabinet and pulled out a towel before enjoying her first bath after a few months of having to bathe in rivers and lakes; practically melting when the warm embrace of the water took hold of her. After washing herself, Haku soaked in the tub for nearly half an hour before she got out.

(Time skip - 1 hour later)

After the two had finished what they were doing, Zabuza taking a shower and Haku doing her own laundry, they made their way to the living room to hear the door open and see a familiar head of blonde hair carrying a bag of groceries.

"Ah, Naruto-kun! Welcome home! Err, or excuse the intrusion!" Haku happily greeted but soon meekly apologized, rather ashamed and embarrassed that she acted like this was already her home while Zabuza laughed behind her.

"Hey there brat, that meeting took longer then I expected. Anything serious come up?" Zabuza asked, slightly concerned that the blonde got in trouble for sticking his neck out for them.

"Hello Zabuza-san, Haku-san. No, there was no trouble, Hokage-sama just wanted to discuss a few things with me there is nothing the two of you need to worry about." He replied, taking off his sandals and slipping them into the storage box next to Haku's.

"Well that's good. And again, I have to say thanks brat. You really stuck your neck out for us." Zabuza said, and he and Haku bowed slightly, though they were told to quickly stop bowing.

"You two don't need to bow to me, I only did what I thought was right." Naruto said, making his way towards the kitchen to start on dinner.

"Well now that we'll be living together, why don't we do our best to get along!" Haku chirped happily as Zabuza smiled, seeing his daughter radiate happiness that he's never seen since he picked her up all those years ago.

"I agree, but I'll tell you something right now Naruto." Zabuza said in a serious tone, earning the attention of both Naruto and Haku.

"What is it Zabuza-san?" Naruto said, nodding his head at the serious tone that the man had. As Haku grew nervous, not knowing what was going on.

"If you even think about peeping on Haku, I'll destroy you." He said, his face scary serious.

After saying that, an out of place wind blew, as the two other occupants of the room gained confused looks. That is until Haku turned bright red at what her father was saying.

"TO-TOU-SAN! WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!?" She shouted, not believing that he would say something like that so bluntly. But he wasn't paying attention to her as he folded his arms and stared directly into Naruto's eyes.

"We both know that my Haku is a very beautiful girl, probably themostbeautiful girl. Don't think that just because you gave us a new life and a place to stay that you have free reign to make her yours, it'll be a cold day in hell before I give you permission to date my daughter brat!" Zabuza said with a fatherly fierceness that was like no other, causing Haku to blush even deeper from embarrassment.

"TOU-SAN!" She screamed, hitting him on the head as she flailed her arms, not believing that he could embarrass her like this in front of their new roommate while he continued saying that she was way too young to be thinking about dating and kissing, to which she screamed even more out of indignation before she covered her face and ran to her room, Zabuza panicking and confused, running behind her to figure out why she acted like she did.

Hearing Zabuza pound of the door, asking or rather begging Haku to let him in while told him to go away, Naruto simply turned to the countertop and started preparing dinner, a small smile appearing on his face from the antics of his new roommates.

"Looks like things are going to be a little more lively around here."

Night quickly fell after Team 12 with Zabuza and Haku returned to Konoha. After the incident earlier involving Zabuza and Haku, the two were sitting with Naruto in the living having dinner while they watched the news, discussing various things such as Naruto's connection to the Hokage.

After the two learned that Naruto was his son, they questioned him as to why he wasn't staying with family and instead living alone. They got their answer when Naruto told them that he didn't want much to do with that family anymore, saying that it was something personal. The two respecting his privacy, and turning the topic over to what was going to happen in the future.

(Scene change - Uzumaki-Namikaze estate)

After he finished the workload for the day, Minato returned home, strangely lethargic in contrast to his almost tireless normal self. When he returned, we was greeted by the smiling faces of his children and the trademark eye smile of his student, Kakashi.

Taking off his sandals, he was tackled by the red rocket that was his wife, who fussed over him and immediately questioned him as to why he seemed to much more tired then usual, getting curious looks from their children and a concerned one from Kakashi.

"Mina-kun, what's wrong? Did something happen today? Are you feeling alright?" Kushina asked her husband, checking him for any signs of damage or fatigue.

"Tou-san, here sit down. I'll go get you some tea." Mito said, taking her father's hand and leading him to the armchair nearby as she went to fetch a cup of tea.

"Minato-sensei, what's troubling you? I've never seen you like this before. Did something happen today during in the tower to cause you trouble? If so I can personally go and take care of it." Kakashi said, slightly angry that someone might have done something to cause his sensei trouble.

"Tou-san, you can tell us right?" Narumi asked, her eyes looking worriedly at her father.

"Yeah Tou-san, just tell me and I'll go take of them with Kakashi-nii!" Menma declared, getting a head nod from Kakashi.

Returning with a cup of tea, Mito handed it to her father as her family gathered around him to see what was the reason behind his odd behavior. Once they saw him drink his tea then release a sigh, they leaned in.

"Team 12 came back from their mission." Minato said, as looks of confusion quickly plastered the faces of his family and Kakashi. Seeing that they most likely forgotten, he rephrased his previous statement.

"Naruto's team came back from their mission." Once those words left his mouth, he was immediately pounced upon by Kushina, who demanded to know what happened.

"What!? He came back!? Just today!?" Kushina shouted, shaking her husband by the collar of his flak jacket. Eventually, she was pried off by her daughters who also looked like they were going to do the same thing to their father.

"Ye-Yes Kushina. I didn't think that it would take the long to finish a C-Rank mission either but..." Minato trailed off, getting nervous looks from Kushina and his daughters.

"But what tou-san?" Narumi asked, gravely worried that something might have happened to her beloved brother.

"That C-Rank mission turned into an A-Rank." That bombshell caused everyone in the room to freeze as their eyes widened.

