Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. However, the original characters and plot of this fic belong to me.

Author Notes: Back again with another chapter. About the action in the story, there will be plenty in due time. I like to try and keep a balance of all the elements so there won't be an overdose but for those of you who have been asking me about it, there will be enough to satisfy you.

Chapter 10: Titans Of Iwa

The sun shone on the sparkling stream as it made the only noise that could be heard through the air. Not a cloud was in sight, leaving the blue sky as glorious and as beautiful as it could be. Naruto had a settled demeanour as he stared at the red haired individual, waiting for a response.

The Tsuchikage folded his arms and began to laugh as he heard the jinchuuriki, "Hajin? It seems you are one of few who refer to me by name, much like Yuudai."

Naruto sighed, shaking his head, "You never answered my question."

Hajin nodded as he walked towards Naruto and stood next to him, "You're right; I didn't. Konoha is different from Iwa; a pleasant sight in its own way."

Naruto took out the cigarette from his mouth and sat down on the soft grass, "After 20 years, you've finally found peace with this village. Congratulations, I guess."

Hajin looked back at Naruto for a brief moment before walking towards the stream of water and bending down on one knee, "I'm sure you were surprised when you first heard of it. I wonder if I'll have to explain myself."

Naruto continued smoking, "I don't want to pry."

Hajin washed his hands before running them through his long hair, "The business of the Confederation is to pry in other people's matters, is it not?"

Naruto smirked, "I'm not a shinobi of the Confederation anymore. When you came to the encampment last year, I'm sure you were informed then."

Hajin rose to his feet and turned to face the blonde, "Indeed, though I'm curious as to why you came back to Konoha." The Tsuchikage was met with a silence, "I understand; it's not my concern."

Naruto raised an eyebrow as he shifted his eyes to the forest, scouring through it. He could feel the presence of 4 other chakra forces which he wasn't capable of doing until now. Blowing out some smoke, he addressed the standing Kage, "You brought them."

Hajin walked up the hill, "You were able to sense them? I guess they'll need more stealth training." Running a hand through his hair, he clicked his fingers.

As the sound of the Kage clicking his fingers was heard, four shinobi jumped from different locations in the forest and formed a circle around Naruto. They were attired in clothes of black and brown and their faces were wholly covered with dissimilar masks. Naruto looked around him at the shinobi, "Iwa's most advanced shinobi squad otherwise known as the Titans of Iwa." Naruto could feel the powerful presence they commanded as they faced him. The squad was notorious for its incomparable teamwork and battling abilities as a unit. They were a great asset to the force of Iwa and would handle the most complicated of missions and those which required secrecy.

Hajin listened to Naruto before replying, "This is the second time you're meeting them face to face. But, this meeting will be short lived." The Kage motioned to his guards as they vanished from sight and back to their positions.

Naruto stood up and stretched his arm, "I'm sure they remember me. After all, it must have been a great blow to their pride to be caught off guard by a 12 year old."

Hajin had a serious demeanour, "Their adversary was Yuudai, they were more than likely focusing their efforts completely on him. They probably didn't expect you to even think of getting involved."

Naruto shrugged, "One should be cautious of the unexpected."

Hajin smirked, "Undeniably…" Turning to Naruto, he had a curious tone, "How is Yuka?"

Naruto threw his cigarette to the ground, "She's doing well."

Hajin acknowledged his answer, "Have you gotten back together with her yet?"

Naruto eyed the man inquisitively, "Who told you I was apart from her?"

Hajin sighed, "She told me herself when I visited the last time; something about you needing time to do something else first."

Naruto took a deep breath, "Well, I still need time; does that answer your question?" He began to walk away from the hill.

Hajin spoke before he left the vicinity, "You should take advantage of the moments you're given; you never know when the last meeting is."

Naruto stopped as he heard the man's peculiar words, but snapped out of his daze quickly. Looking back over his shoulder, he spoke for the last time, "By the way, Hideaki sends his regards." Giving a wave, he continued walking until he had left the undersized expanse of terrain.

