Here we go...The newest chapter of HSD Naruto...If you need a recap, please reference the previous chapters.
FURTHER ON TOWARDS THE RICE/FIRE BORDER...
Kabuto and Kimimaro felt the barrel they carried begin to shake.
"He's almost ready...Good." Kabuto commented as they continued on their way and met up with the contingent of Oto shinobi they had brought along just in case they were pursued. These forces were meant to give Kabuto and Sasuke enough time to escape beyond the border with their additional prize, Sakura, but they hadn't expected Karin and Tayuya to turn on them and for the pursuing forces to be so numerous.
"Goddammit! Get your ass back here four-eyes!" Tayuya roared, her Curse Seal still active.
"Ah...Tayuya-chan. How nice of you to join us, but I'm afraid that you've just crashed a private affair and I really take offense to that." Kabuto taunted, turning to the Captain of the Oto shinobi.
"Keep the traitor entertained." He ordered as he lept off again. Tayuya tried to leap off after him, but she was intercepted by seemingly more and more Oto shinobi.
"Dammit...Outta my way, pissrags!" She snarled, whipping out her flute and summoning her Doki to fight.
A little further away, Naruto, Shikamaru, and Chiaki had felt them come to a stop and stepped up their pace in an attempt to catch up. They made it to a huge clearing in the forest, where they saw one of the Oto kunoichi fighting a massive group of Oto shinobi and being overwhelmed by their sheer numbers.
"Damn...She won't last long like this. We have to help her since she tried to help us." Naruto decided. Shikamaru was skeptical, but lately Naruto had changed. He wasn't the same knuckle head he used to be...completely. He looked over to Chiaki and could see that her mind was made up.
'She IS the ranking ninja here...*sigh*' Shikamaru mentally groaned as they lept in to aid her.
"What the hell are you doing?! Four-eyes and his pet freak are getting away with that little girl!" Tayuya screamed at them, but they were already on it.
"I'll stay here and help her, Naruto. You and Chiaki keep after them. Go!" He yelled as he used something his father taught him, since he decided to take his training more seriously.
KAGE NUI...
At his command, his shadow split into sharp tendrils and speared four shinobi that threatened to end Tayuya.
"Don't expect a thank you, ass hat." She glowered as she turned back to fighting the rest of them.
"Troublesome woman..." He grumbled as he set to work.
Nearby, Miu and Apachai had been watching the whole thing unfold. Miu agreed to split off and help fight off the Oto shinobi while Apachai took off after Sakura. Just before an Oto shinobi could bury his kunai into Shikamaru's back, his neck was broken by a terribly powerful kick, the blow sending his body flying away like a rag doll. In his place, a blond haired girl with...Generous endowments stood.
"Nara-san...I came to help you, so get up and keep fighting!" Miu called out as she quickly dispatched another attacker.
"What the hell's with Udder Girl over there? She with you?" Tayuya asked Shikamaru, who shrugged.
"I've seen her before and she's from my village...I think she's Naruto's cousin or something like that." Shika answered as they got back to work.
Further on ahead, the barrel kept quivering and shaking violently. so they stopped and set it down. The display went on for a few more moments until the barrel could no longer contain what was inside it. It exploded in a shower of wood, and there stood Uchiha Sasuke, reborn and more horrible than before.
"Ahh...Sasuke-kun has been reborn...How very convenient." Kabuto smirked as little Sakura stirred and awoke due to the dark pulse of chakra.
"Uh...Wha? What's happening? Where's mama and Naruto-niichan?" She asked, frightened.
"So little Sakura-chan is awake now? Don't try to run, or else Kimimaro-kun or Sasuke-kun here will do terrible things to you." The four-eyed nin smirked at the little girl's mounting fear.
"What is she doing here?" Sasuke drawled, sneering at the little girl.
"Orochimaru-sama desires her for a new breeding program that he is setting up. She is to be taken to him alive and un-harmed." Kabuto ordered.
"Tch...I don't take orders from lackeys like the two of you. I just want power." Sasuke sneered again.
"If you do as you are told...You will get that power. Understand?" Kabuto retorted, not wanting to deal with this brat's high and mighty attitude. Sasuke seemed to back off and accept it, for now.
