Chapter 12: Flowing with the Wind

Sunagakure

Finally, they reached the village hidden in Sand. Naruto dropped Miyuki and allowed her to walk on her own feet as they made their way towards the gates. The woman had requested that she be put down, so he did. He had been moving pretty fast on his way. This made the journey short, but at the same time energy consuming because he was carrying another load on his back. He was glad that he had trained his body physically with Itachi; otherwise, he would not have survived without taking a rest in the desert. The Kyuubi did well in helping him recover his energy. But he was really spent. If there was a fight to break about now, he would surely be defeated unless he called upon the Kyuubi's chakra. But the tiredness would surely catch up to him soon.

The feeling the country gave him was very much refreshing. He could feel the wind very well. It was blowing very calmly. He could feel it gracing his skin, waiting for him to snap his fingers so he could control it. Being a master of wind was surely a good thing for him. If he lived in this kind of area where the wind was strong, he would certainly be an unprecedented foe. He was a master of the wind element, and when it was strong, he could do so many miraculous things with it. It also appeared that this place was the place he could use well to train more in his wind armor. He could very well use it here. But this was not his home. He would have to learn to use it in places where the wind was not that strong.

''You have awfully become quite,'' Miyuki commented looking at the blond who seemed to be in thought. Ever since he put her down, he had seemed to become occupied with his thoughts. She had allowed him to think for a moment but now she was curious. She wondered what was going through his head. She was not going to outright ask what he was thinking. But she had gone around.

''So have you,'' Naruto responded calmly. ''If you had been talking, I would not have been quite,'' he seemed to deflect the question. But it was all true. If she had engaged him in conversation, they would have been talking while heading towards the gates of Sunagakure. But she chose to become quite.

''You know what I mean.''

Naruto sighed. ''The wind, It is much stronger here than in any other country.''

''Well, duh? This is called the Wind country. Of course the wind will be much stronger here than in any other country,'' Miyuki responded calmly. ''But you should know that. What interests you with the wind?''

Before Naruto could answer, they came close to the gates. He noticed that there were a number of people at the gates. He had taken notice that ANBU of the Sand had picked up his presence some time ago. They must have gone back to the village and reported to the Kazekage. He was quick to notice that the Sand siblings were also standing in the middle of the gate with Gaara between his brother and sister. He narrowed his eyes at Miyuki for a moment before speaking. ''It seems our presence has even attracted the Kazekage,'' he said to her.

''It seems that way,'' the woman seemed to shrug in response.

When they reached the gates, Naruto noticed the stiff reaction of the guards but he said nothing about it. ''Well, Miyuki, it seems that we will go our separate ways from here,'' the blond stated. His eyes never looking at her, but the reaction of each person as he spoke.

The Kazekage and his sisters could hear him. But he had decided to speak with the woman first before disappearing. Temari and Kankuro seemed to tense when he called the woman by her name, he noticed this at the corner of his eyes. It seems that his suspicions were going to be proven right.

''It appears so...''

''Well, I will be seeing you.''

Before Naruto could leave, the woman spoke to him. ''Naruto,'' she called making him face her again. ''Are you gay?''

Naruto merely gave her a blank look before shaking his head. ''No...What makes you say that?'' he questioned curiously. He did not know that he left the impression that he was no interested in women.

''Well after everything, I thought you would request payment for your efforts. You have not even stolen a glance at my body. I thought you might even request a date as a form of payment,'' she stated audible enough for everyone at the gate to hear her.

''If a man shamelessly glances at your body, admiring it, you call him a pervert. When he does not, you think he is a homo. How troublesome'' Naruto responded shaking his head. ''Let me correct you then; My lack of stealing glances was not because I do not admire you. You are a beautiful woman. I have no doubt that the Kazekage would agree with me on that one,'' he looked at Gaara at the corner of his eyes. The man did not visibly react. But he saw something in those eyes. ''Your body is also quite desirable. I would be lying to myself if I said it was not. By the way your bust was comforting my back, it took some self-control to hold myself from halting to request a lap dance in the middle of the desert.''

''...''

"But of course I was merely joking about the last part." Naruto smiled.

''I was not expecting that kind of honestly. But still, you can't disappear without being paid,'' Miyuki stated. ''I will pay you any price you name. You did save my life. And carried me all the way here.''

Naruto merely smiled slightly. ''You did mention something about a date. But I would rather not call it that, how about dinner some day when I am around the wind country?''

''Sure, that will be great.'' The woman seemed rather excited by the thought.

Naruto nodded and walked towards Gaara and his siblings. ''Hello, Kazekage-sama,'' he greeted politely, surprising the siblings with his attitude. This is certainly new. Naruto was not this calm and they never thought he would greet so politely acknowledging that Gaara has more authority than him.

''Naruto, are you aware that woman is the Feudal Lord of the Wind country?'' Gaara questioned quietly, loud enough for Naruto to hear him. The only response the blond gave was a raised brow.

''...and you just asked her out on a date. She practically jumped to say yes. Lucky bastard,'' Kankuro whispered to the blond.

