DISCLAIMER: I do not own Negima or Naruto. Negima is the property of Ken Akamatsu, and Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto.
Ackdam's story "Naruto One Man Team" has inspired portions of this story. If you haven't read it, I strongly advise you to do so.
Beta checked by KitsuneNoYomeiri.
Italics text = character thinking to themselves.
Underline+Italics = character communicating with telepathy
Bold text = shouting
Bold+Italics = Casting Spell/Ability
Chapter Thirty-six
Release and Political Marriages
"It's finally time." Naruto spoke as he stood in the same rocky area in which he had initially given Eva a new body.
"Yep, we can finally come out and play." Kushina said happily.
"If you're happy, then you can imagine how I feel." Kyubi added.
"Enough chit-chat, Naruto-kun needs to focus." Mikoto silenced them.
Naruto nodded in silence as he inspected the ritual circles before him. They were identical to the ones used before with small exceptions for Kyubi's. There was the glass surface with the pactio circle carved in it. Above it floated large orbs that resembled soap balloons. Within were the seven orbs containing the elements, the orb containing the blood that was to be the base of the body between and orb of youki and one of reiryoku. The difference Kyubi's circle had was that she did not had an additional youki or reiryoku orb to be sealed in her placed in the front, since as a Biiju her limit of youki was nine tails worth and she would react violently to the reiryoku. Kushina and Mikoto however were going to have one tail of youki each sealed in them.
With one last glance at the ensemble, Naruto stepped up to Kushina's ritual circle as it was decided that she went first, as Mikoto was nervous and Kyubi was to be last. As he took out a pactio card, he couldn't help but blush at the memory it brought.
Flashback
"Well, we can figure this out some other time, preferably after we know more about the seal, reiryoku and the Shinigami itself." Chao mused after nearly an hour of talking about them ending up in the Shinigami's belly. "The best we can do right now is put as much distance as possible between us and the seal, to thin the connection as much as possible."
"What do you mean?" Kushina narrowed her eyes.
"We need to get you and Kyubi out of here, as you two were the direct targets of the seal. Mikoto as well, even though it's not really an emergency for her." Chao explained.
"You're right." Naruto nodded in agreement. "With all the commotion going on from Uke teme's defection, we didn't make any preparations at all."
"Well then…"Haruna began with a perverted grin, "why don't you do that right now?"
"Do what?" Kushina inquired. Kyubi had hinted that there were a few preparations to be made, but had refused to 'spoil the surprise'.
"The pactios, of course!" Ino said with a wide grin. "So that Naruto-kun can summon your souls to give them physical bodies."
"A pactio?" Mikoto asked with wide eyes and a deep blush.
"Yep." Kyubi grinned. "And I believe that I need to make one as well, this time as a Ministra."
"Well, let's start then." Karin suggested. "Kushina-san will do the blood pactio since they're related, so you should get that out of the way first."
"Actually, Naruto and Kushina should do a spiritual pactio first so that she can pass her ability with chakra chains to Naruto." Negi suggested. "There is a possibility that she may not be able to make them using her new body, and it would be a waste for it to disappear. This way, it will just become another bloodline or latent ability."
"Good thinking Negi." Eva nodded. "After the pactio, your chakra will mix with Naruto's sometimes and that ability may fade away."
"Well, let's do this." Naruto nodded and soon enough found himself facing Kushina in a magic circle.
They both cut their right palms and joined their hands. And waited. And waited. And waited…
"This isn't working at all." Naruto remarked.
"Indeed, the circle is not reacting at all." Chachamaru observed and was reminded of her own pactio when she though it wasn't going to work, but the circle still reacted until it formed the card.
"Hm, I think I know what the problem is." Chisame mused.
"Oh?" Eva looked at her curiously.
"Kushina is pure Uzumaki right now. Naruto on the other hand has blood from so many people that they seem too distantly related to each other to be part of the same family." Chisame revealed her theory.
"So a blood pactio won't work." Naruto said as he and Kushina looked at each other with deep blushes.
Kushina continued to look at him for a few more moments before shrugging.
"Oh well, we'll just have to do it the usual way." the red haired Uzumaki said before she quickly leaned forward and captured Naruto's lips with her own.
Naruto was momentarily startled by her action and looked at her with wide eyes as the circle began to bask them with its light, before he closed his eyes with a small smile and deepened the kiss as he slightly opened his mouth and licked Kushina's lower lip, asking for entry.
Kushina herself was surprised by his forwardness as well but she immediately obliged to his silent request by engaging him in a battle of tongues that lasted for a few minutes, until Kyubi decided to point out to them that the spiritual pactio was done and that they can continue after she buries the changes in Naruto's DNA.
Kyubi seemed to have decided to surpass Kushina's performance as she kissed Naruto for several minutes, her chakra burning the secret of the chakra chains into Naruto's own chakra and blood, though of course it was slightly altered to suit him more.
After that came the real pactios. Kushina decided to go first and she shared a small smile with Naruto before they kissed again as the magic of the pactio circle washed over them. At one point during the pactio Naruto broke the kiss and used his elongated canines to bite Kushina's neck, the seven cornered star appearing soon enough. Eventually, the light faded as a pactio card materialized and the kiss ended. The card showed Kushina in her combat attire, which was one of an ANBU captain though Naruto doubted that ANBU are allowed to dress in red with only a few black armor pieces. In her hand was a katana that seemed covered in blood. Beneath Kushina's name was written "Rubrum Mortis", which his meager knowledge of Latin told him, meant "The Red Death". Also, while not really distinguishable, Naruto noticed the twin rings she wore, which had the kanji for "Blood" shining crimson.
"You know, this sword looks a lot like my old blade, the "Ketsueki Shinigami"." Kushina mused as she inspected the card.
