Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto nor the X-Men. If I did, I would be rich, powerful and have millions of geeks and freaks at my every whim…wait, that would include myself…ah well, on with the show.
"(English)"
Chapter 21
"You're kidding." Naruto said.
Wanda shook her head. "Zabuza vanished, the Demon brothers each had a poison tooth and the hunter nin is a girl."
Shaking his head as he looked over at his sensei who was talking with Tazuna. "Creed was here, he healed enough while we were cleaning out Gato's place. I went too easy on him."
Wanda put a hand on her nephew's shoulder. "Creed's like a cockroach. Logan's had him many times and he's slithered away." She smiled. "Your girlfriends did very well."
Naruto sighed. "What am I going to do?"
She followed his line of sight where X-23, Marrow, Ino and Hinata were talking and from where he was, it looked rather heated, but thankfully none of them were pulling weapons or using powers.
"As a parent I should tell you to pick one lady and tell the others gently that you are happy." Wanda said with a grin.
"And I'm sure that's what you're going to tell TJ when she dates."
"Damn right."
"But as my aunt?" he asked.
Wanda laughed and Naruto sighed. "You suck." He muttered and wandered away leaving a chuckling Scarlet Witch behind. "Chaos is life Naruto." She called after him.
He found Beast working on the X-Jet. "Why so glum my young friend?"
"My life is complicated."
Beast was hanging upside down using his feet while working on some of the wiring in an exposed panel.
"Nonsense." Beast said.
"Beast, I have two girls here who from the day I got here made it their mission to date me. Back home, Sara and Laura are, and now all four of them are…(shudder) talking civilly."
Beast grinned at this.
"Add in that as parent figures we have Callisto, Logan, then Ino's parents and no matter what I do, I'm screwed, not to mention what mom will say."
Beast chuckled. "And yet I noticed you didn't mention your father in there."
Naruto snorted. "Papa will be proud and try and give me pointers."
Beast outright laughed. "That is true. But what of young Jubilee? I did not here you mention her infatuation with you in this serial we call your life."
Naruto smirked. "Marrow mentioned to me she's transferred to Boston and might have a boy there she likes."
Beasts face took on a thoughtful expression. "Hm, I do recall Emma mentioning something."
Naruto sighed. "So you all going back?"
"Yes. Our time here was limited, and I am sure your mother will need to be reassured."
Naruto snorted. "I'm surprised she hasn't…"
His phone chose that moment to go off.
Beast chuckled. "Ask and thou shall receive."
Flipping it open.
"(Hello mother.)" Naruto said.
"(DON'T HELLO MOTHER ME YOUNG MAN!)" Naruto pulled the phone back and then looked at Beast who slipped his huge frame into the narrow crawlspace.
"Coward." He muttered as he listened to his mother scold him.
"(Random of all people. You are lucky Beast had people to…)"
"(Mom, calm down a moment.)" Naruto said as he paced back and forth. He saw Kurt smirk at him, Kitty outright laugh.
"(Uncle Kurt and the others got here and we had no trouble at all…)" he began.
"(No trouble? Care to explain why ten million dollars disappeared from your account?)" his mother's voice came over the phone.
"(Um…investment.)" Naruto tried and cursed mentally that his mom kept an eye on his accounts. Not that he blamed her after that time he and Warren both went to a charity event in London and lost three million each in private poker game. It wasn't his fault Longshot of all people was there.
"(You and I are going to have a long talk when I see you.)" his mother threatened.
"(How's dad?)" Naruto asked changing the subject.
"(A bit banged up. He went toe-to-toe with Magneto's newest Acolyte. He'll be fine by the time we come see you.)"
Naruto sighed. "(Momma, I…)"
"(What's wrong suga?)" his mothers Mississippi drawl came through the phone.
"(Nothing. Uncle Kurt and the others are heading back. I'll see you in a month.)"
"(Naruto?)"
"(Its okay, really. I'm sure Kitty and the others will have plenty to share. Cain's kind of disappointed with what they call criminal here.)"
His mother chuckled. "(Cain's easy to disappoint unless he's going toe-to-toe with the Hulk.)"
"(True.)" Naruto admitted.
He bid his mother farewell with promises to call her after he got back to Konoha. He slipped the phone away and turned coming face to face with a smirking Kitty Pryde.
"Hey squirt."
"I'm taller than you now kit-kat." He reminded the girl his mother called his mother called her best friend.
"Talk with your sensei…"
"Which one?" Naruto asked with a grin.
"Anko. Remind me to keep her away from Logan." Kitty said.
"Noted." The blond answered with a grin.
"Anyways, she said that the Demon brothers like a lot of ninja carry poison to kill themselves if captured with no hope of escape."
Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I read about that before coming here. Barbaric if you ask me. As an X-Man there's always a chance."
Kitty smiled. "I don't know, there were some close ones." She said.
"For you perhaps, but then with your advanced years…"
"Advanced years? I'll show you advanced years Whiskers!" Kitty said as she grabbed him in a headlock and gave him a noogie.
"AGH! QUIT IT! KITTY!" the blond yelped as she ran her knuckles back and forth over his head quickly.
He heard laughter and saw everyone was looking on. He made the cross seal and suddenly Kitty was hoisted into the air and tickled by clones.
"AGH! NA-RU-TO! STOOOOOP!" Kitty yelled trying to get away from the nimble fingers of the blond shadow clones as they tickled her.
"He cheats." Wanda said.
Kurt from next to his wife shrugged. "Kitty knows the risks when she roughhouses with Naruto." He looked at Kurenai. "We'll be heading out. Should you require aid, Naruto knows how to get in touch."
Naruto came closer while his kage bunshin continued to fight with Kitty who was now phasing through them.
"Sensei, about the…girl?" he asked still not having been around the captured hunter nin.
"We'll take her back to Konoha. There the Hokage can determine her fate." Kurenai said. "Anko will administer a knock out sedative that will keep her unconscious until then."
Naruto nodded. He looked up and saw the four girls coming his way, each of them shared the same look and that meant trouble for him.
XX
The adults smirked as the X-men were boarding the X-Jet. Naruto was cornered and being kissed by Marrow, then X-23.
Marrow pulled Ino aside. "You keep him safe. We'll be back for those exams."
"At which time you'll relinquish your sad idealistic crusade to take Naruto-kun as he is mine…and Hinata's."
"Dream on blondie. We might not be able to fight one another, but we will win Naruto in the end."
"As if you calcium plated bimbo. Naruto is ours."
Both turned as X-23 continued to ravage Naruto's mouth. "Is she kissing him, or trying to devour him?" Ino asked with a hint of disgust.
Marrow smirked. "Laura is ruled by her passions, and she might be a bit…enthusiastic."
"Come along you two." Wanda called from the ramp. Juggernaut was already on board and the only ones not were Kurt, Wanda, X-23 and Marrow.
X-23 pulled back from the dazed Naruto. "Can't wait for the main course." She said and sauntered up the ramp followed by a chuckling Marrow. Team 8 watched as the X-Jet lifted off and flew to the distance.
Naruto sighed and looked around. "Hey, where's Hinata-chan?"
XX
Locked in the bathroom, in Tazuna's house, Hinata rested her head against the sink, her breathing was shallow and her body covered with sweat. No. I need more time.
She splashed water in her face and pulled out a syringe from a pocket. Jabbing it into her neck she felt the affects start and sighed. I can't tell them. My father would have me killed for certain despite my longer being a Hyuga.
She looked at her reflection. No visible effects, good. She washed up and put the syringe away.
They can't find out. They just can't. she thought before leaving the bathroom.
XX
Naruto looked at the prisoner, his head cocked to one side. "And you thought you could really pull off being a boy?"
Haku said nothing.
Shaking his head he sighed. "Your far too pretty to ever be a boy."
He turned missing the shocked look in Haku's eyes as he left. He saw Anko and nodded. She entered the room.
"Sensei." Naruto said seeing Kurenai waiting. "About the money…" he pulled out a sealing scroll. "What if it found its way back to the people of Wave?"
Kurenai smiled. "And here I thought you'd keep it."
Naruto shook his head. "Nah. Its more fun being Robin Hood than the Sheriff." His teacher raised an eyebrow.
"A world above story. I'll let you borrow a copy." He looked up to the sky. "Sensei…you ever have a feeling that everything you know is wrong?"
"All the time." Kurenai said.
A week later Team 8 left wave. The Bridge had been named the Great Hope Bridge and Tazuna promised to send the payment along with extra for their efforts.
Naruto with a fireman's carry, carried the unconscious Haku as they made their way. The whole week Hinata had acted strangely, jumpy.
Ino had ignored it as she was happy to have extra time with Naruto, the blonds even having time to go out and eat at a reopened restaurant.
Now on the way home, Ino started to think about her friends behavior and it worried her.
Shino had noticed it all, but said nothing as it wasn't his business until it interfered with the team and the mission. But his kikai bugs kept telling him something was off with Hinata, but he didn't know what and wouldn't bring it to the attention of the sensei's until he knew what.
AN: Home sweet Konoha.
PS: Sorry about the delay. Got kidnapped to a family reunion I didn't want to go to. Didn't have laptop, notebooks or means of getting back on my own. Sorry.