Naruto shook his head. ''I am not surprised. The guards were ready to bow before her when we came here. But she gave them a warning with her eyes. This also explains your presence here'' he paused for a moment. What were the odds? Things could work well for him. He was not going to act all surprised and start to bow his head over the Daimio. He had to play things right. ''I am really tired. I will you see later. I am going to look for a hotel to rest,'' the blond stated in a slight tired voice.

''Hold on Naruto,'' Gaara said. ''You are a friend. Although I would wish to speak with about what had just happened here, I can see that you are tired. Temari will take you to our home, you can rest there.''

Naruto merely nodded, as Temari demanded that he follow her. Nothing seemed to have changed with her as much as he could see from the woman. The blond said nothing to her though. He merely allowed her to usher him to a place of rest.

''Daimyo-sama,'' Gaara greeted as the woman stepped closer to him after Naruto had walked away. She seemed to have been waiting for the blond to leave.

''There is no need for that, Kazekage. Have some of your shinobi to prepare for my leave. I will have to leave tomorrow morning,'' her tone had changed from that she had been using with Naruto to that of one used to be in authority. ''Now let us go to your office so we can discuss business and your friendship with the son of Konoha's Yellow Flash.''

Gaara nodded and looked at Kankuro. ''You heard her,'' he merely stated. The elder brother nodded and went his way. ''Please, follow me.''

Gaara's office

''This is my second time coming here ever since I took over from my father, isn't it?'' Miyuki stated looking straight at the impassive Jinchuriki in front of her. They were already sitting down in Gaara's office. She spoke first, seeing that the Kage seemed to have been waiting for her to gather her thoughts.

''Yes,'' Gaara responded with a curt nod.

''It is still the same as I remember. I would have thought it might have changed. But then again, nothing seems to change in a Kage's office except for one who sits behind the desk,'' the Wind Daimyo stated calmly.

Gaara was quite for a few moments. He was trying to formulate how he would put his words. He did not want to sound too disrespectful to the Daimyo. Over the past years, Sunagakure has never had a good relationship with the Wind Daimyo. But since Miyuki took charge, she seemed to be willing to change things between Suna and the council of the Daimyo. The first time they spoke, she seemed to be willing to speak with him kindly. He did not want to mess that up by acting or speaking in a way that would not please her. He knew well enough how Daimyo's were about respect. But this woman seemed to be a little different.

The kind of conversation she was having with the blond was not what he would expect. She did not even wear the clothes of the Wind Daimyo when not doing important things. Still, she spoke to Naruto like she was some woman and he was some guy. She did not even tell him of her status, but Naruto did not seem to be too surprised about it when he informed him of it. She had practically suggested a date with him. It was still a surprise to him how Naruto was more than willing to say they have dinner together. The two seemed to speak well with each other, but they did not know about each other that well, since it seems that they just came across while heading here. He would have to enquire more about that.

Good thing for Gaara, Miyuki seemed to read some of his thoughts.''You are wondering how I came across Naruto?'' the Sand Kage nodded. ''Well you must have noticed that I did not have my guards with me. As you know, Daimyo's always travel with guards to protect them. But I am having none of them.''

''I was curious about that. But you mention about him saving you...''

''Well, I was travelling from the Fire Capital going back home. We were attacked by some bandits, but my guards dealt with them. However some of my guards lost of their lives. We were attacked again before we could leave the borders of the Fire country. Some of us survived,'' she paused for a moment. ''I thought we would not be attacked again once we entered into the River country, but I was wrong, when the third assault came, I was only left with four guards, but they were also killed.''

Gaara was silent as he absorbed everything. ''...So that is when Naruto came.''

Miyuki nodded with a small smile. ''Yes, he took care of the bandits before coming to me. Had it not been for him, I would have been somewhere else held captive,'' she stated. 'Doing God knows what,' she finished in thought.

''It was fortunate that he was able to come and rescue you. The time of it is quite baffling though. However, some people do have some luck in appearing at the right time,'' Gaara responded quietly. He dared not think that the blond had something to do with the attacks. He might seem to have changed, but something like that was beyond him.

''That you are right about.''

''By the nature of the attacks, the logical conclusion would be that someone powerful is behind them.''

Miyuki fixed Gaara a serious look that changed the atmosphere within the office. ''Someone is after me. And I did not leave the Fire capital in agreement with everyone. I would suspect that someone from the Fire capital is after me. I am giving you an opportunity to prove your worth and that you are capable. I want you to prove to me that I have not made a mistake in planning to increase your funding. Should you find out who was trying to have me killed, and bring the evidence to me, I will ensure that Suna is never abandoned by the Wind country.''

''I will find out who is behind the attacks and hand them to you, Daimyo-sama. You have my word on that,'' Gaara spoke in clear determination to make true to his word. He would certainly not fail. Still, he knew that this was not a task that could guarantee that he was capable as a leader. She was just making things easy for him. But even so, he would not fail.

''I expect nothing less from the youngest Kage in the history of the Elemental Nations,'' she seemed to lose her serious expression.

