Author's note – Kishimoto Masashi owns Naruto while Guyver is written by Yoshiki Takaya.
I make no claim to either, I am merely playing in their sandboxes.
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Chapter Thirty-Two
Arrivals
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"Heya ji… Hokage-sama." Naruto called as he swung into the mission office through the window, changing his his greeting as he saw the old man and woman who had paused on their way to the door. The two retired Shinobi glared at him, but he chose to ignore the glares (while remaining very aware of them in order to ensure that they didn't try anything underhanded) as he moved to stand in front of the Hokage.
"Anko-san said that the tests begin in a few days, so I was hoping to get in a quick mission or two for some extra spending money." He explained. "Even with the money from the tags, that greenhouse my clones and I put together for Ino-chan's flowers yesterday cost. My discretionary fund is starting to run low."
Hiruzen nodded. "Yes, Inoichi mentioned it during last nights poker game. You went and purchased one of their backup commercial greenhouses?"
Naruto started to nod, then paused. "What did I miss?"
"Commercial means used for business."
Naruto face-palmed. "No wonder it was so big! Oh well, at least we can use some of it to grow vegetables as well."
Hiruzen chuckled. "Yes, well… I'm afraid that I'm temporarily reassigning you to village security. It'll be classed as an on-going C-rank."
"Is Kakashi-senpai going to be there as well?" Naruto asked and Hiruzen shook his head.
"No, I sent him on a covert mission into the Land of Rice Paddies to check out some disquieting rumors that Jiraiya came across."
Naruto nodded. "Who do I report to?"
"Fugaku has volunteered his services in running the enhanced security for the exams." Hiruzen said. "You may want to armour up first."
Naruto nodded and then dived out of the window. A few seconds later, his armoured form accelerated in an upwards curve.
Hiruzen smiled and turned back to the pile of scrolls before him, then a knock sounded at the door.
"Enter!"
Teams seven and ten entered and Hinata bowed politely.
"Hokage-sama…" She began, "I am aware that this situation is unusual, but Ino-chan and I would like to hire our teams for a mission."
"Collecting and setting up the contents of the greenhouse that Naruto had installed yesterday?" Hiruzen asked and Hinata's eyes widened.
"How did you…?" Ino started, then she shook her head. "Of course, you're the Hokage, you have to know what's going on. Still impressive, though."
Hiruzen smirked.
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Fugaku stared at the figure who had just entered his office. After a few moments, he gathered his wits, coughed self-consciously and shuffled his paperwork in an attempt to buy some time to think.
"Hiruzen sent me to aid in security." Naruto offered. "Do you have any instructions for me?"
"I… hadn't actually expected you to be assigned to me." Fugaku finally admitted. "What can you do? From a security viewpoint rather than a combat one, I mean?"
"I can fly, see chakra, heat… I'm not certain how good my hearing is…"
"You can see chakra and heat?" Fugaku asked in shock and Naruto shrugged.
"Not at the same time. I… have to switch modes, so to speak."
"Wow." Fugaku mused. "That must have been how Hiro spotted the Kumo-teme who tried to kidnap the Hyuuga heiress… what?"
"The… Kumo…Teme?" Naruto choked out as he fought down his laughter and Fugaku blinked before face-palming.
"Dammit, Hiashi. You got me doing it now." He muttered to himself, then he shook his head and looked at Naruto again. "Sorry. I meant the former Kumo Ambassador. My fellow adviser, Hyuuga Hiashi, refers to him as the Kumo-teme and I hadn't realized until now that I did the same thing."
Naruto tilted his head. "So… would it help if I continued my flying patrols, but during the day?"
"As long as you can give us some way of getting your attention if something happens." Fugaku agreed.
"I have been developing a colored flash-tag for signalling…" Naruto mused, "Perhaps this would be a good time to deploy them."
"You have access to colored flash tags?"
Naruto nodded and Fugaku leaned back in his chair, staring at his newest (temporary) underling. "How many can you make?"
