Chapter 35

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the X-Men

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

The first chapter of 2017! Well, after starting their trip to Moon Country in chapter 19 and going through several sub arcs it seems Naruto and company are finally close to home in Konoha. Assuming they survive the Uzumaki Temple of course…. Here is chapter 35. Enjoy!

{ } Signifies a foreign language.

Last Time:

"….Orochimaru once took me to the old Uzumaki Clan's Mask Storage Temple that is southeast of Konoha." Naruto and Karin both stared at her and Anko said, "Hold on a second." She shot up a tall tree nearby and looked into a set of binoculars. "That's the place alright!" she called down to the others. Walking back down at a more sedate pace Anko came to the others and said, "I looked around inside the place once. It's full of creepy noh masks that look like demons. I remember it gave me the chills even then. I was twelve; maybe thirteen. It was before the snake turned traitor."

"What does it have to do with the Uzumaki Clan?" asked Naruto.

"I wish I knew Naruto." said Anko with a shrug. "It's got the Uzumaki swirl on the outside and it's full of creepy masks. I remember Orochimaru was really curious about the place and said each mask was 'special' but the gods only know what that means."

Illyana's eyes glowed yellow and she smiled. "It's not that much of a detour Anko-sensei. What do you say we look into this Mask Temple…?"

Fire Country, Uzumaki Clan's Mask Storage Temple

A few minutes later, Naruto and Karin were standing in front of the Uzumaki Mask Storage Temple. They both wondered what their ancestors left behind in that place….

The two support pillars that once held up the entrance were buckled but still supporting the ancient entryway that displayed a massive replica of the Uzumaki Swirl. The entryway roof sagged on the right side causing the roof to crumple. The wood was cracked and faded. Holes in the walls and roof where both animals and plants had taken up residence were evident. The polished wood and once white walls were long faded to grays and browns of disrepair. Like the Uzumaki Clan; it was faded and broken….but still it stood. When Naruto touched the wood of the pillars he felt something awesome. It was as if the history of the whole grounds rushed through him like a dream he couldn't quite grasp.

In a trance, the blonde looked over at his red haired cousin and saw that she too had felt the history when she touched the opposite pillar. Her red eyes met his blue ones and both Uzumakis nodded at one another before they each slashed their palms with kunai and slammed their bloodied hands into the pillars. Blue lines shot up and down the pillars as intricate seal work revealed itself. Blue chakra roared forth from the cousins with such ferocity that they both fell to their knees and the structure started to groan as if it was going to collapse. Anko and the others felt as if the physical force of Karin and Naruto's chakra was pushing them back like a windstorm. Both Hinata and Illyana called out for their lover but their voices were drowned out by the roar of the chakra maelstrom before them.

The shrine's ancient pillars slowly, inch by inch, started to straighten themselves out and seemed to regenerate before the shocked group's dazzled eyes. The buckled roof of the entryway rose and straightened itself until it sat perfectly level. The Uzumaki Seal glowed with green nature chakra and from it more lines flowed back into the building itself. The structure started to completely rebuild itself from top to bottom. Every nook and cranny glowed with seal lines as the shrine itself seemed to come to life. No longer was it a gray and decaying structure; before them stood an immaculate ivory and lacquered cherry wood shrine that looked fit to house the kamis themselves….

Naruto and Karin both fell unconscious having seen the place in their vision restored to its proper glory….

"Naruto-kun!/Karin!" cried out the group. The two Uzumaki cousins vanished as if they were mirages….

"Genjutsu kai!" yelled Anko as she flared her chakra.

Nothing happened and Hinata activated her Karyuhdogan. The reticle pattern in her eyes blazed as she scanned the area for magic traces. After a moment the indigo haired beauty said, "They are underground down at the focal point of the magic. It looks like the place is three or four stories underground. Both Naruto-kun and Karin look like they are asleep."

Anko walked up in front of the now immaculate entrance to the building and cautiously slid it open. The group walked in each wondering if they weren't walking into the lion's den. In the central room they saw a podium or altar in front of a wall of demon masks and each one seemed to emanate a different power. Anko cringed slightly from the childhood memories. Underneath the masks were ornate paintings of black flames decorating the wall and above the mask wall in a triangle formation were three Uzumaki family crests. Hinata examined each of the masks in turn and found they all contained magic of various types. Some she could identify but many she couldn't. "Some are laced with fire and lightning; some have properties I don't recognize at all. That one is laced with death." said Hinata as she pointed towards one in the center right.