''Did Naruto tell you that he is the son of the Yondaime Hokage?'' Gaara asked curiously. There has been a rumor roaming around the nations that the Yondaime Hokage had left a son. But Konoha was not confirming anything nor denying anything. Their resemblance spoke the truth though. Especially since Naruto seemed to mature and allowed his hair to grow. One could not deny that Uzumaki Naruto is the son of the late Hokage of Konoha.

''No,'' Miyuki responded shaking her head slightly. ''He did not even tell me his family name. Now that I think of it, he gave me nothing, it was just his name. All I learned from him is something anyone can see if they look close enough. But that does not matter anyway. I know because it is my business as a Daimyo to know everything if not most things about my allies. Wouldn't you agree that it would be a benefit us if another yellow flash was in good terms with us?''

''It certainly would be. Though, I don't think of Naruto in that way,'' the Kazekage added carefully. He was not about to agree into using the blond. Naruto was much valuable and a good person to be used by him or anyone.

''I am not suggesting that we use him. I am merely stating a fact. And besides, it has come to my attention that you consider him a friend,'' he is also quite a nice guy, I would not mind being acquitted to him, the Wind Daimyo finished in thought. ''Tell me, how close are you to him?''

''We are not that close. I don't know everything about him personally. What I do know is that he has a good heart and was the one who made me see what was important. He opened my eyes. You know about my...past. Had it not been for him, I might still have been the same person as I was. As such, I consider him my first friend because of that. He is also quite similar to me in some ways.''

''Is he a Jinchuriki, too?'' that was the first thought that came into the Daimyo when the red haired said the blond was similar to him. She could only think he was like him in that way.

Gaara thought before responding. He nodded, ''Yes.''

''What more do you think of him, as a shinobi, as a person, as a Jinchuriki?'' the woman seemed genially curious about her question. Now Gaara was not going to deny her that. It was just his thoughts. She was merely asking his opinion; he would give it to her as honest as he could.

''I don't know much as a shinobi. But I have heard that he never gives up no matter what odds he is faced with. I can say that it is quite true given my experience in my battle with him. As a person, he seems to hold dear to his loved ones. As a Jinchuriki, he is a better person than I am. Jinchurikis suffer the same fate. When I was up against my fate, I lost my self in darkness. But he did not, even when he had no family. But I had my brother and sister who were always by my side, no matter how many times I threatened to kill them. I failed to see that they cared and only cared for myself. But he chose to care for other people, for the village that resented him, and never lost his way. Overall, I believe he is a better person than I am,'' Gaara gave his honest response to the woman sitting before him.

''So Naruto is quite an interesting shinobi,'' the Daimyo paused for a moment. ''Were you aware that he was coming to visit you?''

Gaara shook his head, no.

The Daimyo nodded before standing up. ''I will discuss much with you about our own relations in the coming weeks when I return here. Right now, I need to rest. Naruto was moving way too fast for my comfort,'' well, she did not complain about it. She only held on firmly behind him as he dashed across the desert.

Gaara stood up quickly. ''I will show you your place for rest.''

Later that day (Konoha)

Tsunade sighed as she finished off her last paperwork for the day. She could not help but feel that this peace she was enjoying was not going to last that very long. It has been indeed so peaceful since she took charge of the village. At the moment, Konoha was in no conflict with any other village and she had no enemies that could give her headaches. Well, there was Orochimaru, but she could rest for a while knowing her former teammate would not attack recklessly after last time. She was still here and so was Jiraiya. The two of them could handle anything her sadistic former teammate could throw at them. The village also had some strong ninja's but she did not think that many of them could handle a sannin like Orochimaru. Still, the village was at peace. She was mainly doing the usual staff that did not have her worried about the safety of the village. Akatsuki were gone, there was little to worry. She could not help that this peace was going to shatter soon.

Perhaps she was just over thinking things. But one thing was certain, as she has discovered in all her days living in this cruel world, peace never lasted for too long. One day you could smile and laugh thinking that everything was alright, but then in just bang, a kunai pierces you from behind. It was like that in this world. You always had to be watching your back, even in peaceful times. Within her office, there were ANBU, always watching her to ensure that no one tried anything. If a threat were to come to her, they would hurry to appear in no time to rescue her. Still, she was in peace.

There was Naruto; Jiraiya had informed him that the blond would return soon. But it had been a few days now and there was still nothing. It seemed to her that the blond liked being away from Konoha. She did not even know what he was doing after he separated from Jiraiya. She did not like it. But she had to accept that Naruto was not that same stupid gaki he was back then. However, he was still a brat, but she had to admit that he had matured well, enough to take care of himself. Perhaps that is what bothered her. She wanted to care for him, protect him. She did not want to feel useless. Caring for him was not enough for her. She felt that she had to protect him with all her might. Was that wrong of her to feel that way? She shook her head no. There was nothing wrong with wanting to protect someone that was precious your her heart.

