Chapter 9

Less than a week later, Zare received a mental message, something during the night, from Chizuru saying they had reached home safely causing Zare to smile. He had given each of them a Shadow Crystal, but told them to keep it a secret from their mother and aunt since theirs had been deactivated when they left Konoha twelve years ago.

That morning Zare entered the kitchen to see Obito already sitting at the table with a distressed look on his face. Zare recognised this expression all too clearly as it was the same as when the Uchiha came to visit him two months prior to losing almost his entire family. Zare simply sat in front of the man he long since considered a brother and said one single word, "When?"

"Tonight" Obito replied, "The visions woke me up, they were hazy but they clearly showed today's date and the house being raided.

"Very well" Zare said as he stood up and made his way to the fridge to take out the ingredients for breakfast, "I'll notify Hiruzen and have Kakashi pick up the boys and drop them back. Since they already full filled this week's mission quota, they will have a training session"

"Zare, I'm scared, More so than the day of the massacre. I saw myself being cut down right in front of Sasuke while Naruto was torn to shreds. You ended up going ballistic and the last I saw was black light pouring out of the windows before the entire district went up in a massive fire ball" Obito said, now visibably shaking.

"Hey, hey. Don't beat yourself up over this. Remember, what you saw was a possible series of events. If it weren't for the, extremely rare, Yokan ability I extracted from your potential Mangekyo Sharingan, we would have never have gotten this kind of warning. Now that it is more refined, the warnings are clear cut and precise, but it is a pity the time frame it give us was reduced severely. Remember, we planned for this, the plan is perfect and besides I still have a few aces up my sleeve" Zare said before ending it with a smirk.

"You're wearing a vest" Obito pointed out.

"Oh my God that was so funny I forgot to laugh" Zare said with a gasp, "Now cheer up, the boys will be up soon and the last thing we need is for them to start worrying"

Zare smiled as Obito started laughing, his mood greatly lightened.

After the boys returned, Zare had them shower immediately and change into a new set of 'Training Wear' before escorting them to the training grounds. Both boys noticed their uncles were on unusually high alert, but thought nothing of it as Zare began reviewing them on the training techniques they used when the man first started training them.

It was almost eight in the evening and the boys were taking a short break before a large explosion was heard. The boys' eyes widened in horror when they realised where the sound came from and brought out of their stupor when Zare came racing towards them, Mukogan flaring to life, yelling, "BOYS! GET TO THE MIDDLE IMMEDIATELY!"

Naruto and Sasuke didn't hesitate before disappearing in a yellow and black blur, respectively, and reappearing next to Obito who was already there.

As soon as Zare reached them, he ran through a series of hand seals and calmly called out, "Kage Kekkai, Some no Mai: Kurai Yokubo"

Suddenly, from the entire perimeter of the training grounds, a myriad of Shadow Tendrils erupted from the ground and began 'slithering' over a seemingly invisible surface until they converged at a point several meters above the group forming a large, opaque, black dome that was surprisingly well illuminated inside.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked, worry ridden in his voice.

"Naruto" Zare said as ne knelled in front of the blond and placed his hands on either sides of his shoulders, "Remember what happened in the Council Chambers the day you moved in with me"

"Yeah" Naruto said, while wondering where the conversation was going.

"Well the person responsible for the web of lies was a man named Danzo, a former teammate of the Hokage's. He was in charge of an illegal, covert faction of ANBU called ROOT. After he was executed, the faction was ordered to disband, but apparently they would meet in secret and somehow found out who I am. As a result they placed an execution order on our heads and it seems they have come to carry it out" Zare explained.

"So what are we going to do?" Sasuke asked a tinge of suppressed fear in his voice.

"We are going to get out of Konoha and escape to the only place safe enough" Zare said as he performed a quick hand sign before placing his palm on the ground, causing four crates to pop up from the earth, "Find the crate with your initials on it and equip yourselves with everything in them. I'll tell you what to do afterwards"

Once they had worn on the protective vests and equipped themselves with the various scroll and weapons, they hefted the back packs onto themselves before turning around to see Obito and Zare wearing modified Jounin vests that had more storage compartments and had a weapon holster on either side of their waists. Obito had his sword strapped to his back while Zare had two swords on his back and a hunting knife strapped to his thigh as well as a long, black, hooded, sleeveless overcoat that went down to his ankles.

When the boys returned to their uncles' sides, the ground under them rose into a pedestal of sorts. Next Zare cut his thumb before running through a series of hand seals before placing the palm of the cut hand on the ground and calling, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu"

A string of sealing symbols spread out from under Zare's palm before two puffs of smoke appear which dissipated to reveal two wolves, one white one black, both with red tribal marking along their bodies.

"Makizaki-sama, it is good to see you again after so long. We got word from Takashi-sama that they had come in contact with you. We hope you are well" both wolves, clearly females, said.

