AN: EEP! Next chapter's here!... Okay, yeah, thought I'd have a reason for this thing... and I don't. Which is cool in it's own way.
Thanks to my Beta, Dreaming of the Moon, and a shout to my fellow Dreamer, Dreaming of the Sky!
Disclaimer: I don't own either Naruto or Huntik.
Chapter 07: Home Again... Now What?
Two days out from Nami, and Haku finally cleared Naruto for active Shinobi duty, which meant they could shave at least a couple days off their time frame. He'd been chomping at the proverbial bit to get back on schedule, and now he could finally say if they were late, it wouldn't be his fault.
They were stopped for lunch, and Naruto had taken out the the "Spell Tome", as it was being called, and was studying a new power that seemed like it would be useful to know. He reflected sadly that his knowledge of spells easily outclassed his knowledge of jutsu, but such was the price for unwanted infamy and lazy jonin-sensei... Naruto suddenly wondered if he could talk Tsunade into changing his team up. Maybe keep Kurenai as sensei, and steal Hinata from Team Eight? Then finish off it off with Haku, and he'd never have to worry about a sensei that would be late, or a teammate trying to kill him.
Eh, he'd bring it up with his Hokage when they all got back, as only the Hokage could change his Team on a permanent basis. Until then, it was lunch and Hinata had just handed him a fresh sandwich. Slices of ham and turkey and roast beef, with diced onions, tomato, spiced cheese, and lettuce on home bread, and then warmed so the cheese was just melted.
Yummy. Not exactly filling, but good nonetheless. Of course compared to the dozen or so bowls of ramen he could pack away in a single sitting, a simple sandwich wasn't really that much. He would have to remember to send a thank-you back to Tsunami for the provisions to finish their trip back to Konoha.
Then he noticed a plate beside him, holding a good sized pyramid of the same sandwiches. Okay, Hinata knew too much about him if she already had that many prepared. How did she know that much? She'd already demonstrated a knowledge of things she shouldn't have a clue about, namely about his status as the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki.
That could possibly be explained by her eyes seeing some of the Kyuubi's chakra in his system, as he knew it would look different to the Byakugan. His fight in the third round of the Chunin Exams against Neji supported that, but it didn't explain how she knew what he liked on his sandwich, or his eating habits in general. Well everyone knew about his near addiction to Ichiraku's ramen, but over the past few days Hinata had also showed that she knew what he liked in soups, for breakfast, and even dinner.
It was starting to border creepy. If not for that fact that he couldn't argue with the results, he'd probably actually voice the question. So with a shrug he picked up another sandwich, and returned to his reading.
'Hm... Findshape, eh? Not an easy spell by any measure, but if I can get it to work properly, I can fix anything back to it's last state.' Naruto thought to himself, thoughts that Arc was listening in on.
She had little enough else to do with her time, and seeing visions of the future got boring after a while. Especially since the future was mutable, changed easily by the simplest thing. She remembered one such future, an entire global war had been averted because the instigator tripped over his own shoe lace, and broke his neck in the subsequent fall.
Oh well, at least her current bearer's thoughts weren't dull, even if the were rather random at times. Arc still wasn't sure if she wanted to know how he connected learning Farslip with eating cheese-covered nachos. She was fairly certain that knowing exactly how his mind worked would probably lead to her going mad, which was not something she wanted to deal with.
A Foreseer afflicted with madness? That was a terrifying thought. Especially one of her power. She may not be a physical combatant, but she could probably hold her own in magic... but she liked the idea of Naruto not relying on her to get him out of situations. If he relied upon himself and his new servants, Arc was certain that his future would forever be his to mold as he chose.
'Oh no, now he's got me rambling!' Arc thought to herself with widened eyes. 'How did he do that? I've known him for only a few weeks!'
Time to stop watching his thoughts for a bit. She needed a new distraction... oh, Haku was doing something in the trees...
Okay, that was something Arc probably shouldn't have watched, but now she knew how Haku was taking the lack of extremely intimate contact with Naruto so well... alright, she was handling it better than the other two. But it was still something that should have been left private.
Kakashi had his newly acquired Bulregard out on circuit patrol with a few of his ninken summons. The man had bonded with the hound Titan incredibly easily, though Arc supposed his previous contract with those ninja dogs could account for that ease. The man was even bothering to read up on a few spells he thought would be helpful, without using his hidden Sharingan eye.
