Chapter 34
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Naruto walked out of his home in a contemplative state. He wondered why it was so vital that his strength increase.
'Also, what did he mean that my will was weak?' Naruto thought. However, he shook it off as he walked towards the Hokage Tower for his first mission with team eight. He was slightly anxious to finally go on a mission with his teammates.
Naruto was broken from his thoughts when he saw Hinata standing in the street. This normally wouldn't have meant much to him until he noticed that she was having a conversation with Hiashi. The Hyuga clan head was talking to Hinata and by her body language Naruto could tell that she was not happy about what the Hyuga leader had to say.
"Hey Hinata-chan!" Naruto said joyfully as he walked up to her, completely ignoring Hiashi's presence.
"Good morning Naruto-kun." She replied with obvious relief in her eyes.
"Uzumaki." Hiashi said coldly.
"Hiashi." Naruto responded.
"That's Hiashi-sama to you boy." Hiashi said with a stern expression.
"That title is one of respect and you've earned none of mine." Naruto responded with a stern expression of his own.
Hinata could see that this was quickly going to escalate unless she did something.
"Hiashi-sama I have made my decision." Hinata said calmly.
"Oh? And what might that be?" Hiashi asked.
"I am sorry, but I will not return to the clan. I am content with my life as is." Hinata said softly, but with determination in her eyes.
"I am very sorry to hear that. I'm afraid that that was your last chance, good day." Hiashi said as he walked away.
Naruto and Hinata shivered slightly at Hiashi's tone. His last statement seemed to hold much more meaning to it than a simple goodbye. To Naruto, it felt as if the Hyuga leader had been speaking to someone he didn't plan on seeing ever again.
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Tsunade looked up and smiled when she saw Naruto walk in with Hinata. The young ninja had truly grown on her and they were incredibly comfortable around one another.
'Another plus is that he no longer calls me Baa-chan.' Tsunade thought as her smiled widened when she saw the two genin in front of her were holding hands. Her smile dimmed when she saw their expressions.
"What happened?" Tsunade asked. She had grown to recognize Naruto's mood changes and what they meant. He was more reserved than usual and seemed to be in deep thought. That only happened when something had happened to him that he didn't understand and the situation was dire enough to warrant his concern.
"We just left a brief talk with Hiashi." Naruto said.
"I'm sure that it was unpleasant if your expressions are anything to go by." Tsunade said.
"Don't worry about Hiashi. Now that I'm Hokage he won't be able to harass you two." Tsunade said in a reassuring tone.
"Thanks a lot!" Naruto said happily.
They all turned to the door as Shino walked in.
"Hokage-sama, Naruto, Hinata." Shino said softly.
"Hey Shino you ready for our first mission?" Naruto asked.
"I'm always prepared for a mission." Shino replied calmly.
"So I guess we have to wait for Kurenai-nee-san to come." Hinata said.
"Not true." Tsunade said.
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked in confusion.
"Due to the losses in the previous invasion, most of our jonin are on high level missions. Thus you all will not be with Kurenai this time." Tsunade said.
"Then who is going to lead the team?" Hinata asked.
"That would be me."
Naruto and Hinata were surprised to see Haku walk in her chunin attire. Shino had a slight smile on his face, revealing that he at least knew Haku was close by and had deduced the reason for her presence.
"Haku?!" Naruto said in surprise.
"Hello Naruto, Hinata, Shino-kun." Haku said with a soft smile on her face.
"Haku is a chunin and this mission is B-ranked. Normally I would send a jonin for this mission, but I have confidence in your team." Tsunade said as she handed Haku the scroll detailing the mission. She was slightly surprised when Haku promptly handed the scroll to Shino.
"A wise leader listens to those he leads. I trust Shino's judgment." Haku said in response to Tsunade's unvoiced question.
"It says that we are to guide and protect two siblings back to their home." Shino said.
"That's right. They are next in line to lead their country. It's a relatively small country bordering both Konoha and the rain village. Be careful of rogue ninja." Tsunade said.
"Don't worry about it! We'll take any and everyone out that stands in our way." Naruto said with the utmost confidence. All present parties smiled at Naruto's complete trust in his team's abilities.
"Where are the siblings we are to protect?" Hinata asked.
