So, the poll is still up...I've decided 20 votes is a little unrealistic, so I'll go down to 15 votes. Still waiting for more voters :D

Men Paired With Naruto: Shikamaru, Kiba, Itachi, Utakata, Nagato, and Kurama!

Side Pairings: Jiraiya/Tsunade (eventual), Zabuza/Haku (established), Karin/Suigestu (eventual)

Review, please! Flames=more power for Katon jutsus!

So...I think that's it...oh, yeah. Disclaimer: It's a fanfiction site. *sigh* Do I have to point out that it's a fanfiction site to everyone when they CLEARLY won't happen upon this story unless they change it to 'M' filters?

Inner!angelslaugh: Yes, no matter how irritating it is.

Author: Dang it.

~angelslaugh

~:~

It took a week for Naruto's system to adjust for the kikaichu. Naruto had a nagging feeling about that (Kyuubi!). Shiki took it upon himself to impress upon her logic (which she pretended to understand) and patience, as well as telling her about patterns of a kikaichu.

Shikamaru, as lazy as he was, decided to pay her a few visits.

With flowers.

"I hope you like them," he said with a sigh. "They're the ones I thought you'd like." He seemed a bit embarrassed.

"Look, if you don't want to marry me, just tell your mom," Naruto said to him. "It's better than forcing yourself to do that."

"I think you're pretty cool for a girl," he told her bluntly. "I think marrying you is the best choice I could make, to be completely honest."

"Oh…" Naruto said in a rather small voice. Then… "Thank you."

"Tch, troublesome, but you're welcome."

~:~

"Yo!" Jiraiya popped in front of Naruto, who had been learning the Gatsuga jutsu with her fox and the dog that had been following her around.

Apparently the dog really liked her and was impressed by her, so the dog had become her unofficial second ninken.

Naruto's bugs buzzed out, but Naruto calmed them down with a small spike of her chakra. It was really strange to feel them crawling under her skin. She was pretty sure she'd be fine if nothing sat on her, and having Kurama feed them some of Kurama's chakra made them resilient.

"Hey," Naruto nodded. "Hey…do you think I could learn to summon toads?"

She was kind of excited about maybe doing that. She could keep her bugs under control, so…maybe if she pointed out the fact she had been blood adopted by the Aburame clan, they'd accept her as a summoner?

Jiraiya grinned. "Come on, let's find out."

They walked a little ways out of the village.

"So, Naruto, are those your ninken?" He gestured to the fox and dog.

"This is Violet," Naruto said, placing a hand on her head. "This is…actually, he still hasn't been named, I think."

"Why don't you name it after me, the Gallant Sage of Mt. Myo-"

"No way in hell am I naming my ninken friend Jiraiya. No…I think…" Naruto stopped walking for a minute. "I think I'll name you…Shisui."

Jiraiya paused. "Where did you hear that name?"

Naruto rubbed the newly named Shisui's head.

"I had an Uchiha friend named Shisui. He died, though, when I was seven or eight. He died right before the Massacre." Naruto's reply was soft.

"If you were friends with Shisui-" began Jiraiya, but Naruto shook her head and looked at Jiraiya with wet eyes.

"Please don't," she pleaded with him. "Don't mention him. Please."

Don't mention Weasel-or as you know him, Itachi. Please.

Jiraiya nodded shortly. "I think here's a good place. Let me see your seal."

Naruto raised her shirt. Thankfully she was still as flat as a washboard in the chest department.

"Channel chakra." Naruto did as ordered, and the seal of the Shinigami appeared. It wasn't altered that much.

"It looks fine," Jiraiya commented, surprised.

"No duh, it's powered by the friggin' Shinigami," Naruto scoffed. "Seriously, I really don't think the Shinigami's seal is easily screwed with by anyone but an Uzumaki."

Naruto let her shirt fall down.

"Well, no need to snap, gaki. Anyway, kid, let's get to summoning toads."

Naruto frowned as he opened the contract. "Uh, can I just sign my name as 'Uzumaki Naruto', as it's basically a blood tribute that's demanded and not the name of the summoner that makes a huge difference?"

"I never thought of it like that," Jiraiya said, holding his chin. "I suppose. But don't worry if you just summon a tadpole."

Naruto scowled at him, wrote her name down and smeared her blood in it.

She performed the required handsigns, and chakra started to become visible. Unknown to Naruto, it was a mix between red, silver, green, a dark-almost purple-blue, and a light blue, with a couple visible yellow wisps in it.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" she yelled after biting her thumb and slamming it down.

A huge swath of smoke filled the area.