Apparently he didn't trust that his implanted eye couldn't be stolen, and he wasn't going to take the chance that it might remember any of the information of it's own accord. His was the first successful implant of a Sharingan in someone not of the Uchiha Clan, and no one was certain just what might occur in that case. It was a well-received gesture on his part.
Kurenai was meditating with her newest amulet, the Kilthane Naruto gave her in what has come to be called the "Crystal Chamber." Apparently she wanted to be on good terms with all of her Titans, and pick their minds for any information she possibly could. This was an attitude that Arc found admirable, and encouraged Naruto to copy it.
Her new Champion had complied to a degree, mostly because he had a promise to keep to Lindorm. He wasn't picking them for information though, rather he was establishing a rather different kind of bond than most Seekers had with their Titans. He was becoming their friend.
Most Seekers entered a more partner-like relationship with their Titans, or at least that's what Arc could determine from what she'd viewed the last time her ring had been touched by another Seeker. Aside from those, there then came the ones who either didn't know what to make of the situation and ended up treating their Titans like pets, or those who invariably treated them as tools. Naruto was doing something that hadn't been tried previously, and the results spoke for them themselves.
In that crystal cavern, Arc had been forced to hold Megladeath back from summoning itself to aid her young Champion. Apparently the powerful sea Titan had discovered a soft spot for "friends" that it hadn't known about before. That reaction was unprecedented in Arc's knowledge of her fellow Titans.
Even Lord Casterwill, the very man who had first called her kind to this world eons ago, had more of a Master and Servant relationship with the Titans. He never abused that, but the bonds of such could only go so far, and she knew that neither she nor any of her fellow Legendary Titans would have summoned themselves for the man.
The fact that the man rarely ever needed their aid was another matter entirely. He had earned their eternal respect and allegiance, and that was enough for most Titans to follow him. The few who didn't agree with that sentiment, well... they came around, eventually.
And now, eons later, her new Champion, Uzumaki Naruto, was using a different tactic and it was proving effective. Megladeath had earned it's name for not caring one whit about whether if a human lived or died, but now it would have summoned itself if not for Arc's intervention. Honestly, Arc wasn't certain about how to view that development, but until shown otherwise she would remain hopeful.
Oh, the group was on the move again. Only a few more days and they would be back at Konoha, but Arc couldn't help wondering if the vision she'd seen was true. A vision of a one-armed man attempting to duplicate and control Demigorgon's power.
She could only hope not, and pass the vision along to Naruto if he ever met the man. If they could get Demigorgon's ring without needing the Amulet of Will, and subsequently waking Overloss, she'd be a great deal happier. There were secrets about the Amulet that only she and Overloss knew, and she really didn't want anyone learning about them. One in particular she didn't need anyone else knowing, it was too great a burden...
Besides, the sooner they got Demigorgon, the sooner Naruto could begin to redeem her fellow Titan's abused power.
XXXXXXXX- Break -XXXXXXXX
Amazingly, Naruto saw the gates of Konoha appear before them without any actual trouble arising first. Which meant one thing in his mind: he was about to have trouble within Konoha. That was always how it worked for him, if he didn't have a shit tonne of trouble while outside the walls, he invariably would have it inside them.
"Ah well, what is life without some annoyance?" Arc asked.
...
'Less irritating?' Naruto thought in response.
"Touché."
Buoyed by that light exchange, Naruto approached the gate. Standing there, as usual, were two chunin who were jokingly called "The Eternal Gate Guards", because they were always guarding the gate. Kamizuru Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu were the definition of trouble-making, yet reliable, people. They never held any ill will against Naruto for containing the Kyuubi, and actually bothered to hide him a few times during his prank runs.
Cool guys, really.
"Yo! Naruto!" Kotetsu shouted when he saw the blonde teen, "you've been gone a while, it was actually quiet!"
Naruto grinned, "I guess I'll have to fix that, won't I?"
Izumo laughed, "you got that right! Now get over and sign in! Hokage-sama's waitin' for ya!"
"Better not make Baa-chan wait any longer then," Naruto muttered as he signed in, making certain to note down Haku as a Plus one, his personal Guest. Few would look twice at it, and those that would either couldn't do anything about it, or would be soon removed from a position to try.
Ignoring the comical looks of disbelief on the two chunin's faces, Naruto lead the group on toward the Hokage Tower. He had a long delayed meeting with his Hokage, and it would have to cover a number of different topics.
Topics he had discussed with his mother's spirit alongside Arc. He had questions, and in the absence of Jiraiya, Tsunade would have to do for answers. And he knew exactly where he wanted to start.