"Wh-What did you say sensei...?" Kakashi asked, not believing what he heard was correct. He knew that Anko was gunning to get done with D-Rank missions so that her genin could get more experience, but this. He didn't believe it.

"I'm not joking. They encountered the 'Demon Brothers' as well as Zabuza Momochi, a former member of the 'Seven Ninja Swordsman of the Mist' within the first few hours of departing." At that Kushina couldn't hold herself back any longer, she demanded to know what happened during the mission, what Minato told them, they couldn't believe.

"H-He's li-living wi-with hi-him...?" Kushina managed to stutter out, her eyes wide with fear. Minato had told them that Naruto, her Naruto, fought Zabuza to a standstill and then took on an army of hired ninja and mercenaries and won. Then he told them about what happened earlier today, about Zabuza and Haku joining the village and staying with Naruto.

"Mi-Minato! Ho-How could you let something like that happen!? Yo-You let that monster stay with our baby, without anyone to protect him!" She nearly screamed, her eyes never losing the terrified look that were held in them.

Though Minato managed to calm her down by telling her about the way that Naruto had insisted that they stay with him, to her horror, and the closeness that they seemed to have. As he described the interactions between two, Kushina could see the envy clear on his face when he told her that they seemed like very close friends.

After he finished his tale, Kushina, Mina and Narumi felt envy flood their hearts when they heard that Naruto had practically a new family. However, Narumi and Mito's envy ran much deeper then what Kushina felt. While their mother felt envy that Naruto was living with other people, which they too felt envious about, more of their envy stemmed from the fact that there was a girl their age living with their beloved brother and that thought made a lump of cold ice form in the pits of their stomachs as the fear that she would snatch their older brother for her own made the two extremely nervous and worried.

While the his sisters felt envy, Menma was still in disbelief, unable to wrap his head around the fact that the weak older brother he had always known did something like that, surviving and completing an A-Rank mission not even two months into his career as a ninja. It should've been him who went on the mission, beat Zabuza, fought an army, and saved a nation not him. It infuriated him to no end, his hands clenched into tight fists. He was definitely a much more capable shinobi then him, and yet he was still stuck here doing chores.

Soon the night was filled with the clamoring of Kushina and her daughters as they planned to go and save their son and brother, but they were quickly told not to by Minato who said it wouldn't go well with Naruto. Though reluctant at first, they eventually gave in, not wanting their son and brother to hate them even more then he did now.

The house settled into an eerie calm as the members of the household went back to what they were doing, Kushina and Mito quietly making dinner, Narumi setting the table, Menma watching TV, Kakashi reading his book and Minato showering. Though the energy that they had from earlier had disappeared.

(Time skip - 1 week later)

A week had passed since Team 12 returned to Konoha and the reveal of Zabuza and Haku's new status as citizens of Konoha. At first, as was expected, a majority of the village avoided the two outsiders given the reputation that they had built up; but now they were beginning to be accepted in some parts of the village, namely the section of the village that catered to ninja.

After four days of observation by the Anbu, a mental and physical check-up Minato deemed that the two were fit to be ninja under the service of Konoha. They were surprised by the relatively quick decision, expecting to be under surveillance for at least two weeks and when they asked why he gave them the trust reserved only for trusted ninja Minato simply said that if his son trusted them then he would as well, which they happily accepted thanking Naruto once again.

Once they were given their headbands, Minato had them evaluated by his top jōnin to see where they stood as ninja; though it was mostly to gauge Haku as he knew that Zabuza was at least jōnin level if not Anbu. After they finished their evaluation, Minato happily gave Zabuza the rank of jōnin and Haku the rank of chūnin, the two grateful for their positions.

While they were happy that they gained the trust of their new Kage, they were more happy that they could actually help Naruto with paying rent and paying for supplies even if he insisted that they didn't have to, they wanted to which forced his hand as he relented after they told him of their new positions. Once that was settled, they began their lives as ninja of Konoha.

For Zabuza, he was pretty much avoided by nearly everyone the only ones he ever being seen with were Naruto and his daughter. But that changed one day when Anko invited him to meet with a few of her friends which he reluctantly agreed, after some pressuring from his daughter.

(Flashback - 2 days ago)

An hour before he was going to meet up with Anko and her friends, Zabuza was laying face down on the couch, not looking forward to spending the day with a bunch of chummy leaf ninja while he's the third wheel, just awkwardly being there.

He was dressed in a black sleeveless shirt and matching pants, black and white stripped arm-warmers that went to his elbows and leg-warmers that connected to his sandals that went to his knees, his regular pair of black sandals, his headband was made with a long black cloth and was tied sideways like his old one, the bandages normally worn around his mouth undone and just wrapped around his neck, he topped off his outfit off with the green flak jacket of a Konoha ninja.

As he was moping, he didn't notice Haku until he heard her clear her throat.

Lifting his head and looking at his daughter, Haku winced seeing the empty look in her father's normally cool and calm eyes. From his expression alone, she knew that he wasn't looking forward to what was going to happen in the next few hours. Kneeling down in front of him and the couch, Haku put her hands on his cheeks as she stared into his eyes, her own filled with sadness.

"Tou-san, please don't look like that. I don't like it when you're not the strong person that I know and love. I'll contact Anko-san and cancel the meeting so please don't be like that anymore okay?" Haku said, her sad eyes ever leaving her father's now bewildered ones.

Seeing and hearing the heart wrenching eyes and voice of his daughter, Zabuza immediately snapped himself out of his pitiful state. Putting his hand on top of her head, he gave her a small smile before he sat back up before speaking to her.

"Sorry about that Haku, I was being pathetic. You're old man isn't going to stand down that easily right!" Zabuza said, the empty look in his eyes replaced with the calm flames of determination.