"Good boy. Now, we must be off before the pursuit forces can catch up to us again." Kabuto added and they prepared to take off, but another pair burst into the clearing, alongside one of the most massive human beings they had ever seen.
"APA! Give back Sakura-chan!" The bronze skinned giant bellowed.
"Momma! Naruto-niichan! Apachai-san!" Sakura cheered in delight. Three of her favorite people were there to rescue her.
"Tch...More pests. Kimimaro-kun...Deal with them." Kabuto ordered, the emotionless nin nodding as he belted off to fight but Apachai interrupted, engaging him in a brutal fury and quickly proving to be more than a match for him.
VALLEY OF THE END
The other two tried to get away with their prize, but Chiaki and Naruto were determined to not let them get away. After a few more minutes they finally caught up with them at the Valley of the End.
"Heh...You two are persistant, I'll give you that. However...Now you have us to deal with." Kabuto smirked as he lunged in to disable Chiaki, but she caught his hand and delivered a crushing palm heel to his nose, breaking it and forcing him back.
"You caught me by surprize last time, boy. Now...I'm dead serious." Chiaki growled, her old skills and experience coming back to her.
"Erg...So, I underestimated you. Easily fixed." Kabuto hissed as he fixed his nose and engaged her in a furious taijutsu duel as Naruto and Sasuke faced off.
"I couldn't care less what those freaks want with the brat. I just want to prove I'm still more special than you. If I can kill you, I'll be that much closer to killing my brother." Sasuke sneered darkly, but another pair made their presense known with a burst of Killing Intent.
"So...You are Uzumaki Naruto-kun. You seemed taller in the pictures Master Agaard showed me." The white haired youth announced in a bored tone.
"And the other must be Uchiha Sasuke. I must admit that I am not impressed." The other youth added, more stout and muscular than his companion.
"And who the hell are you guys? I'm trying to get one of my family back and stop this traitor! Get out of the way!" Naruto yelled in irritation.
"You think you could beat me? Heh...This will be easy." Sasuke smirked darkly as he charged in...only to be shut down by an extremely nasty combo that knocked him unconscious and bleeding from his ears.
YAN ERAWAN!
"That was...Unsatisfying." Koukin remarked in a bored tone, turning back to Naruto.
"Who the hell are you guys?" Naruto asked, his eyes narrowing. They had to be nasty if they put Sasuke away like that.
"We are members of YOMI...Those who are opposed to the Katsujiken, and those of Ryouzanpaku. I am Tirawit Koukin, Student of Aggard Jum Sai and Muay Boran." Tirawit introduced himself.
"And I am Boris Ivanov, Disciple of Master Aleksandir Gaidar and Russian Command Sambo. We challenge you to a duel of martial arts." Boris challenged.
"Just marital arts. We know of your shinobi status Uzumaki-kun, and we ask that you abstain from using Ninjutsu. It would be unsightly." Tirawit laid out before him.
Naruto looked over to where Chiaki was taking on Kabuto and she was being overwhelmed. He managed to render her unconscious and was about to run off with Sakura until a final person intercepted him, the last person he expected to see.
"Kakashi?" Naruto asked aloud.
"I know I made a lot of mistakes...But it's time I stopped running from them and corrected them, starting here. I won't let them take her away and I will NOT let Sasuke escape punishment!" The legendary Copy-nin announced as he engaged Kabuto with a fury that had not been seen from him in years, his Sharingan blazing with righteous fury.
Naruto now had much less to worry about as he turned back to them.
"Fine. Let's get this over with so I can get Sakura-chan back home safe." Naruto declared, his face now a mask of sheer will and focus as he wondered which one he would face.
"You will face ME! Boris Ivanov!" Boris declared as he lept down to face his opponent.
"I will offciate over the duel." Tirawit stated, leaving it to truly be a one on one duel.
"FIGHT!" He called out as the two fighters clashed initially, but broke off to gauge each other's stances.
'This guy...He fights with grapples like Akisame-sensei...I wonder...' Naruto wondered as he formed a plan in his head.