"Is there one tied to the shrine itself Hinata-chan?" asked Illyana. "We're looking for a passage down."

Hinata looked carefully and said, "There are two; the furthest right and the second furthest to the left. Both are on the bottom row."

"We should grab them then." said Shizuka. "Our husband is in danger."

'Our husband…?' thought Illyana and Hinata as one.

Shizuka already had her hands on the one second furthest to the left so Illyana went and put her hands on the one to the right. "What now Hinata-chan?" asked Illyana.

"Try channeling chakra into the masks." said Anko. "I think it would be a bad idea to put the masks on. We don't know what they will do to you."

Both Shizuka and Illyana nodded and channeled some chakra. The ornate flame patterns on the walls started moving as if they were actually made of real flame and the podium that Hinata and Anko were standing by started to rumble. Kitty pulled them both back and Tokiwa and Sakura stood at ready in case of a trap. Then the round podium dropped section by section until it formed a stone spiral staircase down into the ground.

"Stop channeling chakra." said Hinata as the stairs stopped their movements. "It's a long way down."

….

Konoha

Several guards detected the shockwave of chakra from Naruto and Karin's display of power. "Holy shit, that came from the southeast!" said ANBU Wolf. He turned to ANBU Cat who was kneeling. "Are you all right Cat?" he asked concerned.

"I'm a sensor remember?" said Cat holding her head. "That explosion of chakra knocked me on my ass. We need to investigate and fast. People without ninja abilities could probably feel that."

Wolf nodded and radioed ANBU Headquarters. "Let's go!" said Wolf. "Others will meet us there."

It took very little time for several ANBU Agents to arrive at the site of the Uzumaki Clan Temple. "By the gods…." said Cat. "Isn't this the old Uzumaki Clan Temple ruins? Genjustu Kai!" Nothing happened as her chakra spread through the area.

"It doesn't look like ruins to me." said ANBU Ferret. The group all tried dispelling a genjutsu with no results.

Wolf said, "Be quiet Ferret. As far as we know this was a derelict building on the verge of collapse yesterday. Now it looks brand new. Let's start checking the grounds."

"It looks better than brand new." said ANBU Hawk. "I was out here yesterday. This is impossible. We need to inform the Hokage immediately."

Cat said, "Nobody touch the structure itself, we have no idea what's going on."

Wolf nodded in agreement, "Go and inform the Hokage Hawk. Take Lizard with you."

Lizard and Hawk saluted and quickly departed. Ferret asked, "Are you sure we shouldn't go in?"

"No, we wait for further instructions." said Cat. "The raw chakra unleashed was enough to be a tailed beast. "We are not in a position to confront something of this magnitude. Everyone surround the place and watch for any movements."

"The Hokage will know what to do." assured Wolf as the group fanned out….

….

Uzumaki Clan's Mask Storage Temple

The stairwell down was lined with torches that ignited as the group slowly walked down. Hinata was on point with Kitty by her in case she had to go further though something solid. "It's creepy how these torches light up as we step down the stairs." said Kitty. Is this magic or chakra?"

"It's magic." said Illyana. "Make no mistake, this place is overflowing with it." Illyana's eyes were glowing yellow without her realizing it due to the overflow of magic in the air.

That's when the group saw a woman and child with red hair. They were transparent like ghosts. The girl looked to be about ten. "Mito obaa-chan; why do we have to go to this place to test me dattebane? It's creepy."

The woman smiled and said, "This will test your bloodlines Kushina-chan. If you are lucky something amazing will happen!"

"Are those spirits?" asked Shizuka. "They don't appear to have any physical form and they leave no shadows."

Illyana shook her head. "I'm sure those are simply memories of this place. We're viewing the past. It's probably harmless."

"So they are like astral projections?" asked Kitty.

The blonde sorceress shrugged. "Astral projections require a psychic source of energy behind them. These seem to be coming from the shrine itself."

Sakura asked, "So in essence we're seeing the 'memories' of the actual building?"

"If something exists long enough it acquires a presence." said Illyana. "Given this focal point probably has existed centuries it's not that surprising."

Anko groaned. "This metaphysical mumbo-jumbo is giving me a headache Illyana-chan. So basically we're looking at a vision of the past?"

"Correct sensei." said Illyana with a grin. "Just leave the thinking to me."

The Snake Mistress stuck out her tongue at her apprentice and said, "Brat."

