I'll keep this intro short.

Thank you, you guys are marrrrvelous.

Sorry times infinity.

New installment, hope you like.

Stay awesome.

R & R.

And remember, this is not canon, slightly AU. buh-ye~

-Action!-

Chapter 9

Madara clenched his fists underneath the table, hiding the agitation that was slowly building within him. How he wished to scream at the cause of such anxiety, if it were not for the respect he held for his parents, he would have caused a commotion just to stop the exchanging of words that he was witnessing before him. He moaned inwardly, could his father have at least waited til they were settled in? It had been only one minute, one short and beautiful minute before Tajima ruined the calm and pleasant atmosphere of the dinner and begun his questioning. He had not expected his father to begin interrogating Naruto-san so soon, because that was plainly what he was doing. It was no help either that his mother would join in as well, his parents were a dangerous duo whenever they dug for information that was withheld from them. The fact that Naruto-san was taking it all in stride made it slightly easier for Madara to handle, but just barely. Being the successor to a diplomat had her trained well. He acknowledged with respect, the conversation between the Uchiha fountainhead and his guest had started innocently enough, but the implied questions that were left unsaid rubbed Madara raw with discomfort. He had to use the deepest calm within him not to cut the dinner short and rush out with a weak excuse.

"So, Naruto-san, how is it that you and my son happened to meet?" His father regarded the blonde woman next to him carefully, face not giving much away, aside from the curious look in his eyes. Said question caused Naruto to stiffen slightly, causing her to set down the chopsticks that were hovering over her lips.

'Foolish!' He chastised himself, how had he not planned the answers for the night? Especially to this one? He should have seen by his fathers knowing gaze, and his mothers prodding demeanor, that stoic and reserved parents they were not going to play.

He gave a panicked look to his younger brother, hoping that he would somehow read the situation and intervene. Though Izuna was not fully informed of their chance encounter, his younger brother was aware of the less that favorable circumstances of how it all started. Catching his gaze, Izuna gave the barest of nods and softly cleared his throat, ready to distract his parents.

Though he was given no opportunity as Naruto answered quickly.

"Well, that is certainly an interesting question, with an even more interesting answer," Naurto said coyly, giving a sly glance towards Madara, which did little to comfort him.

'Will she be honest and tell the truth of the hostile environment in which they met? How they had briefly brawled?' He thought with growing concern.

His father would surely see their cautious association and partnership unfit and order them to cut off all ties, a thought which unsettled Madara more than was appropriate. It would be strange to suddenly be starved of the idiosyncrasies and characteristics of this exotic woman he had yet to fully understand, but perhaps, Madara thought with apprehension, she was not interested in even keeping their hazard friendship? Though it had been several weeks since that day, he still looked back in it in slight embarrassment, he only hoped Naruto-san was not one to keep grudges. The fact that at the time, they were only a few moments from killing each other, was not a reassuring fact. While his head was thinking of possible answers at a ridiculous speed, he was paused in his internal turmoil when Naruto answered clearly.

"Tajima-san, it was a bit of an accident, actually. As you may or may not know, I am the daughter of a diplomat. As a last vacation of sorts, I had taken it upon myself to explore the land. You see, for our village is small and does not contain much diversity, I had hoped to learn about various cultures and people through my travels. As I was trekking through an uncharted territory, I came upon your son; who after some choice words and actions helped me find your village. I should thank him actually, if it were not for him I would have ended up on less than favorable terrain." Naruto finished, a soft smile thrown at Madara to solidify her story, her eyes telling him the truth of their encounter, egging him on to agree with her.

Madara blinked rapidly, trying to sooth the heart that was now pounding within his chest. "Yes, I was a bit surprised, I will admit I was not too amused to find a stranger on my land, but we eventually sorted the confusion out." Madara spoke with honesty, knowing that the less he lied, the less it would trouble him later.

Realizing that they were sticking close to their actual confrontation, Naruto grinned at Madara's mother and theatrically whispered, loud enough for the whole table to hear, "Oh yes, I nearly forgot. I had to throw a few punches before I convinced him I was completely harmless."