'Hmm...I must expect trickery form a ninja. They are weak when they try to fight toe to toe with martial artists...' Boris surmised as he lunged in to grapple with his smaller opponent, but since Naruto was smaller but also faster, he was able to evade the grapple and began to work him over using Ma-sensei's techniques.
Naruto threw out a hailstorm of open palm blows, sharp kicks and wrapped it all up with the Shoutenshu to knock his opponent away and into a tree, toppling it. Boris staggered and struggled to stand back up as Tirawit gauged the young shinobi's skill and fighting spirit.
'Uzumaki-kun appears to have quite the fighting spirit. He is still young yet, though...Only time will tell if he will be a worthy opponent...if he lives that long. The life of a shinobi is rife with danger.' The Muay Boran disciple mused as the fight rolled on.
"You pack quite the punch for one so small, ninja. I see that my time is not wasted." Boris commented as he got Naruto in a clinch and proceeded to beat the living hell out of him with repeated blows to his torso and finally ending it with a sophisticated armbar combined with a chokehold.
"Struggle all you want...It will make no difference. I will complete my mission and return to my master." Boris stated in a voice that was almost robotic, the look of a stone cold killer in his eyes.
"Y-you..." Naruto struggled against the hold, trying to wriggle his way out of it. Finally, he managed to break his hold.
"Freaking psycho!" Naruto bellowed, twisting free and introducing the heel of his foot to the crown of Boris's skull, knocking him unconscious, just as Kakashi withdrew a lightning covered fist from Kabuto's chest.
"Naruto! Are you alright?!" Kakashi inquired, looking at the blond's haggard condition.
"Y-yeah...I'm fine, but don't let them get away with the Teme or Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled, seeing Kabuto's wound heal quickly. The wily Oto-nin quickly grabbed Sasuke, made a few handseals and seeped into the ground and escaping the battle with at least one of their objectives.
"Dammit! You damn clowns ruined the mission!" Naruto turned to scream at the two mysterious fighters that had ambushed him, but they too had vanished.
"Who were those guys? They sounded like they at least knew of you." Kakashi asked.
"Yeah nii-chan. Who were they? They looked really mean." Sakura asked innocently.
"I dunno...Maybe the masters or Hayato-jiji would know. Let's just get Sakura-chan and Chiaki-obasan out of here and make sure the others are alright. C'mon Sakura-chan...Climb on my back." Naruto suggested as Kakashi nodded, summoning a few of his tracker hounds.
"Hey guys...Take us to where the others are." He ordered, the nin hounds howling in acknowledgement as they bounded off, the humans after them like a shot, Naruto carrying Sakura and Kakashi carrying Chiaki.
KONOHA MAIN GATES
All teams had agreed to meet back at the Main Gates upon completeing their objectives. So far, Hinata, Raichi, Kisara, Takeda, and Shikamaru had shown up, Tayuya coming with him since she requested to see the rest of the Uzumaki and she did try to stall them as long as she could. Behind them were Shigure, Miu, and Apachai, who simply pummled his opponent until "He couldn't play anymore and fell asleep." Meaning that Kimimaro had died on his feet. Miu, Shikamaru, and Tayuya managed to repel their attackers, the remaining handful numbering in the single digits compared to the 100 that had come originally. Kisara was making a rapid recovery from Kidoumaru's venom and Takeda was having his wounds mended while Shigure eagerly awaited the return of her adopted younger sibling. Jiraiya was also there at the gates, ready to dispense justice on the spot when the Uchiha was dragged back, Tsunade and Shizune ready to treat anymore injuries that came through. Finally, Ino had shown up, eager to patch things up with Naruto after so long.
Finally, Hinata's Byakugan-enhanced vision caught sight of a group of familiar signatures approaching them at high speeds, drawing closer every second. The signature then became close enough for her to make out who they were.
"It's Naruto-kun! He has Sakura-chan with him! Hatake-san is following him with Chiaki-san over his shoulder and he had his nin-hounds leading the way!" Hinata cheered, but Jiraiya had a question for her.
"What about the Uchiha?" He asked, the girl looking even more intensely.
"No...I...Can't see him." She answered sadly.
