Naruto's POV

Rolling over in bed, I slowly opened my eyes, noticing that Kurama wasn't next to me. Stretching and sitting up, I looked around, finally noticing her looking out the window. One of her ears giving a twitch, she looked over at me.

"So, you're finally awake." She said, an edge to her voice. Blinking, I looked at her in confusion for a few seconds, my tired mind trying to think of why she would be upset, before I remembered last night.

"You still mad about last night?" I asked, and she once again looked out the window.

"Didn't I tell you before that I wasn't mad?" She asked, and I frowned.

"You say that, but..." I said, trailing off. Giving up with whatever she was looking at outside, she turned back towards me, looking at me with curiosity.

"What even compelled you to do that?" She asked, and I flinched slightly, before sighing.

"I don't know... I guess I just wanted a last chance to feel like I was in control." I said, and she looked at me for a few seconds, before rolling her eyes.

"Are you serious? How about the next time you get an idea like that, you think it through, then choose not to do it." She said, before sighing. "Though if it means that much to you to be in control, I suppose I could try to let you once in a while... But after you master sage mode." She said, seeing the look on my face. Nodding understandingly, I began to get out of bed. Watching me, Kurama closed the curtain, and stood up. "So, what's the plan? Today's the day we head out again, right?" She asked, and I nodded.

"Yeah. What time is it, by the way?" I asked, and she looked at the clock on the wall.

"About nine thirty." She said, and I once again nodded, thinking for a minute or two.

"Ok, we still have some time. After I get dressed and throw my shirt into the dryer, do you want to go get something to eat?" I asked, managing to get a smile and a nod. Getting up, I walked over to the washer; Opening it and grabbing my soaked shirt. Transferring it to the dryer and turning it on, I closed the hatch, before making my way over to my suitcase to grab a new shirt. Getting dressed, I turned to Kurama. "Are you ready?" I asked, and she nodded, slipping on her shirt, before following me as I opened the door. Locking the door behind us, we walked around the village for a bit, looking for a good place to get something to eat. Deciding to get some dumplings, we ended up stopping at a small tea shop in the village. Ordering some sweet dumplings, we sat down at a table with our dumplings. Picking one of the skewers up, Kurama took a bite, closing her eyes in contentment, before opening her eyes again and looking at me in curiosity.

"So, we're moving on to the Land of Waves next, right?" She asked, and I looked at her for a few seconds, before shaking my head.

"Actually, I wanted to make two quick stops first." I said, and she looked at me in confusion. "By the way, are you able to change disguises or is that the only one you know?" I asked, and she smirked.

"Why? What's wrong with this disguise? Getting tired of my looks already?" She asked, playfully sticking her tongue out, and I shook my head.

"Like I said, I wanted to make a couple stops." I said, and her playful smirk faded, being replaced by a serious look.

"You want to stop by the Hidden Leaf, don't you?" She asked, and I hesitated for a few seconds, before nodding, causing her to frown. "Are you sure that's a good idea? They are going to be on the look out for you and me now, and you plan on waltzing in?" She asked, and I sighed.

"I want to get one last look at the village. And of course I'm not going to just walk in, I'll be disguised as well. Plus, this would give us a chance to get some Ichiraku ramen. I can promise you that you'd enjoy it." I said, and she continued to frown, before sighing again.

"It's up to you. Just be careful. We aren't really on good terms with the village." She said, before continuing. "Anyways, yes, I do know some other forms, so you don't have to worry about that. I'm curious though what you have in mind as a disguise." She said, and I smiled, picking up a skewer and beginning to eat. After finishing up and paying, we left, and I took a breath of fresh air.

"Well, I'd say we should head back and pack up, then stop by and say goodbye to Gaara, as well as thank him for everything." I said, and Kurama nodded, before looking thoughtful.

"You know, I still find it surprising how helpful he's been, especially with who's inside him..." She said, and I frowned.