"They should be here very soon." Tsunade said as she took out a small bottle of sake.
"Hey you shouldn't be drinking in here!" Naruto said in annoyance.
"Shut it! Do you have any idea how much paperwork you have to go through when you're the Hokage? You are going to need some kind of stress relief. Why do you think Sarutobi-sensei smoked all the time?" Tsunade asked as she took a small sip.
Naruto was stopped from answering when the door opened and the members of team eight turned to look at the newcomers.
The two young women that came in the room were very beautiful. They appeared to be around 16 years old and were almost identical in height and build.
'They're cute, but they've got nothing on Haku-chan.'
'They're cute, but they've got nothing on Hinata-chan.' Shino and Naruto thought respectively.
"Emi, Ami these are the ninja that are going to be protecting you and taking you back to your country." Tsunade said calmly.
Team eight took a moment to observe the young women they were to protect. Emi had long black hair that stopped at about her mid back. She had bright green eyes and was a little taller than Shino. Ami had long red hair that also stopped at her mid back. She had pale blue eyes and was the exact same height as her sister. Except for the hair and eyes, the two of them were almost identical. However, they were completely different when it came to the cloths they wore. Emi wore a beautiful forest green kimono that brought out her bright green eyes. Ami on the other hand wore more casual clothing that consisted of a pair of stylish beige slacks and a simple light blue long sleeved shirt. There was one thing that they had in common other than their looks and that was that both had a necklace. Emi's necklace seemed to be the shape of waves of water, while Ami's necklace was in the shape of a flute.
They looked at team eight and a gleam appeared in both of their eyes at the same time. Naruto and Shino both shivered under the twins stares and got a very large feeling of foreboding.
"You're cute!" Ami said she walked straight up to Naruto and gave him a glaring smile. She didn't seem to notice the glare being sent her way courtesy of Hinata.
"I am Emi Hakuda, it is a please to make your acquaintance." Emi said to Shino politely, though the gleam in her eye had yet to fade. She also seemed to be unaware of the glare being given to her from Haku.
"Well, I'm glad to see that you approve of this team. The mission will begin immediately. Emi, Ami please go and ready your things. Team eight will be waiting at the gate for you." Tsunade said, her expression never changing despite the obvious tension in the room.
"Very well Hokage-sama." Emi said softly with a bow as she turned to leave.
"See you later cutie!" Ami said to Naruto as she followed her sister out of the room.
'I have a bad feeling about this mission.' Both Naruto and Shino thought simultaneously. They both turned to their female teammates and flinched when they saw the duel glares being sent to the door the sisters had just left from.
"Shino-kun."
"Naruto-kun."
"Yes?" both boys asked with a hint of fear in their voices.
"You had better keep your hands to yourself!" Both girls responded in anger as they exited the room and slammed the door shut.
"You did this on purpose didn't you?" Naruto said with an accusing stare at Tsunade.
"I am deeply shocked and wounded that you would think so little of me Naru-chan." Tsunade said with a smile that proved that she had indeed set this up.
"Hokage-sama, are you sure that this was a wise decision?" Shino asked.
Both Naruto and Tsunade turned their shocked expressions to Shino. For him, that was the same as any other person shouting that she was insane in her face.
"Don't worry so much. I'm sure that you two will be able to handle yourselves accordingly." Tsunade said with a reassuring smile.
"Easy for you to say." Naruto muttered as he and Shino turned to leave.
"Shino, do you have any idea what we are going to do about this?" Naruto asked in hope.
"We keep our hands to ourselves, we don't get caught alone with the sisters and we take extra medical supplies." Shino said simply.
"Extra medical supplies? You mean in case we get ambushed by enemy ninja?" Naruto asked.
"No. I want the extra supplies in case we end up alone with one of the sisters and either Haku-chan or Hinata find us." Shino said with a small hint of fear in his voice.
'Oh boy, this is going to be a long mission.' Naruto thought unhappily.
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Shino and Naruto arrived at the village gates and their hopes that Hinata and Haku had calmed down were short lived if the females' fierce expressions were anything to go by.
"Hey Hinata-chan, ready for the mission?" Naruto said with an awkward shift of his shoulders. He could feel the anger rolling off of Hinata and was not in any rush to have the anger directed at him. He looked over and saw that Shino was not doing any better with trying to consol Haku.