"Well, we'll just have to wait until they get here to explain what happened." Tsunade suggested.
After a few more moments, the small group lande in front of them as Tsunade and Shizune raced up to check them all for injuries. Naruto was somewhat beat up, Kakashi had moderate fatigue, Sakura was groggy, but Chiaki was in rough shape. Kakashi unloaded her carefully and got out of Tsunade's way to let the treatment begin as Naruto let Sakura down, or at least he tried, but she wouldn't get down. With a heaving sigh, he launched into explaining how the mission went down.
"...We chased after Kabuto and his lackeys, everyone peeling off to let the rest of us continue on. Soon, it was down to just Chiaki-obasan and me when the barrel they stuffed the Teme in exploded. He felt...Dark, more evil than before. They jumped away and left that creepy bone guy to fight us, but Apachai-sensei jumped in and fought him for us, so we tore off after the Teme and Kabuto, catching up to them at this place with two huge statues." Naruto explained.
"Valley of the End..."Jiraiya muttered, sensing the irony of it all.
"Chiaki-obasan split off and attacked Kabuto while the Teme faced me, muttering something about killing his brother again when two more wierdos showed up. The said they were from YAMI...YOMI...something like that...They said that they had to challenge me and they knew who I was. One of them messed up Sasuke in a few seconds and I had to fight the other one. I beat him, but during the scuffle, that bastard Kabuto grabbed Sasuke and got away! I'll cream those jerks if I see 'em again..." Naruto muttered, but the Ryouzanpaku in attendance all went silent, the two Sannin and the ex-Kage noticing.
"I trust you know of this group?" Sarutobi inquired.
"Yes...Those two groups are the anti-thesis of the Katsujinken we follow. They follow the Satsujinken, to kill all those they deem unworthy of living without remorse, where we of the Katsujinken fight to defend life." A voice spoke up from behind them. Hayato and the other masters had arrived.
"I see. What will this mean for young Naruto?" Sarutobi asked his old friend.
"They are now aware of the fact that we have taken on another disciple. We will have to step up his training if he is to stand a chance. It is good that he managed to defeat one of their disciples, but there will be others. They will be stronger than before and will no doubt adapt to Naruto's tactics." Akisame explained.
"Wait, what? You had another before me? What happened to him or her?" Naruto asked, almost dreading the answer.
"He was only a few years older than you are now, Naruto-chan. His name was Shirahama Kenichi and we trained him out of pity, but he eventually grew strong in his own right. Sadly...He was killed in a duel with one of YAMI's disciples three years ago. I remember that young Miu was very attached to him." Hayato explained sadly, Miu's eyes watering at the memory.
"So he not only has the Akatsuki after him...But now these maniacs. But if push comes to shove, they will have ME to deal with. I earned the title of Sannin for a damn good reason." Tsunade growled.
She was NOT about to let them take one of the only links to her family she had left away from her, and on top of that, she was a very accomplished Martial Artist herself, having studied Kenpo in her youth. Jiraiya was no slouch either, having learned the Kawazu Kumete, the Frog Style Marital Arts, from the Toad Sages themselves, making him a massive threat even without using jutsu. The other shinobi present were also muttering their agreement with her, willing to stand together with him and face this new threat down. Even Tayuya was willing to throw her hat in the ring to preserve the few remaining blood ties she had in this world.
"It is good to see that you have so many good friends and allies you can count on, Gaki. Not many people are so lucky." Sakaki grinned as Jiraiya stood up and addressed the teams.
"This mission is only a partial failure, since Sakura has been safely recovered but the Uchiha was lost due to outside interference. At least everyone made it back alive, that is something we can live with." Jiraiya wrapped things up as they all headed inside, but Ino wanted to speak with Naruto for a moment. The girls looked like they suspected Ino of wanting to worm her way into his good graces solely because she was shifting her obsession from the Uchiha to Naruto, but if Naruto promised to talk with her, they would trust him. Naruto handed the sleepy Sakura off to her father, who had come from the hospital so he could take her home.
"Naruto...I...Thank you for actually wanting to talk to me after...well, everything that's happened." Ino started the conversation, albeit awkwardly.