Eyes widening in delight, his mother leaned in towards the blond-haired woman, "Please dear, you must be gentle of my Madara, he is a but a chained up puppy ready to conquer the world." His mother whispered back, equally as loud, clearly trying to hide the mirth from her voice.

After a few seconds of sustained laughter, both woman broke out in soft giggles, clearly laughing at his expense, covering their mouths in fake modesty. Bristling with embarrassment, Madara was ready to defend himself but decided against it, better to have his mother take to the humorous side of the encounter than to imply of the darker actions that they both partook in.

With a smile that did not quite reach Tajima's eyes, Madara's father picked up on the implication and stated more that asked."Then you exchanged blows with my son?" Though the question sounded serious, Madara noticed a slightly amused tone towards the end of the statement. Madara sighed, most did not know of Naruto-san's hidden combat talents, it must seem foolish to his father that a woman went up against one of his possible heirs.

Naruto stopped her giggling and nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yes, I may not look it, but this girl can hold her own. A kunoichi I am not, but a woman does not need to become a shinobi in order to learn some of their arts." She answered with all joking aside.

Tajima visibly stiffened, a wary glance directed towards Madara showed his uneasiness at her answer, a trained woman could be a possible threat, kunoichi or not. Before his father could jump to any more conclusions he quickly entered the conversation, hoping to diffuse his fathers paranoid thoughts.

"Yes, as Naruto-san mentioned when we first met, a diplomats daughter is an extremely viable target for competitors and enemies to take advantage of or harm. Her father had her trained so that she could defend herself in a situation in which he could not immediately help her." He quipped, forcing his father to stop his questioning.

"Hey! That makes me sound so weak." Naruto playfully grumbled. "But yes, Madara-san is right. I have taken it upon myself to perfect my traning, I respect shinobi very much and I aspire to have an arsenal of techniques and skills as well established as their own." She finished off humbly, giving a demure glance towards the head of the clan.

"What a brave thing for you to do, Naruto-san. It takes much discipline to undergo such intensive training." The matriarch of the clan said, a notable sound of respect in her own voice. Naruto only nodded gratefully in return. As if sensing his wife's approval, Tajima also nodded in acknowledgment, seeming to be pleased with the outcome of the conversation.

Madara visibly relaxed, shoulders and neck no longer stiff and at the ready. Reading the ambient, Izuna finally joined the conversation, leading the conversation onto more neutral grounds, to which his mother and Naruto took to happily. Whatever topics they were, Madara was not too concerned, he was simply glad the exchange was over and done with.

Sensing the lateness upon them, the Uchiha head motioned for the cleanup of the meal and stood, motioning others to follow suit. After a few seconds of wardrobe adjusting on everyone's part, the family made their way through a door far from the dining room, the soft breeze emitting from the exit gave clue to its exterior destination. Noting Naruto's inquisitive look, Madara softly nudged Naruto towards the door. With a slight shrug of her delicate shoulders, a motion which for some reason caused Madara's heart to accelerate, they made their way through the doorway.

Once outside, an appreciative sound emitted from Naruto, a noise which caused Madara to preen slightly, he knew all to well the cause of it. Before them was the inner garden of this household. Though it was dark out, the lanterns that were strategically placed throughout the foliage did well to illuminate the vast plants and flowers of the garden. It was his mother's joy, and his as well, though he did not like to admit, he had spent several hours helping choose and care for these plants. This plot of land had little to to with the attendents of the house, for they held little to no part in the birth of dizzying colors around them. It was a sanctuary he valued, though he used is less these days, it was a sense of pride non-the-less. Choosing one of the many footpaths that wove through the foliage, his parents slowly disappeared from view, not without missing the subtle wink that his mother threw at him. Furrowing his brows in confusion, he was startled from his ponderings when Izuna laid a hand on his shoulder. Turning towards him, Madara looked at him expectantly.

"I am off brother, my patrol duty, rather my noble replacement of yours, is soon approaching, and it would do little to impress the guards to have one the Uchiha brothers late." His brother said with slight amusement. Madara could only chuckle, "Yes, you must run off now. Izuna, the noble brother who loves to scout our lands in order for his brother to catch a break." Madara responded, knowing all too well he had all but forced Izuna to take up his shifts this week. With a wry smile, and a bow to Naruto, Izuna about-faced and re-entered the home.