"Kuroko, Shiroko, it is good to see you too, though I wish it were under better circumstances. The two of you are the fastest warriors of the Inugami Clan, next to your father, and I am in dire need of your assistance" Zare said.

"Of course Makizaki-sama you shouldn't even have to ask" white furred Shiroko replied.

"Indeed, after everything you have done for us, it would be a sin and an act of high treason to deny you of aid" black Kuroko said.

"Thank you my friends. I need you to create two hundred shadow clones each and spread them out evenly across the training field then I want you to act as mounts for Naruto and Sasuke here" Zare said while gesturing to the two boys, as the clones burst into existence all around the field.

"Naruto-sama, Sasuke-sama, it is an honour to finally meet you. Hikaru-sama and Kaoru-sama spoke much of you on their way back to Uzugakure, we would be honoured to have you ride upon us" Shiroko said as they both bowed respectfully causing the two boys to get extremely flustered before Naruto got on Kuroko's back and Sasuke on Shiroko.

Next Zare performed the signature seal of the Kage Bunshin as eight hundred clones sprung into existence then stood to full authority and called out, "ALL RIGHT, ALL OF YOU. THE DAY WE HAVE BEEN PLANNING FOR HAS ARRIVED. I WANT A QUARTER OF YOU TO TRANSFORM INTO OBITO, A QUARTER INTO NARUTO AND A QUARTER INTO SASUKE WHILE THE REMAINING QUARTER WILL STAY AS THEY ARE. YOU WILL GROUP UP LIKE WE HAVE AND PREPARE TO ESCAPE. YOU ARE TO USE ANY ROUTE NECESSARY TO TRAVERSE THE VILLAGE, BUT WE WILL CONVERGE AND EXIT THROUGH THE MAIN GATE. ONCE OUTSIDE THE VILLAGE WALLS, YOU ARE TO SCATTER IN ANY DIRECTION AND KEEP A MINMUM DISTANCE OF TWO HUNDRED METRES BETWEEN YOUR GROUP AND ANY OTHER. YOU ARE TO CONTINUE MOVING UNTIL YOU ARE SURE YOU ARE NOT BEING FOLLOWED AND THEN DISPELL. IF ANY MEMBER OF YOUR GROUP GETS TAKEN OUT, YOU ARE TO DISPELL IMMEDIATLY. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS?"

There was a resounding, "NO SIR!" as the clones began their preparations for the most intricate escape plan in the history of Konohagakure.

Outside the barrier, several members of ANBU ROOT were waiting for the moment to strike. The barrier prevented them from seeing or hearing anything so they simply waited. Those who were stupid enough to make direct contact with the barrier, found themselves drained of all chakra as their bodies ceased to function and fell over dead.

Several minutes later the barrier dispersed and all of them were caught off guard as they were either cut down or trampled by hundreds of clones of their targets, as they spread out in all directions.

Sakura was happily humming a tune as she walked back from the grocery store, her mother had forgotten to buy some things and Sakura was sent to go get them. Hearing a loud dull roar, Sakura turned around in time to see hundreds of people rush past the side street she was in and continue onwards. Making her way closer to the stream of people, she suddenly caught sight of two faces that made her heart die. The original Naruto and Sasuke caught the eyes of their pink haired teammate and looked at her sadly before giving her a heart wrenching good bye wave and promptly disappeared within the rest of the mob. Sakura was about to call out to them until she was suddenly grabbed from behind and yanked to one side as several stray kunai rained down on the spot she was in. Sakura struggled with all her might until a familiar voice called out to her and saw Naruto's uncle holding her.

"Zare-san, what's going on here?" Sakura asked.

"Sakura-san, you must return home immediately, it is far too dangerous for you to be out right now" Zare's clone said.

"But what is going on here? Why are there so many people running around and why did Naruto and Sasuke look like they were saying good bye?" Sakura asked as tears threatened to fall from her emerald eyes.

"I'm sorry Sakura-san but you must get to safety. The boys would never forgive me if anything happened to you" the clone said before enveloping the pink haired kunoichi in a hug while whispering, "On behalf of Naruto and Sasuke" then promptly disappeared in a puff of black smoke.

As fate would have it, all the recent academy graduates bore witness to the fleeing mob and all of them received a painful good bye wave from the original Naruto and Sasuke. As they lost sight of them, all of them were left confused, some of them heartbroken and at some point or the other they all thought the same question, "Why?"

At the main gate, Kakashi was gathered with every available Konoha Jounin and Chunin. All of them except the three other Jounin Senseis and himself were wondering why they were gathered here. When Kakashi caught sight of the mob, he began addressing the group behind him, "Attention all Konoha Shinobi, the Hokage has authorised an act of diplomacy with our long forgotten allies in Uzugakure under the ancient Shinobi Trade Act. One Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Obito will be escorted by the Uzumaki Representative in Konoha, a Makizaki Sazare to Uzugakure no Sato in the Land of Whirlpools. This has been designated a SS-rank act of diplomacy and any attempt to hinder it is considered an act of high treason, punishable by death without trial. Unfortunately a rouge group of Konoha-Nin have taken it upon themselves to stop this mission and must be dealt with. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!?"