"I made a promise and I do my best to keep them." Naruto replied simply, his face expectant.
"I...Just wanted you to know that I really am sorry for everything that happened. I was just being a stupid kid...But that's no excuse for what I did to you and Sakura. This all could have been avoided if I had just listened to my dad." Ino lamented. He could tell that she really meant what she was saying, not acting to get what she wanted like she usually did, but he let her continue.
"I should have known there was something wrong with her, but I...That damned obsession with that damn Sasuke...I even started to drive my own parents away with it, like I already had with my two childhood friends, Chouji and Shika. I knew those two since we were born, but as soon as Chouji started being teased, I...abandoned him. I'm so ashamed of myself for everything I've done..." Ino cried out, now starting to sob and laying her soul bare to him.
All of the guilt she had bottled up inside had reached the breaking point and now she was beginning to overflow. Everything mean and manipulative she did to everyone was now coming back to haunt her, especially one that she was being forced to face up to, the one that had become her greatest sin. To make matters worse, she was actually starting to have feelings for her fellow blond, real and honest feelings that had been building up over the course of the past couple of months. When she saw Raichi kiss him outside the theatre that one night, she realised that she fell for him and fell hard, but no matter how hard she felt she tried, she would never be able to get him to see her in a romantic light, not after what she had done to him.
Naruto was completely stunned with what Ino had just confessed to him, not really knowing how to respond to that especially after she had him on a death grip and was bawling her eyes out on his shoulder. He was trying to comfort her, clumsily but at least he was trying. After a few more awkward moments, she pulled away slightly to give him a chance to speak.
"Ino...You explained yourself to me well enough and I can tell that you aren't lying to me. Carrying around all of that guilt couldn't have been easy. Listen...We should talk more when we get the chance and you really should talk with Chouji and Shika too, but for now...I forgive you." He told her, all of her stress and guilt suddenly draining from her body. She literally fainted on the spot, leaving Naruto to carry her home and after that, head over to the Hospital to see how the others were holding up.
Nearby, Renka, Hinata and Raichi had bore witness the whole thing and after Hinata gauged her reactions with her Byakugan, she saw that Ino was 100% honest. All of that guilt had her so twisted up inside, that she was now a jumbled mess. As hard as they tried to convince themselves that it was a ploy, the fact that she was honest and open about it burned that away, making them honestly feel sympathy and pity for her. They knew there were two more slots open, slots that would have to be filled eventually, and they wanted to be sure that their fellow brides could be trusted, no duplicity in mind.
"...I think we need all need to have a talk with her and soon." Hinata summarized their thoughts, the other two agreeing.
"As much as I hate to admit it, that girl's really screwed up but trying to put her life back together. She dumped that Uchiha pissrag BEFORE she saw him perform, so I think she's salvagable." Renka added her two cents.
"I agree with Renka-chan. She actually defended Naruto-kun before he fought. I heard everything because I was sitting nearby." Raichi concluded their discussion.
"I'm glad we got that out of the way!" Renka cheered, she and her fellow fiancees marching back inside, but froze. She had forgotten something, but she just couldn't put her finger on it.
"You okay, Renka-chan?" Raichi asked.
"Yeah...Just had the wierdest feeling that I forgot something..." She muttered as her stomach rumbled.
"No use thinking on an empty stomach! C'mon...Let's go find Naru-kun and get some chow!" She cheered as they continued their march.
Just behind them, a small delegation had landed right at the gates to Konoha, the thing that Renka forgot. Two were massive men with bulbous noses walked in front of two smaller people. One was a kunoichi around 13-14 years of age and the last was a small, old man who wore the robes of the Tsuchikage.
"Ah...First time I've been to Konoha without getting jutsu flung at me left and right." Onoki remarked.
"Too many trees for my liking." Akatsuchi, the largest of the group groaned.
"I kinda like it here..." The lone female, Kurotsuchi, added with a grin.
"Air's clean here at least and I can smell something good in there." Kitsuchi, the father of the young kunoichi remarked, his nose twitching.
"Dad...Is food the only thing you think about?" She moaned.