"How many do you need?"
Fugaku rummaged through the pile of papers on his desk, finally locating and extracting the sheet he was looking for. Glancing at it, he wrote down several numbers and words on a new sheet, then he returned the list to its pile and handed over the other piece of paper to Naruto.
"The top number is how many people I have working for me during the exams. The lower two are the number of primary tags per person for signalling purposes, although more would be appreciated."
Naruto nodded, then paused and put the sheet down. Fugaku lifted an inquisitive eyebrow.
"You memorized that already?"
"No, but when I'm armoured I don't have any pockets." Naruto explained as he shed his armour and picked up the piece of paper again. Rolling it up, he tucked it into one of the pockets of his chunin vest, then paused at the look Fugaku was giving him. "What?"
"How did you fit those two shuriken under the armour?"
"That… is an interesting question."
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"Who puts a toilet in a greenhouse?" Kiba asked as he stared at the metal object in question. "I mean, the walls are made of glass, right? Where's the privacy?"
"Here." Ino replied as she walked in carrying three metal poles, the other end of the bundle being held by Choji. "According to Naruto-kun, there should be sockets for these."
"That's right." One of the two Naruto-clones agreed. "Boss thought that since it's a bit of a run to the bathroom, having a backup loo here would be useful. Four of us installed the piping using the underground voyage technique."
"This tap's in the wrong place." Asuma called as he poked at the tap, then looked behind him to the raised drain. "I think it needs to be lengthened, or it'll flood the greenhouse."
"I don't think that it'll be a problem." Sasuke said as he backed in through the door, maneuvering a long table. "I think this table-thing is meant to go there."
Even as he finished, Shikamaru slouched through the door holding the other end of the table and the two turned it to show that the top was a wide, metal v-shaped channel that ended with a short pipe sticking out at one end. Asuma stared at it, then looked at the gap between the tap and the drain.
"Okay." He admitted. "I was wrong."
"Damn. I wasn't using my sharingan when you said that." Itachi joked as he took the first pole and placed it into the small hole in the ground, sliding it into position. "I will have to rely on normal memory."
"Shut it, you." Asuma laughed as he walked over to where four cloth blinds were rolled up. "Hinata, want to help hang these things?"
"Hai, Asuma-sensei." Hinata replied as she scurried across from where she had been examining the door that was leaning by the side of the door-frame.
"Stealing my genin now?" Itachi asked as he set the connector atop the vertical pole and Asuma shrugged.
"I'll swap her for Ino if you want. Of course, I'm not sure how well she'll get on with your other two."
"Please do!" Shikamaru muttered, then he flinched as Ino dope-slapped him. "Ow! Troublesome girl."
Ino growled at her team-mate, then stalked off to start assembling the shelving units at the far end of the greenhouse.
"You really shouldn't provoke her, you know." Asuma observed as he worked on attaching the blinds to cover the two corner windows . "After all, she has all those special moves, now."
Shikamaru sighed. "Yeah, I know. And since she and Hinata started living together, she's actually become less troublesome overall."
"Obviously being engaged suits her." Asuma mused. "Perhaps we should find a woman for you as well. Perhaps a strong-willed kunoichi who insists that you improve yourself?"
Shikamaru shuddered. "No thanks, that would be just too much of a drag."
"Asuma-sensei." Hinata gasped. "Naruto-kun's just rescued your nephew!"
"What?"
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Naruto floated through the sky, his gaze flickering over the crowds below, seeking unusual patterns or unexplained surges. A flash of pink caught his eye and his gaze zoomed in on the pink hair of Haruno Sakura, who was walking away from the Hokage Tower with her team. A small boy bumped into them, then suddenly turned and ran with Sakura following. Swooping down for a better view of what was happening, Naruto blinked as the boy ran into a very familiar black-clad figure, one who was carrying a large bandage-wrapped item on his…
No.
The heat pattern was all wrong for that.
The boy was a puppet, the bundle was the real boy!
And he recognized him!