"Well, I doubt it's the same katana since you tossed the pieces into a volcano after it broke during that ANBU mission." Mikoto remarked dryly.
"Well, it may be a replica of it. That's what pactio weapons usually are, like my Tessaiga for instance." Naruto pointed out.
"True. I really hope that's the case. You see, it was made to absorb the blood of the enemies I cut with it and use the iron to fix itself, just like the Kubikiribōchō." Kushina smiled.
"Well, we can check that later on some opponents. We have two more pactio to make right now." Eva pointed out and Mikoto replaced Kushina on the pactio circle next to Naruto.
"Well…" Naruto began but was immediately silenced by Mikoto's lips that smashed into his.
Mikoto had not wasted any time and soon enough their tongues intertwined as she kissed him hungrily. She was a bit disappointed when he broke the kiss, but that passed quickly as the feeling that came over her when he bit her neck almost brought her to her knees. They resumed the passionate kiss and completely ignored the pactio card appearing. They only broke apart when Kushina began to tickle Mikoto's sides, making her yelp and ending the kiss.
To say the least, the Uchiha woman was embarrassed of losing control of herself like that and avoided everyone's eyes as she inspected her pactio card. It was relatively similar to Kushina's, also showing Mikoto in her ANBU captain outfit, though it lacked red and was mostly black, with only a few white articles. She also held a katana, the blade being the purest white, with an aura similar to a feather surrounding it. She also wore twin rings with the kanji for Light in pure white. Below her name was written "Illusio Niveus" which meant "White Illusion".
"Well, it doesn't look familiar. I used a regular tanto while in ANBU." Mikoto said with a frown.
"Give me a few days and I'm sure I'll find something on it with my artifact." Yue promised.
"And there was one." Naruto said amused as Kyubi stalked into the circle before putting her hands around his neck and kissing him passionately. Soon enough he bit her neck and the card appeared.
The card showed Kyubi in her regular attire, the only difference being the nine fluffy tails weaving behind her that she usually kept hidden. In her hand was a silver sword whose pommel was decorated with a silver skull. Also, like her fellow Biiju, she also wore rings that showed her rank, Nine.
Flashback end
With a sigh, Naruto bit his thumb and allowed the blood to fill the circle carved in the glass beneath him before sending the pactio card into the center of the large bubble as he called out the command.
"Ēvocem Tē!, Usumaci Cusiina!" Naruto chanted and the card glowed before taking the ghostly form of Kushina that gave him a smile before the ritual continued.
Several hours later, the group composed of Kushina, Mikoto and Kyubi was approaching the gate of Konoha, having split up from Naruto so that they could enter Konoha legally. He in the meantime was waiting in Tsunade's office for them to sign a few documents before leading them home.
"Well, I must admit it's great to walk under the open sky once again." Kyubi smile as she looked at the passing clouds above her.
"I've been awake in Naruto's mindscape for only a few weeks, but it was still boring as hell to sit around the castle, either training or reading." Kushina agreed.
"I've not been awake for long, but considering that Fugaku forbid me to leave the house for several months before the Massacre…" Mikoto sighed in annoyance.
"Want me to use the Edo Tensei so that you can beat him up?" Kyubi offered.
"No thanks; maybe later, after Itachi returns." Mikoto chuckled.
"I wonder if the supposedly immortal puppets of the Edo Tensei would survive the wrath of two scorned Uchiha." Kushina said amused.
"Well, I don't know about killing him, but turning his brain to mush with a Tsukuyomi sounds good enough for me." Mikoto said sadistically, a dark gleam in her eyes.
Before the other two could reply, sounds of conflict were heard from nearby.
"Kushina-chan?" Mikoto inquired.
"Just a second." Kushina mumbled, her eyes closed in concentration. With the increase in chakra capacity and the tail of youki sealed in her, her chakra control wasn't good enough to automatically sense others in a certain range like she used to. "Twenty one signatures, three of which are Kage level, nine are jonin level and the rest are mid to high chunin level. But among the Kage level ones, two have youki in their chakra coils."
"So they're either Jinchuriki or have some jutsu that they used to absorb chakra from a Jinchuriki. If they tried to absorb from a Biiju, they would have died in a few minutes from youki poisoning." Kyubi concluded as she and the other two took out their pactio cards.
"We don't have any other equipment on us at the moment, so it would be best to have our artifacts already out." Mikoto suggested.
"Adeat!" the three called out and the three swords materialized in their hands in a flash of light. With a nod, the three women sprinted towards the sounds of battle.
When they arrived, they were a bit surprised by what they saw. Of all the things they were expecting, from Oto ninja and Akatsuki spies to random missing nin, ninja from Iwa that included the Tsuchikage and ninja from Suna that included the Sabaku siblings and elder Chiyo, each group with half a dozen ANBU escorting them. Said ANBU now fighting each other while the others were watching each other warily.
"What are they doing here?" Kyubi inquired curiously.
"They must be heading to Konoha for some reason. They're too close for anything else." Mikoto mused.
"As for why they're fighting, I don't really know. It might have something to do with the Tsuchikage running across a Jinchuriki, or rather former Jinchuriki." Kushina suggested.
"What should we do? They're just outside the range of Konoha's ANBU patrols." Mikoto pointed out.
"As much as I would like to see them fight, it would look pretty bad if a Kage died on Konoha's doorstep." Kyubi grimaced.
Before the others could say anything, they all sensed a sudden spike of chakra. Looking towards the Tsuchikage, they saw that the origin of the chakra spike was a transparent cube within the Tsuchikage's hands that had a glowing white sphere inside.