"Come on Hinata-chan, why are you so upset?" Naruto asked.
"Why do you think?! Did you see the way she was looking at you?!" Hinata responded angrily.
"I did, but a bigger question is whether or not you trust me." Naruto said calmly.
"What? Of course I trust you Naruto-kun." Hinata said with a confused look on her face.
"If you trust me than what she does shouldn't really matter. I certainly am not going to respond to her advances." Naruto said in a reassuring manner.
"I already know that Naruto-kun." Hinata said.
"Then why are you so upset?" He asked in confusion.
"I don't like anyone looking at you like a side of beef to be devoured." Hinata said with conviction.
"That goes double for me." Haku said.
"Regardless, we must put these things aside to accomplish the mission. Naruto and I will talk to them when they arrive and tell them that we are flattered but not interested." Shino said as he reached out to give Haku's hand a firm and reassuring touch.
"I'm with you all the way Shino." Naruto said as he gave Hinata a hug.
The boys relaxed when Hinata and Haku visibly calmed down.
"Hey cutie!" Ami yelled as she and her sister walked up to the ninja.
Naruto felt Hinata stiffen in his arms.
"It is nice to see you again Shino-san." Emi said as she walked up to Shino.
Shino could practically feel the temperature around Haku drop a few degrees, showing her anger.
"I think that it is time to go." Shino said calmly as Haku walked ahead to clear things up with the guards.
"I agree. How should we organize ourselves?" Naruto asked.
"You and Shino will be in front, the sisters will be in the middle and Hinata and I will take up the rear." Haku said calmly.
"Agreed." Shino said as he and Naruto walked ahead of them and let the females bring up the rear.
"Emi." Haku said stopping the girl.
"Yes?" The jade eyed twin asked.
"I would appreciate it if you would not make any more advances on Shino-kun." Haku said.
"That goes double for me Ami." Hinata said.
"Oh? And just who are you, his girlfriend?" Ami asked in a challenging tone.
"As a matter of fact I am." Hinata said with a flash of anger in her eyes.
"I apologize Haku-san. I didn't know he was your boyfriend." Emi said with a small bow as she turned to follow the boys.
"Yeah, sorry." Ami said as she followed her sister.
"I think that went well." Haku said.
"You really think so?" Hinata asked with a look of disbelief.
"Yes. Why?" Haku asked in confusion.
"They apologized, but never said they would stop." Hinata said as her gaze hardened.
"Oh. I guess we'll just have to keep an eye on things then won't we?" Haku said as her gaze hardened as well.
"Yes we will." Hinata said as they turned to follow their clients.
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"Hey Shino." Naruto said in an attempt to gain the silent Aburame's attention.
"Yes?" Shino responded.
"I want to ask you how you are feeling about this how mission." Naruto said as he turned to look behind him and saw Ami catch his eye and give him a bright smile. Though Hinata was behind Ami, she still seemed to sense the interaction and gave Naruto a look of warning.
"I think that our comrade Shikamaru sums it up best. It is very troublesome." Shino responded as he too turned around and was given the same smile from Emi and the same look of warning from Haku.
"I still don't see why Hinata-chan and Haku keep giving us those looks. I wouldn't think of ever being with some else." Naruto said as he tried to wrap his head around the girl's behavior.
"Naruto, let me ask you this. If some random boy were to suddenly walk up to Hinata and began making advances on her what would you do?" Shino asked calmly.
"Break his face." Naruto responded automatically. His eyes widened and a sheepish grin appeared on his face when he finally saw Shino's point.
"It's exactly the same thing with Hinata and Haku-chan. They trust us, but are naturally defensive when someone tries to stake a claim on us." Shino said.
"That's why you're so calm about this." Naruto said.
"Exactly." Shino responded.
"Thanks for clearing that up. You want to tell me more about this mission?" Naruto asked.
"We are going to a small country that borders the rain village and the leaf village. As you know the rain village have been in a constant state of civil war for some time and thus this small village has come to konoha to ask to an alliance to protect them should one of the warring factions seek to expand their power by attacking and enslaving this country." Shino explained.