''Naruto again?'' Shizune said, seeing the faraway look on Tsunade's face. She only got that look when she was thinking of the blond. She had to admit that her master did worry about the blond too much than she should. She also cared for Naruto, but she had faith in him to believe that he could take care of himself.

''Yes,'' Tsunade responded slowly. ''I am just wondering where he went after leaving Jiraiya. It has been a few days since they separated. And I would have thought that he would be returning to the village soon.''

''He may be taking some time to relax away from the village,'' Shizune responded, not too concerned about it.

''I highly doubt it,'' Tsunade paused for a moment and then narrowed her eyes to the door as she saw it open. Danzou walked inside the office with his annoying look and narrowed eyes. ''How many times must I tell you to knock before you enter my office Danzou?'' the Godaime spoke with a stern face.

Danzou wisely ignored her question and got into more important matters ignoring the fact that Shizune was inside. He knew that she would be told what he discussed with the woman. So her presence was not a factor. ''I have received a report from one of my agents.''

This pulled Tsunade's interest and she forgot all about his behavior. ''What is it?'' she asked in a serious tone. It must have been important for the man to come all the way to her to inform her about it. But she wondered why he would come to tell her. Perhaps he was more interested in seeing her reaction. There was not everything that the old war hawk would discuss with her.

''Uzumaki Naruto, no rather Namikaze Naruto as he calls himself now was seen crossing the Rain borders a few days ago. I was not aware that he was assigned any missions to that village. And I highly doubt that he went there on your orders,'' the eyes of the 'cripple'' were firmly on the Godaime to narrow her reaction.

''Are you certain about this, Danzou?'' she drawled the war hawks name. She did not know anything about this. Jiraiya had not told her about it. This must have been after he left Jiraiya. She was damn curious. She would get to the bottom of this as soon as the blond came back.

''Yes.'' Danzou got what he wanted from the blonde Hokage. What he did not tell Tsunade was that Naruto was not hiding his entrance in Rain. With the boys unique Shadow clone Jutsu, he could easily sneak into the village without exposing his identity. The blond was also fast enough to avoid patrol ANBU. But Tsunade did not need to know that.

''…Thank you for informing me, Danzou. You can leave, now.''

Not so surprisingly to Tsunade, Danzou left the room quietly.

Meanwhile (Sunagakure)

It was very surprising for Temari to see a guy who said he had been tired and needed rest and was now in a training ground. Darkness had yet to take over. But the blond had said he was tired about at least three hours ago and now he was in a training ground with little light around him. She could see so could he. But she did not expect him to be in a training ground when he had sounded very tired earlier during day. She shook her head, perhaps it was a habit of man. She knew with her brother, Kankuro, that even when he was just released from the hospital, she would find him trying to get better with his puppets. However, she was always ready to smack him on the back of his head with her fan if she caught him in the act.

''It is not really nice to stare at someone like that,'' Naruto spoke snapping Temari out of her thought process. With the wind blowing like this, he could feel any presence within a certain distance around him. It made this place like his home ground. Just as it was impossible to sneak behind Gaara, it was impossible to sneak behind him when he was in this kind of environment.

Temari had not realized that she was staring. She had been caught up in her thoughts. ''I thought you were tired,'' she stated, brushing off the fact that she had been staring.

''I was.'' Naruto responded quietly, looking straight at Temari.

''If you were tired you would not be in this training ground,'' Temari responded never taking her eyes of the blond, who was now walking towards her in a slow pace.

''I was not doing anything that could be categorized as a physical activity and potentially tiring,'' the blond stated calmly.

Temari could not argue with that. She found the blond motionless when she came here. So she could not say that he was doing any physical activity. She also did not even sense any usage of chakra when she came here. There was no way to retort so she settled for shaking her head. ''Gaara is back at home.'' She did not need to say anything further.

''I thought he would go back home later on,'' Naruto stated, standing in front of Temari.

He definitely has changed and matured, the blonde sister of the Kazekage noted. Well at least he was not that annoying loudmouthed brat he used to be. ''He decided to leave his office early today.''

Naruto nodded and raised his right towards Temari. The woman tracked the hand as it fell on her shoulder. Before she could open her mouth, they disappeared into nothingness.

Kazekage resident

''I could have gotten back here by myself, you know,'' Temari said a little bit annoyed that Naruto had the audacity to move her around without even asking her permission. Who the hell just walks onto a girl and teleports her to another place without telling her first? What if she had retaliated and kicked him thinking he was taking her somewhere else?

''I will remember that next time,'' Naruto responded, not so much concerned about Temari's annoyed look. ''Perhaps if there is a next time, I will leave you by yourself after you had come to call me.''

That was certainly not the response Temari expected. ''That is not what I am saying.''

''Then explain. It would be a bothersome task to try to analyze the meaning of your words myself if you are standing right in front of me,'' Naruto stated in a light tone. He did not seem annoyed nor interested in the conversation he was having with Temari.

''I am trying to say that you should say so when you are going to do something like that next time. It is not polite to just do something like you just pulled,'' her annoyed expression seemed to grow into her voice. But still, it did not bother her fellow blond.