Hajin turned around to face the stream of water, "Hideaki…we'll meet soon."

XXXXXXXXXX

Sasuke jumped through the trees and followed the blonde, not revealing himself even though he knew it made little difference. After having tracked the jinchuuriki for a few hours, it had become clear to him that his actions weren't going unnoticed. It had been a long and uneventful procedure until they had ended up at a training area used by jounins of the village. Sasuke wasn't too perturbed by the quiet and unexciting mission since he was used to isolation from a young age and it had only grown once he returned to Konoha 2 years ago.

It had been easy for the most part but the Uchiha was weary of what was happening when Team Gai decided to show up and Lee had met the Kyuubi container. Fortunately for him, Gai didn't seem to recognise the man's identity which kept things in control since he wasn't sure what would've happened if he did. The taijutsu specialist was eccentric and though the Uchiha knew he wouldn't have jeopardized his mission, it was best few people had knowledge in regards to what was happening. From what he was told, the container of the Kyuubi wasn't very liked around Konoha amongst adults and he wasn't sure whether Gai was one of them. It would be unexpected if he was, because the Uchiha held him as one of the more honourable people in the large village.

Temporarily leaving his thoughts to focus on what he was doing, Sasuke landed on the hard ground. He swiftly made his way into the central market of Konoha, keeping within an ideal distance of his target. The most surprising incident had just occurred recently when he realised the Tsuchikage wasn't a stranger to the blonde. He had activated his sharingan instantly in order to understand what they were talking of however he couldn't get at a suitable angle to read their lips. He had stopped with his line of thought when he saw four shinobi jump out and circle the Kyuubi vessel, one of whom was close to his own position.

That didn't sit well with him as he realised that they were undetectable to him and that he had a weak spot which he didn't know of. The Uchiha had rapidly gotten ready to engage the shinobi if they posed a threat to Naruto but they were dismissed as quickly as they had appeared. The event still lingered on his mind as he tried to figure out how the Tsuchikage and jinchuuriki knew each other. The only thing for certain was that it was a vital piece of information which he would have to pass on lest it created unforeseen difficulties.

Observing Naruto, Sasuke saw the man jump in joy before running towards a ramen bar. He didn't understand how his mood was so unpredictable. He would be calm one moment and full of energy the next. Jumping towards the wall in front of him, he pushed himself to the crown of the building and landed quietly. Walking over to the ledge, he sat down before directing his attention to the food bar and waiting for the blonde to exit.

XXXXXXXXXX

Naruto sat down on the stool before tapping the counter and gaining Teuchi's attention, "One miso ramen, old man."

Teuchi nodded before moving towards his tools and picking them up. He started to mix some ingredients as Naruto observed what he was doing. "This is the second time you've come back. I see that you've taken a liking to the ramen here."

Naruto grinned, "It's my favourite food and you happen to make it as delicious as I've ever tasted but I like it better when Ayame-chan makes it."

Teuchi chuckled, "And why is that?"

Naruto rested his arms on the counter, "The touch of a woman." He looked around the stand, noticing the aforementioned lady wasn't present, "Where is she today?"

Teuchi brought the large pot over to the fire and placed it on top, in order for it to start heating up, "She's just organising a few things in the back. She has a job to do soon, a very important one."

Naruto nodded, "There's a big celebration happening."

Teuchi began to prepare the noodles, "Yeah, it's next week. We're going to be one of the many parties serving food. Ichiraku Ramen is becoming bigger and bigger."

Naruto clasped his hands, "You're going to need help for such a big party."

Teuchi looked at the blonde as he finished cooking his meal and placed it in front of him, "Are you offering?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head before picking up his chopsticks and getting ready to eat, "Well, I was wondering about it. I am in need of money." Though the retired shinobi was nearly broke, it didn't really bother him since he was willing to struggle a little to get through and complete his own objective. The real reason for him asking was to try and get into the celebration party without much difficulty.

Teuchi raised an eyebrow, "Can you cook?"