"The passages to the first three floors are sealed with barrier magic." said Hinata as they bypassed the doors one by one. "Naruto-kun and Karin are on the fourth floor down."

"Is it sealed as well?" asked Shizuka.

Hinata shook her head 'no.' "Fortunately no. I can't see any form of seal on it. We should still be very cautious of other traps though."

As the group descended they saw several more visions the generally were an adult and a child talking about bloodlines or some kind of trial or test ahead of them.

They reached the fourth floor and Hinata looked the door over carefully. It was a simple wooden door with the Uzumaki symbol on it. "I can see Naruto-kun and Karin within. They are lying on stone tables that look like altars."

Anko said, "Let's go." and slid the door open.

Illyana stepped inside and was nearly deafened by the rock concert inside. She saw Kitty standing beside her in absolute shock. Both of them were in tee shirts and jeans. The guitar ripped through the air as the lead singer screamed "RIP AND TEAR!" and the crunching of the bass guitar rattled their teeth. The atmosphere was green with pot smoke and booze reeked in the air. As the strobe lights and the laser light show flashed about them both girls laughed and smiled at each other. They got into the music and screamed wildly as the lead guitarist started a solo….

That's when chakra claws ripped through the air in front of Illyana and she saw Hinata standing there looking positively violent. Hinata looked around and said over the roar of the crowd, "Genjutsu Kai!" She unleashed a shell of chakra and magic simultaneously and the illusion shattered.

Kitty and Illyana were both shocked to find themselves back in the room where Karin and Naruto were. A rather unusual laughter was heard along with clapping. "Unbelievable! You broke through every illusion barrier, both magical and chakra based. Those are some eyes child." Everyone saw an obviously female shrine keeper dressed as a Miko but wearing one of the oni masks like the ones upstairs. "Welcome to the Uzumaki Clan Temple children."

Hinata said irritably, "It's just the mask. That body is a physical illusion."

"Hmmm…." said the mask. "Nothing seems to escape you child. I will tell you I meant no harm. I only wished to detain you while I search these two for kekkei genkai. They already have incredibly potent chakra…."

"What do you mean by searching for kekkei genkai?" asked Shizuka crossly. "That is my husband you have there."

The oni mask miko said, "He has three wives? All beautiful too. Lucky bastard."

Illyana looked confused and Hinata said, "I already told it we were his wives before I realized everyone else was trapped."

"Getting back on track, why did you kidnap Naruto and Karin?" asked Anko.

The mask made puzzled hand motions and said, "After the two of them practically poured their souls into restoring this sacred place I figured the least I could do was activate their bloodlines. That was part of the purpose of this place after all. No one of Uzumaki descent has been here since Mito-sama's visit with young Kushina-chan."

Illyana's eyes widened. "Kushina was Naruto's Mother!"

The miko nodded, "She passed half of Kyubi to him. I have to wonder what happened to the other half…."

"Half of Kyubi?" asked Illyana and Hinata as one.

Chuckling, the mask miko said, "You need not worry, young Naruto here has enough power to level a major village even with only half. I have a feeling you two already know that though." Suddenly the miko turned to the prone Karin and said, "Ah ha! Adamantine Sealing Chains! Wonderful; I shall impart the knowledge to young Karin to activate them. Learning to use them is up to her. Now for the boy…."

Karin awoke suddenly looking shocked. "W-what the hell? Where am I?"

"You are inside the Uzumaki Clan Temple." answered the oni mask miko. "You instinctively came to this place and restored it. Only true Uzumaki's could have done that. As a small reward of gratitude I granted you knowledge of the Adamantine Sealing Chains. Use them to protect those you love as your ancestors did."

The redhead shook her head to clear it. "The images I saw of this place….were they real?"

The oni mask nodded. "Apparently you and your cousin unknowingly are gifted with psychometry when it comes to Uzumaki items or places. Who knows what the two of you could find in the land of Whirlpools. Using your incredibly potent chakra the pair of you restored this Temple to its proper glory. The hidden half of the Temple will be revealed to you should you wish to take up residence here."

Karin looked surprised. "Can you show me around ummm….Mask-san?"

The oni mask miko chortled. "I wish I could but the confines of this room are my only domain. The doors will open for you if you will it. You will find other guides in those places."

"What about Naruto-kun?" asked the redhead.