XXXXXXXX- Break - Mindscape -XXXXXXXX
Within a cage inside what appeared to be dank sewer, a large fox sat watching the events unfold. Just outside the cage stood several figures, one human he was only somewhat familiar with, the others being the mental representations of Naruto's Titans and the boy's bond with them. Arc herself stood, or floated depending on your point of view, directly in the middle.
"What do you think, Kurama?" Arc asked quietly, "is he ready for the answers? All of them? Some of them? Or perhaps, none at all?"
The large fox eyed the Titan of Fate carefully, his sensitive ears easily picking up her question. "I don't know, Arc. Can you not see the future?"
Slowly her head shook from side to side slowly, "too many variables, too many choices, and many are equally possible. There is no way for my power to tell me the outcome with any degree of assurance."
"He'll be fine. My boy will not fail to surprise you, Arc-chan!" Kushina said with complete confidence. She had no doubt in her son's ability to handle everything, after all, he was Konoha's Number One Most Surprising Ninja.
Arc raised a single eyebrow, or what passed for eyebrows, "I believe I asked you not to call me that, Kushina-san."
Kushina stuck her tongue out at the spirit, "and I decided against granting that request."
Arc's left eye began to twitch in irritation. Her current Champion was very talented in getting under people's skin, almost excelling at it, and used it to get a read on someone's true nature. But while she would admit that Naruto was gifted, his mother was obviously a Master of the art, and it irked the spirit greatly.
"I agree with the red-furred human," came a growling voice, quickly gaining everyone's attention. Lindorm floated above the water covering the floor of the sewer-like room, the ancient Celtic dragon now the center of focus. "The boy has shown himself to be surprising, innovative, determined, powerful, and honorable. He'll do it right, and he'll stand by his word. I've only been with him for a few days, and I can see this easily."
"High praise indeed, coming from you, Lindorm." Arc said. It was true, Lindorm had been used, and his power abused, many times in the past. For him to say such things about young Naruto... well, the words carried a great amount of weight.
Even the giant fox behind the cage was nodding his head. He had been with the boy from the child's birth, and even before that. He had seen what the brat went through daily for years, all the subterfuge, the lies, the excuses, and it all just made the kid come back harder, stronger, faster, and more determined than ever. And the boy had, beyond all hope and expectations, succeeded admirably, he became a ninja, he did what everyone thought was impossible, time and again. That, if nothing else, had earned the boy some of the fox's respect.
Shaking his head, Kurama thought about the ancient dragon's words. For reasons he didn't currently know, those words resonated within him. As if they were echoes of someone he had known in the past who resembled that very description. It wasn't a great stretch of the imagination, since before the Warring Clan's Era, the Bijuu were revered as guardians and protectors of their chosen lands. In that time, Kurama had met and know a great number of humans.
He stopped shaking his head, his eyes falling upon the form his second host, another unwilling soul used to house him. Kushina had been but a child when he was transferred to her keeping, and she had actually made the effort to enter the seal on multiple occasions, trying to get him to open up to her. Eventually she succeeded, and he had someone he could tentatively call friend. When she told him that she was going to get married, he was glad she had found a mate she felt worthy. Then she made mention of her pregnancy, and he promised to behave during the delivery.
Kurama would admit to a somewhat odd view on the subject of Naruto's birth. Being sealed within Kushina at the time, created a bond between Kurama and the unborn child, his power flowing freely through the still unformed chakra coils, empowering the boy long before birth. As such, due to certain mutations that no one had taken note of, Kurama felt he was much a parent to Naruto as the boy's human parents.
Now the fox was inside a cage directly behind his friend, and found himself checking out her ass, like a human male would! It was impossible! It was beyond the very concept of insane! It was... an undeniably fine ass. Good, firm breasts, slim waist, wide hips, long red hair, gray eyes that looked like a storm waiting to happen, and an expressive face. Uzumaki Kushina was, without doubt or question, a beautiful woman.
Two of his tails folded around his eyes, and Kurama released a silent groan into them. Dammit, he was smitten with the fiery human vixen.
Fuck.
Wait, she was partially reincarnated as that Kunoichi Titan, wasn't she? Come to think of it, that was the only Titan that didn't have a representation within the boy's mind... was it possible that she really was immortal now? Or was it only temporary?
Ugh, too many questions, not enough answers, and that damned Arc was throwing a knowing look back at him! Insufferable know-it-all! Now he knew how his fellow Bijuu felt whenever they conversed with... him...
DAMMIT!