Seeing her father snap out of his depressive state, Haku beamed him a happy smile as he returned it, ruffling her hair gently. Once the moment was over, and they were back to their normal selves, they went to sit at the kitchen countertop as they happily talked about what was happening with the other around the village, stopping once the deadline had appeared.

"Well... I'm off then Haku, wish me luck." Zabuza said after heaving out a sigh as his daughter cheered him on, her words of encouragement sparking the fatherly flame inside of him alive, making him stand up straighter and gain an unshakable aura of confidence; Haku's eyes sparkled at the sight of her father looking so cool and confident. After composing himself, Zabuza walked through the door his head held high.

"Go get them Tou-san!" Haku cheered pumping her fist in the air, as he turned around and gave her a smile before heading to the small teashop that was the meeting place.

(Scene change - Ensou Teahouse)

In the bustling yet calm shop, Anko sitting with her group of friends that she's had since her academy days. Sitting around a large table in a private room in a separate wing of the shop that they reserved she was seated with: Shizune, Kurenai, Yugao, Tsubaki, Kagura, Genma, Hayate, Asuma, Kotetsu, Izumo, and Aoba.

Joking loudly and laughing, the men were talking about things that were somewhat distasteful in the opinion of the ladies present; mostly about women and a certain orange colored book.

"Come'on Hayate! Don't be such a stiff! You gotta at least give it a read once!" Kotetsu said, patting the now pink cheeked man on the back.

"You know you want you, you're not the first 'Pure' that hasn't read Jiraiya-sama's book and you won't be the last. So take your first steps into manhood!" Izumo added, also patting his shoulder.

Watching the other men start to put pressure onherHayate, Yugao decided to remind them about the only one was allowed to do that.

"Hayate-kun, you know what will happen if I find you reading that trash right?" She said in a syrupy sweet voice that send shivers down the spines of the men, the man in question especially.

"Yu-Yugao-chan! You know I don't have any interest in reading those books!" Hayate fiercely denied before he started coughing heavily, his lover and friends quickly checking to see if he was alright.

"I-I'm fine everyone, thank you for your concern. Tsunade-sama still hasn't found a cure but she has lessened the pain greatly." Hayate said with a smile, trying to reassure the group that his condition was better then it was in the past.

Soon, the group fell back into a happy atmosphere, the serious moment melted away as soon as Yugao started feeding Hayate, much to his embarrassment, prompting the women to coo at the two while the men looked away, tears falling from their eyes at their own hopelessness in the battle for love.

But the light and happy atmosphere ended when a staff member told them that there was a man in the front who said that he was to meet with them, turning their heads to Anko they saw that she had a sheepish grin on her face, telling them that she had invited Zabuza to meet and hang out with them. Ignoring the shocked looks on the faces of her friends, Anko told the staff member to let in him.

When he got to the teashop, he was surprised to say the least, it was busier then he expected and it even served sake judging from the smell of it that wafted around. Sighing to himself, he took a step inside and was immediately greeted with tense and nervous stares, which he notice but ignored not concerned with any of them.

Looking around he didn't see a sign of the purple haired woman that had invited him to come, so he figured that he was early much to his distain. Letting out another sigh, he made his way to the counter only to bump into someone, causing them to spill their tea on him.

Kaori Youjou wasn't having the greatest day, she had taken care of multiple genin who had the displeasure of catching Tora, the cat of the Fire Daimyō's wife, who turned them into scratching posts. But above that, she just turned 28 and still had nothing to really show for it. While all her friends had boyfriends and a few were even engaged, she was still living the single life.

She was so immersed in her own sulking that she never noticed the man in front of her until she bumped into him, spilling her tea on him.

"Guh!" Zabuza cried out, his forearm being scaled slightly from the hot tea that was spilt on him.

"Ahh! Oh my, I'm so sorry!" Kaori called out, quickly wiping the spilt tea off with a towel that a staff member handed to her.

After the whole incident was over, the staff bringing a first aid kit for the man, Kaori got a better look at him. Once she did, she froze. The man that she spilt tea on was Zabuza Momochi, 'The Demon of the Hidden Mist'. Unable to form a coherent sentence, she just stuttered when he locked gazes with her.

"Uhh... You alright?" Zabuza said, sweat dropping at the terrified woman in front of him. While she continued to stutter he noticed that she had scalded herself a little bit on her hand, reaching out he grabbed her wrist as she stopped stuttering and froze.

"What do I do!? WHAT DO I DO!? HE'S GOING TO KILL ME!" Kaori screamed in her head, she had just spilt hot tea on a person who was a master of 'Silent Killing'. She knew that she was dead, the other customers and staff members could only watch in silence, expecting the worst. However their imaginations of a bloody murder vanished when Zabuza turned her hand over and started applying some ointment to help with her burn.

"Wh-What?" Kaori could only ask, dumbfounded by what just happened. He didn't rip her hand off or threaten to kill her, he actually put burn ointment on her instead.

"There, that should do it. You should be alright now, I didn't notice any other places that got scalded." Zabuza said finishing tending to the woman.

Silence. The once bustling and lively shop immediately stopped, everyone trying to process what just happened. The former Kiri-nin and missing-nin, the 'Demon of the Hidden Mist' Zabuza Momochi, just tended to a beautiful lady that had just spilt tea hot tea on him like it was nothing.

Snapping out of her stupor, Kaori could only look at him, never noticing that there was a slight fluttery feeling in her chest when he looked at her with a little bit of concern in his eyes.

"Uhh, did I grab your wrist too hard? Sorry about that, I'm not really used to the whole taking care of people thing." He said, clearly embarrassed from the way everyone was gawking at him. Finally, Kaori managed to find her voice after a few seconds of awkwardness.

"U-Uh N-No, N-Not at all! I-I'm just a little surprised is all. Yo-You're a lot more different then what the rumors say you are." Kaori said, a little bit of pink invading her cheeks.