''Polite?'' it seemed to amuse Naruto slightly. ''I did not know you used the term. Considering all my interactions with you, you seemed to be nothing but polite. Even earlier at the gate, you demanded that I follow you. Isn't it hypocrital for you to say something like that?''

''Tch,'' Temari growled. But she did not answer the question. She did not think the blond would backtalk her like that.

''Ah, women with anger issues sometimes amuse me,'' Naruto stated in a barely audible voice, but Temari heard him. He was not expecting her to hear him, but it served no consequence, if she actually heard him.

''What did you just say?'' Temari questioned with a slight glare. Her hands were already grabbing her fan. She did not seem to appreciate what the blond had just said.

''Judging by your reaction; you heard me,'' the blond then folded his hands across his chest. His words only infuriated Temari further. But Naruto seemed oblivious to it, or he just did not care. ''Women with anger issues are often impatient, and often resort to violence to settle things. Your stance now makes me presume that you are just about to do that. Do you disagree?''

Temari glared. She was itching to smack the blond in the face with her cold steel fan. But it would just prove that he was right. She could not admit that she was a woman with anger issues. She did not want to give him the satisfaction of thinking he was right. But then again, who cares? Before she could prove Naruto right, Gaara spoke.

''I see you two are getting along,'' the Sand Jinchuriki stated walking over to them with his older brother walking by his right hand side.

''It appears so,'' Naruto responded, causing Temari's left eye to twitch slightly.

''Come on, let us go out to get something to eat,'' Kankuro stated impatiently before Gaara could respond to Naruto.

Naruto raised a curious eye brow before speaking. ''If it is not too much to ask, but I have been eating meals cooked in restaurants over the past weeks. I would rather eat something cooked ''home'.''

Both Gaara and Kankuro seemed to narrow their eyes at Temari who glared at them as if daring them to say something. Naruto noticed this quite well. ''I just thought it would better since it is your first time coming here.''

''While I appreciate the thought, I would rather eat something cooked here,'' the two males seemed to be hesitant to speak. Naruto shook his head slightly before looking back at Temari. ''Will you show me the kitchen, Temari?'' he seemed to be a little excited about the idea of cooking.

''Why me?''

''Hmm?'' Naruto gave the blonde a blank look. ''Isn't it obvious? You are the woman in this house, should I request Gaara or Kankuro to show me the kitchen? Isn't it your responsibility to take care of your brothers?''

Temari restrained herself and dragged her fellow blond to the kitchen. This seemed to amuse Gaara slightly. But Kankuro was the first to speak. ''If it had been anyone, he would have been hit already. What do you think is making her restrain herself?''

Gaara shrugged.

''100ryo that Naruto won't leave this place without being hit by her fan,'' Kankuro added, not even bothered by the fact that Gaara did not answer his question.

But it seemed like Gaara was actually thinking about it...

Later

The four were sitting around the dinning table with the food nicely prepared. Naruto had taken his time to prepare the meal, they waited for him patiently. They did not normally eat dinner at home like this. It was in those rare occasions since Gaara always returned late from his work. His work as Kazekage required that he worked long hours. And since he was the leader of the village, food was often prepared for him within the Kazekage tour. This means that he did not always eat at home. Both Temari and Kankuro were top jonins, meaning they were always busy. They did not spend each night at home. Even when Gaara was going somewhere, they left with him since they were his personal guards.

It was quite good and refreshing to eat dinner together like a family.

''Where did you learn to cook like this, Naruto?'' Gaara asked quietly. The food the blond had prepared was delicious. He could not say that it topped all the meals that he had eaten. But for food cooked by a shinobi like Naruto, it was surprisingly good.

''I have been living on my own since I was six years old,'' he did not have to explain further on that. They understood clearly that if he was living alone, he had no one to cook for him, thus he had to cook for himself. They Sand siblings also knew that the blond had no family to speak of, so there was no need for Naruto to explain on that further.

''I was told the only food you ate was Ramen?'' Kankuro stated with a raised eye brow. Naruto had been quite famous for his consumption of Ramen. Everybody who knew him knew that he only ate Ramen. Perhaps, his Intel was a bit outdated. It had been more than three years since he saw the blond.

''That is not necessarily true. I just used to eat much of it than any other food,'' Naruto responded taking his eyes to Kankuro for a second. ''But during the past three years, I learned to cook more healthy food. And that is how I got used to eating the meals I prepare myself.''

Kankuro nodded. ''Well at least some of us can cook,'' he said in a whisper. But everyone heard him. It seems that it was directed to Temari because his eyes were narrowed at the blonde jonin. She responded by glaring at her brother.

''What is that supposed to mean?'' she asked in a dangerously low, tone.

''Nothing,'' Kankuro wisely responded so not to get into another word contest with his sister. He knew that if he did, it would end up with him being smacked in the head. He would rather not have that for now. He just wanted to eat and then go fix his puppets without a headache.

Gaara saw that Temari was not going to let it go. He spoke in a calm tone. ''Temari, Kankuro, you should behave in front of our guest,'' he spoke in a tone of finality that left no room for argument. Both his siblings nodded stiffly.