Naruto stopped eating his ramen and faced the old man, "No….I can't."

Teuchi clapped his hands, "Exactly how can you help then?"

Naruto wiped his mouth, "Um, I could get you the ingredients quicker and make sure everything's organised. You know, do the little things so the big things happen quicker. There's going to be a lot of pressure to provide for so many people so someone doing these small jobs will be a great help."

Teuchi laughed, "Good answer. But how much money do you want for your services?"

Naruto tapped his chin, "5000 ryou and I'll help you out here until the party."

Teuchi was pleased with what he heard, "That's some cheap labour. Okay, you're hired but I want to change your duties a little."

Naruto moved his ramen bowl away from him, "Change my duties?"

Teuchi picked up the empty bowl and placed it in the sink, "I don't need your help in the ramen bar over the next week but my daughter could do with an extra escort."

Naruto had a confused expression, "Escort?"

Teuchi turned back to him, "She's going to be travelling to Suna tomorrow morning to pick up some special ingredients for the ramen we're going to make for the Tsuchikage and Hokage at the celebration. I want you to go with her."

Naruto folded his arms, "Wouldn't it be better to get shinobi escorts?"

Teuchi put up his finger, "We already have those. But I wanted someone I know to go with her also."

Naruto looked at his lap, sighing, "You trust someone very quickly; a lot like me."

Teuchi shook his head, "I wouldn't call it quickly…Naruto."

Naruto shot his face up, "You…know?"

Teuchi walked towards the counter, "The first time you walked through those curtains, I knew I had seen you before. It came to me later on when I was trying to sleep. Welcome back."

Naruto smiled, touching his hat, "This hat doesn't do its job very well."

Teuchi noted the expression on his face, "I'm not going to ask you any questions; you're still the same to me. I'm just glad to see my favourite customer back."

Ayame walked in from the back of the ramen bar, looking at her father and Naruto. "I'm ready to go to the Hokage now. I'll be back soon."

Teuchi quickly faced his daughter, "Ah, Ayame, I need to speak with you." He grabbed his daughter and brought her towards Naruto, "Say hello to our newest worker."

Naruto looked at the stunning woman and smiled, "Hey, I guess we'll be spending a lot of time together over the next few days."

Ayame looked at her father for an explanation since she didn't understand what was happening. Teuchi quickly answered, "He's going to be escorting you along with Leaf shinobi to Suna."

Ayame nodded before looking at Naruto, "You look cute with the hat but you don't need to hide yourself in front of us."

Naruto realised she knew who he was too; "This saves us time introducing ourselves." He asked the question on his mind, "Why are you heading to see the Hokage?"

Ayame placed her elbows on the counter before resting her chin on the palm of her hands, "I asked for a team of shinobi to protect me. I'm going to see who the Godaime gave the mission to."

Teuchi added his advice, "You're going with Ayame in the morning so you should probably head with her to see the escorts also."

Naruto rose from his stool, "That's not a bad idea."

XXXXXXXXXX

Sasuke enjoyed the slight breeze as it ruffled his hair, giving him a sense of serenity. He was constantly thinking of something but there were rare moments when his mind would be completely blank, leaving him to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere. He understood what it meant to be hated by the majority of people so felt a sort of familiarity to his target. He had made the decision to go to Orochimaru because he put his family's vengeance as a priority over anything else. He didn't regret what he had done but he did feel confused over the direction which his life had taken. Ultimately, he was left with nothing except his home and his bloodline to remind him of the past which he dearly missed.

Closing his eyes, he gave a small sigh showing the characteristics others would never gaze upon, "Itachi…did you really mean what you said to me?" He remained seated, not letting anything disturb him as he let the sounds of the people of Konoha enter his ears.

"The last time I took over, it was in this very spot." Kakashi landed on the roof and walked to the edge, "He must like his ramen."

Sasuke opened his eyes and faced his former teacher, "Weren't you meant to take over at nightfall?"