"He's sleeping." said the mask. "His Mother had the same chains you do but he doesn't seem to have them. All things considered it shows up far more in females anyway. Probably one of his future daughters will possess that ability."

"Are you alright Karin-chan?" asked Anko.

Karin smiled as she turned and saw all her friends looking concerned at her. "I'm just fine guys. I can't wait to try out this new ability."

Naruto stirred and the mask miko turned to him. "Alas, I can detect no kekkei genkai he can access. On the other hand he has an incredible knack for sealing. There may be scrolls in the hands of others in the Temple. You should explore. I'm sure they will be as grateful as I am."

The orange loving ninja woke up and said, "Whoa, what a trip. What happened to me? It was like I was in a trance."

"You were." said the oni mask miko.

"Okay, this is seriously creepy." said Naruto. "Are you one of the shrine keepers I was dreaming about?"

The oni mask nodded. "That I am Uzumaki Naruto."

"Naruto-kun, are you alright?" asked Hinata.

Naruto turned to Hinata and Illyana. "I'm fine my himes but I don't know exactly what happened I'm afraid."

….

Konoha, Hokage Tower

Tsunade was talking with Jiraiya about the Uzumaki Clan Temple along with ANBU Hawk and Lizard. "You say it looks like it is brand new Hawk?" asked Tsunade.

Hawk nodded. "Yes Hokage-sama. It was in ruins yesterday when I passed by it and today it looks fit for the Daimyo to stay in. It is hard to comprehend that a chakra blast of that magnitude didn't just destroy it."

Jiraiya asked, "Your team checked for the possibility of wide area genjutsus I assume?" Hawk and Lizard both nodded. "Did you check for sealing arrays?"

Lizard replied, "Jiraiya-sama, we checked the whole area as close as ten feet from the temple to one hundred feet out. There were no sealing specialists on our team though so there is the possibility that we missed something."

"I'd better go out there myself." said Jiraiya. "I've never been inside that shrine. I always assumed it was blood sealed for Uzumaki's only. Can you tell me anything about it Tsunade-hime?"

The Hokage nodded slowly. "The Uzumaki Clan's Mask Storage Temple was practically forgotten about even when we were children Jiraiya. No one maintained it. It was never blood sealed to my knowledge." said Tsunade. "I went there once with Mito Obaa-sama when I was nine or ten. It was one of the creepiest places I'd ever set foot in. It was full of oni masks that were supposed to be able to summon things. Obaa-sama never did say what. I remember one of the masks actually spoke to me and scared me to death. It said I had potent chakra but no Uzumaki kekkei genkai….It was like I was in some sort of trance…." Tsunade thought hard for a moment. "I remember it said I could become a great kunoichi by healing others. Looking back; I made the decision to become a combat medic shortly after that. I never really thought about it until now."

"So there may be some sort of spirit or demon that is or was sealed in that Temple." said Jiraiya gravely. "We'll have to be careful. Hawk, Lizard; you two are with me."

Tsunade said, "Be careful Jiraiya. I'm going down into the Hokage Library to see if there is anything written about that Temple. I think I remember Mito Obaa-sama saying it predated Konoha. If I find out anything vital I'll send an ANBU messenger."

"Got it Hokage-sama!" said Jiraiya with a jaunty salute. He then exited through the window leaving Lizard and Hawk very confused.

The vein on Tsunade's forehead was bulging and she said to her two perplexed subordinates. "Just follow that idiot! I'll kill him later." Both frightened ANBU saluted and took off after Jiraiya. Tsunade got up and closed her office windows. The busty blonde Hokage was debating whether going to the books in the Hokage Library or having a drink took precedence. She was heading towards the booze hidden in her desk when Shizune knocked on the door. 'Damn, what bad timing….' groused Tsunade mentally. "Come in Shizune."

Shizune came in with a pile of paperwork and said, "I have a priority message from Rai of the Twelve Guardian Ninjas. Our cryptography team just finished decoding it. It's already a day late."

Tsunade's eyes got huge. "Oh gods, Naruto decided to prank the Daimyo a he had a heart attack, I can just feel it!"

Handing the message to Tsunade, Shizune said in a panicked tone, "Read it Tsunade-sama!"

"You mean you didn't already read it?" asked the blonde.

The dark haired young woman said, "Of course not! It said for Hokage's eyes only! I'm not going to read it."

Tsunade huffed. "You have no idea how much stress you would save me by breaking protocols once in a while."

"Will you read it already Tsunade-sama?" growled Shizune. "Naruto-kun may be a missing nin by now!"

