The next week had passed and the bridge was finally completed thanks to all the villagers helping out; when word had fully spread that Gato was dead it seemed that they couldn't rush to the bridge fast enough. Inari had come out of his shell a lot and had been working with his grandpa on the bridge; the boy had a knack for it. During that time, Naruto had completed the final stage of learning the Rasengan and began learning elemental jutsu; like Sasuke he had two, wind and fire. Sasuke had improved his chakra control while using elemental jutsu and Sakura could now perform a few water-style jutsu without relying on having water present. It was time for Team Seven to head back to Konoha and report everything that had happened. Jiraiya had left the day before so he could brace Kyu for what she was going to be told about the mission; he was a braver man than many knew.

"There is one more thing we need to do before we leave" Kakashi said to his team "what are we going to do about Zabuza and Haku?"

Zabuza and Haku looked at Team Seven, who looked right back at them and then to the ground thinking. Zabuza had already promised to honor whatever decision the genin made and only wanted Haku to be free to do as she pleased. She had no ties to Kiri and needed a place of her own regardless of the final decision.

"It wouldn't be safe for Haku back in Kiri" Sasuke said "she would be killed the moment she would be handed to their ANBU unit. Zabuza… I'm not sure about; he's one of the seven swordsmen of the mist and tried to kill the Mizukage."

Haku controlled her desire to have a nervous fidget. She knew that Team Seven would release her from their custody but Zabuza's fate was not something that was clear.

"I'm sure if he would have wanted to kill us and make his escape he would have done it already" Sakura chimed in "I think they should be allowed to go as long as they don't cause any trouble."

Team Seven turned to Naruto and he looked like he already had his answer.

"Well Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

"What the Mizukage is doing is messed up;" Naruto said "I understand why Zabuza wants to kill him. If someone went after someone I loved I would stop at nothing to kill them too. They should be free to go."

"Can't believe I'm saying this, but I guess I have to agree with Naruto on this then" Sasuke said with a sigh.

Haku let out a sigh of relief she didn't realize she was holding; Zabuza seemed unfazed by the decision in the slightest. His actions were easy to understand and empathize with to anyone with a family or expecting a family.

"Haku" Zabuza said as Kakashi returned his sword to him "I want you to go to Konoha until I send a letter to you. I need to confirm something before I risk your safety."

"I would prefer to go with you," Haku answered "but if that is what you wish then I shall."

"She'll be in good hands" Kakashi said "we can work out living arrangements on our way back to Konoha. Do you need any money so you can get supplies for the trip?"

"Nah, I raided Gato's mansion when I was bored the other day and cleaned out his vaults" with a shrug as he reached into his tool pouch and throwing a massive wallet to Kakashi "here; to make up for the difference between a C-rank mission and a S-rank. I'm gonna go buy what I need and leave some massive tips for the business owners."

"You should've lead with that; then you would have been released for sure" with a heavy sigh.

"Ha, that would have been cheating Hatake and you know it" Zabuza laughed as he waved good-bye and went back into the village.

Zabuza pulled out the ledger he found in one of Gato's vaults and read the name of the business. An antique shop, not somewhere he usually stopped but it was on the list. As the rogue mist shinobi entered the store he could see that the owner was an older man with white spikey hair and a pair of glasses on his nose. It didn't surprise him that no one had attempted to loot the place to make some money; the old man looked like he bring a civilian to their knees with a single smack to the forehead.

"You're the man who attempted to kill Tazuna, yes?" the old man asked.

"Yea" Zabuza said as he looked at a case full of old books "how did pinkette miss this?" pulling an ancient looking book.

"From time before Sage of Six Paths" the old man said "very expensive. You have money yes?"

"Yes I do" as he set the book on the counter and then pulled out the ledger "Gato's money. Looks like he squeezed quite a bit from you" pulling out a wallet "that should cover the book and what he took from you. Where's the post office?"

"AIIIIEEEE-YAAAHHHH" the old man cried out with his eyes nearly coming out of his head looking at all the money in the wallet.

-Nightfall-

Zabuza sat by the campfire he made and pulled out a small journal and pen he had bought from one of the several stores he visited. On the first blank page he wrote an entry

TEAM SEVEN OF KONOHA: ALLIES
SENSEI: HATAKE KAKASHI (SHARINGAN KAKASHI)
GENIN: UCHIHA SASUKE
HARUNO SAKURA
UZUMAKI NARUTO (FUTURE HOKAGE(?))