"True... Though Gaara is a good friend. From what I've seen, he's nothing like Shukaku anymore." I said quietly, and she looked at me in surprise for a few seconds.

"I almost forgot, you faced Shukaku during those Chunin exams. I'm just shocked you were able to defeat him as you were back then, without my help even!" She said as we walked, and I blinked.

"Well, that's not true. I did have your help in a way." I said, and she looked at me in confusion. "In the end, I had to help Gamabunta by picturing you so that he could use Genjutsu." I said, and she frowned.

"I must not have been paying attention then. Still, to defeat Shukaku without using my chakra, that's impressive." She said, and I smiled. After a few seconds of silence, she spoke up again. "So, you said there was two stops you wanted to make? Besides the Leaf Village, where else did you want to stop?" She asked.

"Gaara told me about this person near the Land of Waves that makes weapons for Jinchūriki. I may no longer be a Jinchūriki, but I still have access to your chakra, and these weapons utilize that chakra." I said, and her eyes narrowed.

"Really... How come I've never heard of this person?" She asked, and I shrugged.

"I don't know, but Gaara gave me an address. I have it written down at the apartment." I said, and she nodded thoughtfully. After walking for about five minutes, we made it back to the apartment. Leaving the door open, I pulled my suitcase backpack out from under the bed and began to pack away Kurama and I's things. Getting my shirt from the dryer, I put it in the backpack, before slinging it around my back. Seeing the slip of paper with the address on it, I handed it to Kurama. Taking it and looking it over, she frowned.

"Like I said before, I've never heard of any weapon smiths who could forge weapons that utilize a Jinchūriki's chakra like that. Though I have been locked away for quite a while, so it could be real, though I would be wary of it being a possible trap." She said, and I looked at her in shock.

"You're not seriously thinking that Gaara would send us into a trap, are you?" I asked, and she shook her head.

"No, of course not! I'm just saying, there are people out there that wouldn't think twice about going after a Jinchūriki. If it is a trap, it could of very well been originally meant for Gaara." She said, before sighing. "Just... Be cautious around things that may be too good to be true, ok?" She prompted, and I nodded, giving her a calming smile.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine. This could even be a good chance to get better weapons." I said, and she just nodded slightly, still not seeming all that sure. "I'll tell you what. Let's at least scope it out, if it seems like a trap, we'll go right on by, ok?" I asked, and she sighed and shrugged.

"It's mainly up to you." She said, and I straightened the bag's strap.

"Right, well let's start heading for Gaara's Office." I said, double checking that I had everything, before stepping out of the apartment and closing the door after Kurama, locking it for the last time. Heading down and handing the key to the man behind the desk, we began heading for the Kazekage building, having already paid for the apartment we were staying in. Making our way to the Kazekage building's front door, we stepped inside, immediately being greeted by Temari, who was standing near the hallway that lead to Gaara's office.

"Oh, good morning Naruto, Kurama, how are you?" She asked, and I smiled.

"Good morning, Temari. We're doing ok, what about you?" I asked, and she shrugged.

"Well, I certainly can't complain. So, what are you here for this morning?" She asked, and I sighed.

"We're getting ready to head out. We just wanted to stop by and thank you all for everything." I said, and her eyes widened slightly.

"Really? You're leaving already?!" She asked, and I nodded.

"I'm afraid so. We were only staying for a week. We have things figured out, and we're ready to start now." I said, and she nodded understandingly, though she still looked slightly sad.

"I get it. So, I take it you'd like to see Gaara now?" She asked, and I nodded. "Ok, well follow me. He's talking with Kankoro right now, so this actually works out." She said, leading us to the door to Gaara's office, before knocking and opening the door slightly, peeking her head inside. "Excuse me, Gaara, Kankoro, Naruto and Kurama are here." She said, and Gaara called for us to enter. Opening the door farther for us, Temari let us enter, before walking in and closing the door behind us.

"Ah, good morning you two." Gaara said, and Kankoro nodded at us.