"How has the country avoided invasion so far? The rain village has been in a state of civil war for a long time." Naruto said.
"Details are sketchy about that. All Emi and Ami said about it was that they had a protector that defended their country." Shino responded.
"So we have to watch out for rain village renegades." Naruto clarified.
"Yes." Shino responded simply.
"How long until we get to this country?" Naruto asked.
"It is a few days walk from here. We will have to stop for the night at an inn." Shino said.
Having nothing else to talk about, Naruto simply kept his eyes and senses alert for any sign of danger. He couldn't help but feel that Emi and Ami were hiding something from them. He didn't know why but when he first laid his eyes on the girls' necklaces, he was sure he had felt a surge of some emotion from his sword as well as from the seal that contained Kyuubi.
The group remained silent for the duration of the journey until the sun began to set and they came across a small town. Deciding to settle down for the night, they all went to check into the local inn.
"How many rooms will you need?" The kid, elderly women asked them from behind the desk.
"Three." Haku responded.
Things had calmed down every since the girls had had their talk. Emi and Ami settled with affectionate looks towards Naruto and Shino, and thus Hinata and Haku were able to hold back their anger. However, this small measure of peace was broken when Emi and Ami made their suggestions for roommates.
"I request Shino to be in a room with me." Emi said politly.
"Yeah and I want to be in the same room with the cutie!" Ami said brashly.
"Oh? And why is that?" Haku asked with a small smile that did nothing to soften the steel evident in her tone. Hinata looked ready to loudly, and violently, deny Ami's request.
"I would feel much safer if he were to be by my side to protect me." Emi said calmly.
"Same thing goes for me!" Ami said as she gave Naruto another look.
"I believe that Hinata and I can protect you just as well as our teammates." Haku said as the smile left her face and a small amount of her anger began to appear.
"Be that as it may, I still request Shino." Emi said as her calm demeanor disappeared and her own annoyance began to surface.
"And if I refuse?" Haku asked as she took a step forward so that their faces were only inches apart.
"I accept." Shino said softly.
"What?!" Haku, Hinata, and Naruto yelled.
"It is the best way to defuse any tension between our groups. As we are all going to have to travel a few more days together, I don't believe that this request needs to escalate any higher." Shino said in the same stoic tone he normally used. Haku, Hinata, and Naruto all could tell by Shino's posture that he was vastly unhappy about his choice, even if it was the logical one.
"I guess I'll do it as well." Naruto said, though his displeasure was clearly seen on his face.
"Oh don't be upset, cutie. I'm sure we'll have a nice time!" Ami said with a triumphant smile on her face. Emi also had a small smile on her face showing her feelings of victory.
Hinata was literally seeing red and found herself counting the numerous ways she could incapacitate Ami with a wide variety of blows. Haku was just as angered as Hinata, but being the team leader forced her to keep her emotion in check.
"We will retire for the night and start off first thing in the morning." Haku said calmly, though the look she was giving the sisters, and Emi especially could have melted steel.
"Understood." Emi said as she walked towards her room. Shino didn't say anything as he followed Emi, but Haku could feel the subtle buzz of Shino's insect that was always with her that revealed how upset Shino truly was.
Haku walked over to Hinata and grabbed her shoulder firmly. Hinata had activated her byakugan and her posture showed that she was seconds away from attacking Ami.
"Hinata, don't." Haku commanded.
"How can you just stand there and let them do this?!" Hinata yelled in anger and confusion.
"Shino is right. That this small country has been able to defend itself against the rain village for so long without any help is amazing and a treaty with them would be beneficial. Do you want to be the one to explain to Tsunade-sama why Emi and Ami have suddenly changed their minds and canceled the mission as well as the treaty? We just have to trust that Shino-kun and Naruto will behave themselves." Haku said calmly, though her grip betrayed how upset she truly was.
"Fine, but we will have to straighten them out soon." Hinata said as she stormed to their shared room.
Haku sighed. She was just as upset as Hinata and had Shino not have intervened then she would have been sorely tempted to attack Emi.
'I hope this mission ends very soon.' Haku thought as she followed Hinata.