"Men gotta eat, my dear girl! The way to a man's heart is through his belly! That Naruto boy will probably have a big appetite! All growing boys do!" The tall man chortled.
"Yeah...but, I'm kinda embarrassed, dad!" She replied indignantly as they proceeded further into the village.
"Come on you kids...That old goat Sarutobi's waiting for us." Onoki grumbled, his entourage follwing him again.
HOKAGE'S OFFICE
The group continued to draw odd stares as they ascended the steps to the Hokage's office, reaching the receptionists desk.
"Could you be a dear and tell that stubborn old goat Onoki's here to see him?" The Tsuchikage requested.
"Y-yes...Right away, Tsuchikage-sama..." She stammered as she buzzed them inside.
No sooner than they stepped inside, they saw the man they came to see talking to his two remaining students, Jiraiya and Tsunade.
"Sarutobi, you stubborn old goat. How are you and where is the young lad?" Onoki asked.
"I've been better, that much I can say. As for Naruto, he just returned from an A-Rank mission, his first as a Chuunin only an hour ago. I'd wager he's either eating his fill at Ichiraku Ramen or dozing off at home with his Greatuncle." Sarutobi replied, but had something to add.
"Also, there have been some changes as of a week ago. In the aftermath of Orochimaru's failed attempt to crush our village using Suna as his patsy, I appointed Jiraiya-kun here as my successor. He is now the Godaime Hokage, Tsunade and I his advisors. Also, Jiraiya-kun and Tsunade-chan are his godparents, so anything to do with Naruto-kun they will also have a say in it. Also, his legal guardian is on Fuurinji Hayato, if you remember him." Sarutobi added, enjoying the look of stunned surprize on his face for once.
"Consider that payback for not telling me about letting go of the grudge. Naruto-kun's pretty steamed about that."
"Why? What impact could that have made?" Onoki asked, honestly not knowing what happened, but the grim looks on their faces spoke volumes.
"Please explain." He asked, to which he was told the sad and grim story of Uzumaki Naruto's childhood and life until a month and a half ago. Then, his miraculous improvement under the right teachers when his Greatuncle discovered his existance. Next, his fights in the Chuunin Exam Finals and subsequently defeating a Jinchuuriki at full strength after so many matches.
Onoki was saddened knowing that his attempt at a joke had caused the young boy to suffer unimaginably, but he felt a bit of pride for him for how he took all that pain and channelled it into making himself stronger and better. Kitsuchi was impressed with the boy's sheer strength of will, while Kurotsuchi was even more taken with him after what she heard. She knew about the other fiancees, but that was just part of the deal, the way things went. Grooms like him were once in a limetime and she had no intention of settling down with some average nin, someone not able to keep up with her. She felt he could push her to her limits, just what she wanted.
"I...Really want to meet him...All of this just got me even more excited to finally meet him." Kurotsuchi stammered, trying like hell to regain her usual command confidence.
"I just want to ask...What got you so hot and bothered over my Godson? Just curiosity between us girls..." Tsunade asked in a conspiratorial whisper, the once confident girl reduced to blushing again.
"W-well...I think he's kinda cute...With those whisker marks and wide blue eyes, I mean! And the way he managed to rise above all that...He's the groom for me!" She almost squealed.
Note that I said almost. Kurotsuchi doesn't squeal, but she got damn close to it. Tsunade got a good chuckle out of it but asked another question.
"You do know that he has three fiancees already, right?" She asked.
"Yeah...Gramps told me about that, but I got a gut feeling he's worth it." She replied.
"Really? That's good to hear, especially when there will be one more eventually. You see, the stipulations state that there are five slots that have to be filled within one year's time. Any longer than that, he's SOL, his brides will be parceled off. That would be a real shame, since they really like the brat." Tsunade explained.
"Who are they? Will get to meet them?" She asked.
"Oh...I can guess that they want to meet you just as badly." Tsunade commented offhandedly.
"So...Hayato is the kid's Greatuncle? I can guess that Minato was his nephew." Onoki muttered as he stroked his chin.
"Who's that, Gramps?" Akatsuchi asked.