Kakashi smiled behind his mask, which was noticeable by the altering of shape in the piece of cloth, "Well, you see…"

Sasuke waved his hand as he stood up, "I don't care about your reasons. It's fine by me."

Kakashi nodded before looking towards the ramen bar, "Anything interesting happen?"

Sasuke folded his arms, "He knows the Tsuchikage."

Kakashi was stunned as he heard the Uchiha, "What do you mean by that?"

Sasuke looked over the people on the streets below, "I'm not sure how but they met each other earlier today. The way they were interacting suggests they are acquainted somehow."

Kakashi took in the new piece of information and tried to understand the whole situation as he knew it. He was aware that something wasn't right with the jinchuuriki's seal and that he had returned after a long tenure of absence. During the same time, the Tsuchikage had finally agreed to a treaty with his enemy of decades. "I doubt they're working together."

Sasuke placed his hand on the hilt of his sword and rested, "What makes you say that?"

Kakashi placed his hands in his pockets, "He was absent for a long time from this village, he could've met numerous people. But Jiraiya-sama has been trying to locate the jinchuuriki for a long time. If he had been in Iwa, his position would've been known for sure. Most villages would jump at the chance to have the vessel of the Kyuubi, since it would be a significant boost in strength if they used it as a weapon."

Sasuke walked away from the white haired jounin, "You think it's a mere coincidence. It makes sense since their meeting seemed more of an accident rather than something coordinated." The Uchiha jumped off the rooftop, leaving his comrade behind.

Kakashi had a lazy posture as he looked at the ramen bar and saw Naruto exit along with Ayame. He knew more about the situation concerning the jinchuuriki than anyone else and believed his return may have something to do with the state of his seal. Though the news about Naruto and the Tsuchikage knowing each other was a little unsettling, Sasuke's last words about their encounter being accidental only strengthened his belief that it was nothing to worry about. However, he would have to inform the Godaime about all the details he had discovered in his report regardless of whether he believed they were nothing to worry about.

Seeing Naruto and Ayame beginning to walk, Kakashi followed them. He wondered where the two were headed as he jumped between the buildings. He had taken over earlier than agreed due to wanting to observe the characteristics of the Kyuubi vessel more in depth. He wanted to see whether there were any unusual occurrences which would give a better indication of the state of his seal and how weak it had become.

XXXXXXXXXX

Tsunade put the papers to a side before looking at her apprentice, "Thanks for doing this Sakura."

Sakura smiled as she placed a few folders on the desk, "You don't give a person the chance to say no without some sort of unwanted consequence."

Tsunade had an annoyed look, "I was trying to show my appreciation."

Sakura made sure all the right folders were present before looking up and folding her arms, "These are all the reports from the hospital. They're short on medic-nins that are capable of neutralising different types of poisons so they're asking for a full time worker."

Tsunade sighed, "I was expecting something along those lines. The missions have been more dangerous recently so I've put a lot of people back on the active roster of shinobi."

Sakura nodded as Shizune looked through a few files, "What about Ino? She's been participating in a lot of missions outside of the village. I'm sure she wouldn't mind being placed on duty in the hospital for a while."

Sakura gave a nervous laugh, "She's kind of wild. I don't think she'd really like that."

Tsunade rubbed her hands together, "It's decided then. It doesn't matter whether she likes it or not."

Sakura sweat dropped before Lee approached the desk and placed his hand on it, "She should take pride in being able to help the citizens of this village. She's an exemplary person bustling with flames of passion."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow, "I thought I told you to remain quiet along with your team there."

Tenten quickly moved forward and grabbed Lee, "Sorry, he's a little more hyper than usual."

The kunoichi dragged Lee back to stand with the rest of Team Gai. The four jounin had been present in the office of the Godaime for a period of ten minutes as they awaited the arrival of the people they would be escorting on their mission the next day. Lee had proceeded to talk a lot upon their arrival and was told to be quiet by the Godaime since she didn't want to be disturbed while working.

Tenten stopped dragging Lee and let him go, "Why do you have to disturb Tsunade-sama?" She was particularly annoyed as she looked up to the slug lady as an icon.