A chuckle escaped him as he shook his head. First entry in his personal BINGO BOOK was for a couple of greenhorn genin.

"Those shinobi are gonna do great things" he smiled to himself as he wrote his name on the owner line.

In just a couple weeks, he was going to know for sure if his fiancé was still alive and if she was; they had a lot of catching up to do.

-Konoha; next morning-

Team Seven and Haku approached the gate and got the clearance to go to Hokage tower with Haku. This was going to be a very long conversation that was unavoidable for all of them. The Hokage was old but he was not senile in the slightest and he could smell a lie coming a border away. Kakashi could see Haku was almost uneasy to be walking so openly in a village for the first time in a while. As they approached the tower they could see a familiar red head standing by the stairs leading around the outside of the tower.

"Ki-chan?" Naruto asked surprised as he rushed over to her.

Kyu kneeled down and braced him in a hug; words couldn't begin to describe how relieved she was to have him home and see he was alright. Physically alright away. Jiraiya had already told her about what had happened in the Land of Waves and knew that it had to have left a mental scar.

"I'm so glad you're home" she said in a soft tone "I… I don't…"

"He is a phenomenal child with great potential" Haku said "all of Team Seven is. Their teamwork and faith in each other is unlike anything I have ever seen before."

Kyu turned her attention to Haku; she could smell the ice that was imbedded into the woman's scent and feel that she was much stronger than she looked. Jiraiya had told her a little about the refugee from Kiri but she didn't think that she would have a scent that reflected her Kekkei Genkai. It would make it easier to track her down if something were to happen. Then again, she wasn't sure that anything would happen given how things turned out in the Land of Waves.

"Thank you" Kyu replied before going over to Sasuke and Sakura "I'm glad the two of you are safe as well. Jiraiya-dono told me what happened and I'm sorry you had to go through it."

The former demon hugged her kit's team members tenderly; then she noticed a scent on Sasuke. It was a scent that she knew all too well, but it had faded to where it was barely noticeable. If she didn't know the scent by heart it wouldn't have even registered with her. Her eyes shook at what this could mean for the young Uchiha; at what it could mean for all of Konoha.

"Let me take all of you out to dinner tonight" Kyu offered recollecting herself as she pulled away from the two pre-teens.

"Thanks, but I need to get Haku-san settled in at the Uchiha compound" Sasuke said "if we get everything taken care of beforehand we'll try to make it."

"Sounds great" Sakura said "let me check with my parents first though."

"I greatly appreciate the offer" Haku said with a bow.

"Naruto will be home in about an hour Uzumaki-san" Kakashi said with a smile "we just need to report to the Hokage and take care of a few technicalities. I'm going to have to decline the invitation though. I always have a home cooked meal with Rin-chan after a mission out of the village."

This was a tradition for them after the Third Shinobi War; it was also a part of what caused them to get together. They had been out of the village for almost three months and when they finally got home they both wanted nothing more than a fresh home-cooked meal. Rin had always been the better cook and offered to make the meal for them. Things just kind went from there for them and he was happy it did.

"I understand" Kyu said back to the scarecrow "Naruto, before you go up to see Hokage-sama I wish to take Shendu and have a word with him."

"Sure" the blonde said as he reached into his tool pouch only to discover the dragon was missing "uhhh… he's not…"

Several meters away, the dragon trapped in a plushie was tiptoeing away from where Team Seven was currently at. The moment that Naruto said Kyu was at the tower, he knew it was time to run for his life. If he could get to either the Uchiha Compound or the Hyuga Compound he would be safe. Fate did not seem to favor him today though; as he rounded a corner he ran into Rock Lee.

"SHENDU-SAN! HOW ARE YOU AND NARUTO-SAN DOING THIS GLORIOUS AND YOUTH FILLED DAY?!" the green spandex wearing genin asked.

"SSSHHHHEEEEENNNNDDDDDUUUUU!" Kyu nearly roared as she took off after him.

"I want to live!" the dragon cried as he ran for his life with the Second Red Hot-Blooded Habanero of Konoha right on his heels.

The gust from the former demon chasing after Shendu knocked Lee to the ground and speechless as he wondered what was going on.

"She must have found something he was hiding while we were gone" Naruto said.

Kakashi sweat-dropped when he heard this; Naruto was a shinobi but he was still a bit of an idiot at times.

-Nearly an hour later-

"And that's that" Kakashi said completing his report on the mission.

"I see" the old Hokage said as he exhaled a stream of smoke "and what of Momochi?"