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Shino sat in the far corner and waited for Emi to come out of the bathroom. While he waited, Shino's mind was currently trying to figure out what he was going to do. Shino was not easily intimidated, but he was very concerned with what would happen when Emi appeared. She obviously had some sort of attraction to him and now that they were virtually alone together, Shino found himself hoping that Emi didn't continue her advances.
Shino felt his insects begin to buzz in irritation at his anxious mood and took a deep breath. He calmed himself down by focusing on the insect that Haku always kept with her. Shino was able to tell from the insect's buzzing that Haku was not in the best of moods and Shino could do nothing about it.
'Until this mission is over, we will have to placate the sisters.' Shino thought.
Shino turned to the bathroom door when he heard the knob beginning to turn.
"Are you prepared for bed Shino?" Emi asked as she emerged. Shino was infinitely grateful for his glasses at that point as they hid his eyes that had widened at Emi cloths. Emi wore a simple night gown that was green in color and showed off her long smooth legs. However, this wasn't the problem. The problem was that the night gown was made of a very shear material that showed her dark undergarments. Shino made very sure that his eyes remained on Emi's face and didn't wander.
"I am." Shino said in his normal tone, though he was very uncomfortable about the situation.
"Very well. Are you sure you will be warm enough tonight?" Emi asked innocently as she settled in her bed.
While the question was worded innocently enough, Shino heard the unspoken invitation.
"I will be just fine." Shino said.
Emi didn't respond. She simply turned out the light in the room and settled down to sleep. Shino stood very still and waited until he was sure she was asleep. He settled into his own bed and released a few of his insects. Most went to the window and the door to stand watch against any enemies that may try to enter during the night. However, a few of them kept watch over Emi. These were not in place to make sure nothing happened to her, but to make sure that she didn't wake up in the middle of the night and try to do something to him. This thought kept Shino from a restful sleep for many hours.
'I wonder how Naruto is handling his situation.' Shino thought.
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'I wonder how Shino is handling his situation.' Naruto thought as he leaned against a wall as he waited for Ami to exist their bathroom. While Naruto couldn't deny that Ami was beautiful, his heart already belonged to Hinata. If he had any lingering doubts about his feelings for her or her's for him, they were immediately crushed when Hinata had tackled him at the village gates and kissed him with such intensity that his legs began to feel weak from just the memory alone.
'I can't wait until this mission is over, then we can go on a real date.' Naruto thought with a smile as he felt a peace come over his body at the thought of Hinata and himself on a date.
His peace was broken when he heard the bathroom door open and Ami appear. She was only wearing a large shirt that went to her thighs. Naruto could feel his face heat up in embarrassment and it grew worse as she walked up to him with a noticeable sway in her hips.
"What's wrong cutie?" She said softly, though her eyes revealed that she was very aware and pleased with his reaction.
"Nothing." Naruto said as he reigned in his embarrassment.
"Are you sure? You look awfully red." Ami said as she placed her hand on Naruto's forehead.
"I'm fine." Naruto said as he shook her hand off of his head and stepped away from her.
"Suit yourself." Ami said as she walked over to her bed and lied down.
Naruto took a deep breath and sat down with his back to the wall. He didn't like the situation and had a nasty thought that Tsunade knew that something like this was going to happen.
'If so then I'm going to have to have a talk with her later.' Naruto thought in irritation.
Naruto was ripped from his thoughts when something fell over his head. He pulled it off and realized that it was the large shirt that Ami had been wearing before. He turned quickly and saw her looking at him from under her sheets. He was very grateful that she had the sheets drawn all the way up under her chin.
"Sorry about that, but I don't really wear much when I sleep." Ami said with a smirk.
"Is that so?" Naruto said without showing any emotion. He was not going to give her the satisfaction of making him uncomfortable.
"If you want, you could keep me company tonight." Ami said as her smirk widened.
"Aren't I a little young for you?" Naruto asked.
"Don't worry about that." Ami said.
"As flattering as your request is. I will have to decline." Naruto said stonily in hopes that she would get the message that he wasn't interested.
"Fine." Ami said as she turned over and turned out the light.
'I have a sinking suspicion that she isn't going to give up that easily.' Naruto thought in annoyance as he settled down in his bed and closed his eyes.
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Naruto awoke to find himself in his mindscape once again. With a grunt of annoyance he got up and walked to familiar path that would inevitably take him to his resident demon.