After hearing her say that, Zabuza could only laugh. The act causing some people to drop their tea. It wasn't a bloodthirsty laugh but a humorous one, that was also quite charming as some of the women were blushing slightly after hearing it.

"Don't worry about it, I get that a lot nowadays." Zabuza said, brushing off the comment. Offering her his hand, he helped her up then kneeled back down to pick up the broken pieces of the cup, putting them into the towel from earlier. Finishing cleaning up the small spill, he handed the towel and shards to a waitress who flushed a little when he gave her an easy-going smile before taking it into the kitchen.

Finished with the incident, Zabuza bid farewell to Kaori before making his way to the counter and ordering himself a cup of tea.

Kaori could only stare at his retreating back before she smiled and headed back to her shift at the hospital, the man known as Zabuza Momochi never leaving her mind for the rest of the day.

Getting his tea from the same waitress from earlier, he blew on it slightly before taking a sip and smiling slightly.

"It's good." Was all he said before indulging himself more with the tea that he ordered, the waitress blushing again before she quickly excused herself.

Finishing his tea, he put his cup down before asking the manager if Anko was present in the shop to which he said yes but questioned him as to what his business was with them. Once he told the man that she had invited him to tea he nodded before asking him to follow as he lead him to a separate wing of the shop.

Once they reached a door that that laughs could be heard behind, Zabuza winced knowing that once they saw him it'd instantly turn as quiet as a graveyard. His premonition was correct when it did instantly turn as quiet as a graveyard.

"Uhh... Yo?" Zabuza said lamely raising his hand up to greet the group in an attempt to break the ice and lighten the mood, which failed to do either as they didn't respond, that is until Anko did.

"Hey! About time you got here! I thought you chickened out!" Anko said, obviously trying to rile up Zabuza which worked.

"Oi! You calling me chicken!?" Zabuza retorted his brow twitching, but realizing what he did he quickly composed himself as Anko gestured him to sit beside her.

The light atmosphere from before didn't return as the other members of the group just stared at Zabuza for a few minutes before quietly conversing with each other, ignoring the fact that Zabuza had just joined them. He sighed as he knew this would happen. After 15 minutes of being ignored, he finally had enough of the situation as he stood up to excuse himself but was immediately stopped when Anko grabbed his wrist.

Anko couldn't believe what she was seeing, even after he got approval from the Hokage himself, they still didn't trust him. She knew that at first that would have been acceptable but it had been days since he was accepted into their ranks, they should trust a person that their Kage trusted.

"Are you guys idiots!" She suddenly shouted, stunning the other occupants of the room.

"I get that you guys don't trust him or like him but to just flat out ignore him? That's not something that I expected you guys to do, I expected a few minutes of awkward silence followed by someone offering him something to drink then starting a conversation! Not for you idiots to just pretend like he isn't here!" Anko said, making the eyes of her friends widen not believing that they were being lectured by her of all people. She was about to continue, but was stopped when Zabuza pulled his wrist free from her grip.

"Oi Mitarashi, don't make em' do something they don't want to do. They don't trust me, and I'm fine with that. I got other people who trust me including Hokage-sama, Haku, and Naruto; having other people not trust me isn't something I really care about." He said, making his way to the door as the others looked at him, their eyes wide. Stopping at the door he addressed them once more before leaving.

"Like I said, I'm fine with you not trusting me. My daughter told me that I should try and find people that I could trust with my back but figures that that ain't happening huh. Well whatever, but just to reassure you right now, if we work together I've got your back covered whether you want me to or not. I owe Naruto that much for sticking his neck out for me when Hokage-sama questioned my loyalty, I owe Haku that much for sticking with me for as long as she did and always worrying for my sake, and I owe Hokage-sama that much for accepting me and my daughter into this village and allowing us to become ninja. Thanks for the invite Mitarashi, I'll see you around." With that Zabuza left, closing the door softly behind him.

Once the door closed, silence prevailed over the room, everyone digesting the words that Zabuza had left them. After a few moments Anko stood up her eyes foreshadowed by her hair.

"You guys... I... I just can't believe you." Anko whispered, before she made her way to the door.

"A-Anko-chan where are you going?!" Kurenai asked, still not believing that her normally exuberant best friend was actually upset to this extent.

"I'm going to find Zabuza and apologize for what happened." She said as she exited the room, leaving everyone else who looked down at the table.

"...She's really upset... Anko's really upset..." Kurenai said, still in disbelief at the fact that her best friend got upset over what happened.

"We... Were we wrong...?" Tsubaki said, questioning if their choice of action was the right one.

"I don't know Tsubaki, I don't feel like I can trust him... You know that he killed all of the graduating of his academy without him even being a ninja in the first place. Do you think you can trust someone who did something like that?" Asuma said, taking a long gulp of sake.

The rest of the group remained quiet, not having any other words to say as the happy and light atmosphere from earlier destroyed, in its place a heavy and solemn one.

(Scene change - A few blocks from Ensou Teahouse)

After he left the room, he bid farewell to the manager and staff members of the teahouse, smiling at them which stunned them, but they quickly recovered and returned the gesture.

The waitress from before introduced herself as Okyō Kyoushou and asked if he was going to return, giving him a coupon for half-off tea and a meal which Zabuza gratefully accepted, telling her that he would return some other time.

As he rounded the corner, intent on grabbing something light to eat he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. Making a fist, he was about to smash his elbow into the person when he stopped himself, knowing that he'd probably be the one to be arrested. Those thoughts left when he turned around and saw a familiar head of purple hair.

"What're you doing here Mitarashi? Shouldn't you still be with your friends?" He asked, confused as to why she left her friends to stop him but then a thought came to his head as he gave her a smirk.

"Don't tell me you were worried about me?" He said with an amused tone, his eyes also shining with an amused glint.

Hearing him say that, Anko immediately turned red, with both embarrassment and anger.