There was a loud and collective "HA" as the group stepped aside just in time for the mob to pass by them and immediately began dispersing into the night. As Kakashi watched the groups go by, he caught sight of one of them mouth a silent "Thank you" before they too disappeared into the night causing the masked Jounin to smile warmly.

Once the entire mob had passed through the gates, the gathered shinobi spread out across the entrance and took up attack positions, with the Jounin Senseis in the front and the members of ROOT heading straight towards them.

"So Kakashi, my cool eternal rival, what say you to a friendly contest as to who can take down the most rouges by the end of the night" Maito Gai said as he took up a Taijutsu stance.

"For once Gai, I wouldn't have it any other way" Kakashi said as he lifted his headband to reveal Obito's gift spinning wildly.

Two and a half days. The original Zare, Naruto, Sasuke, and Obito along with Shiroko and Kuroko had been running at top speed for two and a half days non-stop. Whenever any of them would get hungry they would eat special nutrition bars that were Zare's own creation and sleep was killed using caffeine pills. They would only stop for short bathroom breaks before continuing onwards. At the end of those two and a half days, they had entered Whirlpool territory and had the outpost village in their sights, but they weren't out of the woods yet, they still had to make it to the outpost village then cross the Maelstrom Sea into Uzugakure and its Sister Islands before letting themselves relax.

As they neared the village, Obito suddenly called out to Zare causing the man to look behind him, just in time to see at least twenty if not more masked ANBU chasing after them.

"SHIT!" Zare cursed then called out, "UMBREA!"

Suddenly Umbrea leapt out of Zare's chest in the form of a large black cheetah as Zare and Obito lifted their respective nephews onto her back. Next Zare leapt onto the shape shifter sitting in front of the boys while Obito sat behind.

"SHIROKO! KUROKO! RUN AHEAD AND WARN THE VILLAGE! HAVE THEM SHUT THE GATE AND SUMMON A FULL BATTALION. AS SOON AS WE CROSS THOSE WALLS, HAVE THEM LOCK DOWN THE COUNTRY I DON'T WANT A SINGLE ONE OF THEM FOLLOWING US!" Zare yelled out.

"HAI! Makizaki-sama" the twin Inugamis said as they shifted into spirit form and sped off towards the village.

"Umbrea! Get us off the ground. It's time to bring out the big guns" Zare said with a smirk.

"You got it" Umbrea said as she suddenly began to grow until she was the size of a tailed beast.

After that Zare used a kunai to place a cut across all ten of his fingers and ran through several hand seals before pressing both of them onto Umbrea's back and calling out, "Grand Summons: Five Beast Kings!"

Chakra seemed to erupt from Zare's palms followed by the familiar sound of a summoning Jutsu occurring five times in rapid succession. When the smoke cleared they were surrounded by five massive creatures each the size of a tailed beast. To the groups left, a massive white tiger galloped next to them. To the right was a black shelled tortoise, with its legs tucked back as it hovered across the ground. Flying above them from left to right was a grand flaming phoenix with vibrant shades of red and orange rolling off its feathers. Next was an Inugami in its spirit form with black and white fur and red tribal markings and finally an azure dragon with golden whiskers and silver-grey hair around its head flew gracefully on the right.

"Makizaki-sama, we heard news of your well being. To what do we owe the honour" the tiger said.

"I wish we could meet under better circumstances but I'm afraid is no time for pleasantries. Byakko!" Zare said causing the tiger to look at him, "Genbu!" the tortoise perked its head up, "Suzaku!" the phoenix lowered her gaze to the man, "Seiryu!" the dragon listened intently, "Byakuei!" the Inugami squinted its eyes in acknowledgment, "I hereby invoke the Fifth Procession! Get us to Uzugakure as fast as possible"

There was a loud resounding "HA! MAKIZAKI-SAMA!" as all five beasts including Umbrea picked up their paces and sped off at ungodly speeds towards their destination while Zare and his three companions held on tightly.

At the outpost village, the scene was a state of settling chaos, the civilians had been evacuated to the shelters while the gates had been sealed shut and a full ninja battalion stood in front of the gate weapons at the ready, each with either a tiger, a large tortoise, an Inugami, a phoenix or a dragon at their side.

Shiroko and Kuroko stood at either side of the battalion now at full size (Half the size of the Kyuubi) growling fiercely, the red tribal markings emitting a soft pulsating glow.

Suddenly one of the ninjas in the guard tower called out to the battalion commander and yelled out, "THEY'RE HERE!" instantaneously every member of the battalion, be it man or beast, went into full battle mode ready to take on anyone who dare threaten one of their own.