"How kind of him." Naruto said, fixing the loose strand of her hair, "You're lucky to have such a devoted brother."

Hiding the grin from his face he nodded curtly. "Hn. All Uchiha men are dedicated to the protection of the clan." Madara replied, looking at her with the ever present Uchiha attitude. Watching her reaction, he couldn't help but grin as she shook her head slowly and threw her hands up in the air dramatically, muttering something about the 'cocky Uchiha boys.'

Following her, they walked side by side as they followed a footpath just as his parents did, only this one led away from them, towards the larger foliage that sprouted from overhanging trees. As the minutes passed by, Madara admired the comfortable silence between them. He rarely ever felt the need to acknowledge such an instance, but it surprised him. Silence was always something he had to force upon women and some of his comrades, it was always a command or a forceful request, it was never so natural, never this.

Both stopping at a nearby tree, Naruto caressed one of the buds, neck bent back and hair brushing past it as she reached for a larger, bloomimg flower. Swallowing thickly, Madara once again was hit by the glamour of the woman that was Naruto-san, chest aching disturbingly as he observed her. The moon that shone on her was something he didn't quite dislike, it would be too cliche to say she shone in it. Ruffling his bangs roughly he turned and caught a falling petal, gently rolling it between his fingers. For some reason he felt uncomfortably hot. He absentmindedly wondered if he was becoming ill. It would help explain all these strange flushes he had been experiencing...'Must be the changing weather' he thought to himself, the nights were becoming cooler and the days shorter. It would soon be time to trade his shorts and short sleeved shirts for pants and jackets. With a click of his tongue, he flicked the thoroughly destroyed flower petal and peered through the foliage, looking for his parents. With a sudden movement, a small hand whacked him on the back of the head.

"Gruh!" He uttered with surprise, completely taken back. Trying his hardest not to nurse the now pulsing bump, he gave the obvious assailant a not quite angry, but not quite pleased look. 'What was that for?' Madara thought with bewilderment, he knew of Naruto-san's unusually behavior, but such actions usually had a cause; one of which he could not fine.

Naruto looked at him sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. "Heh, my bad. You were all dopey looking, so I smacked you making sure there wasn't some mosquito sucking, your, uh, blood." She uttered lamely, knowing full well it wasn't a just answer.

Advancing at her, Madara flicked his hand out and smacked her forhead in return, causing the blond woman before him to open her mouth in a silent scream.

"Yes, you are right, there does seem to be an abundance of mosquitoes." He replied cheekily, registering the redness now appearing underneath her bangs. As Naruto took another step to retaliate, they were both stopped from any further actions as the clearing of a throat caused them to turn sharply towards the noise.

"The night grows colder. We will retire soon, it was a pleasure meeting you Naruto-san." Said Tajima. A comment that sounded genuine, Madara thought with some solice.

"It truly was, please walk her home Madara, it is late and we wouldn't want anything untoward to happen to her, now would we?" His mother replied, a jovial disposition about her that caused some unease within him, his mother was acting so strange.

Sensing their partings, Naruto bade them farewell with a hug and a bow respectively, and promised enthusiastically she would meet with his mother again. As they advanced towards the inner household, Tajima stopped at the doorway and left them with one last statement.

"When you are not occupied by your dealings with my son and Naoki-san, I hope to see a small duel between you two in the near future, Naruto-san." Then without waiting for a reply, the couple completely disappeared from sight.

Shocked, both turned and blinked at each other simultaneously. After a short pause, Naruto blinked her eyes rapdily and answered artlessly.

"Alrighty then."

Following Madara's mother's request, the young Uchiha had escorted Naruto all the way to his front door. A deed which Naruto thought was a bit silly, because you know, he was a badass, so he could take on anything that came his way, but he appreciated the gesture either way. Realizing that Madara was still quiet and seemed to be in his own little world, he decided to end the night with a polite remark.