This seemed to amuse Naruto. Temari saw the look on his face, ''What is so funny?''

Naruto shook his head, nothing. ''Quite a family this is,'' he said. But that was not what got him to smile. he was smiling at the fact that before Gaara had changed, his siblings followed his instructions, and even now they still do. The only difference was that he no longer threatened to kill them.

''So, Naruto, how long will you stay here?'' Gaara asked quietly.

''A few days, perhaps a week,'' Naruto responded. ''I want to take advantage of the wind around here to do some ''light'' training.'' He added. It would depended on how long he manages to get something done of his wind technique. He needed to get something done in this kind of place. Still, to perfect it, he would have to come back here and spend perhaps month training.

Gaara nodded, with something akin to a smile forming on his lips. But it was only for a second as it disappeared. But Naruto's perceptive eyes caught it. ''Should I inform the Godaime Hokage of this? You mentioned that you have been eating food from restaurants; by that I would assume that you have not been in Konoha over the past month. And she might not be aware of your visit here.''

Perceptive, Naruto noted. He had not told anyone that he had not been in Konoha over the past month. But Gaara had caught up to it given his little detail. ''Do that. I would not want any unnecessary trouble to come to you over nothing.'' It was highly unlikely, but in the Elemental Nations, one just could not take that chance. It was always for your own good to be perceptive and make precautions. Little things could cause a rift between two villages.

''I will send a messenger bird tomorrow to inform her of your stay,'' Gaara said before something came to his mind. ''Before I forget. The Daimyo said you ought to be at the gate early in the morning tomorrow before she leaves.''

''Did she say what she wanted?'' Naruto asked curiously.

''No,'' Gaara answered shaking his head slightly.

Naruto said nothing on further on the matter. Perhaps she may want to thank him for the services he provided her. It was all right. It was not every day that you find yourself saving the life of a pleasant Daimyo. She was quite an attractive woman, Naruto would agree. Perhaps next time he may get to know her more and see if he can get things to work for the good of the shinobi world.

''How did you even get the Daimyo to like you, Naruto?'' Kankuro questioned. He sounded genially curious. The blond looked at the older teen with a raised eye brow. He wondered why the man seemed so curious about getting a response from him.

''Ah, you have a crush on her,'' He stated. Neither Gaara nor Temari seemed surprised by this. It seemed that they all knew that their brother had a liking to their Daimyo. ''Well for starters; I was not wearing face paint. And I was polite. And the rest, you should ask Temari about how to get woman to like you. I do wonder if she will give you a good advice though.''

''What is that supposed to mean?!'' Temari glared at the blond. She felt insulted by his words. Her glare seemed to have no effect on Naruto though.

''You are Temari,'' Naruto responded as though the answer was obvious. He shifted his attention to Kankuro. ''You should try your luck on other woman though. Miyuki won't go for you.''

Talk about crushing a guy's hopes in one go. ''What is wrong with me?''

''Nothing,'' Naruto responded with a shrug. ''Perhaps if you were Gaara, it would have given you a point. But don't listen to me, I am just saying my thoughts, I don't her too much.''

''Huh? You are nothing special and my father was the Kazekage. Now my brother is the Kazekage. I am also a top jonin in Suna, How can she have a problem with me calling her by her name while she smiles like when you do it?''

''...and a grown man who plays with puppets. Some women do not find that attractive.''

Gaara decided to respond to the question, since it appeared that Naruto was not going to answer. ''You are missing something, Kankuro. Naruto saved her life. And he is the son of the most famous man in the elemental Nations. You also know nothing about his skills. But I am positive he is stronger than you. He did defeat me three years ago while you could not.''

''Unlike before, I am not quite oblivious and I am generally good with people when I want to be. My line of work also dictated that I understand women,'' Naruto added calmly.

Temari scoffed, ''Yeh right,'' she said.

Naruto wisely ignored Temari. He did not want to get into a pointless argument with her. Gaara remembered that the old Naruto would have surely tried to prove Temari wrong. But this one was wise enough to remain calm. ''You have changed a lot, Naruto,'' the Godaime Kazekage stated smoothly.

The following day

The sun had yet to take its shift as Naruto stood at the gates of Sunagakure. He was used to waking up this early in the morning, so having to meet with the Daimyo this time was of no bother to him. Gaara had also waken him up. They left together as both headed to their different directions. He would meet with the Kazekage and talk with him after speaking with Miyuki. They did not talk about anything last night; this was a chance to speak since last night had been a night of introductions. After meeting Gaara, he would certainly hit the training grounds. He needed to perfect his jutsu before doing anything else. He had lot of things to improve on as a shinobi. Perhaps the training may help with his troubling thoughts. He had to be careful so not to slip up because of his thoughts. Itachi had trained him better.