Neji smirked, "He can't help it."

Lee had a sparkling smile as he heard the Hyuuga, "He's right. This is an amazing opportunity for me to leave copies of my book in Suna."

Gai had a tear in his eye, "Just think, soon there will be a beautiful green beast of Suna also."

Lee gave a thumbs up to his team leader, "It's exciting and awe inspiring!"

"Would you please shut up?" Tsunade had an irate look plastered across her face, "I already told you not to agitate me, is that so hard?"

Tenten had a disgruntled and ashamed demeanour as Lee answered, "I'm sorry. I'll try not to. It shouldn't be so hard if put my will into it."

Sakura restrained herself from laughing as she heard the taijutsu specialist as the door to the office opened to reveal two people. Ayame closed the door behind Naruto as the blonde looked at the occupants. "That's a lot of escorts; you must really treasure your ramen. I'm not complaining though since I like it."

Sakura and Tsunade both were taken by surprise at seeing the jinchuuriki staring at them. Lee's mouth was open as he recognised the man from earlier in the day, "You're the one who wrote that…stuff."

Naruto looked at the team of jounins and grinned, "I know; it's excellent isn't it?"

Lee shook his head as he tried to control his emotions, "It's shameful. I've never seen the art of writing soiled with such disgraceful acts."

Naruto had a baffled expression, "What the hell did you say?"

Ayame ignored the bickering men as she addressed the Godaime, "I'm here to see the escorts that are going to be provided. There's also been a slight change; he will be accompanying me and will require protection also." She motioned in the direction of Naruto as she spoke, "Is that alright, Hokage-sama?"

The Godaime leaned back in her chair as she saw Naruto turn away from Lee and face her, leaving the spandex wearing jounin looking insulted. This was a big complication since she didn't expect the blonde to be leaving the village, much less with one of Konoha's citizens as a worker. However, she quickly thought up a solution, "That's not a problem at all." She rose from her seat and pointed at Team Gai, "Meet your escorts; Maito Gai, Rock Lee, Tenten, Hyuuga Neji…" She proceeded to point at her own apprentice, "…and Haruno Sakura."

Ayame acknowledged the information as did Naruto while Sakura had a stunned look upon hearing her name, no doubt wanting an explanation. Before she could say anything, Tsunade continued to speak, "That is all; you 6 can leave now." She looked at Team Gai for a final word, "Make sure you protect them to the best of your ability."

Naruto left the room, being followed Lee and his team while Ayame was the last to leave. The door shutting prompted Sakura to speak, "Why am I going with them?"

Tsunade waved her hand, signalling for the pink haired woman to calm herself, "There's a perfectly reasonable explanation. You are one of few who know of the fact that Naruto is the container of the Kyuubi. I never knew he was going along with that woman from the ramen bar tomorrow. Remember, your mission was to observe him and he's leaving the village for Suna tomorrow so you are going to go with them and resume your mission."

Sakura tucked her hair behind her ear, "Only me?"

Tsunade nodded, "I can't afford to have Kakashi and Sasuke leave the village. So, you're the best option remaining."

Sakura sighed, knowing that her mentor made sense in what she was saying, "This is going to be a tiring week."

Tsunade laughed, "Maybe, but I came up with a nice solution to the problem very quickly, didn't I?" Being met with a silence, the Godaime knew this wasn't the time to be praising herself as she turned to her assistant, "Shizune, inform Kakashi and Sasuke of these new developments."

Shizune nodded and made her way to the exit as Sakura rubbed her forehead, "I'm going to go home."

Tsunade began to look at her papers before waving one of her hands towards the door, "Go ahead, I don't need your help anymore." The pink haired kunoichi left the office as Tsunade dwelled on her thoughts of the fresh development.

Author Notes: I know noone saw that coming but this will be a good chance to develop certain characters and also extend the interaction between Sakura and Naruto. Of course, now there'll be a lot of questions on your mind but everything will be addressed when the time is right. Until next time, laters.