"Well, that was pleasant, your family is interesting to say the least. I am glad I didn't turn down your invitation. I did not expect the main Uchiha family to be so...so..." Naruto wracked his brain for an appropriate word. He didn't want to say 'not psycho' or 'normal,' but that's what wanted to spill out of his mouth. He figured the parents of the man who caused such devastation during his time had abusive or sociopathic tendencies; which he could not detect. Sure, most sociopaths can hide it well and fake it, but Naruto surmised that Tajima was simply watching out for his son, and that the rest of his family as well. It was like any other family meeting, awkward and tense at first, but after formalities were taken care of and you acted true to your personality, the situation usually became lively. Thinking back he realized he actually did have fun, even though he had to water down his nature a bit, but was left with a positive opinion about the family.

'I can strike off crazy family off the list. Now to find other ways to get to this damn Uchiha.' He thought inwardly. Naruto felt like he was getting closer to softening Madara up. Comparing the man before him to the man he first met, Naruto could clearly tell they were no longer the same person. Now if he could continue to find ways to get closer to Madara and bar any thought of destroying Konoha from his head, then Naruto's objective would be complete. Giving a soft sigh he just shrugged his shoulder and finished his thought on the Uchiha family. "Well, I did not expect them to be so average. They seem like any other family unit." Naruto finished lamely.

Finally giving a reaction, the Uchiha merely cocked his eyebrow and looked at her inquisitvely. "I do suppose a clan such as our might seem to outsiders as a distinct breed and might interact with each other differently than what you are used to, but I assure you, we are as normal as any noble people." Madara replied, seeming to understand her thought process.

'I wouldn't go that far, but okay'. Naruto thought with some irritation, he swore Madara always found a way to make him sound superior.

Remembering the request of the Uchiha fountainhead, Naruto asked the question he was avoiding the whole walk home.

"So, then we are to spar in front of your father then?"

"Yes." Was all the Uchiha before him said.

"Is that...allowed?"

"If he requested it, then yes. I suppose a small audience might accompany him... No more than two." Madara replied after some time.

Clearing his throat, Naruto patted Madara's shoulder. "Well, I hope you're ready to get your skull beat in in front of your father and his crew." Naruto said haughtily, sliding open the door quickly and hopping in as he swerved to avoid the hand that was heading towards his back. Feeling the breeze that such quick motion caused, Naruto slammed the shoji door shut.

"Calm yourself! You're going to need that energy for the fight." Naruto yelled in a sing-song voice through the thin material, chuckling as he heard Madara try to pry the door open from outside. Naruto's hand had a solid hold on the handle and wasn't going anywhere. Unless he decides to break it down. Naruto thought with some amusement. After some time, Naruto felt the door still and listened for any movement outside. Not hearing anything he slid the door open very slowly and observed his close surroundings. Not finding any sign of the Uchiha he stretched out his senses to find any trace of the powerhouses chakra. After a few signatures from passing shinobi here and there, he couldn't sense the feel of his energy. Figuring he had headed home, Naruto slide the door shut and leaned against the frame of the house. "Oh lord, what have I gotten myself into?" He whispered to himself.

Sighing with exhaustion he gave a long feline stretch and took his shoes off ready for bed. He couldn't wait to get naked and reach that sweet spot he had recently found under his breasts. He realized that after a long sweaty day, paying attention to that long strip of skin under his boobs was heaven. It was oddly not a sexual feeling, just really satisfying.

"Now I understand Ino and Sakura's appreciation for an end-of-day scratch." Naruto said to no on in particular.

As he took another step, his body jolted, turning his head behind him, Naruto looked down and noticed Madara had materialized out of nowhere and had taken a hold of her wrist.

"Gah!" He exclaimed, too surprised to do anything but stare at the aforementioned body part.

"Naruto-san, you really need to improve you training before our duel. if you truly think you are going to 'bash my head in'. It is amazing how many times a person forgets to look up." He motioned towards the ceiling with his free hand.