"Sh-Shut up you idiot! I-It's not like I was worried about you or anything moron! It's just that no one should have had what happened back there happen to them, even an idiot like you!" She said, the redness never leaving her face. The opposite happened when Zabuza started laughing hysterically, clutching at his sides in order to ease the pain that he felt.

"HAHA! O-OH KAMI THAT'S RICH! TH-THAT WAS SUCH A TSUNDERE LINE IT'S NOT EVEN FUNNY!" He laughed, tears began flowing from his eyes, not believing that the 'Snake Mistress of Konoha' was a tsundere.

"O-OH KAMI! MY SIDES! MY SIDES, THEY BURN!" He cried out, now on his knees one hand on the ground supporting him the other wrapped around his stomach trying to ease the pain, tears still falling as he continued to laugh.

"..." Anko's face was crimson now, her cheeks puffed into an angry pout. Finally having had enough of seeing Zabuza make fun of her she launched herself at him, getting him into a headlock.

"JUST DIE ALREADY!" She screamed, as he just started laughing harder at her futile attempt to make him submit.

The antics of the two eventually drew a large crowd, at first they were terrified at the scene but then they started smiling and laughing themselves. After some time even the group of Anbu who came to check out the disturbance couldn't help but smirk and contain the laughter the welled up inside of them, never seeing imagining seeing Anko and the 'Demon of the Hidden Mist' act like two lovers.

Eventually, the two calmed down Zabuza sitting with his legs outstretched wiping the remaining tears away while Anko still had him in a headlock. Finally collecting himself, he turned his head towards Anko, who still was red in the face, as she snarled at him. But she wasn't prepared when Zabuza closed his eyes and gave her a wide smile, making her eyes go wide and her heart flutter.

"Thanks Mitarashi, that really cheered me up!" He said as he pulled Anko's arms off his neck as he stood up, helping her up as well. Still slightly stunned, she was broken out of her state when she heard applause explode around her.

"You go girl! Great job cheering your boyfriend up!"

"Kyah! You two are so cute, it must be great to be young and in love!"

"She's a tsundere?! She's a keeper brother!"

"That line was perfect! She's the one! Don't ever let her go!"

Immediately the two froze when the crowd started cheering them on, shouting about how they were a couple and about how in love they were.

Hearing what they were saying about them, the two immediately turned crimson before they took off, leaving a cheering crowd and amused Anbu squad behind.

(Scene change - A few blocks from the 'Incident')

After their escape, Zabuza and Anko found themselves in the other food district, however both of them were still embarrassed from earlier. The awkward silence that prevailed was broken when both of their stomachs growled. They both looked at each other before they started laughing.

"Haha, want to grab something to eat Momochi?" Anko said, a smile appearing on her face.

"Sure why not Mi-TSUN-rashi!" Zabuza said in an amused tone, barely able to contain the laughter that returned as Anko turned red once more, her eye twitching.

But soon the two laughed once more and entered a small yakitori stand where they learned more about each other. Anko learning that Zabuza loved spicy food and fresh fish, disliked sweets and hated fresh vegetables. Zabuza learning that Anko loved sweet bean soup, dango and practically anything sweet, disliked fish, and hated spicy food.

As they happily chatted with one another, they never noticed the knowing looks that the other patrons and cook gave them. After a while they were soon joined by Ibiki who got instantly along great with Zabuza, forging a 'bond of manliness' as they called it, that made Anko laugh. The three enjoyed each other's company until the shop closed, agreeing with the others that it would be their new spot to hang out.

(Flash back - End)

After that, Zabuza became close friends with Anko and Ibiki who introduced him to Inoichi, Tonbo, Shimon, and the other members of the TI Division who at first were cautious of him but quickly turned around when Ibiki told them that he was a great guy.

Due to the events that happened that day, many mistook or rather assumed that Zabuza and Anko were a couple, which infuriated and embarrassed the two to no end. Haku especially was affected by the rumors.

Zabuza had seen the most terrifying expression he had ever witnessed when she told him that no woman was allowed to have her father unless she accepted them first, wearing a yandere-like smile as she unconsciously pulled out a handful of senbon making him shiver in fear.

As for Haku, at first she was also treated similar to how Zabuza was treated, but once she started to get to know the villagers who she bought groceries from, her reputation as a beautiful and kind girl quickly spread though the village, earning her a fan club much to her chagrin. Luckily for her, Zabuza scared off any boy who even stared in her direction, his oni-like aura springing out whenever he caught some boy staring at his daughter.

Zabuza returned to that teashop much to the joy of the staff there, having grown to like the intimidating yet deceptively kind man. Okyō even had asked him if he was single, which he told her yes, making her eyes sparkle before she skipped off in a happier mood then before much to his confusion. Eventually he started doing missions with various people as well as being solo, making him a happier man as he was allowed the freedom that he once had unlimited access to once more.

Haku eventually was accepted to the Medical Corps. and immediately became a vital member her knowledge of the human body and numerous herbs making her a valuable member. Adding to that was her kind nature, making all the patients that were admitted feel welcomed and safe. That is until a young man tried hitting on her resulting in him being temporarily paralyzed from the neck down while she wore her smile in an ominous way, that was where the unspoken rule of never hitting on her was created.

For the two, life definitely was much more enjoyable then it was in the past, the two smiling much more and laughing much more then they ever had before.

(Time skip - 2 weeks later)

As time flew by, things mostly remained the same. Zabuza was apologized to by the same group of people that Anko had tried to introduce to him, which he brushed off saying that they were only doing what ninja did. Haku's fan club grew in size, and in turn Zabuza's over protectiveness grew as well; though Zabuza's popularity with some of the female population also triggered Haku's over protectiveness as she would smile chillingly at any woman caught staring and blushing at her father.