Unknown to Kurama, Kushina hid a naughty little smirk, and had an interesting little plan for the oversized chakra beast. Contrary to what the fox thought, she had noticed the mutations within Naruto. How could she not, when it was she that gave birth?
XXXXXXXX- Break -XXXXXXXX
It didn't take long to reach Hokage Tower, and after climbing the stairs to the correct level, Naruto lead the group through the halls. He would never need a guide in the tower, having spent so much time there in the past. Coming up on the Hokage's office, he spotted someone that had quickly become like a sister to him.
"Hey, Shizune-nee! Baa-chan available?"
The dark-haired woman didn't even bother to look up from whatever paperwork she was currently buried under, and just waved the group on. It wasn't until Naruto was about to open the door that the words hit home for the woman, and her head snapped up, "Stop!"
Turning around, Naruto's face revealed his well-known prankster's grin, even as he was suddenly being fussed over by the woman. He didn't mind most of the checking, but when she started to go below the belt, he caught her hands in his and said with a teasing tone, "unless you plan to do more than just make sure I'm all there, Shizune-nee, I'm going to have to ask you to leave that area of me alone."
Shizune stared at him blankly for a few moments before what he said, and what she had been about to do, sank in and her face lit up in a bright blush. She was so surprised, she actually started stuttering her denial. "N-Naruto-kun! I-it's not like t-that! I-I was just-!"
Naruto's chuckling voice broke through her confused and embarrassed thoughts, and her face heated up even further. When she leveled her embarrassed glare in his direction, Naruto was quick to apologize, "sorry, Nee-chan, I couldn't resist."
Shizune took a few moments to cool her blush, before wrapping him up in a tight hug. "It's alright, Naruto-kun. But she's waiting, you can tell me all about your adventures later."
Another chuckle escaped him as he returned the hug briefly, "alright, Nee-chan. Actually, why don't you just come in with us? Then I don't have to repeat the utterly weird series of events of the past few weeks."
Shizune giggled a little, "alright." She moved past him and opened the door of the office, "Tsunade-sama, Naruto and the others are back."
"Yes, yes, show them in," Tsunade said dismissively, completely ignoring her assistant's words. "Dammit, Naruto's not back for a few more..." she paused mid rant, and looked up hesitantly.
Naruto grinned cheekily, "hey, Baa-chan. How's the paperwork?"
Kakashi swore that even if he'd had his Sharingan uncovered, he'd have missed seeing the woman move. He literally blinked and she was gone from behind the desk, and hugging Naruto's head into her chest strong enough for anyone to see the boy turning blue. The man couldn't decide if he envied Naruto's current position, or pitied him.
"Um, Tsunade-sama?" Hinata said nervously, fidgeting slightly once the powerful woman's eyes were on her, "I don't think Naruto-kun can breathe..."
Blinking, the blonde woman looked down and noticed the distinctly blue shade to the boy's complexion and quickly let go, allowing Naruto to suck in gasps of air to try and relieve the burning in his lungs. "Dammit, Baa-chan! Are you trying to kill me already?!"
Tsunade blushed lightly in embarrassment, before returning to her chair. "So sue me, Gaki. There are a number of things that happened while you were gone, and I'm betting just as much happened to you. So I'll start, and you shut up."
Finally having regained his breath, Naruto nodded. There were times to mouth off, and times to be serious. This was the second, and he knew it.
"Alright," Tsunade started, taking a breath, "first off, is that you actually have supporters on the Civilian Council now."
Naruto stared at her blankly, "you're shitting me."
She grinned, "nope. Apparently they were hiding in their cellars all this time."
"Now I know you're fucking with me," he deadpanned. Civilian supporters? Unless the Ichiraku father/daughter duo got on the council, he highly doubted it.
"Stop that," Tsunade said crossly, "I'm serious, brat. It seems that since the brouhaha with the invasion, that the civilian population is starting to rethink things. About half of them are now on your side."
Naruto blinked repeatedly. Seriously? That many? She had to be joking, right?
Flashes of Konoha civilians, ones he barely recognized as those who had never even so much as pointed in his direction before, passed through his head. Arc's power was showing him the changed opinions of the people. It was staggering, it was humbling... it was kinda funny.
Oh, Kami. She wasn't kidding. It was actually happening, he was getting recognition for what he did, rather than what he held.
"Okay, I'll think about that later, when I can have my fit without looking like a degenerate," he said. It was the best he could do, table it for now and deal later. He wasn't certain how he felt right now, and he didn't want to get sidetracked.