Snorting, Naruto couldn't help but grin," Yeah, yeah, that was a fluke." He said then tugged to free his wrist. Madara only smirked in return and tightened his grip slightly. Gritting his teeth, Naruto gave a swift kick to Madara's thigh, his free hand at the ready to smack him on the side of the head. Eyes widening slightly, Madara shifted his body weight forward, a move which cancelled Naruto's kick but at the same time upset both their balances and caused them both to land roughly on the lobby floor with a solid 'thump!'

"Owww..." Naruto complained, the shoe that he had previously kicked off now biting into his shoulder blade. Realizing he had his eyes clenched shut he opened then with a blink and couldn't help but blush. "Um..." He said softly.

Madara had somehow landed right in the middle of his twin mounds, head nestled between full breasts. Grabbing the dark tuft of hair, Naruto dragged the man's head up, sardonically looking at him in the eye. Blue eyes met black as the Uchiha heir's face quickly reddened comically. Taking in their ridiculous position and Madara's shamed expression, Naruto couldn't help it, throwing back his head he let out a peel of girlish laughter. "Y-your face! Again! H-h-ow can you, how can someone like yo-you l-look so cute?" He said without thinking, propping himself up on his elbows, eyes shut with laughter. Just as his laughter would die down, Madara's widened eyes and slightly parted mouth would once again remind Naruto of the hilarity of the situation and he'd start laughing all over again. Naruto knew it was not polite, knew that he should have brushed it off, but to think the infamous murderer of so many could be susceptible to the emotions of a teenager was too outlandish. Naruto figured he should stop and get up, since technically he still had a young mans head on his chest, but he wanted to savor this moment as long as possible.

Feeling a shift of weight on him, Naruto got a hold of himself and peered at the now standing Madara, who was shyly offering him a hand. 'Okay, okay, get over it, Naruto.' He reflected. Looking at the offered hand, Naruto took it and hauled himself up and expected to see Madara recovered from the incident. He was not, however, expecting Madara to pull on his arm and be projected into the arms of said Uchiha. 'Da hell?' He thought, nose pressed up against a broad shoulder, and being tickled slight by the man's dark hair. Scrunching his nose he was overtaken by the smell of some type of plant that Madara must have walked through earlier that night. Fidgeting, Naruto, unsure of what to do, only stiffened, hands limp at his sides. Seconds ticked by as they both stood there. With a slight tightening of his arms Madara inhaled and exhale deeply, mouth at Naruto's ear. 'Wow, too close.'Naruto mused with slight discomfort but before he could protest, the Uchiha uttered a few quick words which Naruto couldn't quite hear, and with a slight flicker, disappeared from the house, leaving Naruto staring dumbfound at the door before him.

Nursing the bruised shoulder blade, Naruto shook his head trying to make sense of what just happened.

"So weird..." He whispered to the reflection that peered back from him, as he had made his way to the bathroom. A woman looked back at him, eyes and nose twisted in confusion, a lovely mouth pursed in deep thought. Sighing, the woman did the same and slowly moved the now unruly strands of hair that were falling and distorting his vision. Washing up quickly, Naruto finally made his way to his small room, thoroughly exhausted, emotionally and physically. After shedding his clothing and crawling into bed, he closed his eyes and deciphered the warm, soft words Madara's had whispered. The short sentences now echoing in his mind.

"Thank you, I find you...cute as well."

-A few weeks later-

"We only need two shipments. The paperwork has all been done, please send our regards and thank Nakamura-san for his continuous service." Naruto said sweetly to the messenger before him. It was his second week of official assistant duty and Naruto had taken to it well. Business dealings were not his forte, but once he actually focused on the networking aspect, he felt that everything else fell into place. Naoki had him running around town all day meeting new clients, renewing contracts with older ones, and interacting with people of all calibers. It wasn't exactly exhausting in the way training all day was, but it was exhausting in a way that made Naruto's head ache more than usual. 'So many words to say in certain ways!' He thought with exasperation, though he appreciated the position to no end, ninjas weren't the best diplomats, well actually, they were, just not Naruto. Ironic that his role was specifically of one. He always did things with brute force and harsh, candid words. 'Tsunade is gonna be pretty stoked though. Me, learning all this professionalism.' Nartuo mused.