For Team 12, not much had changed. Minato had ordered that they not be allowed to go on any missions for at least 2 weeks which they accepted opting to train more. Anko told them that there would be no team training but would be a meeting a week until the chūnin exams and to take it easy, telling them that she would help them train if they asked for it.

Yakumo trained with Anko and Kurenai on her taijutsu, ninjutsu and genjutsu. Kurenai was shocked when Yakumo came back a much stronger girl then she was before, showing strength that she never had imagined would come from the once frail girl.

Pride swelled in the hearts of both women when they saw the growth that their student was showing, the frail girl of the past replaced with a strong young lady who strived to be stronger then the both of them.

Satsuki trained with her mother, father and older brother in controlling and using her sharingan, which once they found out about they promptly celebrated. At first she was confident that she was able to control it without trouble, but was proven wrong when she nearly fainted from draining so much charka.

While her parents and older brother were happy for her, her twin glared at her much more harshly then before obliviously jealous and angry that she had awakened her sharingan before he did.

As for Naruto, since he wasn't allowed on missions he never went into the village, as Haku offered to do the shopping, which helped him avoid all contact with his family. Instead he trained following Ryuuhei's instructions as well as sparring with Zabuza, much to the older man's pleasure.

Zabuza sparred with him once a week and every time they sparred, he was blow away by the growth that Naruto displayed not believing that anyone could grow so much in such little time. He also found out that using a great sword wasn't the only weapon that Naruto excelled at using, stunning him once he saw the extensive range of weaponry proficiency that he had.

However, they were blown away with what Anko had to tell them at the team meeting that was scheduled for today.

(Scene change - Team 12 Training ground)

"Hey there brats! How have you all been!" Anko cheerfully said, getting smiles in response from her genin, even Naruto had a small smile. Seeing the smiling faces of them, Anko gave a grin in response.

"Well, these past 3 weeks have been pretty boring huh? Just training without doing any missions, but hey! I've got something important to tell you all." Once Anko said that, she straightened her back and stared at them with serious eyes. In response, they became serious as well their smiles thinning into lines as they returned her serious gaze.

"After all I've seen you do, even though you haven't even been genin for half a year, I've decided to ask you all if you want to enter the chūnin exams this year." Anko said, her gaze never losing the serious look in them.

"Wh-What did you say Anko-sensei?" Yakumo said, her eyes wide. Usually genin were supposed to have at least a year of experience before they were eligible to enter the exams, but their sensei was telling them that they could enter if they wanted?

"I said if you guys think you're ready and you're prepared to give it your all, I'll allow you to enter this year's chūnin exams." Anko repeated once more.

"Se-Sensei, I... I want to enter!" Satsuki said, her eyes burning with determination.

"I agree Anko-sensei, I want to enter as well!" Yakumo agreed, her eyes burning with the same determination as her best friend.

The girls were rearing to go but the lone male of the group remained silent, prompting his teammates to look at him for his answer.

"...Let's enter..." Was his answer, his eyes gaining a determined look as well.

Expecting their sensei to give them a grin and celebrate, they were shocked when her serious look remained.

"You all know that the chūnin exams are dangerous right? You're allowed to kill, maim, do anything to your opponent in order to win. I don't want you all to charge head first without knowing that you have the potential to die and for it to be allowed. Knowing that do you still want to enter?" Anko replied, her eyes never once losing the serious look in them.

Yakumo and Satsuki looked at their feet, mulling over their hasty decision. Their flames were dampened a bit but they were revived when Naruto spoke out his thoughts.

"Don't worry Anko-sensei, if we enter, I'll do everything in my power to protect my teammates." He said, his eyes gaining an even more confident look in them making the others widen their eyes slightly.

"Even knowing that it's dangerous, as long as my team is there to back me up I know that we'll pass!" Satsuki said, standing up straight as she regained her determined look.

"With Satsuki and Naruto standing beside me, I know that we'll overcome anything that stands in our way!" Yakumo said with her eyes also gaining her determination back.

Seeing her genin have not just confidence in themselves but confidence in each other, Anko finally lost her serious look and in its place a proud smile shone brightly.

"That's the right answer you guys. Alone, I know that all of you could get far into the exams but together. Well, let's just say I feel sorry for the poor suckers that are going to cross paths with you." Anko said laughing lightly as her genin also laughed along.

After everything was settled, Anko handed her students the paperwork which they quickly filled out and returned to her. Bidding farewell to them, she quickly made her way to the Hokage's tower where Minato had called a meeting with all the sensei of the year's genin to see who was going to enter the exams this year.

(Scene change - Hokage's tower)

In the meeting room adjacent to his main office, Minato was seated in front of the jōnin in charge of this year's crop of genin. He knew that some of them who were going to enter their genin had the usual year amount of experience, but he also knew that some wanted to enter their genin and didn't have that usual requirement. For those teams, he wanted a very good explanation as to why they should be able to enter when they lacked the necessary experience.

As they were about to begin, the door opened up and Anko enter the room a little winded from her sprint to the tower. Sweat dropping at her tardiness, being even later then Kakashi much to his chagrin, she apologized before taking a place next to Kurenai.

"Now that everyone's here, let's begin shall we!" Minato said, not hiding his excitement at seeing who was going to enter and who was going to drop out.

After a few of the people he expected to enter, did, he nodded giving them his approval as they met the requirements. A few of the jōnin decided not to enter, feeling that their teams didn't meet the standards that the exam called for. But finally, he got to the jōnin of this year's group of genin.

"Minato-sensei, I want to enter Team 7 into this year's exams." Kakashi said, making Minato sigh as he knew that this would happen.

"I understand Kakashi, but could you give me a reasoning as to why I should enter them? Just because they're my children doesn't mean that they're ready you know." Said, knowing that his children probably pestered Kakashi endlessly for him to enter them.