Tsunade and Shizune shared a look for a moment, "alright, we'll get to the next big thing on the list: you have been granted promotion to Chunin, both for your actions during the invasion, as well as your previous actions and words during the exams. Congratulations, Naruto. Unfortunately, you're a little earlier than I expected, so your flak jacket isn't here yet."
A smile crossed his face, "thank you, Hokage-sama. I promise, I'll do you proud."
"You already have, Naruto." She returned his smile affectionately. "Next up, and this is really important, so pay attention: your knowledge of your parents has actually netted you a rather significant amount of money, and even a small piece of property that they intended to build a house on. They, of course, left you more than money and land, but once again, you're earlier and I haven't had the time to retrieve it from where it's being kept in a Hokage-only location."
"What? But I already... dammit, Jiji!" Naruto started only to interrupt himself, "I knew there should have been more! Two powerful ninja, and they only left one small box with a couple scrolls and a ring? Stupid, Naruto, stupid!"
"Ah, it's actually not so surprising that Sarutobi-sensei didn't know," Tsunade said, "the property was well-hidden in the marriage gifts, from myself and the Pervert. As to the money, the original Civilian council can be blamed for that. When your father died, and Sensei declared him to have no living progeny, they appropriated your parent's funds quietly, and claimed them as lost revenue. They'd been funneling it quietly either into their own pockets or reconstruction projects for years. I had Ibiki do a full reckoning of their accounts, and all the money has been reimbursed into your own account, with the appropriate interest taken from those self-same councilors."
Naruto's eyebrow twitched. So the civilians tried screwing him over again, did they? And they got away with it, too, because the old man was too out of it to see it clearly.
The blonde woman sighed, "so, you already received the extra bits?"
Naruto lifted his right hand, Arc's ring glinting in the light of the setting sun, "the supposedly minor stuff. Just a box with a couple of scrolls, letters really, and this ring."
Tsunade nodded, "there's a few other things, scrolls mostly, a few artifacts, and couple other things. Nothing supposedly expensive or important, but because they were remanded into Sensei's custody they were placed into the Hokage Vault."
Naruto blinked, "oh, that place. I could get it all, if you told me where to look."
She rubbed her temples, "Naruto, it's the Hokage Vault. Only the Hokage can access it."
Naruto snorted, "yeah, keep telling yourself that."
Tsunade eyed him warily, "how many times have you accessed that Vault?"
"With, or without, Jiji's knowledge?"
"Both."
Naruto shrugged, "a few dozen times. Never took anything, but it was a great place to look around."
Tsunade sighed heavily, "of course you did. You're the kid that pranked Anbu for years before graduating, why am I surprised anymore?"
The two of them blatantly ignored the shocked looks everyone else was sporting. There was a lot of information being passed around here, and fair bit of it was hard to credit or believe. It was at that moment that Shikamaru summed up everyone else's thoughts:
"Troublesome."
Rubbing her temples again, Tsunade nodded, "for once, Nara, I'm inclined to agree with one of you." Shaking her head, she looked up at Naruto, "I'll give you a list and their locations later. You can retrieve them at your leisure. Now, there is one last item on my end of things, but it's best given in private, so it's time for your report, Chunin Uzumaki."
"Is this room entirely secure, Hokage-sama?" Naruto asked, receiving a wait command while Tsunade went through the motions to lock down her office. He then went to explain the events of the past few weeks, starting with Sasuke's unwillingness to return to Konoha under the belief that being there made him weak. Coming up to the portion about the Titan, Tsunade expressed a level of disbelief. To allay this disbelief, Naruto withdrew the box containing the amulets. He pulled out the last one that Zabuza had collected and passed it to her, causing arcs of electricity to pass between their hands.
"Freelancer!" Tsunade cried as her eyes lit up, and from within the amulet came an armored knight carrying a heavy shield and lance. And, while the Titan looked fine, Tsunade was gasping for breath.
"Welcome to the club, Hokage-sama," Naruto said with humor. It really was rather entertaining, seeing her double over from the exhaustion of her first time summoning.
"What did you do, Naruto?" She demanded after regaining her breath.
"I did nothing, Baa-chan. That was all you, and it's always like that at first, summoning a Titan requires a large amount of mental fortitude, and if you aren't prepared for it, it can knock you on your ass." He replied, a certain amount of smugness in his tone, "besides, you weren't believing me that they resided with things like these amulets, so I had to let you feel it for yourself."