However, just as the old Kage was about to throw it, a sudden killer intent crashed upon the Iwa and Suna ninja. Onoki looked around warily, keeping his jutsu in his hands, reserving it for the person that could unleash such a terrifying killer intent if needs be.
"That's enough! Everyone stand down now!" Kyubi ordered as she and her two companions appeared in the middle of the battleground. Seeing that nobody was listening, Onoki in particular, she narrowed her eyes and tripled her killer intent. "I said NOW!" she roared, causing everyone, even her companions, to tremble.
"That goes for you as well, Tsuchikage, unless you want to start a war with Konoha of course." Kushina told Onoki who reluctantly allowed his jutsu to dissipate.
"Suna nin, why are you here?" Mikoto inquired.
"We are heading for Konoha to discuss the details of an alliance between Suna and Konoha, as we agreed beforehand. Or rather renewing the alliance." Gaara replied as he looked at Kyubi curiously.
"I see…" Kushina mused. "I was not informed of this."
"The agreement was for us to arrive two weeks from now, but recent information provided by Jiraiya of the Sannin convinced us that doing this sooner would be better." Gaara explained.
"I see. And the pervert probably forgot to tell us. He's probably still peeping in some bath-house as we speak." Kushina groaned.
"What about you, Iwa nin? Especially you, Tsuchikage-sama, at your age I wouldn't suspect you came all this way just to see the sights." Kyubi smirked.
"Funny, very funny." Onoki narrowed his eyes further. "In fact, we're here to discuss some information given to us by a member of Konoha some time ago."
"You mean what Naruto-kun told you about the Akatsuki?" Kushina inquired.
"Yes. I did not know this was common knowledge." Onoki pointed out suspiciously.
"Being part of the same clan gives you the chance to hear things." Kyubi said evasively. "By the way, Iwa got involved big time in the Akatsuki business recently."
"What do you mean?" Onoki asked surprised.
"Deidara joined." Mikoto informed him.
"What?" Onoki roared.
"Let's go to the Hokage tower and we can discuss there." Kushina suggested.
"An excellent idea." Gaara nodded.
"Lead the way." Onoki said annoyed.
After sharing a glance, Kyubi, Mikoto and Kushina nodded and headed towards Konoha, the two groups following them.
"Naruto-kun, we ran into some trouble." Kushina contacted their Magister.
"What happened? Are you okay?" Naruto asked worried.
"We're fine. We ran into a group from Suna and one from Iwa that were fighting. Apparently, the Iwa nin are here to talk to Tsunade about Akatsuki and the Suna nin are probably for the same reason." Kyubi said.
"Gaara's here already?" Naruto asked surprised.
"Yeah, he, his siblings, some granny and six ANBU." Kushina replied.
"Damn, I'll send a few Kage Bunshin to prepare rooms for them. What about the Iwa nin?" Naruto inquired.
"Surprising enough, the Tsuchikage himself is here. He has a jonin, a chunin, six ANBU and an old guy with red hair that is a Jinchuriki." Kyubi answered.
"A Jinchuriki? Do you have any idea who he holds?" Naruto asked curiously.
"Either Yonbi, Gobi or Nanabi." Kyubi replied. "Sanbi and Rokubi are in Kiri and Hachibi is in Kumo. I think it's either Yonbi or Gobi, since he doesn't have chakra levels high enough to be the container of the Nanabi." she pointed out.
"Hm, well I'll have Ichibi and Nibi stay out of sight in case he could detect them. Also, I'll ask Negi, Asuna and Eva to be at the Hokage tower as well in case we need to subdue him. See you soon." Naruto ended the telepathic conversation.
About ten minutes later the large group reached the Konoha gates and stopped before the two chunin guards.
"Good day. We were informed of your arrival: Kyu Fuhen, Kushina Fuhen, Mikoto Fuhen, leading the envoy from Suna of ten and the envoy from Iwa, also ten members." Izumo read from a clipboard.
"How did you know of our arrival?" Kitsuchi inquired.
"Now, now, you should know better then to expect a shinobi to reveal his secrets." Kotetsu smirked.
"Anyway…" Izumo rolled his eyes at his partner's antics "…the ANBU accompanying you are to follow the two ANBU waiting on the rooftops and receive instructions on where they will be allowed to go. If they try anything funny, all you'll get back from them will be their masks. Hokage's orders." Izumo added as he sensed that Onoki was about to complain. "You can take up to three of them with you at your meeting if you desire."
"Very well. ANBU, all of you go and get your instructions." Chiyo ordered and the ANBU stared at her for a moment until Gaara released a burst of killer intent and they took off at top speed.
"Hm, fine, you six go as well." Onoki ordered, not wanting to look scared of possible attacks. The six Iwa ANBU took off immediately.
"Anything else?" Kyubi inquired.
"Lord Fuhen is expecting you three at the Hokage Tower to sign some documents. And please put those swords away." Izumo added the last part glancing at the ominously looking swords.
"Oh, sorry. Forgot about them." Kushina said sheepishly scratching the back of her head.
One by one the three whispered "Abeat!" and the swords returned to their card form. At this Kurotsuchi's eyes widened and she began to whisper furiously in Onoki's ear, making the old man raise and eyebrow but keep silent.
The group was then lead into the village by the three Fuhen. As they approached the Hokage Tower they got quite a few glares, mainly the Iwa nin because of the animosity between Konoha and Iwa after the Third Great Ninja War, but Gaara as well from a few ninja that knew of his (former) status as a Jinchuriki. Just as they were nearly at their destination an older ninja jumped in front of the group while finishing a stream of handsigns.
"Die Iwa scum! Katon: Gōkakyū no jutsu!" the man called out as he spat a huge fireball at the Iwa nin, most likely using nearly half of his chakra reserves.