"What do you want?" Naruto asked as he got in front of the Kyuubi's cage.
"To be free." Kyuubi responded simply.
"Okay, let me rephrase the question. What do you want that has an actual chance of happening?" Naruto said in anger.
"To warn you." Kyuubi replyed.
"Warn me? Warn me about what?" Naruto asked.
"When brought together, the pendants will tame the best of the sea." Kyuubi said softly.
"What does that mean?" Naruto asked.
"You have obviously noticed the two girl's pendants. Well those aren't just for show. I hope you are able to summon something much stronger than that weakling Drac. If not, well let's just say that things could be very messy." Kyuubi said as he settled down to rest.
"Maybe, I'll try and summon that lightening dragon you seem to fear." Naruto said in an attempt to rile up the demon.
"Hahaha, you can try." Kyuubi said without looking at Naruto.
Naruto turned to walk away but suddenly stopped. He turned and looked down the hallway that would take him to face his inner darkness.
"Did you know about him?" Naruto asked as he continued to look down the hallway.
"I noticed his growth since the beginning." Kyuubi responded as his eyes opened and he too looked down the passage way.
"You didn't see fit to tell me?" Naruto asked in annoyance at the demon's cryptic ways.
"Not really. I knew he would present himself when the time came and I was curious as to your reaction. If I would have told you then things wouldn't have turned out so humorously." Kyuubi replied with a grin.
Naruto didn't bother to say anything to the fox as he began to walk down the hallway. He stopped suddenly and turned to look at the fox.
"Are you going to try and set him free?" Naruto asked in suspicion.
"This is your mind and he is a part of you. My influence is thwarted by your sword. Thus he will only be able to be free if your will weakens or if you let him out willingly." Kyuubi replied.
Naruto nodded his understanding and continued to walk down the hallway. He stopped at the door that led to the room that held Makaze and with a deep breath, opened the door. He walked in and was once again treated to the sight of Makaze sitting by the fireplace in his chair with a book in his hands.
"What do you want?" Makaze asked as he closed the book.
"Nothing really. I just want to ask how strong you are." Naruto said as he crossed his arms across his chest.
"Why do you want to know? Is it because you plan on trying to overpower me and make sure I can never escape?" Makase said in a mocking tone.
Naruto frowned as that was exactly what he was planning on doing.
"I am much stronger than you Naruto. Try and fight me for dominance and you may very well find yourself imprisoned in our mind while I get to stretch my legs." Makaze said with a devilish grin.
"If that were the case then why don't you try and defeat me yourself?" Naruto asked as he shifted his stance in preparation for a possible attack.
"Simple. As of right now, you are the dominate personality. I am only allowed to come out if your will weakens enough for me to overpower your control. That won't change unless you fight me. Then it won't be me trying to overpower your will, but a duel to the finish with the winner gaining control." Makaze said.
"So as long as I don't try and completely subjugate you then you will only be able to take control if I give it or if I am too weak to stop you?" Naruto asked in a hopeful tone.
"Correct." Makaze said simply.
"Then I hope you get comfortable because I don't ever plan to let you out." Naruto said with a smile as he turned to leave.
Makaze didn't say anything as Naruto left and Naruto found himself afraid not at the silence but that during the entire conversation, Makaze hadn't lost his grin.
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"Is everything ready?" A dark figure asked as he and his group observed the inn.
"Hai. We will be prepared to attack whenever you command sir." one of the subordinates said.
"We attack tomorrow. Let's see just how strong these Konoha shinobi are." The figure said as the moonlight reflected off of his hidden rain headband.
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"Tell Danzo that he may do whatever he wishes with Hinata to accomplish his plans." Hiashi said to the root anbu that was at his door.
"Hai." The anbu said as he disappeared.
'If only you had accepted Hinata. Now you must face the consequences.' Hiashi thought as he turned to reenter his house.
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Here's chapter 34. Sorry for the wait but this chapter was particularly difficult for me to write. How are Naruto and Shino going to ward off Emi and Ami's advances? Who are the mist ninja that are targeting team eight? What does Danzo have planned and how does Hiashi figure into it? That is a secret! Till next time, Kyuubi123 out!