Kakashi scratched the back of his neck as he let out a small chuckle. He knew this was likely to blow up in their faces but his team felt they did the right thing.

"We went to help on the bridge after their lunch break and when we got back to Tazuna's house he was gone" Naruto said "must have thought we'd bring him back to the village and have him sent to Kiri for trying to kill the Yondaime Mizukage."

"Any thoughts on where he would go to Haku-san?" the smoker asked her.

"Unfortunately not Hokage-sama," she answered "Gato-teme was our only means of resources at the time."

Hiruzen could see that this was the truth. The young girl had no idea where he was, but something told him that she had a hunch; it wasn't enough for him to question her further on the matter. Team Seven had been away from their families for a while and he was sure they wanted to get home.

"Very well" Hiruzen said "the four of you may go. Kakashi-san, I need you to stay for a minute so I can discuss a couple matters with you. Including the upcoming Chunin Exams."

Kakashi nodded and dismissed his team so that he could talk with the Hokage in private.

"Do you think they're ready?" the hokage asked bluntly.

"They have the skills, but given what had happened on the bridge" the cyclops sighed as he watched his team exit the building "I'm worried their teamwork may have taken a bit of a blow. Sakura figured out that Orochimaru is the reason Naruto has Shendu's talismans in him and that it was Naruto he was looking for the night of the near massacre of the Uchiha Clan. I made her swear not to say a word to either Naruto or Sasuke. I'm worried that her trust in Naruto and Sasuke may have begun to fracture since the Fire Chi nearly took control of Naruto and Sasuke talked like Naruto was turning into a demon. Naruto, I think he's close to a mental break because of what he did while he was under the control of the Fire Chi. He blames himself because he wasn't strong enough to control it and I think he sees flashes of their faces; near classic PTSD. Sasuke seems…" scratching his head trying to think of the right way to put it "I'm not sure to be honest. He hasn't done anything to suggest distrust of Naruto but he has been circling around the topic of red chakra and the Fire Chi. He's digging for information and I'm worried that he might find answers in the wrong place."

"There's no shame in making them wait Kakashi," adjusting his hat "if they need to rebuild their trust and teamwork then let them do it."

"That's up to them ultimately. I want to give them a couple days rest before they start getting any D-rank missions again. Give them time with their families since they had to stare death in the face on their first mission out of the village" looking at the old man "and each of them flinched in their own way. Sasuke and Sakura had to face the possibility of killing their friend and teammate to save a village. And Naruto, he might not have flinched entirely but he lost control and killed just about every mercenary Gato had brought with him on that bridge."

"Those hardly sound like flinching Kakashi" Hiruzen said.

"Maybe when I talk about it now, but if you had been there" looking down to the ground in sorrow "it was almost exactly like when I nearly had to kill Rin to keep the Three Tailed Bijuu from destroying the Leaf. If that man in the mask hadn't shown up when he did to remove the Bijuu from Rin-chan…" a tear ran down his face "I don't know how I would be right now. The kind of darkness that would be in my heart."

"Everyone made it home Kakashi, there's no need for you to dwell on what could have been. You and your team take the next couple days off and recover. I'll send for you in a few days."

-Later that evening-

Naruto, Kyu, Anko, Jiraiya, and Sakura waited at the restaurant for Itachi, Sasuke and Haku. When Sakura had asked Kyu where Shendu was the red-head simply responded with 'swimming'. Anko knew the specifics; Shendu was in a tank of fish with a five pound weight tied to him and if he were to move around too much the fish would get agitated and begin to rip him apart. Naruto and Sakura were dressed down from their normal outfits; Naruto being in a simple pair of blue jeans and a black t-shirt while Sakura was in a casual dress.

"Naruto, since I'm gonna be in the village for a little while and you have the next couple days off" Jiraiya suggested "why don't we work on your sealing jutsu and the fire style jutsu I started to teach you?"

"YOU MEAN IT?!"Naruto asked with joy.

"Of course" with a confident smirk "what kind of godfather would I be if I didn't finish teaching you a jutsu?"

"It's not like you're the kind who takes him to the outside of the women's bathhouse" Kyu said bluntly.

"Or try to talk him into using the snake talisman to try to sneak both of you actually into said bathhouse" Anko added.

"Then try to take him into a bar to help you pick up chicks" Kyu continued.

"Can't forget when he was in a major writer's block and asked Naruto to use his 'Sexy Jutsu' to help inspire him" Anko said with a near disgusted look on her face "your own godson for fuck's sake."