Speaking of the Uchiha, he had been busy setting up a spy network for them to use. With Jiraiya's network also working, it would be easy for him to get to know everything that happens around. Jiraiya had also proposed on showing him a few things about spying. He hinted that he had the speed and stealth to be a good spy. There was also the fact he had the brains to make good decisions and not decisions based on his emotions. The Sannin wanted to show him the ropes since he would need someone to succeed him after he retired as a shinobi. Naruto had entertained the thought, given the chance he would take on Jiraiya's offer and look into all of Jiraiya's contacts.

He still had met an interesting fellow that would solve all those problems, but he was keeping his options clear. Nevertheless, as it stood, he would take the offer.

For now, he had to focus on dealing with his wind Jutsus. It was the best element he could manipulate freely and his natural affinity. Wind was his nature, he could flow and move with it. Sunagakure was giving him the chance to perfect his manipulation over the element. Itachi had commented that his manipulation of Wind was far beyond anyone he knew. It was still not enough for Naruto. Even though he could do most wind Jutsus with a single hand seal and some without hand seals, it was still not enough. If he could perfect the wind armor, then he could say that he was satisfied. The Nidaime manipulated water like a god of the suiton element; he also wanted to manipulate wind like the god of wind.

Looking back, Naruto saw some Sand jonins, led by the man he recognized as Baki, Gaara's former sensei. Given that the man was probably the strongest jonin in the village, Naruto no doubt knew that the Kazekage was trying to ensure that the Daimyo was kept safe. It would look good for Sand if the woman went back home safely. It was a good move on Gaara to do so. Sunagakure was not very stable, economically. The village was in a good condition, but being in the good books of their Daimyo would get them to thrive even further.

The Daimyo was being was being carried in a luxurious carrier, certainly worthy of a Daimyo. It stopped at the gate and the door opened. ''Come in,'' the woman stated showing Naruto inside. The blond did not hesitate to get in. He noticed that once he got in, the carrier started moving again. He did not question it though. The woman next to him gave him a warm smile and held out her hand. ''Miyuki, Feudal Lord of the Wind Country.''

Naruto took her hand and shook it. ''Namikaze Naruto, Jonin of Konohagakure,'' he stated, introducing himself. They had never gone into the full introductions the first time they met. Naruto figured, the woman wanted to start new.

''It is nice to meet you, Naruto,'' her smile never faltered as she spoke.

''Likewise, Daimyo-sama,'' Naruto responded politely with a small bow of his head. He was certainly not mocking the woman. He was just being polite and respectful to those in higher authority than him.

''Please call me, Miyuki. You have addressed as me such before. There is no need to change that now because you know I am the Daimyo of the Wind country,'' Miyuki stated softly.

Naruto nodded. He did not need to be told twice about that. When someone requested he did something like this he would. He knew that it would make her comfortable, if he called her in the way she wanted. ''I was told that Daimyo's were always males and old folks. I did not know that someone young as yourself would be accepted as the most powerful person in the Wind country.''

Miyuki chuckled softly. ''It was not easy being accepted and mind you, I was still 19 when I assumed the mantle. It took me about two years to get everything in order inside the capital moving looking into other things. But I only became Daimyo because my father had no other children other than me.''

''It must have been a delight being the only child of the Daimyo,'' Naruto said. He had to have spoiled her very much being his only child. But given her age, he could say that her father must have been young, or must have married a young woman to bear his child. If he had been young, then he his death must have been planed or must have died by sickness. It also did not explain her mother. He had never heard her say anything about her mother.

''It was, but not always. Father would have never allowed anyone to rule our country. Even if he was still alive, he would have ensured that I was the one to succeed him.''

Later that Day (Konoha)

Orochimaru was happy, no he was ecstatic. He had never been happy like this in all his lengthy life. Ever since he started using his immortality jutsu, he had never been able to use all his full power; he had never been able to use all the techniques he had learned. The main reason was that he did not have the perfect body. The bodies that housed him were fragile and could not contain all his power. It always limited him in battle. But now he no longer had to worry about that. He had an eternal body - A body that could allow him to live as long as he wanted. But he wanted to live eternally; his body would allow him to do that. Life was just better now. He had to thank Kabuto though. He would have never thought of making something like this. Now he could do anything without fear. Not that he ever feared anything to begin with.

''Orochimaru, before my eyes, all your ninjutsu is useless,'' Itachi had stated those words when he had attempted to steal the Uchiha's body. It had been embarrassing to hear that boy rub those words against him. But now he wondered if Itachi would still be able to say those words. He was now in possession of the Sharingan, the very eyes Itachi was proud of, and he could use these eyes very well. Most of his body was created using Hashirama's cells, and also the cells of many powerful men he had studied over the years. The body was also had the same DNA as the weapon's because they each had one thing in common, the power of all nine Bijuus.

He could not help himself from grinning like a madman. He had never felt so alive in his time living. The secrets of the world awaited him. He could not wait to see the look on Danzo's face when he showed the war hawk who was in charge. He did not fear the man, not with all these power. Danzou's own secret power was crafted by him. The man could not surprise him with anything. Yes, he was the perfect being. There was no one who could stop him now. He started laughing, madly, again as he walked within the dark corridors of ROOT ANBU. Danzo was surely waiting for him.

