Despite the best efforts of Konoha and Suna the celebration went off without a hitch. The citizens of Oto got to enjoy themselves and Orochimaru got to play the role of benevolent ruler to their loud and thunderous applause. Once the fireworks faded Naruto and Hinata left the celebration to return to their home. The palatial Uzumaki estates were a fitting residence for Oto's first clan; they were modeled after the Hyuuga in Konoha and were vast with every possible convenience including a private dojo and indoor pool.

When they returned though the two of them went directly to the master bedroom.

"So can I grab your ass now?" Naruto teased as he did just that.

Laughing Hinata wrapped her arms around him. "Yes, now you can."

They began to kiss eagerly. She let out a soft moan when she felt his hands playing and teasing her breasts. Since it had been a festival she had not dressed in her usual ninja clothing. She had gone out in a pale lavender kimono with flowers stitched in the design. Carrying herself with a dignity and poise drilled into her since she could walk people had all seen her as the royal lady she was. That was just one more role she served to help her darling husband.

Now that they were alone Naruto was pulling her kimono off and tossing it to the floor. She had nothing on underneath and as soon as she was naked his mouth was at her breast sucking like a newborn hungry for milk.

"Aaaaah, Narutoooo!"

He brought her to the bed and pressed her down into it as he quickly got rid of his clothes. As he took off his orange jacket he exposed some of the seals that covered his body. The ones that could be seen now were drawn in black ink and covered him from his neck to his feet. Removing his black gloves they were on the back of his hand, his palm, and even written out in small runes and symbols on each finger. Most of his skin was covered in black ink.

These were Orochimaru's handiwork and Naruto's. Over the last three years Naruto had studies the art of sealing with a special passion and could now be accurately called a seal master. The seals on his body had a myriad of purposes. Some were meant to aid him in accessing the Kyuubi's power, some were meant to suppress the Kyuubi's persona, some were defensive, aimed at preventing any sort of mind controlling jutsu or the Kyuubi's extraction; making a repeat of the Yondaime's jutsu impossible.

Naruto never allowed anyone but Orochimaru or Hinata to see them; they were his most closely guarded secret.

Hinata had long since grown used to them and he no longer gave their appearance much thought. As soon as all his clothes were off he jumped on top of her and began to make savage, passionate love. She cried out again and again begging him on grabbing on with arms and legs to encourage him.

As he entered her, as he slid in and out of her and covered her mouth with his own, he thought about how wonderful it was to love someone and have them love you in return. When he'd first begun things with her he had just intended to use her. But as they spent time together he slowly realized that she really did love him, and he began to fall in love with her as well. Being with his beloved Hina-chan brought him immense joy and he wanted to always keep her safe. He loved her and she was one of a very precious handful who had never hurt or betrayed him.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Well that went well, don't you think?" Orochimaru said back in his palace. He regretfully took off his robes.

"Yes Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto answered. He was one of Orochimaru's prized agents. A brilliant medic nin and an equally effective spy. He had been recalled from Konoha to train Hinata and to help keep an eye on her and Naruto. Orochimaru trusted no one completely, but he was as trusted as anyone in the Otokage's service.

"Naruto-kun and his unit were as efficient as ever, there was not even a murmur from the crowd today. No one would suspect there were four ninja out there eager to blow themselves up."

"Naruto is most definitely formidable, Lord Orochimaru." Kabuto said. "Formidable and very independent minded."

Orochimaru grinned at his agent's subtle hints. "Have you seen something that warrants my concern?"

"Nothing blatant," Kabuto stated. "He never says anything even remotely treasonous and has not committed any acts that would appear threatening."

Orochimaru waited and invited him to continue.

"Some of his jokes are a tad disrespectful, and he is very close to the members of the Sound Seven. Some might question who they're loyalty belongs to."

"That has been the case for some time now," Orochimaru said. "He is unique among all of my servants. Too valuable to be killed, yet too strong willed to be fully controlled. I had hoped to make him love me; unfortunately we are not quite that close. However the measures I have in place seem effective. He is loyal."

"Or at least he seems to be," Kabuto added.

"He has gained a great deal from serving me; he knows how much he stands to lose should he ever turn against me." He laughed softly. "And I do have the 'heart seal' as a final measure."

Among the many seals on Naruto's body was one he had placed over his heart. If a specific set of hand signs and code words were spoken Naruto's heart would be shredded, killing him instantly. It could not be used to inflict pain, if activated it would kill, that was its sole function. Orochimaru alone knew the activation jutsu and Kabuto was the only other person to even know of the seal's existence. Orochimaru had deliberately kept the seal's real purpose a secret from Naruto. He wanted to earn Naruto's genuine affection, and knowing he'd placed such a lethal thing on him would ruin that and likely set the shinobi to plotting. He preferred to rely on other more subtle methods to keep Naruto in line.