"Yea…" the perverted toad sage said with a nervous chuckle "what kind of lame godfather would do that?"

Jiraiya could see the murderous intent rolling off Anko and Kyu. He was thankful that they didn't know about the weekend he took Naruto to the waterfall; that was when he gave Naruto the 'Birds and Bees' talk with diagrams. If they were to find out he had already gave the blonde boy that talk, he would be in the hospital for a week.

"Sorry we're late" Itachi said as they came up to the group "there was a little more paperwork than I had first thought."

"Saved by the bell" Jiraiya whispered to himself in relief.

"I'm sure you'll make up for it later" Anko said slyly.

Both Naruto and Sasuke made a disgusted look at Anko's words; the two of them had been dating for just short of eight years now so it was no secret that something was happening behind closed doors. Kyu quickly defused the would be perversion from Jiraiya and got everyone inside. Naruto ordered his favorite ramen from the restaurant and a small steak, Sakura ordered dumplings, Sasuke and Haku got an order of omusubi each, Jiraiya had the karaage-fried chicken, and Anko and Itachi got dango and the seaweed onigiri.

The night was filled with laughter and cheer as the group ate and relaxed. Kyu had managed a low-key interrogation on Haku and felt the girl was not going to cause any trouble for Team Seven. At some point, Anko managed to have sake delivered to the table and poured everyone a cup; everyone. This resulted in Itachi, Kyu, and Jiraiya picking up the cups from in front of the kids. Naruto had a disappointed look on his face because he was curious about it, Sakura and Sasuke agreed with the adults' decision.

"Oh come on" Anko protested "they just came back from what was pretty much an S-rank mission. Let the kids have a drink."

"They are still children Anko-chan" Kyu said "if they were mid or upper teens I would agree with you. But their bodies are still growing and alcohol can impede their growth."

"Kyu-chan has a point Anko" Itachi said as he drank the cup in his hand "I already have the bottle picked out that I wish to share with Sasuke-kun for his first drink."

"Party poopers" as she drank her sake.

-Rin and Kakashi's apartment-

"I think we over did it again" Rin laughed "the kitchen is a mess."

Kakashi looked at the mess in the kitchen; dishes were all over the place, the wash rags were still on the floor where they had fallen, and the pots were on the stove and in the sink. This was the norm for them every time they did anything in the kitchen. They tended to overcook and make a mess of the kitchen and sometimes it would spill into the living room.

"Yea, but it's always worth it" the cyclops said with a smile "you're cooking is amazing."

"But the clean-up" Rin sighed.

"Shadow clones are a godsend" with a smile as he performed the jutsu.

The two shadow clones began collecting the dishes and took a position at the large sink. One started washing and the other dried; both of them were doing a weird dance as if they had a song stuck in their heads. Rin couldn't help but to chuckle, it reminded her of when their sensei would make a home cooked meal for them. The man known as the Yellow Flash, feared by every shinobi nation, had flee on sight orders, and had created his very own S-rank jutsu would sing the weirdest songs and dance as he cooked and cleaned; what made it funnier was the bright pink apron he would wear while doing it.

"Naruto learned the Rasengan while we were at the Land of Waves" Kakashi told Rin snapping her out of her memories.

"As a Genin he learned that jutsu?!" shocked "I thought Jiraiya-dono would have waited for Naruto to be a Chunin before teaching him that."

"While I agree in some aspects I have been seeing his strength grow every day and understand why Jiraiya-sama taught it to him" rubbing his neck "the chakra control needed for the Rasengan is almost Jonin level. With how quickly Naruto is developing, that kind of chakra control is needed for him. Oh, I almost forgot" getting up to go over to his tool pouch "I found something in one of the shops at the Land of Waves I think you may love."

Rin raised an eyebrow at this.

-later that night-

Naruto sat looking at the gravestones in front of him. This was something he did regularly; he would use the snake talisman to turn invisible and sneak to the graveyard to see the two he was looking at. The headstones read Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato.

"Hey mom" Naruto said in a soft tone "I'm sorry I haven't visited recently. I finally got a mission outside the village…" tears began to form "I finally got a mission outside the village and I nearly fuck it up… I killed… I killed people in cold blood" tears rolling down his face and his voice cracking "and I can't even remember all of it… What's worse is that I… I almost killed my friends. I went after Kakashi-sensei… he told me it wasn't my fault but… but I nearly killed him. He's been helping Ki-chan raise me and I… I went and did that. Then… then I turned on my teammates. Sasuke… who is like… like a brother to me. And Sakura… who is finally not looking at me as 'The Red Hot Habanero's Son'… but as Uzumaki Naruto" falling to the ground "how can…" balling his fists up "how can I look any of them in the eyes anymore?