As Zare and his group reached the village, they all jumped gracefully into the air, their momentum carrying them right over the village and onto the surface of the Maelstrom Sea causing barely a splash and continued onwards as the numerous whirlpools calmed as they passed over them and turned violent in their wake.

"How come the whirlpools stop when we pass over them?" Sasuke yelled over the roar of the whirlpools.

"Simple, we are being escorted by the Five Guardian Beasts of Uzugakure. It is the combined power of every member of their clans that are keeping the Maelstrom Sea an impenetrable wall of death. Anyone who hasn't signed one of the Five Guardian contracts cannot pass through the Maelstrom Sea without an escort" Zare explained.

"So who are the Contract Scroll Keepers?" Obito said.

"That's a stupid question" Zare said with a chuckle, "I am"

"How's that possible I thought one could only be the scroll keeper of a single clan" Obito said.

Zare opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by Seiryu who said, "I can answer that question if you would allow me to"

"By all means" Zare said.

"Thank you" the leader of the Dragon Clan said before turning his attention to Obito, "The answer is simple. Makizaki-sama performed a great service to each one of our clans, placing us eternally in his debt. When we were threatened with extinction, he helped us relocate to one of several sister islands surrounding Uzugakure, as a show of thanks we each presented him with our Contract Scrolls and named him 'Keeper of the Five Guardians'"

Zare blushed at the mention of his title and scratched his cheek sub-consciously while saying, "It's not that big of a deal"

"Nonsense" Byakuei said while throwing a soft growl in for good measure, "If it weren't for you and Umbrea-hime, we would have ceased to exist"

"Oh do go on" Umbrea said, "I do love a man who knows how to compliment a lady"

"Hey Umbrea, I thought you hated dogs" Naruto said, ever the clueless idiot. Clearly he was elsewhere the day they decided to hand out common sense.

Byakuei growled at the blond in anger causing the red markings along his body to flash one before saying, "Watch it human. I am no mere dog; you would be wise to remember that"

"Hey" Zare said fiercely as he glared at the Inugami Clan leader and said, "I will not have you speak to my nephew like that" causing the black and white Canine Spirit to growl lightly in annoyance.

"Your nephew!? Then that must mean..." Suzaku said as she swooped in low to get a good look at the blond, "Oh my dear boy, you are the spitting image of your father, your mother will be absolutely thrilled to see you" before getting in closer and saying, "Care for a ride?"

Naruto look pleadingly at his uncle who simply nudged his head as if saying, "Go on then" causing the blond to squeal in delight and nearly lose his grip until he was grabbed by a Shadow Tendril that lifted him up and onto the back of Suzaku's neck. Naruto gripped on tightly as Suzaku flew back to her original position and if the cries of joy and excitement were not enough of a clue, the boy was having the time of his life.

"Hey! Why does Naruto get to have all the fun and I don't?" Sasuke said.

"No one's stopping you" Zare said.

"You could always ride on me" Byakko said.

"Cool, I always did like cats" Sasuke said as the large tiger pulled up close and a Shadow Tendril placed the raven head on its back.

"Well seeing as the boys get to have fun... Genbu-san if you don't mind" Obito said.

"Not at all" Genbu said then rose till his back was in line with Umbrea as Obito slid off and latched onto the shell with chakra, "Welcome aboard lad"

"Glad to be aboard" Obito replied.

Zare simply shook his head and sighed then said, "Well if you can't beat 'em" while getting on top of Umbrea's back and squatting while gathering chakra in his legs, "Join 'em!" while pushing of Umbrea and rocketing several metres into the air.

Zare then performed several graceful and acrobatic back flips before landing right behind Seiryu's head then said, "Umbrea! Take five"

"FINALLY!" she called out, "It's about damn time. All this sea air is murder on my follicles"

"You don't have any follicles" Zare called out with a chuckle.

Umbrea simply chuckled before disintegrating into black mist and disappearing.

After another five minutes of high speed travel, the endless cacophony of Whirlpools gave way to calm seas and a large island in front of them. It was unlike anything the three newcomers had ever seen. The island was circular, but what was most astounding was that the entire island seemed to be in the embrace of an unusually shaped mountain. It was as if someone had stretched it around the island leaving an opening for access. In the very centre of the formation was a massive village easily twice the size of Konoha if not bigger with a vast and thick forest surrounding it, filling up the gap between the village and the mountain side. At one side of the opening of the mountain enclosure, was a fairly large beach that continued around the outer edge of the mountain while at the other side was a grand and bustling harbour where several large ships were docked.

Once Zare was satisfied that his three comrades were left clueless enough he spoke, "Guys welcome to Horseshoe Island, also known as Uzugakure"

After a few moments of silence there was a loud and collective, "WHAT!?" which caused Zare to break out in hysterics.