"Fuurinji Hayato, he was and is still known as the Invincible Superman, a master of martial arts to such a degree that I don't think he's even human anymore." Onoki shuddered.
"A Martial Artist can't use jutsu, so this old guy can't be that much of a threat." Akatsuchi snorted, his sister wisely keeping her mouth shut.
"The traitor Orochimaru is scared to death of him even now, and he wouldn't even come near this place without tricking Suna into attacking alongside him first. The other masters that have gathered around him are just as lethal. They are part of the reason why we never even got close to Konoha and Kumo's Sandaime Raikage was overthrown by his own shinobi because he wanted to throw all of them at the masters to avenge a loss. They were that scared of them and you should be too." Kitsuchi warned, bopping his son on the head as Jiraiya sent for one of his ANBU.
"Ushi...Locate Uzumaki Naruto for me and come back, we will go to where he is." Jiraiya instructed as the ANBU nodded and took off.
"Now...We wait."
KONOHA HOSPITAL
Naruto was wandering from room to room, seeing each of his friends that had been injured during the mission. Takeda and Kisara were in the same room, Kisara recovering from poison while Takeda had wounds to his arm and leg, but they were in pretty good spirits. On top of that, they seemed a little closer than they were before. Chiaki was recovering from over-exersion, chakra depletion, and a moderate concussion, but she was already conscious. Naruto knew Kakashi deserved his thanks for coming to their rescue when they needed him the most, at least stopping Kabuto from killing her and running off with Sakura again. The creepy part was that Kabuto recovered from having a Raikiri blowing through his chest in seemingly moments, that annoying healing ability saving that slimy bastard's hide again. the rest of the team came through with little to no injuries, Kakashi just down the hall due to exhaustion.
"Hey..." Naruto greeted.
"Hey yourself." Kakashi replied back casually as he fished for something to talk about.
"Would you believe they took away my Icha Icha? They gave me this wierd fiction book called Lord of the Rings...It's kinda interesting, though. I wouldn't mind some of that Mythril..." Kakashi stated thoughtfully.
"I never thought I'd see the day you'd read something other than that smut book." Naruto chuckled, the tension in the room draining away.
"You know...I can never be sorry enough for the way I treated you and Sakura." He finally mentioned.
"Yeah...But you really came through for us when we needed you. So...You're forgiven, Kakashi-sensei. Get better, alright?" Naruto said as he left the room.
"He forgave me...He called me sensei again..." The Copy-nin whispered as he quietly sobbed into his book, then slowly fell asleep.
DREAMSCAPE...
Kakashi awoke in his hospital bed, but the room was gone and everything was white.
"What's going on this time?" He asked aloud, hoping that someone or something would answer his question.
Kakashi...
"What the hell was that?!" He began to panic, hoping that this wasn't another nightmare.
Kakashi...You have done well...
The booming voice address him, but not in a malevolent manner. Instead, it seemed to be congradulating him as wispy shapes appeared as his side.
"Kakashi...You earned his forgivness. You helped save the last of the Uzumaki from the clutches of Orochimaru and worse. We too...Shall forgive you. Be a better teacher to your next students, okay?" Minato and Kushina thanked him.
"You really came though...Just keep it up and we'll see you up here when your time comes, alright?" Obito and Rin.
"My son...You have redeemed yourself. Do not squander this second chance that has been granted to you. Your mother and I will want to hear of your life when you join us again." Sakumo, his father.
All five of them smiled at him and then disappeared in a brilliant flash, sending him back.
END...
"They forgave me too...The nightmares are over..." He moaned in his sleep, sleeping soundly for the first time in what seemed ages as tears ran down his cheeks freely.
Finally, Naruto made his way to Karin's room, where the pretty red head was still recovering from the lung damage Kabuto dealt to her, Tayuya asleep in a chair next to the bed with her flute still in her grasp.
"Hello...Um...Naruto, right?" She asked, starting the conversation.
"Yeah...I'm Uzumaki Naruto. My mom was one." Naruto stated.
"So was mine, and Tayuya-chan's too. It's nice to know we aren't the last, we're not alone anymore." She replied, tearing up slightly from happiness.