When it cleared-

"NARUTO, YOU SUMMONED HIM?!"

"…I guess? Who's the geezer toad?"

"Jiraiya-chan, who summoned me?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, Fukasaku-sama."

"Uh…is there something I'm missing, Ero-sennin?"

~:~

"I see," the geezer toad said, nodding from his perch on Jiraiya's shoulder. "All toads will be told to stay away from your bugs. Tell me, child, what jutsus do you know?"

"Well," Naruto began, "I know Hiraishin," she didn't glance at Jiraiya's face, "Kuchiyose, Fuuinjutsu, Kage Bunshin, Kawarimi, Henge, the Aburame Kekkei Genkai and I was learning the Gatsuga jutsu with Shisui and Violet," she gestured to her fox and the dog, "and I was going to learn some Nara clan techniques, as I'm going to marry into that after the Exams."

Jiraiya frowned. "Is that-"

"Oh, and Mokuton. That and a chakra-sensor. It was kind of distracting, but I kind of learned how to read it properly."

"Jiraiya-chan, have you taught this girl nothing?" demanded the geezer toad.

"I wasn't her teacher," Jiraiya frowned. "That would have been Hatake Kakashi, who, by the council's demand, focused more on the Uchiha on the team. I do have a wide arsenal of jutsu I can teach you. Do you need help with controlling the fox?"

Naruto adopted a solemn expression and closed her eyes.

Kurama.

Gihi, Kurama grinned.

Black lines formed on Naruto's body, glowing a vibrant yellow. Then…

…chakra flames burst into being. Naruto could feel every tree yearn to touch the chakra to make them bloom again.

"Holy crap," Jiraiya said in a stunned tone. "How did you-"

Naruto smiled and looked at her body, the lines of the Eight Elements Seal outlined on her body.

"I've been friends with the Kyuubi for years," Naruto replied with a sad smile. "Or, rather, I beat him up and stole his chakra when I was seven and then we became partners at ten. We've been on pretty decent terms since then."

Ain't that the truth, Kurama said in a fond tone.

"Anything else you haven't told us?" Jiraiya wondered idly.

"I'm a whore," Naruto snickered at Jiraiya's horror-filled face. "Kidding, Ero-sennin," she snorted. No, I'm really not.

Jiraiya chuckled nervously. "You better be, kid. Fukasaku-sama-"

"Teach the child more jutsus so that he can defend himself if the need arrives, Jiraiya-chan." Fukasaku smiled kindly (or as much as a frog can smile) at Naruto. "I will inform the Toads of the newest summoner's arrival and of the condition."

He popped into smoke.

"C'mon, kid, let's teach you some jutsu," grinned the Sannin.

Naruto gulped as she let the chakra cloak fade.

She felt Kurama's apprehension.

"We'll also work on your taijutsu and other skills." He shook his head. "Nice job at the prelims, though, kid."

Naruto beamed.

~:~

She dragged herself through Konoha, feeling extremely worn out.

"Hey, Naruto!" Kiba's voice caught her attention.

"Hmm?" she managed, with a big effort, to pick her head up. Violet and Shisui seemed to collapse where they stood.

"What happened to you?" Kiba asked, tilting his head.

"My teacher is awesome," she said, though she couldn't even muster a grin. Her entire body was tired. Despite his absolutely terrible taste in clothes (and the fact he was a pervert), Jiraiya's stamina was huge. First he'd made her do suicide runs for three hours in a marked area around a steep cliff area, then he'd made her go through every type of ninjutsu she could recall ever learning. Then he'd made her do the Kawarimi jutsu with a leaf instead of a log.

He put her through the paces.

Now she was wearing stupid-looking weights in order to get used to them so she didn't have to rely on the Hiraishin.

"After the Chuunin Exams and after your…wedding…then you and I are going on a training trip. And if you need to run, then you better do as I say and run, kid," Jiraiya had told her.

"It looks like you can't even walk!" Kiba exclaimed, glancing at Violet and Shisui. "And that little guy's still following you-"

"Shisui…" Naruto mumbled, noticing Sasuke stiffen at that name. "The pup's name is Shisui."

Sasuke stood up.

"You named your mutt after Shisui?" Sasuke growled, whipping around in anger.

"He was my friend," Naruto said quietly. "'Tachi didn't kill him, though…" Naruto was too late to avoid a punch.

"You stupid demon, what would you know of my brother and what he did?!" Sasuke shouted. A fist exploded into lightning. "Chidori!"

Naruto welcomed the sudden sewer.

"I'll handle this," Kurama snarled, chakra blasting outward.