A few seconds later, Zare sighed heavily while wiping a tear from his eye and said, "That reaction never gets old. It's truly priceless"

"IT'S HUGE" Naruto said.

"Of course it is. It's Uzugakure" Zare replied.

"But how is that possible?" Sasuke said, clearly his mind was over worked as it was making no sense.

"What do you mean 'how's it possible' It's Uzugakure" Zare said.

"But... but" was all that came out of Obito's mouth.

"How long will it take them to realise that is Uzugakure" Zare said to Seiryu.

"Hahaha, fear not Makizaki-sama all newcomers have the same reaction. Why only a few weeks ago, two men came with a letter for the Uzukage and the taller one almost fell out of the boat when he gazed upon the village" Seiryu said.

"That's hilarious" Zare said.

"Makizaki-sama" Byakko said.

"Hmm?" Zare replied.

"What are your orders once we enter the village?" the white tiger asked.

"Touchdown in the harbour square and shift into your compressed forms, it's been a while since I've returned and I intend to make my presence known. Oh and inform your clan members that 'No information about us or the Fifth Procession is to reach the Uzukage' until we enter the building. I want to make this a surprise" Zare replied with a mischievous yet serious smirk on his face.

"HA!" was the reply Zare received.

When they got close enough, the five beasts leapt into the air, flying right over the harbour while shrinking in size. When entered the vicinity of the village square, Zare, Naruto, Sasuke and Obito had to jump off their respective mounts since they needed to take up proper formation around them.

The village citizenry as well as the ninja populace looked on in confusion as the Five Beast Kings landed in front of them, with four strangers amongst them, Zare had pulled the hood of his coat over his head so as to hide his face only his playful grin visible.

The village ninjas were in a state of inward panic. There were only two people in the entire village who could invoke the Fifth Procession and one of them was in her office. The other had been missing for years and none of the four people looked like either of them. The ninjas' summoned companions, however, knew exactly what was going on and mentally reassured their charges that all was well. This caused the ninjas to visibably relax which in turn caused the civilians to relax. A calm Uzu-nin was a happy Uzu-nin and a happy Uzu-nin meant safety.

Once the tension died down, the group began walking towards the Uzukage's Tower at the other end of the village. People would make way instantly as they knew that whenever a Fifth Procession was involved, the people being escorted were VIPs of the highest order.

Zare smirked at the people's reactions while Naruto hung onto his uncle's arm followed closely by Sasuke and Obito. Byakko walked in front of the group while Genbu and Byakuei flanked their sides with Suzaku and Seiryu flying closely over head, bringing up the rear.

The Uzukage was currently facing the only adversary that she and those in similar positions of power had yet to forever banish to the inner depths of Hell. It made the Kyuubi look like a harmless kitten and Death look like a cute sneeze. She would curse it frequently for putting her through endless suffering on a daily basis and she would do the same to her late husband as the 'insolent, dickless, bastard', as she so kindly put it, decided to drop dead while sacrificing himself thus forever rendered free from a life of endless torture. What is the name of such a fearsome adversary? Why none other than the infamous Paperwork.

The Uzukage had just placed the two thousandth form, asking for yet another ridiculous request, in the rejection pile when a knock was heard and her assistant entered the room.

"Setsuna, you better not be bringing me more paperwork otherwise I swear to God I will hold a public assembly and burn every sheet of paper in front of them" the Uzukage said dangerously.

"No, no Uzukage-sama" Setsuna said with a nervous laugh, there were in fact fifty stack lying on her desk, but she really didn't want to deal with her boss's wrath, "Actually I'm here to tell you that you have visitors"

"Tell them I'm busy" the Uzukage said, returning her gaze to her Eternal Nemesis.

"Too busy to say 'hi' to your own brother-in-law" said a voice the Uzukage hadn't heard in almost one and a half decades.

The Uzukage jerked her head up just as Zare lifted his hood and revealed his features. The Uzukage stared at the man, dumbfounded, as he smiled at her warmly and said, "Hello Kushina"

Uzumaki Kushina, the Yondaime Uzukage, looked at the man with tears forming in her eyes and instantly got up from her seat, almost running towards him. Zare's face took on a look of horror as what was supposed to be a hug turned into a chakra infused fist that was imbedded in his face before he was sent flying.

Naruto, Sasuke and Obito sat nervously outside the Uzukage's office waiting for Zare to either call them in or take them to wherever they were supposed to go, when the office door exploded and Zare's figure came flying out and was embedded into the wall.

"You son-of-a-bitch!" Kushina nearly roared as she stepped over the debris and stood in front of her little sister's soon-to-be-dead husband, while several ANBU appeared before being waved off by their leader.

"It's nice to see you too, Kushina. How have you been this last decade?" Zare said through a strained voice.

"You've got some nerve for showing up unexpectedly after not so much as a word for almost thirteen years" the enraged red head said, "Do you have any idea what you have put Minatsu through, huh? DO YOU?"