They were safe now. Orochimaru couldn't touch them and from what they were told, the current Hokage might be able to remove the Curse Seal, thanks to some data he gleened off of the Uchiha's. A woman named Anko had hers removed only a few days ago and she never felt more free, showing that it was possible. Hopefully, with the notes and knowledge she held about Orochimaru's research, she could help counter any vile thing he came up with in the future. She would now lend her aid to the place the rest of her clan called home, where she didn't have to constantly watch her back.
"How many more are there?" She asked.
"Well...There's me, Chiaki-obasan, Sakura-chan...That's it, actually, not counting you and Tayuya-chan." Naruto replied.
"Oh...At least we're all together." Karin reasoned with a shrug.
"What are you to gonna do after you get out of here?" Naruto asked.
"I was planning on staying here, maybe get a job working at the Hospital. I did do medical research, after all." She explained.
"Maybe Tsunade-obasan will hire you on...She runs the Hospital and Shizune-neechen's her right hand. If you're lucky, she might take you on as a student." Naruto mentioned, her ears perking up.
"That sounds like a nice plan...Nice thinking, cousin." She mused aloud as the door to the room opened, revealing Jiraiya, Tsunade, Sarutobi, and five other nin bearing the Iwa symbol.
"Eh...Kyoufu? What the hell are they doing here?" Naruto asked.
"Yeah...I thought Iwa hated Konoha somethin' fierce..." Tayuya agreed, something not seeming right to her.
"Gaki...They are actually here to see you." Jiraiya replied, drawing a look surprize from the occupants of the room.
"What for?" Naruto asked, suspicious of their motives.
"I'll let the old farts here explain that." Jiraiya stepped aside, said old farts grumbling about disrespectful kids.
"Naruto-kun...This is the Sandaime Tsuchikage, Onoki. Remember what we talked about after you arrested Uchiha Sasuke?" Sarutobi asked, nudging his memory a bit. Naruto's eyes went wide, but they narrowed.
"Now I remember! That old fart thought it'd be funny to see us sweat over a grudge that didn't even exist anymore!" Naruto fumed. He may have let it go, but he was still a little steamed about it.
"I know, I know...Looking back and after hearing of it's side effects, I regret that. However, that isn't the only reason why we're here. I brought my granddaughter, Kurotsuchi, here to finally meet you in person. The betrothal between the two of you will be part of a treaty to help patch up the shaky relations between our villages." Onoki explained. Once again, Naruto had a deer in the headlights look on his face.
"Naru-chan...C'mon, kiddo. We explained all of this and I hope that Hiashi and the others have explained this to their daughters, too." Tsunade sighed.
"Whoa...What the hell just happened here?" Tayuya asked, completely bewildered, the situation explained to the two newcomers.
"Wow! Nice going, cuz! From zero to hero!" Karin teased her newfound relation.
"Well now...Shrimpy's got some animal magnitism." Tayuya joked dryly.
"Are they...two of the fiancees?" Kurotsuchi asked.
"Oh Kami NO! We're family with Naruto-kun and Tsunade-sama, his cousins!" Karin explained quickly.
"Oh...I was hoping to meet them..." Kurotsuchi trailed off as she walked up to Naruto and took his arm in hers.
"However...Naruto-kun can take me on a tour of the village!" She said cheerfully as she dragged him from the room, the boy looking to his cousins for help.
"Uh uh...You're on your own here, lover boy." Karin teased.
"Get goin', turd." Tayuya grunted as she shifted again and fell back to sleep as Kurotsuchi dragged him out the door with the others watching in amusement.
"Traitors!" Naruto complained weakly, but his insult went ignored as they vanished from the room.
"He's in for a wild time. I'm glad I'm here to see it." Tsunade.
"I'm just glad, Tayuya and I weren't the last after all. We really do belong to a family and we'll do everything we can to protect it." Karin swore as she got some rest.
A/N: Finally. I managed to eek out another chapter. I've ben super busy with my new job, which has me working 12 hours shifts and after I get off work, I just want to sleep. On top of that, my laptop took a dump on me. I would like to thank those of you who waiting patiently for this next chapter.