"Annoying idiot." Kushina sighed as Mikoto stepped in from of the fireball, her Eien Mangekyo Sharingan blazing.
"Amaterasu!" the last female Uchiha called out and the fireball was almost instantly consumed by black flames that disappeared a few moments later.
The ninja that had launched the jutsu stared in shock at Mikoto for a few seconds before he gasped for breath as he found Kushina's fist in his gut. Normally he would have jumped back, but that had not been an ordinary hit. No, Kushina's knuckles were emanating the Magic Cancel and the hit had completely destroyed all the chakra the man had in his sixth 'Chakra Gate', the Keimon, that was located in the stomach, thus disabling him for a few days. She then watched as he fell to his knees and raised her hand snapping her fingers twice. Moments later, two Konoha ANBU had appeared grabbing the fallen ninja.
"Give Anko a message from me; tell her that Kushina wants her to take her time with this one." Kushina instructed. The ANBU nodded and Shunshined away with the prisoner. "Well, let's go." she said to her escorts and headed for the Tower, the others following.
When they arrived at the Tower they were instructed to go to Tsunade's office. When they finally entered said office they were greeted by a rather odd sight: three Kage Bunshin of Tsunade were doing the paperwork, Sarutobi was chatting with Negi and Naruto, while Eva and Asuna were watching the original Tsunade berating a heavily bandaged Jiraiya.
"…and what the hell were you thinking, not telling me that the Suna ambassadors are coming sooner? You have enough time to peak at the bath-houses in three towns between Suna and Konoha, and yet you don't have enough time to send a messenger toad! Just wait until Kushina gets her hands on you! She still owes you a beating for that time when…" Tsunade stopped her rant when Kushina cleared her throat.
"Thank you for reminding me of that, Tsunade-sama, I had forgotten about that." Kushina said as she glared at the Toad Sannin.
"Don't look at me, Ero-sennin, I'm not helping you get out of that. I'll be to busy selling tickets to the kunoichi that want to see you getting neutered." Naruto smirked as Jiraiya's eyes widened in horror before he jumped out the window.
"You tagged him with a tracker, right?" Kushina asked Naruto.
"He's not going anywhere." Naruto confirmed with an evil grin.
"Ahem." Tsunade cleared her throat as she looked at the foreigners. "Welcome to Konoha."
They nodded and thanked her, all except Onoki who was staring at the Kage Bunshin with a blank expression.
"Oi, Onoki!" Sarutobi called with a grin as he held his hand out, as if expecting to be given something.
Onoki looked at him, at his open palm, scowled and approached Sarutobi while taking out his wallet. He counted 2000 ryo and placed them in Sarutobi's open hand.
"Annoying old monkey… fine, you win on both counts: the secret to paperwork and retiring before me. When I get home, I'm learning that damn Kage Bunshin jutsu too. They don't last long, but they're good for good enough for this thing." Onoki grumbled.
"Victory is so sweet." Sarutobi chuckled.
"So you made Hokage, eh, slug girl?" Chiyo asked Tsunade as they shook hands.
"Yes, nice to see you too, you old prune." Tsunade's eyebrow twitched.
"At least I'm not hiding my age behind a genjutsu." Chiyo taunted.
"Oh, but who said I'm using a genjutsu?" Tsunade smirked. "You may not have heard, but when I returned to Konoha I joined the Fuhen Clan. I'm sure you at least know that one of the bloodlines gives us eternal youth."
"You don't say…" Chiyo narrowed her eyes.
"Can we get on with this before any of the old geezers croak and I have to wipe out a whole village when they retaliate?" Eva asked in a bored voice.
This caused Sarutobi, Onoki and Chiyo to glare at her. However, the first to speak up was the Jinchuriki from Iwa.
"What the?" Roshi asked in a distorted voice as he grabbed his head in pain, a bit of youki coming out of him.
"What's wrong? Calm down, old man, we don't want to put you down, but we will if you do something as stupid as loosing control of your Biiju." Asuna threatened as she summoned her giant blade.
"No! It's just that… he's trying to say something about the blonde girl! Something about magic… and vampires…" Roshi grounded out as he tried to regain control.
"Tell him to calm down." Negi instructed as Naruto discretely sealed the room. "We're not going to hurt him."
"He's saying that he's as 'she'… and that 'Baka-Negi' shouldn't be telling her to calm down…" Roshi grunted.
"What else is she saying?" Naruto inquired as Eva, Asuna and Negi discretely created a wall of Magic Cancel in front of Roshi while Kyubi, Kushina and Mikoto did the same thing behind him, though with much greater difficulty due to their lack of experience with it.
"Something about missing 'Baka-Negi' and 'Asuna-no-baka' and even the 'Dark Evangel', something about an 'Ostia', sealing and the… 'Juubi'?" Roshi asked in shock.
"Alright, tell her to calm down or I'll drain her blood dry and turn her into my minion." Eva said annoyed as her sclera became black and a dark aura surrounded her.
Almost instantly Roshi's troubles ended.
"She's whimpering now…" Roshi said in disbelief.
"Oh brother!" Naruto rolled his eyes. "Hey, old man, what's your name?"
"My name's Roshi. And before you ask, I hold Yonbi no Saru(Four-Tailed Monkey)" Roshi said.
"Do you know Kage Bunshin?" Kyubi asked.
"Um, yes, I did pick up that jutsu some time ago." Roshi confirmed hesitantly.
"Perfect! Here's what I want you to do: tell Yonbi to take a human form inside the her prison and then use her youki in making a Kage Bunshin while focusing on her." Kyubi instructed.
"Do it." Onoki nodded, wanting to get this over with.