He had been indeed right. The man had known of his presence and ordered his ROOT from attacking him. He allowed the snake sannin to make his way towards him so he could deal with the treacherous snake himself. He could not forgive the snake for what it has done.

''Kukukukukuku kukkukukukuku,'' Orochimaru let loose of a full blown laughter as he saw Danzo looking at him like a hawk. The man saw himself as above him, but he was going to prove the fool wrong. The ROOT commander only narrowed his eyes as Orochimaru started laughing. ''Why the long look Danzo?'' Orochimaru questioned mockingly. He walked further until he was just in front of Danzo - who was sitting on his throne.

''Your arrogance has always been your biggest weakness, Orochimaru,'' Danzo stated calmly, watching Orochimaru closely. ''Do you think I will let you leave this base alive after what you did?''

''What I did?'' Orochimaru questioned innocently. ''What have I done to offend you, Danzo?'' he kept his expression innocent as though he did not know what Danzo was talking about. He was playing as though he was just an innocent man being accused of a crime he did not commit.

Danzo narrowed his eyes. ''You know what I am talking about, Orochimaru,'' he never lost his patience. He knew the Sannin very well to know that he was faking it all. He was just playing. This was all fun for the snake sannin. But he would not indulge in any of Orochimaru's games.

''I do know what you are talking about,'' Danzou could sense a 'but' that was coming, and it came. ''But, I have not yet done anything. Only Kabuto snuck in here. Well he is the best when it comes to infiltration. Infiltrating a place like this was not that of a hard task, especially since he knows it so well.''

''Kabuto works for you. Anything he does is on you. My agents are already searching for him. When they find him, I will deal with him. But first thing first, where is my weapon?''

''Tsk, tsk, Danzo,'' Orochimaru shook his head, never losing his grin as he shook his head. ''As if your agents could ever capture Kabuto even when outnumbered... But as for the weapon, it ran away. If you want it, you can go and look for it. But,'' Orochimaru's grin widened. ''It may kill you as it is uncontrollable.''

Danzo narrowed his eyes further. ''You failed me and then stole from me,'' the ROOT commander stood up and motioned his right hand for his agents to appear. Within seconds, a hundred of shadows surrounded both man. ''You know too much and I cannot allow you to live on.''

''Tying up loose ends aren't we, Danzou?'' Orochimaru did not seem to be concerned by the appearance of the Ne agents. In fact, he seemed to get slightly excited. ''Let me show you that you are nothing compared to me Danzo,'' with that the Sharingan flared to life, surprising the ROOT agents, but not Danzo. ''But don't worry, I am feeling merciful today, I won't kill your dogs.'' With that the Sannin turned towards the Root agents. He gave him a malicious grin. ''Shall we?''

Minutes later

''That was rather entertaining. But it was to be expected on ROOT ANBU,'' Orochimaru stated re-growing his left arm which had been cut off. Most of the ROOT Anbus were lying down on the floor, unconscious. Some had been accidentally killed because Orochimaru got a little too excited. Only two were remaining standing, they were Danzo's personal guards. They were standing next to their master.

Danzou appeared calm in the outside. But deep inside, he was seething. This was an embarrassment, one he could not permit. How dare that snake do that to him?! He would make Orochimaru pay for his. This great blasphemy could not go unpunished. Orochimaru would pay for this humiliation, he swore it.

''Stay away from Kabuto, that is if you know what is good for you. For now, I am happy with just watching you play around in Konoha. I am interested in seeing if you will succeed in becoming Hokage,'' Orochimaru took out a file and threw it at the war hawk. ''That file contains all the data I have been able to get on Naruto-kun, and all his fighting stats. I am sure you will find it worthwhile.''

Orochimaru gave a mock bow to Danzo. ''Until next time, Danzo-sama,'' what followed then was another chilling laughter that echoed throughout the base as the snake sannin disappeared into thin air.

''Should we pursue him, Danzo-sama?''

''No,'' Danzo shook his head slightly. ''His day will come.'' He sat down calmly. "Prepare my visit to the feudal Lord."

"Hai, Danzo-sama"

That concludes chapter 12. I will post chapter 13 next week.

Admit it; you were not expecting a young female like Miyuki to be the feudal Lord of the wind country.

I have plans for Sasuke, but he will not be seen much in the story, until later on. I won't say much about it though. I was having some trouble on how I was going to deal with him that is why I had kept him within the shadows of Konoha. While in the shadows, he can come out smelling like roses or just plain evil.

Naruto x Miyuki may or may not happen.

And no Konan, neither Yugito.

I will be honest with how I invented Miyuki; the green hair is after CC, from Code Geass, and Miyuki from Tatsuya's sister in Mahouka…. whatever. And the rest was me and some of Mei's personality.

Pervysage; thanks for the note. I will take that into consideration.

People have different thoughts about the weapon, and what its functionality will be. Well, you will have to just wait and see what troubles Orochimaru's pet will be causing in this story.

Sir Robert Mulaudzi