Lord Fourth… what do I do? I have this evil inside me and I don't know… I don't know how to handle it… I know I need to honor your sacrifice but I… I'm not sure if I can do that with… with this thing… this Fire Chi. Even if I never use the Dragon Talisman again… how… how long until that… that Fire Chi takes control of me again? I'm scared" his knuckles began to turn white "What do I do Lord Fourth? Please… give me a sign… something… anything. I don't know what to do."

Naruto looked up at the full moon hoping to see something. But nothing happened; he shook his head and realized how foolish it was to ask for something like that as if he lived in a children's movie. He wiped his face and stood back up.

"Sorry about that" with a sigh "it was stupid to want something like that."

"No it isn't" Naruto heard a familiar voice say behind him.

Naruto turned around and saw Hiashi standing with a small buke of flowers.

"Hiashi-sama?!" in shock.

"It's alright to forgo the honorifics while we are here Naruto" Hiashi said in an unusually friendly tone as he walked towards the gravestones and set the flowers in between them "we are in front of your mother and the Fourth Hokage. I think your mother would knock me over the head a few times if I made you address me as 'sama' in front of her."

"Hai…" watching Hiashi clasp his hands together to pray.

"I hope you can forgive me Kushina" Hiashi said "I haven't been doing very well in keeping my promise to you."

"Your promise to her?" in a curious tone.

"Hai; she asked me to help you and Kyu as best I could whenever you two needed it. I guess I let my personal feelings get in the way of what I'm supposed to do" turning to Naruto "I look at you and I see so much of your mother it hurts some times. I can only imagine how bad it would be if you had gotten her hair and eyes instead of your father's."

"You… know my father?" in shock.

"I believe so. Your mother said he left her when she became pregnant with you" as he started to pull out a smoking pipe.

"So he was a good for nothing dead beat. Is that why I'm so screwed up?" looking down.

This got to Hiashi. He kneeled down to Naruto and placed his hands on his shoulders causing the blond to look back up.

"You are not screwed up Naruto" the Hyuga clan leader said "for all the hurdles life has thrown at you, you have overcome them to the best of your abilities. Not many adults would be able to handle having the Talismans without getting drunk on power. Yet here you are, asking for guidance from your mother and the man who gave his life to protect you. Shendu's lessons and guidance on the talismans can only go so far; a child needs their parents…" he closed his eyes "I guess I've been failing Hinata too. My own daughter."

Naruto remained silent; he knew it wasn't his place to say anything about how Hiashi was raising Hinata, but he knew that the Hyuga could do better. Hiashi stood back up and packed his smoking pipe with some tobacco.

"You wouldn't mind keeping this between us would you?" Hiashi asked pointing to the pipe "Huwai always said it made me look more dignified. Your mother agreed with her. I only ever do it when I visit them."

"Huwai?" confused.

"Hinata and Hanabi's mother" remembering that Naruto never got a chance to actually meet her.

"Oh… yea. It's between us. I promise" with a nod.

"Thanks."

The two stood in silence for what felt like hours and it wasn't an uncomfortable silence either. Both reflecting on what they believed to be important. When they were done they bid farewell to each other and began to leave the cemetery. Before he left Hiashi stopped and turned to Naruto one last time.

"You know I decided to come out here on a whim" Hiashi said as he put his smoking pipe away "maybe this was your sign. Keep your head up and follow your heart Uzumaki Naruto. I believe that one day," smiling at him "you will rock the Shinobi Nations."

"Thank you" Naruto said fighting back tears.

"You're welcome Naruto" as he turned back and headed home.

-nearby-

Kyu stood behind a tree watching. She wasn't an idiot; she had known about Naruto's visits to his mother's grave since he learned how to use the Snake talisman. She always followed close behind to make sure he didn't stay out too late. This time she wasn't going home with tears of sorrow running down her face. No, this time she had a smile on her face. Her kit had heard exactly what he needed to in order to keep his motivation and even push it further along. Plus, Hiashi was opening up a little; just as Kushina asked her to get him to do.

She jumped from her spot and rushed back to the apartment so Naruto wouldn't suspect anything. While useful, it was also a painful reality. Her chakra was returning and it was only a matter of time before Madara comes after her again.