With a hesitant nod, Roshi focused the Yonbi's youki and created a Kage Bunshin. But, to his surprise, the only thing it seemed to have in common with him was the fiery red hair.
"Negi!" the red haired girl called out as she tackled the mage to the ground, hugging him tightly.
"A-Anya?" Negi spluttered.
"Anya-chan?" Asuna stared in wonder.
"The brat?" Eva blinked in surprise.
"Well, I didn't see this coming." Naruto commented.
"Can someone please tell me what's going on here?" Tsunade asked.
"No, not really. We'll have to find out first." Naruto said as he pulled out Nodoka's pactio card. "Adeat!" he called out and the Diarium Ejus appeared floating before him, the Comptina Daemonia on his right index finger and the Auris Recitans on his ear, another clip on the book. "Girl." Naruto said, gaining Anya's attention. "What is your name?"
"Anya Cocolova." Anya replied while only visible to Naruto appeared written in mid-air 'Anastasia Yurievna Cocolova'. "Hey! That's Nodoka's artifact! How the hell can you use it, or even have it for that matter?" Anya asked suspiciously.
"Forget that, we can talk later." Naruto said while giving a meaningful glance at the foreigners. "She's telling the truth." he announced to the entire room.
"I do not understand. I though you said Biiju don't take human names out of principle." Gaara pointed out.
"I don't get it either." Onoki muttered.
"Well, when the first Biiju was born, the Juubi, a lot of people died and were absorbed by it. Apparently, not all their souls passed on and, when the Rikudo Sennin split the Juubi into the nine current Biiju, from Ichibi to Kyubi, Anya's soul took over the position and youki of the Yonbi no Saru." Naruto theorized.
"Not the entire time." Anya shook her head. "I only became conscious after I was first sealed into a human. Before then, the spirit of the monkey the Rikudo gave four tails to was in control. When it was sealed, I realized that it was trying to absorb me or merge with my soul, so I removed his soul and made sure it died with the first Jinchuriki when I was extracted." she explained.
"Huh, who would have though?" Naruto said amused.
"We can talk about this later, after we talk about the original issues you brought." Tsunade said as she looked from Chiyo to Onoki, both nodding reluctantly.
"We're here for reinforcing our alliance, since my foolish father messed things up so badly." Gaara spoke up.
"We're here to talk about a peace treaty as well as about Akatsuki." Onoki grunted.
"…I must be hearing things." Sarutobi said as he began cleaning his ear with his pinky. "I could have sworn you said 'peace treaty' just now."
"I did, you old monkey." Onoki sneered.
"We need to discuss this with the councils…" Tsunade began.
"Correction, we need to discuss this with your council. I have the backing of my entire council for whatever I decide." Onoki said smugly.
"We have as well." Chiyo nodded.
"Fine, let's head for the council chambers. I'll send the summons." Tsunade sighed. "Kyu, Kushina, Mikoto, sign this please." she added quickly and the three immediately did so, knowing that the papers were for joining the village and the Fuhen Clan.
About ten minutes later the large group entered the council chamber where the clan heads were already waiting.
"Let's get down to business." Tsunade said as everyone sat down. "We can start with the alliance with Suna, since we were prepared beforehand."
"This is the document." Chiyo said as she gave Tsunade an ornate scroll. "It's a near copy of our previous alliance treaty, with the few modifications that we all decided on."
"Yes, everything seems in order." Tsunade said as she read all the clauses and confirmed the authenticity of the Wind Daimyo's seal and signature, as well as the Fire Daimyo's and the entire Suna council's, as they currently lacked a Kazekage. Her eyes then fell on the final clause and looked up at Chiyo. "It seems that all that's needed to discuss before we also sign it are the two who will seal the deal with the political marriage."
"Political marriage?" Naruto inquired.
"Yes, just like our previous treaty where we sent a kunoichi from one of Konoha's ninja clans to marry a ninja from on of Suna's, this time they are sending a kunoichi here." Tsunade explained.
"I see." Naruto nodded in understanding.
"Suna had decided that Temari Sabaku, daughter of the late Yondaime Kazekage will marry into Konoha." Chiyo spoke.
Everyone looked at Temari as she stepped forward and bowed slightly. She looked a bit uncomfortable, but resigned to the decision that had been made.
"So the child of a Kage once again is forced to pay for his/her father's mistakes." Naruto though a bit angrily.
"Well, we need to decide on a proper groom for this marriage." Tsunade pointed out. "If you have nominations, and I mean proper ones as in a boy near Temari-san's age, please speak up now." she said to the council.
"I nominate my nephew, Neji Hyuga." Hiashi spoke up.
Nearly everyone in the room that knew Neji grimaced. He was not husband material; that was for sure. Temari's eyes were filled with horror.
"I nominate Shikamaru Nara." Inoichi said.
The reactions were better this time, though Shikaku was giving his old teammate an annoyed look for getting him involved in something troublesome.
"I nominate Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze Fuhen." Hiruzen spoke up from his position as council adviser.
A few amused chuckles followed Sarutobi's words, several of the men realizing what he was trying to do while Naruto was giving the former Hokage a questioning glance.
"Are then any other nominations?" Tsunade inquired. When no answer came, she continued. "Very well, we shall vote on it."
"Shouldn't Temari have a say in this a well?" Anya spoke up, drawing everyone's attention to her.
"And you are?" Hiashi began.
"Leaving." Negi spoke as he leaned over to Anya. "Dispel and we'll talk later." he whispered to her and with a nod she turned into smoke.
"She had a point though." Naruto spoke up; mentally thanking Negi for making sure Hiashi's Byakugan didn't reveal any unpleasant information.
"I agree." Tsunade nodded and the matter was closed, even though by Hiashi's expression he did not like it.