"Well, you certainly got your point across," she said with a wry grin. A prank as an example, and introduction, was just Naruto's style. "So, this big guy's mine now, huh? Don't suppose you could tell me more about him?"
Naruto shrugged, "I could, but are sure you wouldn't rather discover his tricks for yourself?"
"Naruto," Tsunade said warningly. She was not in the mood for his playfulness right then.
"Alright, alright," he raised his hands defensively as his eyes glazed over, "Freelancer, Draco-Titan Warrior. Attack and Defense are both set at Three. Size, Average. Special Ability: Defender. Freelancer is a loyal knight to his Seeker, and the ease of his bonding leads him to be the first for many new Seekers. This trend also lends itself to his willingness to enter any fray."
Tsunade's eyes bugged slightly, "That was easy? I'd hate to see a hard bonding, if that's the case."
Naruto smirked, "actually, Hokage-sama, Kurenai-sensei, Hinata-chan, Haku-chan, and myself all bear what are called 'Legendary Titans'. They are the most powerful of their kind," he grimaced, "and the energy cost of summoning one of them is extraordinary."
"I've been meaning to ask something, Naruto," Shikamaru said, his voice never leaving it's usual lazy drawl, "but what are those 'attack' and 'defense' numbers supposed to mean? You gave my Springer a One, while Choji's Undergolem has a Four, and now Hokage-sama's Freelancer has a Three..."
Naruto blinked, "you know, I'm not entirely sure about the numbers either."
Cue face-fault.
"Sorry, sorry," he chuckled sheepishly, "I assumed it had something to do with the amount of damage it can dish out, or receive. A 'One' being about the same as a human child, a 'Two' would be about the same as teen or young adult, a 'Three' for a full-grown man, and 'Four' and up start getting into the super-human regions."
Shikamaru nodded from his new position on the floor, he didn't look like he was going to get up any time soon. "That does make sense, somewhat. Except that I've heard of Dad using Springer to bring down those full-grown men you mentioned."
Naruto shrugged, "like I said, I assumed. It was a guess at best, Shika."
This time Kakashi asked the question, "why not ask Arc-san?"
"I did."
"And?"
"She doesn't feel like telling me."
"What?"
"She doesn't feel like telling me."
"Can she do that?"
"Are you going to tell her, a spirit ancient beyond my current understanding, that she can't? A female one at that?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Ah, good point." Kakashi had the grace to look embarrassed.
Tsunade interrupted at that, "are you trying to say something about women, boys?"
Naruto grinned slyly, "of course not, Hokage-sama. I have the utmost respect for the female persuasion, given I have three powerful members directly behind me."
The woman nodded in smug satisfaction, "good."
"However," he continued as if she hadn't spoken, "you, of all people, can attest to the fact that anyone can be extremely stubborn when they wish. It becomes especially troublesome as we get older."
"Of course..." she paused as she realized she had just admitted to being an old and stubborn woman. She sighed, "dammit, Naruto. Can we get on with the explanation?"
"As you wish, Hokage-sama," he said with a grin. The remainder of the report wasn't really that long, though he had to include his little side-trip into the cave in Nami no Kuni. "Oh, that reminds me," Naruto said, as he opened the scroll case containing the loose papers. "I found a number of medical spells, I figured you'd be interested in them."
Taking the sheets in question, Tsunade looked at them quickly, then nodded and placed them into a concealed drawer. "I'll take a better look later. I assume that you've properly copied them into that first tome of yours?"
Naruto nodded once, "there were only three medical techniques, and they filled the tome's last pages. I'll get around to transcribing more spells when I have the time, and after I've gotten a good rest."
"Very good, Chunin. Anything else?"
Naruto thought quickly, "Aside from the fact that I'd like the chance to return to those two locations to retrieve the rest of the information there, nothing comes to mind. Oh, I wanted to see about declaring Uzu no Kuni as private land, since I'm the last known Uzumaki."
Tsunade nodded again. "Of course, we cannot simply leave such valuable information laying around. Take a week off, then report here fully outfitted for the task, I'll have the mission written up for you. As to Uzu no Kuni, you'll have to go through the Fire Daimyo for that, as Hi no Kuni claimed the rights to the land as sworn friends of the Uzumaki. Is that all then?"
"No, there is one more thing," A spectral voice called out, as Arc summoned herself from within her ring. "What do you know of the human, Shimura Danzo?"
XXXXXXXX- Ending Notes -XXXXXXXX
Oh boy, does Danzo already have Demigorgon? Or is it something he comes into later? The questions.