"I will be sure to tell him. Same for Naoki-san," the messenger responded, breaking Naruto from his contemplation. "Also, I will let Nakamura-sama know of the pleasant, new assistant that he will be dealing with." The man added coquettishly, a charming smile on his face. A face that Naruto acknowledged was handsome, but oozed an arrogance that did him no favors.

Smiling softly, Naruto bowed slightly and dismissed him politely, picking up the small stack of papers on his new desk and walking round to sit at the plush chair. Hearing the 'click' of the door latching shut, Naruto exhaled dramatically and relaxed against his chair, hands limp and hanging over the arms of it.

"Can I punch something now?" He said to the himself.

If it wasn't for the breaks he was allowed to take during the day, he would have quit long ago. 'Not that I can.'He thought grudgingly. He wouldn't bite the hand that fed him and walk out on Naoki-san. And even though he didn't want to admit it, this way of getting to know the people in the Uchiha compound and network was interesting and extremely useful. To think that the number one knuckle-headed ninja of Konoha was attending meetings and scheduling appointments. 'I guess a shinobi should be well rounded no matter how bothersome, no wonder Shikamaru is always complaining.' He brooded. He looked around his office and took in the minimal furniture. The room was made up of: his large wooden desk, that had too many drawers and compartments for Naruto to utilize; a wrap around bookshelf that stood against the four walls, a few chairs that sat in font of his desk, and a long bench-like sofa thing that he didn't really know how to label, but it had cushions and such and was propped by the corner. The whole room had an overall polished feel, one that Naruto felt wasn't appropriate regarding his nature. He was used to the more messy arrangements of his home. Smiling to himself, a faint voice reared in from his inner mind, rough and thundering like an incoming storm.

"Your filthy grovel of a home should not be a comparison to this setup, even foxes live better than that shanty. I would be more appreciative to that Naoki boy." Kyuubi grumbled. An image of the nine-tailed fox grooming his paws appearing before him.

"Wow, Kyuubi, are you worried over my living arrangements?" Naruto replied sarcastically.

"Your well-being is my priority, the amount of times that I have to remind you of this fact is mind-boggling. Perhaps it's your intellect I should be more worried about." The demon fox responded mockingly. Rolling his eyes, Naruto stood up and paced around his office.

Feeling homesick, Naruto closed his eyes for a second, and imagined his old apartment. Kitchen stacked with unorganized food, wobbly table smack down in the middle of it. His memories flipped though to his room, messy bed and dirty laundry littering the carpet floor, an unopened container of socks on his night table, just as he had left it. Sighing deeply, he shook the somber mood that was taking over him and lightly touched the extra kunais he hid in a small container strapped to his thigh. It had been rather burdensome to get a hold of these weapons. He couldn't just walk down to the market and buy a couple'of shiny weapons, that'd be too suspicious of a foreigner and would cause for much talk. 'Plus, to access the weapons area of the bizarre, one had to had some type of clearance. Clearance which Naruto assumed he probably had. "I mean I AM dealing with the top metal supplier in this region..."He mused, but at such an early point in time, he didn't want to risk anything. So with that obstacle in mind, he had waited it out until he chanced upon a box of various weapons labelled as 'óverstock.' With nimble hands, he had propped the lid open and taken a few of them, no more than five kunais, ten senbons, two daggers, and one roll of steel wire. It had made him feel a bit guilty, but Naruto felt naked without some trusty steel by his side.

"'Who knows, maybe Madara will find out and send me to jail or something.'' He muttered to the kunai he had slipped out and was playing with, the balanced knife carefully detained by his two index fingers. Mentioning his name gave him a quick jolt of the incident that happened a week and a half ago, causing him to chuckle with minor embarrassment. It had unbalanced Naruto to an extent that made him feel quite, well, girlish. He had to stifle the slight fluttering of emotions that passed through his body every time he thought about Madara's stiff confession. It had been some time since someone had said something so disorienting to him. It confused him to no end.

Grunting with his inner turmoil, Naruto threw the kunai at the wall, weapon lodged deeply beside the bookshelf that adorned the room.