"In favor of Neji Hyuga?" Tsunade called out and only Hiashi raised his hand.
"Sorry Hyuga, your Caged Bird Seal is not really attractive for any future mother." Naruto said dryly, getting a glare from Hiashi as he lowered his hand.
"In favor for Shikamaru Nara?" Tsunade asked.
This time Inoichi and Choza raised their hands, earning Shikaku's ire.
"In favor for Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze Fuhen?" Tsunade called out finally.
Here Sarutobi, Shikaku, Shibi, Tsume, Hanzaki, Tsunade and Temari raised their hands, shortly followed by an amused Naruto.
"Where do I need to sign?" Naruto chuckled.
"Here." Tsunade showed him the scroll and a few seconds they were done.
"So, Temari-chan, when will you be moving in the compound?" Naruto inquired.
"As soon as you want me to." Temari shrugged. "I've already said my goodbyes to the few friends I have in Suna, and the things I want to bring with me are already in a scroll I'm carrying."
"Today it is then." Naruto nodded. "I also have a few important things to talk about with Gaara. In private." he added, getting an understanding nod from the fellow former Jinchuriki.
"Well, now let's move one to the reason Tsuchikage-sama is here." Tsunade spoke up.
"The reason is that in light of recent events, more specifically the Akatsuki organization and others…" Onoki glanced at Naruto "Iwa has come to the conclusion that holding old grudges would not do us any favors when Akatsuki makes their move. So we want to make a peace with Konoha."
"Why Konoha, if I may ask?" Shikaku inquired.
"We've been neutral with Suna for quite some time, Kumo always preferred to stay out of conflicts unless directly threatened and Kiri is too messed up to even contact right now. And it's with Konoha that most of our disagreements have been." Kitsuchi explained.
"What exactly would this peace treaty involve?" Sarutobi asked cautiously.
"Well, besides the usual no-aggression stuff and peaceful cooperation, the only points of interest would be having my cousin Roshi here, the container of the Yonbi no Saru transferred to Konoha permanently, and the other thing would by the ones to seal the deal with a political marriage." Onoki explained.
"And why exactly would you want to surrender your Jinchuriki to us?" Hiashi asked suspiciously.
"Three reasons actually." Roshi spoke up. "One, I'm retired from shinobi life and wouldn't be of any value to Iwa anyway until the Yonbi is extracted and placed in another container; two, I'm being targeted by Akatsuki; and three, in case something nasty happens, Konoha has the means to subdue a Biiju, namely the Sharingan and the Mokuton."
"I see." Tsunade mused. "The Yonbi will remain in Konoha permanently, correct?"
"Yes." Kitsuchi nodded.
"Very well, that's acceptable." Tsunade agreed. "And what of the marriage?"
"Yes, about that." Onoki spoke up. "I think that the treaty would be best enforced if the Yondaime Hokage's son would marry my granddaughter Kurotsuchi here. She would be also transferred to Konoha."
"Yes, it is a logical decision." Shibi mused. "If the Tsuchikage, who represents Iwa's common desires, were to make an alliance to the Yondaime Hokage, who is a hated symbol in Iwa, the animosity on both sides would diminish greatly."
"Yeah, what he said." Onoki grunted.
"Are you okay with this?" Naruto asked Kurotsuchi.
"Yeah, it's okay." Kurotsuchi nodded. "Besides, if Deidara-senpai really joined Akatsuki, then we can't afford to squabble at border patrols."
"That's not exactly what I meant, but alright." Naruto agreed.
"Here's the document." Onoki said as he gave another ornate scroll to Tsunade, who read it and found everything in order. A minute later, it was signed and sealed.
"Well, we're done for today. You're dismissed." Tsunade told the council.
"Onoki-sama, Chiyo-sama, your groups are invited to stay at the Fuhen compound for the remainder of your time in Konoha." Naruto told them giving them a 'just say yes' look.
"Fine with me." Chiyo shrugged.
"Sure, why not?" Onoki added.
As the large group approached the gate of the Fuhen compound Onoki and Chiyo kept annoying the hell out of each other.
"You may be older then he was, but you're nowhere near the level of the Nidaime Tsuchikage, Mu." Chiyo scoffed.
"You think so, huh? Well, you don't hold a candle to Monzaemon either!" Onoki growled.
"If you two don't want me to turn your old asses to dust in the next few seconds, shut the fuck up! We're here!" Kyubi growled, unleashing a decent amount of killer intent.
"So this is the Fuhen compound, huh?" Kurotsuchi said as she glanced at the buildings visible above the surrounding wall.
"Yep, this is it." Mikoto nodded.
"Is this what I think it is?" Onoki asked amused.
"If you're thinking that this the former Namikaze compound, then yes." Naruto smirked.
"Former?" Kitsuchi inquired.
"The Namikaze clan, as well as the Uzumaki clan that my mother was heiress to before the destruction of Uzushiogakure, have been absorbed into the newly formed Fuhen clan." Naruto explained with a smirk.
"Hoho, then you must have acquired quite a few secret seals the Yondaime created." Onoki mused.
"Not really, no." Naruto shook his head. "Most of the seals he had are merely modified versions of what his wife showed him of the Uzumaki Fuinjutsu. Hell, even the Hakke no Fuin Shiki that is now on me was made from two Shisho Fuin put together."
"What about the Shiki Fuin I heard so much about?" Chiyo inquired.
"He didn't come up with it, if that's what you're asking. It was a summoning contract passed down in the Uzumaki clan for centuries without anyone using it. He did figure out the correct handsigns and what the summoning scroll was for on his own, though." Kushina replied.
"I wonder who could have made the Shinigami of all beings agree to being summoned." Kankuro mused.
"Someone extremely powerful, no doubt." Gaara replied.