The blonde Hokage snatched the message and sat down at her desk. Opening it and fearing the worst she read Rai praising Naruto's actions to high heaven for saving the Daimyo from not one but two assassins. "It seems that Naruto-kun is quite handy with chopsticks Shizune." said Tsunade with a grin and relief in her voice. "He saved the Fire Daimyo's life over lunch apparently. Rai's ecstatic. This is great news."

The Hokage handed the note to Shizune who giggled when she read it. "Naruto-kun never does things halfway does he Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade chuckled. "No, he doesn't. If there are no more urgent messages then I need your help in the Hokage Library. We need to find the origin and any other useful information on the Uzumaki Clan Temple just southeast of Konoha."

….

Uzumaki Clan's Mask Storage Temple

Jiraiya was speeding along and soon reached Wolf's team at the Uzumaki Clan Temple. "Wolf, report!" said the Toad Sanin.

Wolf saluted. "No signs of movement and no changes in chakra output since the burst earlier died down. I have Cat monitoring it as she is a sensor."

Jiraiya nodded and then turned to face the temple itself. Jiraiya's eyes widened. "It's magnificent." he said under his breath. "I had no idea it would look this beautiful." Speaking up he said, "Has anyone been in physical contact with the building?"

"No one has touched it." answered Cat. "There were too many unknown variables to risk it."

"Good work. Let's have a look then." said Jiraiya as he marched up to the front entrance and put a detector tag at the base of the steps. He flared his chakra and said, "There are no genjutsu and no illusion seals. What we are seeing is physical reality. The question is how."

….About that time Naruto and the others came walking out the front entrance. Naruto said to the others. "What a cool place! I can't wait to see it from the outside. The inside is amazing. We'll have to explore it thoroughly after we tell Baa-chan about it."

"You won't be disappointed out the outside Naruto-kun." said Illyana. "After we report to the Hokage and all then we need to come back and fully explore the temple."

Hinata said, "To think a focal point is so close to Konoha. We might consider moving out here."

"Naruto? Is that you brat?" asked Jiraiya with a look of shock etched upon his face.

Naruto, Illyana and Hinata all turned mechanically to Jiraiya and said in perfect unison, "ERO-SENNIN!" as they pointed at him as one.

Jiraiya's face fault was so epic that he cratered the ground. "After all this time that's the first thing you have to say to your Master?!" cried the Toad Sannin with anime tears.

Anko sweat dropped but then noticed Illyana pulling her war axe….

"DIVINE PUNISHENT! DIE YOU PERVERT!" cried three angry teenage voices as Jiraiya ran like the hounds of hell were nipping at his heels.

"EEEEEEEK!" shrieked Konoha's most gallant ninja. "ANBU help me!"

"ANBU can't save you pervert!" roared Hinata with her chakra claws extended. "There is hell to pay!"

Illyana growled, "Come back and face castration like the future eunuch you are!" She was in Darkchilde form by now and was all but breathing fire.

"I'll kill you Ero-sennin!" Naruto was in sage mode going full on after his wayward Master….

….

….Anko was standing there with her Team and the ANBU watching with binoculars. Suddenly there was an impact that shook the earth and a mushroom cloud in the distance as the three angry victims finally caught their perverted tormentor….

"Damn…." said the snake mistress. "I've seen some serious cans of whoop-ass opened in my time but this is a record. I think that Jiraiya-sama is going to be in a body cast if he actually lives through this. I don't know who to root for….Guess I'd better pull for Illyana-chan. There's no way Jiraiya-sama's going to escape that pool full of sharks."

Wolf sweat dropped and said, "Anko, what exactly is going on?"

"Well, Jiraiya-sama's new books are-" started Anko.

Sakura snapped, "That's classified Anko-sensei!"

"It's classified from ANBU, chunin Haruno?" said Wolf as he loomed over the rosette.

Karin blurted out, "The heroes in the books are the Soldier Naruto, the Sorceress Illyana and the Princess Hinata. They are beautiful pieces of literature. We have to save Jiraiya-sama so he can finish the trilogy. It's all based in real life events!"

Cat already knew this but the other ANBU were all sporting massive nosebleeds under their masks. "So Princess Nata is Hyūga Hinata-sama. Good god; that's a shocker. Who would have guessed?"

"We really should save Jiraiya-sama so he can finish the trilogy." said Wolf.