"I understand Minato-sensei, but I honestly do believe that they are ready. All of them have Kage-level amounts of chakra, are already proficient in tai and ninjutsu, and have completed 31 D-Rank missions and 3 C-Rank missions. They're teamwork is rusty, but they have improved greatly. Not to mention that they're strong individually. Because of that they show the potential to become chūnin and pass the exam." Kakashi reported, a slightly condescending tone seeping into his voice as he eyed the other jōnin.

"Hmm... I'll trust your judgment on this Kakashi, I'll allow them to enter the exams but have you told them of the dangers of it yet?" At that question, Kakashi nervously shook his head in the negative making Minato sigh.

When he asked everyone else, they also repeated the act. But Minato and everyone else were surprised when Anko said that she told them and even knowing the dangers they agreed to enter. Snapping out of his stupor, Minato motioned the jōnin to continue their nominations.

"Hokage-sama, Team 8 is ready to enter. They specialize in hunting and tracking but even past that they show promise and potential to pass the exams. Shino and Kiba have some difficulties getting along and Hinata doesn't really talk to them, so their teamwork suffers as a result. But when pushed, they can become an efficient team and have shown that to me. They've completed 33 D-Rank missions and 2 C-Rank, while they lack experience they make up for it in determination." At her concise report Minato smiled and nodded, making Kurenai give Kakashi a smug smile making the latter's eye twitch.

"Alright, if you believe that they can come together then I'll allow them but do tell them about the dangers alright?" At that she nodded and Guy stepped forward.

"YOSH! Hokage-sama, my youthful genin are more then ready to let their youth shine this year in the exam!" Guy nearly shouted, making Minato laugh wryly.

"Yes, you're genin have been together for about a year and a half, so they do meet the requirements Guy. They're free to enter." Minato said getting a nice guy pose from Guy in response.

"Hokage-sama, Team 10 is ready. Though they really are slackers, they do have the potential as the next Ino-Shika-Cho, and I've seen it on a few occasions. They've still got a long way to go, I have to bride them in order for them to do anything really, but when push comes to shove, they do get things done. Shikamaru and Choji share a close bond though Ino hates working with them. But underneath all of that, they're more then capable of passing. They've finished 35 D-Rank missions and 2 C-Rank, so they've got some experience handling the harder stuff." Asuma reported, taking a breath after his report.

Minato nodded, but then agreed. He knew that they would have some trouble but from what he has seen in the reports, Shikamaru would be able to get them out of most situations given his intellect.

"Alright Asuma, I'll let them enter. Shikamaru-kun should be able to keep them safe given his intelligence and with them all working together they should be safe." Minato said smiling as Asuma gave him a grin in response.

"Alright Hokage-sama, I'm not going to lie here but I really don't think that Team 11 is ready for the exams, but I want them to enter to see how far behind they really are. They're the most unbalanced team that I've seen, it's almost unfathomable. Sasuke has, if it's even possible, gotten even worse when it comes to interacting with his teammates. After his sister unlocked her sharingan, he's been doing everything to try and force his awake. Sakura hasn't lost her fan girl attitude towards Sasuke and because of that she hasn't really become any stronger then before, if anything she's become a little but weaker not training in order to watch and cheer him on. Sai on the other hand still gives off the strange vibe from before, I don't know what's going on in his head and it's making me an Orochimaru-sama cautious. They've done 30 D-Rank missions and 1 C-Rank, but even after all of that, they've still not improved their teamwork." Genma reported, sighing heavily as some of the other jōnin gave him pitying looks.

"I understand Genma, while I would probably not allow them to enter they do need to know that working alone doesn't make you a powerful ninja. I'll allow them to enter on the condition that you tell them about the dangers about what happens. If even one of them backs out then they all aren't going to be able to enter." Minato said as Genma nodded in return.

Finally, everyone's attention was on Anko. After the incident that happened a few weeks ago, she had stopped treating them as loving and familiar as she used to. While she did smile and chat with them, it wasn't with the same amount of energy that she used to show them. Now they were curious about her response to the question at hand.

"Hokage-sama, I've told my team about the risks and dangers that the exams pose. Even after hearing them they still agreed as a team that they would enter. At first, Yakumo and Satsuki lost the determination that they had, but once Naruto said that he would protect them no matter what they regained it and it was much stronger then before as well. They've completed 41 D-Rank missions and 1 A-Rank mission, and even after all that they're still humble and not cocky at all. They're teamwork is out of this world and individually they're strong enough to take down chūnin level opponents. I know that they're ready for the exam, and that they'll pass it without any trouble at all." Anko reported, confidence and pride brimming from her person as everyone looked on in awe.

They have never seen Anko put such confidence in another person let alone three, the confidence and way that she spoke of her genin led no room for doubt. They would be entering and they would go far and Minato felt that as well.

"Alright Anko, I'll allow them to enter. If what you said is true, then I have no doubts that they will go far in this year's exam." Minato said, his voice held a little bit of pride after hearing what his son said to help is teammates regain their confidence.

After everything was settled and all the teams that were going to enter handed in their forms, Minato dismissed everyone.

As she was walking out, Anko was stopped by Kurenai who was with Asuma and Genma.

"Anko-chan, do you want to go grab a bite with us?" Kurenai asked, hopeful that she would agree to go with them. Behind, Genma and Asuma held the same hope that she did, but it was quickly gone once they heard her response.

"Nah, I'm fine thanks though Kurenai! I'm meeting Momochi and the guys, so I can't. Maybe next time though!" She said, as she made her way to her new usual meeting spot, as the three behind her looked on with sad eyes, Kurenai especially.

"Come'on, let's go Kurenai." Asuma said putting a hand on her shoulder as they left the tower.

(Time skip - A few days later)

The day had finally come, making his way to the building that the exams were held, Naruto heard the sounds of a dispute happening and quickly made his way over to investigate.