"It's irritating the amount of time you spend thinking about that insect. If you wish to fornicate with that stain of a human being, then hurry it along, I tire of your petty exchanges." Kyuubi barked, antsy, mimicking Naruto's own pacing mood.

Blushing lightly, Naruto clenched his fists and threw a string of curses at the nine-tailed fox's way, trying to cover up his embarrassment. After running out of obscenities to yell in order to stop the increasing laughter of the demon fox, Naruto stomped over to the wall and tugged the kunai out of the wall, sliding it back into his thigh pouch.

"I guess I need to focus more on my ninjutsu, you're getting grumpy again." The blonde deduced from the fox's surly attitude.

"That would be appreciated." Said demon replied, coming down from his laugh high and stretching out in the space of his mind.

Naruto exhaled. It had been a while since their last 'chakra cleansing' He could feel the unused energy pushing throw his chakra pathways, it was almost unbearable, but he had been too closely monitored lately. Between meeting up with Naoki's clients and dealing with assistants and random walk-ins, he didn't have a spare moment. But after taking a look at the handy calendar and appointment book on his desk he figured it wouldn't hurt to sneak out for a couple days and go on a training bender.

"Besides, I don't actually have to see any more client for four days!" He justified to himself, that was one of the perks of this assistant position. Since Naoki wasn't an uptight asshole like Naruto imagined other bosses were, he rarely ever asked for anything personal or out of Naruto's way. It gave him much needed time to go out and practice his katas, and simply be idle for once.

"And I have the perfect thing, Kyuubi you best be up for the upcoming chakra exhaustion."

"Always." The demon replied enthusiastically.

"Madara-sama, there is...a...woman waiting for you by the door." The clerk said nervously, eyes flicking between the door and the man before him, unsure on how to relay such an unusual message.

Madara halted his conversation to the group of men before him and turned to look at the nervous man and gave him a confused look. 'What in Kami's name would she be doing here?' He thought with slight concern, perhaps Naoki had sent her regarding some issue he couldn't directly attend to. It was rare someone was let into the main council edifice. Though he wouldn't be surprise to find out she had somehow charmed a unsuspecting fool. He looked behind the man and saw her by the entrance, dressed in a gold kimono, hair flowing freely and blending with the garment, talking animatedly to a besotted young man who if Madara recalled correctly, had just been promoted to director of something or the other. Hiding the irritation that budded within him as he saw Naruto smile at the man, Madara politely excused himself from the small group of councilmen, who he noticed were also entertained by the colorful woman, and headed towards the increasing chatter.

"And then just as I was about to catch him, the cat flew at my partner's face and scratched his mustache right off! The look on the liaison face was priceless! You could never plan an exchange like that, we received crates of their finest spirits for the following year." The bright woman finished, hands folded in an accomplished matter. The man before her laughed heartily, appreciative eyes never leaving her form.

He cleared his throat, hoping to cut off any interaction between the two. The man noting the imposing figure before them, even though much younger than him, ceased his laughter, straightened up and hurriedly excused himself.

"Wait I wanted to tell you about what his wife said..." Naruto trailed off, downtrodden that he had scurried off so quickly. Shrugging her shoulders, she turned towards the hallway and scowled at him, hands at her hips, with an upset expression.

"Why do you do that? Did you not see I was having a lighthearted conversation with my new friend?" She growled at him.

"Well, did you not ask to see me?" He replied quickly, arms crossed.

As if forgetting her earlier anger, Naruto grinned and pounded her right fist into an open pal. "That's right! I came here to fight you!"She yelled.

Noting the surprised look from the few spectators around, the loud woman cleared her throat nervously and corrected herself, " I mean, I was going to inquire as to the previous nights. Your father wanted us to spar didn't he? Well, I've decided I want to do it today. Soon. I am too wound up to wait any longer. If you could...please tell your father..." She trailed off slowly.