"I don't have any actual proof, but I suspect it was the Rikudo Sennin who managed it. With his power over life and death as well as the full power of the Juubi, he's the only one I can think of." Naruto shrugged as he placed his hand on the crest, opening the gate.
"That's less absurd then the Shinigami offering a contract to someone, at least." Onoki grunted as he followed the blond through the gate.
"What about the Hiraishin?" Kitsuchi asked.
"Oh, well that one was entirely the Yondaime's creation, from what I could find out. In fact, the only jutsu 100% his is the Rasengan and their variations, though one may argue that the Rasengan was inspired by the Biijudama." Kushina said.
"Hm? Is it me, or do seem to have a rather low opinion of your Yondaime?" Onoki said with a crooked smile.
"No, we're just extremely pissed at him, that's all." Kushina said through her teeth.
"Oh? What…" Onoki began amused.
"Old timer, last time we talked about this, we almost vaporized everything in a mile radius. Don't. Even. Start." Eva said, her dark aura enveloping her.
"Tsk, fine." Onoki grunted.
"We have a few things to talk about, let's head inside and talk." Naruto said.
Soon enough, the entire group was in the conference room along with the rest of the Fuhen clan.
"So, what do you want to talk about?" Chiyo inquired.
"Akatsuki and the Biiju." Naruto said.
"What about them?" Chiyo asked.
"For starters, the current members of Akatsuki are Kakuzu, missing-nin from Takigakure, Hidan, missing-nin from Yugakure, Sasori of the Red Sands, missing-nin from Sunagakure" here Naruto paused and met Chiyo's eyes "Deidara, missing-nin from Iwagakure" here Naruto looked at a pissed Onoki "Nagato Uzumaki, also known as Pain, leader of Amegakure and official leader of Akatsuki, Konan, Nagato's right hand in Amegakure, Orochimaru, missing-nin from Konohagakure and leader of Otogakure, who had just recently rejoined the group, Itachi Uchiha, missing-nin from Kokohagakure, and last but definitely not least Madara Uchiha, secret leader of Akatsuki." Naruto finished.
"Quite a number of former Konoha nin are in Akatsuki, don't you think so?" Onoki smirked.
"I should also mention that we killed Kisame Hoshigaki, missing-nin from Kirigakure and Zetsu, missing-nin from Kusagakure, the later being the one who you've been hiring in the past few years, Tsuchikage-sama." Naruto narrowed his eyes, causing Onoki to look away.
"I also think that it would be more worth noticing that Akatsuki has the loyalty of two, though not major, ninja villages." Gaara said dryly.
"But wasn't Hanzo the Salamander supposed to be the leader of Ame?" Kitsuchi asked.
"That was until Nagato killed him as well as all of his supporters. Now, he's being treated like a god in Ame, and he makes sure to maintain that image through Konan." Chao spoke.
"But enough about Nagato, our clan will be dealing with him." Naruto said.
"Oh? You think you can take him on when he has a whole village to back him up?" Chiyo inquired.
"I say we form an alliance and wipe out Ame…" Onoki began.
"The reason we're trying to wipe out Akatsuki discretely is to avoid a war." Negi countered.
"As for the reason I want to fight Nagato myself, you can call it a family matter." Naruto added with his eyes closed.
"Still, I find it quite hard to believe the Hanzo was killed…" Onoki mumbled.
"He was getting old. Skilled or not, if his body can't handle it, then it means nothing." Eva sighed, knowing very well what a disadvantage an unfit body brings.
"Also, Nagato is an extremely dangerous individual. He possesses the legendary Rinnegan, just as the Rikudo Sennin. He can freely use the five main elements, Yin and Yang as well as gravity. He has quite a lot of power over life and death." Negi explained grimly, unpleasantly reminded by the Averruncus Series.
"Impossible! The Rinnegan is just a myth!" Kitsuchi erupted.
"Wrong, it's quite real." Naruto shook his head. "I don't know for certain how Nagato got it, but I have a feeling that Madara is somehow involved."
"Yes, him." Onoki growled. "How the hell is he still alive again? Didn't your Shodaime kill him?"
"Apparently not." Mikoto grimaced. "As for how, we suspect it may have something to do with him taking his brother's eyes, but we don't really have any evidence."
"What about the Biiju?" Gaara inquired.
"The Hachibi is in Kumo, the Sanbi and Rokubi are in Kiri, the Nanabi I don't know for sure but I have someone working on it, the Gobi is in Iwa…" Chao spoke.
"No, it's not." Onoki grunted.
"What do you mean, it's not?" Naruto narrowed his eyes.
"Han, the Gobi Jinchuriki was convicted nearly a decade ago to life in prison after he killed two of our jonin squads. He escaped in less then a month and we have yet to capture him." Kitsuchi explained.
"Did you even try to?" Asuna asked annoyed.
"Of course we did! Do you think we would like a murdering maniac walking around? But why don't you try to capture someone when you can't be five feet from him without getting the air in your lungs boiled! He uses steam and uses it well." Onoki growled.
"Do you even know he hasn't been captured yet?" Eva asked annoyed.
"Don't worry about that, we constantly have a few people on his trail. He probably knows it too, but he doesn't care as long as we can't do anything to beat him." Kitsuchi assured them.
"Anyway, like I was saying, those five are outside Konoha. The remaining four are in this room." Chao finished her earlier count.
Silence dawned for a few seconds before Onoki spoke up.
"I see, so that rumor that the Raikage's niece married into your clan was true. So you're the Nibi Jinchuriki." he said.
"Yes, my name is Yugito Nii." Yugito introduced herself.
"However, that's not exactly what I meant." Chao snickered.
"Oh?" Onoki raised an eyebrow.