"Good morning. Sorry to bother you two, but we just wanted to thank you for everything, as well as say that we're about to head out." I said, and he nodded understandingly.

"So I take it you've planned out what you're going to do next?" He asked, and I nodded.

"Yeah, we're going to stop by and say goodbye to some friends in the Land of Waves, as well as do some training." I said, and Gaara gave me a knowing look.

"You've certainly been doing a lot of training lately. Kankoro was just telling me about the state of the training dummies in the training cave." He said, and I gave an apologetic look.

"Yeah... Sorry about that. I was learning a new jutsu." I said, and Kankoro shook his head.

"Eh, don't worry about it. They're pretty easy to make, I could make more. Though, I'm curious what kind of jutsu could do that much damage." He said, and I looked at Kurama, not sure if I should say anything about any jutsus she teaches me. After a few seconds, she shrugged.

"The Bijuu Bomb." She said simply, and both Kankoro and Gaara looked at her in confusion.

"Is that the jutsu you said was volatile?" Temari spoke up, standing near the door. Kurama nodded, before continuing.

"The Bijuu Bomb is the highest level jutsu a Jinchūriki can learn, and can only truly be taught by a Tailed Beast." She said, and Gaara nodded in interest.

"I see... But then how was Naruto able to learn it? He's technically not a Jinchūriki anymore." He said, and Kurama nodded in acknowledgement.

"You're right, though he still has quite a bit of my chakra inside of him, which allows him to use the Bijuu Bomb as if he was still a Jinchūriki." She explained.

"So, judging by the damage, I take it you've mastered this jutsu?" Kankoro asked, and I hesitated.

"...Almost. So far I'm only able to form small versions of it." I said, and he looked at me in shock.

"So you're saying that that damage was caused by a jutsu that wasn't even at full power?!" He asked.

"Well, like I said, it is the highest level jutsu a Jinchūriki can learn..." Kurama said, and Kankoro shook his head in disbelief. After a few seconds of silence, I sighed.

"Well, it's about time we got ready to head out." I said, and Gaara nodded understandingly.

"I understand. By the way, I meant to give this to you before, but I heard you were... Under the weather." He said, before reaching into his desk. Looking at him in confusion, I watched as he pulled out an envelope and held it out for me.

"What's this?" I asked, taking the envelope and looking at it curiously.

"This is your pay for helping guard the village. You may not be a member of the Hidden Sand, but that doesn't mean you don't get paid for helping out." He said, and I looked at him in surprise, before opening the envelope. Looking inside and counting the Ryō, my surprise turned into shock.

"T-this is three hundred Ryō! Are you sure about this?" I asked, and he nodded.

"Yes. Like I told you before, guarding the village is usually reserved for the ANBU and other sand shinobi, so the pay is higher." He said, and I quickly thanked him. Shaking his head, he gave me a smile. "Don't mention it. You did the work, you deserve to be paid for said work." He said, before glancing out the window and sighing. "Well, if you're going to be heading out, you should head out now before it's too late; It looks like we may get a sandstorm soon." He said, and I looked out, only to see some clouds on the horizon, and I recalled the light breeze that seemed to pick up on the way here. Nodding, I started to make my way towards the door, Kurama following me, before Gaara spoke up. "And Naruto... Make sure to stop by sometime. Know that you're always welcome." He said, and Temari nodded. Smiling, I nodded, though I looked away.

"Thank you, and we'll try, but it might not be for a while. Kurama and I are going to be dropping off the grid for a while." I said, and Gaara nodded understandingly. Sighing to myself, we once again began making our way to the door. "Thanks again for everything, Gaara, Kankoro, Temari." I said, before opening the door. "Oh, and Gaara, I'm sure they'll come around eventually." I said, referring to the villagers, before exiting the office, Kurama following close behind. Making our way to the entrance of the village, we began our trek to the first stop on our journey: The Hidden Leaf Village.