When he arrived, he saw a boy around his age dressing in a black bodysuit, wearing a black hood with pointed cat-ear like appendages that had a Suna headband attached to it, strange objected wrapped in bandages on his back, with purple paint on his face. He was holding a boy younger then the both of them by the scruff of his neck as two other kids watched on in horror and fear.

"Watch where you're going you little brat!" The teen shouted at the boy being held up started shaking.

"Oh, you gonna cry now? Tsk, who knew that there were such brats in this village. I'll really make you cry!" The teen said, cocking his fist back as the younger boy closed his eyes.

But before he could do anything, Naruto had appeared and gripped his wrist, hard.

"Guh! Wh-What the hell!?" The teen said, dropping the boy and focusing his attention on the blonde in front of him.

Before anyone could say anything, the young boy and the two other kids behind the older boys immediately brightened up.

"Menma-niichan!" They shouted, but it fell on deaf ears when the blonde that they thought was their honorary nii-chan ignored them.

"What's a Suna-nin doing picking on a little kid, if you want a fight pick on someone your own size you sorry waste of space." Naruto said in a chilling tone as he glared at the older boy, making the teen flinch before he glared back.

As things were about to heat up, a voice broke through the tense atmosphere that had been created.

"Konohamaru!" A series of voices called out, the group turning around and seeing Menma, Kiba and a few other boys running towards them, but next to them was a scowling Sasuke. After they had heard Konohamaru cry out, they immediately ran to the source, even Sasuke followed curious as to what was happening. But all three froze when they locked eyes with blank navy ones.

Silence, that was what prevailed over the area, it even affect the teen as a bead of sweat dropped down his head, the odds not in his favor. But that vanished once the blonde holding his wrist let go.

"I don't have time to waste with you. Get out of my sight." He said in the same tone as before. Before the teen could retort, the blonde cut him off.

"And you two, in the tree, I'm guessing that you're his teammates. You have better get out of my sight as well." At that the teen froze, his eyes widening as a teen with blonde hair tied into 4 pigtails holding a large metal fan came out and a boy with red hair and a gourd appeared in a swirl of sand.

"Ga-Gaara!" The teen stuttered out, making everyone focus attention on the red head, seemingly the cause of the teen's fear.

" Kankuro you're a disgrace to our village, if you do that again, I'll kill you." The red head said in a blood thirsty voice making everyone, minus Naruto, flinch. Turning to Naruto he addressed him.

"My apologies. I am Gaara of the Sand. What is your name?" He asked in a emotionless tone.

"Naruto." Was all that he got in response, making the red head crack a small maniacal smile.

"Naruto... Mother will enjoy it when I spill your blood." He said in a crazed tone before he started walking away with the two. But was stopped when Sasuke called out to him.

"Hey! I'm Sasuke Uchiha, of the Uchiha clan!" He shouted, smirking knowing that the group would be in awe of his status.

"I have no interest in any of you other then him." Gaara said, pointing at Naruto, anger seeping into the faces of the other boys. Soon they were out of sight leaving the Konoha ninja alone.

Before anyone could talk, Konohamaru instantly latched onto Menma crying about how scary the situation was as the older boy tried to calm him down. He was about to say something else but stopped when he saw his older brother start to leave.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going loser!" He shouted scaring the kids, know known as Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi.

However his anger only increased when his brother ignored him, prompting him to run up and grab his shoulder, forcibly turning him around.

"Don't think that you're some kind of hero just because you did something like that. People like you shouldn't get their hopes up." Menma growled out as he glared at his older brother, his group of friends soon joined him.

"Yeah dead last, don't get ahead of yourself. You're lucky that we got here or else you would've been put into the ground!" Kiba barked out, also glaring at the older blonde.

While things began to get tense, they got even more tense when Menma reached out to grab his older brother's collar but was stopped and later shocked at what happened next.

Naruto grabbed Menma's wrist and twisted it, making him wince in pain. But before he could do anything, he yanked his wrist to the side, making Menma lose his balance in turn Naruto forced him onto the ground his arm locked behind his back.

Shocked at what just happened, Kiba was about to engage the older blonde for attacking his best friend when a chilling voice made him freeze.

"If you don't want to lose conciseness then you'll stay there like a good dog." Naruto said, his voice sending shivers down the spines of everyone present. After, he applied more pressure onto Menma's arm making the younger blonde wince and grunt in pain.

"I've had just about enough of your attitude Menma. How long are you planning to keep this up? Until you're a chūnin? Jōnin? Anbu? Because if you keep acting like you're superior to everyone else, you're going to end up having your squad dead because of you." At that, Menma's eyes went wide.

"I know, you hate me, you detest me,despiseme. But let me tell you a little secret Menma, I. Don't. Care." At those words Menma and the rest of the people watching could only gape, their mouths trying to form words but none coming out.

"You can hate me all you want, but in the end it'll get you nowhere. And let me tell you somethingotouto, if Ievercatch wind that you caused trouble because of your attitude, I'll make sure that it never happens again. Do you understand?" When Menma didn't respond, Naruto tightened the lock on his arm making him cry out a little in pain.

"Do. You. Understand." Naruto said, his voice colder then ice. After that, Menma nodded his head submissively.

Letting of his arm, Naruto stood up and faced Kiba and the others who flinched and shrunk in fear when they saw his cold eyes.

"Let me tell you all something, especially you and your mutt Menma, the attitudes that you have nowwillget someone killed. I don't care how strong, smart, or brave you are; you will get someone killed if you keep acting that way. You had better fix that problem yourselves or I'll fix it for you." Finishing his lecture/threat, Naruto continued towards the exam center leaving behind a frightened group of shinobi.

(Scene change - Chūnin exam building)

Standing in front of the building that would become the place where their hopes for the promotion to chūnin were held, Team 12 stood together, their backs straight and their eyes filled with determination. Exchanging glances with each other, they nodded as they mentally agreed with each other, entering the building together with the same thought running though their minds.

"LET'S DO THIS!"