Madara noted her confident stance and determined expression. . 'I believe there is no more putting this off. He groaned inwardly. He had not wanted to come in contact with her too much these few days, fearing more foolish words would spill from his mouth. The minute statement he had whispered to her after the dinner had him flinching with retained discomfort. Though at the time he had truly meant it, he had more or less fled after his little confession and had been avoiding her. Which caused Madara to become even more embarrassed, it felt like he had been doing that more these days, and they all were because of the boisterous woman before him. The fact that she had not even mentioned the situation had further increased his turmoil. 'Perhaps a bit of physical extertion will help.' he thought with little hope, he did not know how he would react to their sparring session. It was one thing meeting up on occasion to battle, but to do it fully in front of his father was another. Madara did not know whether to fear Nartuo-san or himself more. 'Father will have my head if he sees I am not acting out on my full potential.' He sighed for the millionth time, he knew Tajima thought the showdown would last no more than five minutes, even with Naruto proclamation that she could withstand more than others. It was simply how the head of a clan thought, if a simple, unheard woman could beat an heir, then why hadn't she shown up on their radar before? Kneading his forehead he submitted himself to the ordeal, this was going to happen either. Clicking his tongue he turned and headed down the wide hall expecting Naruto to follow him.

"You are in luck, father is down this corridor. We can alert him of 'our' decision quickly." He replied sarcastically, it had been her demand more than his choice.

Hearing an enthusiastic yelp, the scuffling of dainty feet filled the hallway. Not waiting for her to catch up, he continued on his way to the door on his right, knocking twice and entering, hopefully he could delay the conversation a little further. To his surprise and delight, his father stood looking down at a large scroll that was opened on the meeting room table. Extending across the whole expanse of it and falling and continuing on the ground. Containing his contentment, for Madara already knew his fathers answer, the young heir left the open ajar for Naruto and stood next to his father.

"Father, Naruto-san and I would like to spar before you today, regarding your earlier request." He said simply, almost bored, hands gingerly touching the light mesh shirt he had underneath his regular clothing that was peaking out.

Looking up from his close examination, the fountain head only gave him a tired look and shook his head. As if on que, his father responded just as Naruto entered the room.

"Today will not be a good time for me Madara, the senators for the neighboring districts have decided they do not agree with some of our arrangements." Looking behind his son, Tajima nodded apologetically to Naruto, eye back on the scroll before him, hands slowly tracing the meticulously inked characters.

Noting the crestfallen face on the young diplomats face, Tajima suggested an alternative.

"Perhaps it would be better for you both to enjoy the festival tonight, if you happen to find one of the senators there, any effort on changing their plans would be appreciated and help speed up this obstacle."

With a curt nod, Madara walked out, followed by a quiet Naruto. Closing the door behind him, he quietly sighed, just now noticing that his body had been ready, blood rushing with adrenaline, and hands pulsing with the readiness that always was present before a battle.

"Well, that sucks." Naruto exclaimed, back to the wall, pouting like a child. "And that festival seriously is not coming at a good time." The woman said to herself, kicking off the wall and heading towards the exit.

Following behind her, he grinned at her external musings, going on about the inconvenience of the festival, the creepy clients, her outfit, the rendevous point, and Izuna's request.

Wait, Izuna? The last comment caused him to halt and speak without censor.

"What about Izuna?" He said to her retreating back.

"Huh?" Naruto exclaimed, cut off from her random thoughts.

Seeing his confused face, she grinned and rocked on her feet childishly.

"Oh yeah, about that, well at the night of the dinner, before Izuna left, he asked if I wanted to go to the festival with him tonight. He asked you if you minded and you shrugged your shoulders or something, and well, that was that."

With a twist of her feet, she waved at him and left through the exit, disappearing into the crowd.

Clenching his teeth, Madara nodded slowly and headed the opposite way, knowing full well where his brother was hiding.

Well, there it is, sorry for the sloppiness I tried to write it asap before I stopped like I always do.

Thank you all for you patience, like seriously, you don't know how guilty I feel for having put this off for so long.

The funny thing is, this chapter would have actually come out a few months ago, but m ycomputer like legitametly died and I was way too bummed to start over. So technically, this chapter is very different from what I had initially written, but you'll never know what this is, buwahahah!

Anyways, enjoy and enjoy your summer.

Que lo pasen al cien!

-miscmist