A quick scan confirmed that Gaara was watching from a nearby tree, as well as three other ninja in a second tree across the street from where the young boy was being suspended in the air by the puppet. Altering course, Naruto dropped down silently behind Kankuro and Temari.
"…and this little brat deserves to be hit for running into me!" Kankuro finished as Naruto touched down.
"It was an accident!" The boy yelled, then he froze, staring at Naruto.
"Suddenly realized you're in trouble, did you?" Kankuro sneered through his pupped and Naruto rested one of his arm-blades against the puppeteer.
"Actually, he spotted me." Naruto stated. "Odd that you didn't."
"Oh fuck!" Kankuro squeaked. "I know that voice!"
"Please release the boy. I am certain that he did not mean to run into you and he is very sorry for doing so."
The boy in question nodded frantically and Temari slapped the puppet on its head.
"Kankuro, you idiot! Put the brat down!"
The brat in question hit the ground and Sakura quickly pulled him away, brushing him down.
"Sarutobi Konohamaru!" She scolded. "Why do you always get into trouble?"
Naruto turned to look up at Gaara. "We meet again, carrier of the Ichibi. As long as you abide by the rules of Konoha, I shall have no reason to harm you."
Gaara glared at him for a long moment, then vanished in a swirl of sand. Behind him, Naruto sensed Kankuro and Temari also departing.
"That was cool!" Konohamaru said, wriggling free from Sakura's hold on him and running over.
#Hinata, Ino,# Naruto sent, feeling his two fiancées mentally turning to him. #I just rescued a kid named Sarutobi Konohamaru from a Suna Nin, but I have no idea what to do with him. If I let him run off, he'll probably just get into trouble again.#
For a long moment, neither one answered, then Hinata spoke.
#We're in the greenhouse with Konohamaru's uncle. Can you bring him over here? We'll keep an eye on him for you.#
Naruto looked down at the hyper kid who was circling him and exclaiming about how awesome he looked, then he looked at Sakura, who had a worried expression on her face.
"You can rejoin your team now, Sakura-san." Naruto said. "I will take him somewhere safe."
"What?" Konohamaru shouted even as Naruto scooped him up. "No! Let me go! I don't… we're flying!"
Naruto managed not to laugh as Konohamaru stared wide-eyed at the receding ground.
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"Uncle Asuma!"
Asuma looked up as Naruto descended towards him, Konohamaru held securely in his arms.
"Hey, Ko." Asuma smiled. "What's up? Apart from you, I mean."
"Oh, ha. Ha." Konohamaru grumbled as Naruto touched down and lowered him to the ground. "Hey, I ran into some ninja with an hourglass on their headband…"
"Quite literally." Naruto said and Konohamaru glared up at him.
"Suna ninja." Asuma nodded. "Team Baki, apparently. Count yourself lucky, their third member is a psychopath. Team, if you find yourself going up against Gaara, try to disengage and retreat. Only someone with the Uzumaki Armour can stand against him."
Ino and Hinata exchanged glances, then Ino grabbed Konohamaru.
"Hey!"
"Your face is filthy and your clothes all rumpled." Ino stated as she dragged Konohamaru into the greenhouse and turned on the tap. Pulling out a small cloth, she soaked it under the stream of water, then started to scrub Konohamaru's face while Asuma chuckled at the sight.
"So, the Suna teams have arrived." Itachi mused. "That means that the other teams will also arrive soon."
"Then I had better return to my patrol." Naruto said as he rose into the air once more.
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Authors Afternote - There are complaints about Fu possibly receiving a Guyver unit. All I can say to the moaners is follow these instructions.
1) Go to my profile (click on my pen-name at the top of the screen).
2) Scroll down to the Interesting News section.
3) Click on the link to the Guyver Naruto Image Gallery.
4) Check out the Fu Stage 1 and Fu Stage 2 armours (remembering to read the text below the pictures).
5) Check out the Guyver Naruto cover v2.1.
6) Think carefully about what you have seen.
Thank you.