Naruto hugged Anko tightly, gently stroking the back of her head as she sobbed into his chest, trying to calm down. The leader of the Rohirrim came to him and bowed. He was a tall man with brown hair and beard, with a white horse tail on his helmet.

"My Lord, I am Éolan, descendant of Éomer, current leader of the Riddermark." Naruto nodded.

"How many of the Mark?"

"Some five hundred strong. They are all currently in Vegetable country. News had reached us that the new Witch-King was on a mission in Wave country, so I took fifty of my best men to seek you out." Naruto frowned slightly. "We now ask that you allow us to serve as your cavalry in the years to come." Naruto nodded again, writing something in a scroll.

"Send word to your people and have them move to what is now known as the 'Forest of Death' in Konoha. The rest of you can go now. Just tell Khamul, my advisor, that you are of the Mark, and he will see to you. Also give him this." He handed the scroll to Éolan, who bowed and got on his horse. He sent a pair of horsemen to the rest of the Rohirrim, and took off towards Konoha.

"I think I'm going to need a bigger forest." Naruto muttered, making Anko giggle. "Are you alright?" She nodded. "Come on, then, let's get back." Before he turned towards Tazuna's house, a flash of bright light in the north caught his eye. He raised his eyebrow and frowned slightly at the direction.

"Anko, are you alright?" Kurenai ran out of the house to hug her friend when they came back.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"What was that? Naruto, you're bleeding." She gasped.

"Huh?" He brought his metal-plated hand to the side of his neck. "Oh, must've cut myself. It'll heal. But now let's get to work. Is Kakashi awake?" She nodded. "Good. Let's go see him." The three went up to the room, where they found Kakashi sitting in his bed, an orange book in his hands. Naruto cleared his throat, getting the silver-haired man's attention.

Kakashi was resting from the fighting, enjoying the latest edition of his favorite novel, when he heard a sound at the door. Looking in that direction, he quickly paled and threw the book behind his back, chuckling sheepishly.

"Hey guys. How are you?" He grinned widely at the glaring looks of the two women.

"We're fine." Kurenai growled through clenched teeth. "Which is more than you're going to be when we get back to Konoha."

"Ignoring the perverted literature." Naruto cut in. "Care to fill us in?"

"Huh? Fill you in on what?"

"The current situation dumbass." Anko growled at him. "You know, where you faced a Missing Nin and got hospitalized for it."

"Oh yeah, that. Well short story is Zabuza attacked and I used my Sharingan too much."

"How about you tell us the long story now?" Naruto said slowly, as if talking to a child.

"Aw. Do I have to?" Kakashi whined, making Naruto and Kurenai sweat drop and Anko growl.

"Yes. Yes you do. Or would you rather I leave you alone with her?" He motioned to the Snake Summoner who was filing her nails with a kunai.

"I'll be good."

"Then start."

Kakashi managed to go through the entire story without too much whining, though he was still a bit miffed at letting Zabuza go alive.

"You defeated him, didn't you?" Kurenai asked with a sweat drop at the pouting Elite Jounnin.

"Well, yeah, but it's a matter of pride, you know?"

"No, I don't know."

"Well it's kinda like you getting beaten by a Genjutsu." He earned a smack on the back of his head for the effort. "I'll be quiet now."

"So what should we do about Zabuza?" Kurenai turned to the other two in the room who had raised eyebrows, acting like she didn't just smack Kakashi.

"Hm, that depends. I assume you didn't let him go unscathed?" Kakashi nodded with a proud look on his face. "How serious were his injuries?"

"Very serious. A week at the least."

"So a week. I suggest you two train your Gennin for the time while Anko and myself take over the protection of the clients." Kakashi nodded at his words. "I suspect you will have to stay in bed for at least another day, and have difficulty moving for another four to six, but you should be healed enough by the week's end."

"Kurenai, can you teach my team the Tree Walking?"

"Of course, I was about to teach my own Gennin that. I'll take all five out, but you will have to do your share when you healed enough." She glared at him, making him bring his head down and scratch it sheepishly.

"And Naruto, can I talk to you alone for a moment?" Naruto nodded while the two ladies exited the room."

"Is what I heard right?" He asked in a more serious voice than his usual one when the two left.

"If you are referring to what I assume, then yes."

"So one of my students really did poison me." He muttered dejectedly. "So much for teamwork."

"You have two more." Kakashi shot him a look. "Right, forget I said anything. How are you holding up?"

"I feel better now. I don't know what you did, but I suspect I'll be fully healed by the end of the week." Naruto nodded his head.

"Just keep it easy for the day. Stuck to your odd choice of literature and don't get out of the bed if you don't have to." Kakashi nodded in agreement and pulled the book from behind him, making Naruto shake his head before he left the room.

The sight that greeted him downstairs was a very peculiar one. In one side of the room were Anko and Kurenai, seated at the table, the latter failing to keep a giggle behind her lips while the former had to support herself with an arm on the table from the laughter pouring out of her. At the other end were Shino and Hinata with their eyebrows raised and Kiba rolling on the floor, their eyes on whatever had caused the reaction in the room. Naruto turned his eyes on the sight, a smirk forming on his lips.

In a corner, by a large plant was Sakura, bawling her eyes out and screeching at his wolf, Vala, who was lying down next to the plant, her tail swishing lazily behind her, with Sasuke's head locked in her jaws.

"Let Sasuke-kun go you beast! You're hurting him!" Naruto nearly let out the chuckles, but caught himself at the last moment.

"Vala!" The wolf's eyes snapped in his direction. "Spit it out. You don't know where it's been." The wolf followed his instructions, letting go of the Uchiha's head, hacking and coughing, as if trying to get an unpleasant taste out of her mouth.

Sakura cradled Sasuke's bleeding head, splitting her time between bawling over his unconscious figure and glaring daggers at Vala and Naruto. The two paid her no mind, Naruto sitting in a chair with his wolf lying next to him, enjoying his gloved hand's soft petting. Anko got up from her seat and went over to him, finding a place in his lap, leaning her back into his chest and nuzzling her head beneath his. He kissed the tip of her head softly, the two ignoring Kurenai's smiling form as she ushered the five Gennin out the door, a hand over Sakura's mouth.