The heart seal was an insurance policy against Naruto ever turning on him.

"Even so, what you have in mind, the mission to Akido, isn't it a risk?" Kabuto asked.

"Ku, ku, ku of course it is, but one well worth taking. Do you think he would betray me? Given what would happen if he did?"

"Probably not," Kabuto answered slowly. "But he might be sorely tempted to."

"You overestimate his old loyalties," Orochimaru said. "Those did not prevent him from abandoning his village. They will not matter to him now."

"They will matter," Kabuto said. "The question is only how much."

"The risk is worth taking," Orochimaru said with a laugh. "After all, I have not given up my interest in acquiring the sharingan."

XXXXXXXXXX

Falling asleep in bed beside his wife Naruto entered the dreamscape.

XXXXXXXXXX

As usual he was in an empty lifeless wasteland. The blackened ruins of Konoha lay all around him. Above him all the faces on the Hokage monument had been blasted away except for Sarutobi's. The night he'd left the leaf he had blown it up as a signal to the old man that they were now enemies. Now he liked having the old man's stern face looking down at what he had caused.

"Damn you brat," a bitter voice called out. "Release me."

Naruto looked over to the only other living being in this place. What his eyes saw was a plain red fox with nine bushy tails. He was crammed in a small steel cage no more than two feet high and wide. Every paw and tail had an iron shackle and heavy steel chin holding it in place. The fox's mouth was muzzled (though that didn't keep him from communicating) and the cage itself was coated in paper seals.

Naruto tapped his lips as though thinking it over. "Uh… no!"

The fox growled in impotent rage. "I am already bound within you! There is no need for all these additional restraints! Have you forgotten who aided you when you decided to acquire real power?"

"I haven't forgotten who it was that had me believing I really was the Kyuubi for awhile." Naruto was still embarrassed at how easily he'd been duped back then. "I'm sure if I let you out of your cage you'd be eager to help me."

"We share the same fate! Naturally I would help!"

Naruto laughed. "Wrong! Your fate is to be nothing but a battery! I'll take you power and your knowledge but I won't ever listen to your lies again."

"You are still nothing but a child!" He looked about at the ruins. "You still have a child's longing for revenge. You still ache to hurt those who wounded you… especially the old man."

"Shut up," Naruto said darkly.

The fox merely chuckled. "Oh, did I strike a nerve? Don't forget I have seen through your eyes and I know your thoughts. It's not the village's wrongs you want to avenge near so much as Sarutobi's betrayal. What you truly want is to hurt him."

"Like I care about that!" Naruto snapped. "Who cares what the stupid old man thinks?"

The fox looked up at the monument. "I'd say you care quite a bit."

"You don't know what you're talking about." The forbidden scroll suddenly appeared before him. He had learned all of its techniques save for one. "Now be quiet while I study."

The fox continued to torment him as much as he could while Naruto tried to learn the secrets of the Hirashin no Jutsu.

XXXXXXXXXX

A few days later in Konoha the Third Hokage stared at a handful of reports from agents in Oto. Among the many civilians who had rushed to the new village to find work were a dozen Leaf spies. All of them were kept ignorant of the others. They were ordinary people, not ninja, and were there just to send general observations about the village. Sarutobi knew quite well what the ordinary citizen of Oto did. What he lacked was intelligence about Orochimaru and Naruto and the plans they had in store.

What he was reading right now were accounts of the celebration of Oto's founding as a great power and the proclamation of the Otokage. What made him so unhappy was that it had gone so smoothly. None of the reports mentioned any kind of disturbance or even a rumor of danger. The assassination squads had failed to even be a nuisance.

What also worried him were mentions of the Tsuchikage walking the parade route beside Orochimaru. Iwa had been the main enemy back during the Third great Ninja War and the bitter feelings of that struggle still lingered. If Konoha's old enemy drew together with her current one…

He sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. "I am too old for this," he muttered wearily. He had retired long ago. By all rights he should still have been retired and spending time with his grandson and painting. In an ideal world the village would be in Minato's capable hands and Orochimaru and Naruto would be loyal leaf ninja doing their duty for the village.

But the world remained anything but ideal.

Minato had been dead fifteen years and Orochimaru and Naruto were the greatest possible threats to Konoha's survival. He had been responsible for both of them, and until they were dealt with he did not feel he could honorably step down.

The speaker on his desk buzzed. "Lord Hokage," his secretary said. "Uchiha Sasuke and Hatake Kakashi are both here for their appointment."

"Send them in," the Hokage said. The time had finally come to make a serious effort against Oto. Operation Orange would soon begin.