"I'm sorry but-" Zare coughed out.

"I'm not the one you should be apologising to" Kushina said before a young boy's voice killed her anger like a Chidori to the head, a voice that said, "Kaa-chan?"

Kushina did a double take when she notices the young blond standing neat the waiting seats and said the only thing her mind could think of, "Naruto?"

Naruto's face lit up beyond all possible comprehension as he heard his mother call out his name. His breathing became laboured as he began taking weighted steps toward the red haired, grey eyed woman, tears streaming down his face. He called out to her again as his arms reached out to her, praying to every deity out there that this wasn't a dream.

Kushina dropped to her knees as her son staggered his way into her arms before she enveloped him in a hug only a mother could give and said, "Naruto, I can't believe you're actually here" causing the young blond to burst into tears as years and years of pent up anguish poured out of him.

Zare smiled at the touching scene before realising he was still quite thoroughly stuck with no clear way of getting out.

"Uh, a little help here" Zare said still trying to get his body to move.

"I'm busy" Kushina said as she sat down and Naruto curled up in her lap before doing something he hadn't done in over six years, he cried himself to sleep.

Several minutes later a voice from behind the group called out to them and said, "Kaa-san, we felt your chakra spike. Is everything alri-"

Chizuru stopped as she took in the scene in front of her. Zare was still stuck in the wall trying to squirm his way out while Obito and Sasuke looked on from the waiting seats and her mother was sitting on the floor, back toward her, as her entire figure rocked back and forth.

Chizuru stepped around her mother and was about to speak when Kushina interrupted her and softly said, "Shhhhhh! He's asleep"

Just then Takashi, Hikaru and Kaoru arrived and saw the scene in front of them.

"What's going on here?" Hikaru said.

"Why are Naru, Sasuke and Obito-san here?" Kaoru said.

"Hey! What am I a hole in the wall? ... Oh, wait" Zare said when he realised the situation he was still in before accepting Takashi's hand and was pulled out of the wall.

"Thanks" Zare said as he stood up and began dusting himself off.

"No problem" Takashi replied, "Now mind telling us what the four of you are doing here and why are there rumours flying around town about the Fifth Procession?"

"Heh, heh, you know me. I like to make my presence known" Zare said, "As for why we're here; I will only answer if you, Kushina, promise me to listen to the entire story then my recommended plans of action before you fly off the handle"

"It's ok, as long Naru's here, nothing will make me lose control" Kushina said as she hugged her son close.

"No you will promise me. This was the straw that broke the camel's back. If someone did this to my kid, I wouldn't hesitate to order the complete annihilation of Fire Country" Zare said.

"Was it that bad?" Chizuru said.

Zare sighed and nodded his head before retelling the past three days and the history behind it. After he was finished, Zare kept his eyes on his sister-in-law. Her body was that of a mother cradling her child, while her eyes bore the flames of a mother scorned.

"Kushina, you must promise me you will not do anything to Fire Country or Konohagakure" Zare said a serious tone in his voice.

"I will think about" Kushina said dangerously.

"No you will promise me now" Zare said, "I may not care much about the position of Daimyo, but that doesn't mean I won't pull rank and demand you stand down on this matter"

"Why should I listen to you? Why the hell should I listen to you after everything you've put Minatsu through?" Kushina said with enough venom that would make her late husband cringe in fear.

"Because if you so much as touch one blade of grass in Fire Country, Naruto will never forgive you. In spite of all the hell he's had to live through, Naruto has never been able to bring himself to hate that village. He loves the village and the people with every fibre of his being and I'll be damned if I let you do anything to make him resent you" Zare said.

At that moment Naruto groaned slightly as he began to stir causing Kushina to look upon her son and smile before looking back at Zare and saying, "Fine, I Uzumaki Kushina, Yondaime Uzukage of Uzugakure no Sato, do hereby swear not to take any action against Fire Country or the affiliated Shinobi Village of Konohagakure in regards to the treatment and attempted assassination of Uzumaki Naruto. Should there be any attempt on my part, to breach this contract, I will gladly step down from my position of Uzukage and pass it on to whoever is deemed worthy"

"Good" Zare said as he held out his palm to reveal a large black crystal, "Your pledge had been recorded. A copy will be sent to the village and clan archives while the original stays with me"

"I can't believe you don't trust me on this" Kushina said.

"It's not that I don't trust you. It's that I know the moment this information reached the public, there will be a demand for blood. I need you to calm the populace as I currently hold no tangible power other than what is written in the village archives and I'm afraid that won't be enough when it comes to the voice of the citizenry" Zare said as he smiled.

At that moment Naruto began to rouse from his slumber and slowly began to make sense of his surroundings.

"Okaa-san?" Naruto said slowly, almost hesitatingly.

Kushina looked down at the boy and smiled a loving, motherly smile.

"Am I dreaming?" Naruto said slightly more aware than before.