"With the exception of Anya, the Yonbi, that is inside Roshi, the Ichibi, Nibi and Kyubi are literally in this room." Naruto smirked as the three girls showed off their tails.
At this sight Onoki's jaw dropped and Chiyo looked like she was about to have a heart attack, the same for Kitsuchi and Kurotsuchi.
"But… how… I thought…?" Chiyo kept looking between Gaara and Ichibi.
"I still contain the power of the Ichibi, just not her soul." Gaara explained, thinking that it would be a bad idea to tell her that he contained a copy of Ichibi's power.
"I… I see." Chiyo muttered as she looked at Ichibi with contempt.
"Don't you dare glare at me, you old wind bag! I know it was you who sealed me into Gaara and made his life hell! Had he not asked me not to, I would have wiped out every form of life in Kaze no Kuni." Ichibi growled.
"But… how are the hosts alive?" Onoki muttered.
"The hosts die at extraction because the youki clings to the body to make it its own. However, I used my bloodline to make for the youki a perfectly compatible vessel, making it leave the former vessel alive." Naruto explained.
"And yes, the same will happen with Anya/Yonbi." Negi smiled.
"She says she's thrilled." Roshi informed them.
"Hold on, isn't this a bit risky?" Onoki said.
"Not at all. The Akatsuki want the Biiju, not the Jinchuriki. We're fooling them by taking the Biiju away from the Jinchuriki they know they're in." Naruto pointed out.
"I see. Fine, do what you want. Just make sure none of them attack my village." Onoki grunted.
"Same here." Chiyo said.
"Now, if you don't mind, it's been a long day? Can you show us to our rooms?" Onoki inquired.
As the group was being led to their rooms, Roshi, Temari and Kurotsuchi were asked by Naruto to stay a bit longer.
"Roshi, can you make another Kage Bunshin of Anya please? We have a lot of catching up to do." Negi requested.
"Sure." Roshi shrugged and Anya phased next to him in a small puff of smoke.
"Roshi, there's just one more thing and then you can go to sleep." Naruto said. "You see, there are actually two ways of extracting Anya: leaving you with four tails of youki as a one time amount or four tails as a volume that replenishes after being used. Normally, we would use the second variant, but you said that you're retired. So if you don't want it, just say the word."
"I see." Roshi mumbled thoughtfully. "Let me sleep on it for a while and I'll tell you my decision."
"Alright. It will take a few days to make the preparations anyway, so there's no rush." Naruto nodded and Roshi left, leaving Naruto alone with Eva, Temari and Kurotsuchi.
"What did you want to talk to us about?" Temari inquired.
"A couple of things, actually." Naruto said. "First of all, I want to make one thing perfectly clear for the both of you." he began and the two new girls tensed. "While this is an arranged marriage, I will not now nor ever force you to do something without your consent. It is your decision entirely." he finished with a smile.
"And the second?" Kurotsuchi inquired, feeling warm inside at his words.
"Secondly, it's about what you may call proof of your membership in the Fuhen Clan and as my wives to be." Naruto spoke.
"What's that?" Temari inquired.
"Something like this." Naruto said as he took out his own pactio card. "It grants the owner telepathic connection with the person it was made with, a boost of power when activated, a weapon or other item that complements your own talents, as well as it allows the person you made it with to summon you when within a certain distance."
"All that in one card?" Kurotsuchi said incredulously.
"Yes. I'll give you the full background story tomorrow, for now just make the contracts." Eva said impatiently.
"Oh, alright. What do we need to do?" Temari inquired.
"You need to kiss Naruto-kun while standing in that circle. One at a time." Eva said as she materialized a circle under Naruto.
"Um… ok. I'll go first." Temari said with a blush.
"Calm down, Temari-chan, it doesn't hurt at all." Naruto chuckled as she joined him in the circle. "It feels quite good, actually." he whispered before claiming her lips.
Temari's eyes widened a bit at his husky whisper but as soon as the circle was lit she understood perfectly what he meant. Her inhibitions gone, she placed an arm around his neck and began to kiss him passionately. She was a bit disappointed when he broke the kiss, but the shivers of delight that passed through her when he bit her neck washed that away completely. As she slowly walked out of the circle a few moments later, in her daze she went straight into Kurotsuchi who was approaching cautiously.
"What exactly happened to her?" Kurotsuchi asked nervously.
"Well, the energy the circle emanates a very powerful aura…" Naruto began.
"If you're compatible to the guy and already attracted to him, it's like an aphrodisiac." Eva said bluntly with a large grin.
"Oh." Kurotsuchi blinked and looked at Temari that still had her eyes closed and was licking her lips discretely as she touched the new tattoo on her neck.
"It doesn't last too long, but people with large reserves fuel it for longer." Naruto said.
"Okay." Kurotsuchi nodded and entered the circle.
Naruto decided to initiate the kiss after whispering "Relax." in her ear. The kiss was not as passionate as the one with Temari, bit it was expected since Iwa nin were trained to control their emotions more then others, except ROOT of course. Still, it only took a few seconds for Kurotsuchi to get lost in the kiss. She wasn't able to bite back a moan either when Naruto bit her neck.
"Wow!" Kurotsuchi whispered when the pactio ended.
"Yeah, it's quite the experience." Eva agreed. "Now, let's see what cards you got."
As Naruto suspected, the girls received rings that had the kanji for Wind, respectively Lava, just as his other girlfriends had for their respective special elements.
With a whispered goodnight, they all headed for bed, Naruto discretely creating a couple dozen more Kage Bunshin to keep an eye on the guests. Friendly or not, there were still Iwa nin in the former house of the Yellow Flash.
Next time: Mixing Pleasure with Lust