"No Naru, you're not. I'm just as real as you are. We're together. We're all together and I promise never to let you out of my sights ever again" Kushina said as she hugged her son close.

Naruto sniffed a few times before looking over his mother's shoulder and noticing his siblings with either grins or smiles on their faces.

Naruto smiled warmly before getting off his mother's lap and stretched then grinned. He was back to normal.

Just then footsteps were heard and everyone looked to see a woman with long red hair, slightly darker than Kushina's, and emerald green eyes jogging down the hallway.

"Sorry I'm late, Kushina, I was in the middle of surgery when I...felt...your" the woman trailed off as she noticed a man with short, spiky black hair and sapphire blue eyes staring at her, a myriad of emotions dancing through his eyes, mainly love, sadness, and regret.

"Minatsu" Zare said shakily, not daring to use her pet name.

"Zare-kun?" Minatsu said as she took a few steps forward.

"Mina-chan" Zare said before she promptly rushed into his arms.

The couple held each other for a few moments before Minatsu stepped back and slapped Zare hard across the face.

Everyone, including the few hidden ANBU cringed at the sight while Zare just looked at her, his hand hovering mere centimetres above his reddening cheek.

"That was for making me leave" Minatsu said fiercely before her expressions turned soft as she wiped a tear from her eye and said, "And this...This is for coming back" then grabbed her husband in a crushing hug while burying her face in his chest.

Zare smiled sadly and returned the hug before gently whispering, "I'm sorry Mina-chan. I'm so, so sorry. I hope you can forgive me for putting you through so much pain and suffering. Please, please forgive me" the last being said with a broken voice, sniffles and tears.

"Stupid~" Minatsu said as she stepped back from her husband and smiled, "There is nothing to forgive. You did what you did because that's just who you are. I understood and accepted that the moment I agreed to marry you" then proceeded to wipe away his tears.

"Mina-chan" Zare said as he planted a gentle kiss on her forehead, "You're too good for me"

"Don't I know it" Minatsu said with a playful grin and tone.

Zare smiled warmly and wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing her close to his body.

Suddenly the sound of footsteps was heard as the group turned again and saw a young girl around Naruto's and Sasuke's age with long black hair, however what captivated Zare the most wasn't the sense of familiarity he got from her, but her eyes. Both her eyes had irises that were both blue and green. This wasn't any Kekkei Genkai of any sort, no, this was a simple genetic trait that resulted in an individual possessing two different colours in the same eye.

When the girl spoke, it wasn't her voice that surprised Zare but what she said and the conversation that send his mind reeling.

"Okaa-san, I went to the hospital so you could take me shopping, but they said you suddenly rushed off to Ba-san's office. Is everything alright?" the girl said as she looked at her mother ever aware of the man who had an arm around her mother's waist with one of her hands on his chest.

"Aki-chan" Minatsu said as she stepped away from her husband, not out of embarrassment but more out of giving her daughter her full attention, "I'm so sorry, in the middle of surgery I felt your aunt's chakra spike and thought there might have been an emergency so I rushed off as soon as I was finished"

"Ok" the girl said as she walked slowly towards her mother, very suspicious of the man behind her, yet she couldn't shake the feeling she knew him from somewhere.

"Now then, before we leave for the shopping district, there's someone I want you to meet" Minatsu said as she held out her hand and smiled when her daughter took hold of it.

"Zare-kun, I want you to meet my daughter Uzumaki Akiba" Minatsu said causing Zare's eyes to widen tremendously, "Aki-chan I would like you to meet Makizaki Sazare, my husband and your father" Akiba's eyes, too, widened considerably as all the pieces slotted into place. She recognised the man from a picture they had from before she was born when her mother, aunt and cousins lived in Konoha. This man was indeed her father.

Zare quickly recovered from his shock and crouched down onto his haunches and looked at the girl noting the similarities between her, himself and Minatsu. Smiling warmly at her, Zare folded his arms and placed them on top of his knees and said, "Hello Aki-chan I uh... I guess umm" but never got to finish as the fist of a twelve year old girl connected with his nose making him lose his balance and fall flat on his rear end. Akiba turned around after she withdrew her fist and ran back down the hallway and out of sight.

"Uzumaki Akiba!" Minatsu called out, "You get back here right now and apologise young lady"

"NO!" was all that was heard along with diminishing footsteps.

Minatsu was about to call out to her again when Zare, with a hand over his nose, interrupted her and said, "Let her go, she needs time for it to settle in... Could someone please get me a tissue?"

"Why?" Naruto said while stifling a laugh earning a glare from his mother causing the blond to think, "Mothers are scary"

"I think she broke my nose" Zare said while removing his had to show that it was indeed broken with blood dripping from his nostrils.

Minatsu knelt beside Zare, her palms raised and glowing green as she said, "I'll have to have a word with her about this"

Zare raised his hand, denying her hands access while shaking his head and saying, "Let her off this time and don't heal me, let me suffer for a little while I deserve a lot worse"

Minatsu sighed and withdrew her hands while Zare flopped onto his back while placing an arm over his eyes and began to laugh with a shaky voice.

"*sniff* Oww, heh, heh, I have a daughter *sniff* oww" Zare said as he lay there taking laboured breaths with the odd sniffle and minor exclamation of pain while his arm concealed the tears of joy cascading down the sides of his head.

A few minutes later Zare had recovered and was sitting in a chair while Minatsu got to work on his nose and Kushina began speaking to the two ANBU she had just summoned and said, "I want the two of you to go and collect the Council Advisors, tell them to take over for today, I have personal matters to-"

*crack* "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Zare yelled out as his nose was readjusted.

"WILL YOU BE QUIET!" Kushina shouted at Zare, "For God and Heaven's sake you're two bloody thousand years old and you can't handle a little pain"

"But it hurt" Zare said with teary puppy dog eyes and a whimper.

"I don't give a damn" Kushina said still seething, "Now either suck it in and take it like a man or I'll toss you out the window!"

Zare hung his head low and raised his gaze to meet Minatsu's with a look of mock guilt making him look like a child being scolded causing Minatsu to chuckle and kiss him on the forehead as she finished healing his nose.

After the exchange was over Sasuke crept next to Naruto and said, "Dude, you're mom's scary"

"I know, isn't she awesome" Naruto said with a grin but stopped as both boys went wide eyed as they heard an audible *shwip* and looked to see a pen sticking out of the wall very close to their heads.

"I heard that" Kushina said while folding her arms.

Obito laughed as he placed a hand on both boys' shoulders and said, "Looks like think are gonna get very interesting from now on"


Author's Notes

Yay! Another chapter finished! *round of applause*

I really can't think of what to write. Hmmm... Oh well. There's enough emotional babble in this chapter anyway, but please let me know how I portrayed the emotion in this chapter. I need Reviews so I can tweak my writing style to portray emotions better. I'm more of a Humour and Action kind of guy so emotions require a bit of effort, mainly trying to put myself in the character's shoes and trying to imagine how they would feel. I hope I did a good job, if not Let me know how I can improve.

Onward Ho!

Jutsu-Jutsu no Jutsu

Yokan- Premonition. Obito's Sharingan exclusive. Lets the user see future events that are an immediate threat to either their own life or the life of some one dear. They have no control over it and as described above, does not give vast amounts of time to plan.

Kage Kekkai, Some no Mai: Kurai Yokubo - Shadow Barrier, First Dance: Dark Lust. An original of mine. A more advanced version of the Shadow Wall. Creates an impenetrable Black dome over an area completely isolating the two sides. Reflects any force that is applied to it including offensive Jutsus. Anyone, other than those inside, who makes physical contact with the surface will be drained of all chakra killing them istantly. I was planning to use the Second form of the jutsu later on in the chapter but thought against it.

Grand Summons: Five Beast Kings - I kept this jutsu in English because I couldn't find a translation that I was satisfied with. If anyone can give me a suitable translation, I'll replace it and credit you.

Well I think that's about it. Oooo if anyone can tell me where I got Byakuei from I'll give you a cookie (Now to have someone explain to me what that actually means)

Note, I'll have to bump the age rating up to M from the next chapter onwards since there will be a few naughty references that will result in much laughter from both the characters as well as you, the reader (Hopefully). From what I can foresee, in either chapter 11 or 12 we will see the start of the Chunin exams (what you didn't think I was gonna skip that were you?) as well as a rather happy surprise for all when we have a small vacation afterwards in the land of tea. Umm, I hope I haven't missed out on anything and do expect a delay with the next two chapters as I will be travelling.

Note addition 28/3/10

Just wanted to tell you that I plan to do Character BIOs on my profile. Let me know who you want to know about first and I'll write it up and post it while on vacation. In fact I might just do the stupid thing and put up a poll so I can get a good idea. Now someone please kick me for having such blind faith in my readers. (Just kidding, no seriously I love you guys. It always makes me smile when I get an email saying so-and-so has marked either my story or myself in their favourites or alerts. Not to mention my eyes bulge every time I check out the story traffic)

Note Addition 16/4/10

Hey guys, there is gonna be a longer delay with the next chapters cause I'm stuck in Paris. VIVA LE FRANCE! I was on my way back to Manchester and we had to reroute because of the ash cloud. I could post, but not only are the chapters not finished, but the internet at the hotel they put us in is very slow so it would take ages to upload the chapters. I can't even read Looking For Group and Sister Claire because the comic images just won't load. UK airspace is expected to open at 1 am Saturday so for now I get to lie on my bed and watch CNN for updates. I'm trying to write right now and I'll try to get the chapters up as soon as possible when I get back to Manchester.

Enjoy.