Ferret said, "You read Jiraiya-sama's books Wolf?"

Wolf nodded. "Only this latest series. My wife got me into them and we've had lots of fun reading them together."

"Too much information Wolf." said Lizard.

Karin shrieked, "While you all are jawing our favorite author is being killed! Do something!"

There was a yellow flash of a stepping disc in the distance and Anko said, "Too late. Looks like my cute apprentice and family vanished. Let's see what's left of Jiraiya-sama…."

….

The group looked down in the mud hole that the (mostly dead) Jiraiya was compressed into lying face down. "Is he still alive?" squeaked out Kitty in horror as she stared at the macabre scene.

"Oh the humanity!" cried out Karin with her arm flung over her eyes. "Jiraiya-sama looks like an entire marching band wearing cleats trampled him into the earth itself! The whole world weeps for a fallen hero!"

"Are those hoof marks?" asked Cat in a disturbed tone.

"Ehehehe…." chuckled Anko weakly. 'Looks like Darkchilde-chan got medieval on Jiraiya-sama's ass.'

Sakura sighed and pulled one of Jiraiya's limp arms out of the earth. After a few seconds she said, "Well, he has a pulse. Let's pull him out."

Ten minutes later the unconscious Jiraiya was lying on his back looking like he'd been in a train wreck. Sakura was going through a mental checklist of what wasn't broken because most of him was. "Remind me to never make those three mad at me." said ANBU Ferret.

"No kidding." said Lizard with a cringe. "I can't believe he's still alive."

Shizuka said, "Perhaps my husband and co-wives had a justifiable reason for beating him like a baby harp seal."

All the ANBU present turned to Shizuka and said, "Co-wives?" in a tone of disbelief.

The Nadeshiko Princess said, "Yes, Naruto-kun won my hand in a trial by combat so I am his wife now along with Illyana and Hinata. As you can see he is quite strong." The pleased tone in her voice made the others shiver.

Wolf growled, "Damn you Naruto….Three wives? This is not fair."

Jiraiya coughed and said in a wheezing voice, "(cough) I'm so proud of my beloved apprentice….He's become a man among men…. (cough, cough) I shall die happy. My only (cough, cough) regret is not finishing my (cough) trilogy…."

"Hold on Jiraiya-sama!" said Karin with tears in her eyes. "My chakra can heal you and then you can write about the Amazon Princess Zuka joining Ruto's noble quest! Just bite my arm and my chakra will heal you!"

"That could be a problem given how few teeth he has left." said Sakura dubiously.

Anko sighed. "I guess he'll have to gum it then."

….

"My health has been restored thanks to you fair maiden!" declared Jiraiya after twenty minutes of tasting Karin's healing chakra. "You are a miracle worker my dear! How can I ever repay you?"

Karin said shyly, "Can you autograph my special edition volumes of The Soldier and the Sorceress I and II?"

"Anything for my beloved fans!" bellowed Jiraiya triumphantly. "I'll even get you signed editions of the special Gold Collector's Edition!"

A stepping disk appeared and Naruto, Illyana and Hinata returned with their eyes glowing in perfect synch with one another. "….So Karin brought you back did she Ero-sennin?" asked Naruto darkly. "I guess we didn't bury you deep enough huh?"

The blonde cracked his knuckles and Shizuka said, "That is enough Naruto-kun. As your wife I cannot allow you to get into further trouble by assaulting a sannin. Isn't he your superior officer?"

Wolf said, "I'm afraid that we of ANBU cannot allow you to do any more damage to Jiraiya-sama."

The three lovers looked threateningly at Jiraiya as if they were seriously considering taking out the ANBU so they could do a repeat performance on Jiraiya's hide.

"Come on guys!" said Cat. "I know you're not happy but you damn near beat the man to death. We're all Konoha ninjas you know. There should be no dissention in the ranks."

Illyana said with a growl, "I guess we'll let the pervert live for today then."

"Yes!" cheered Karin. "You have no idea how many happy readers you've made this day."

"I don't know you." growled Naruto at Karin. The redhead just pouted.

Jiraiya's clothing was covered in mud, blood and whatever other bodily excretions the trio beat out of him. The Toad Sannin sighed. 'I really screwed up Naruto; I'm sorry you had to find out your heritage the way you did.' Sounding a lot more boisterous than he felt; Jiraiya said, "Let's head back to Konoha. You can all tell us about the Uzumaki Temple on the way."

….

Konoha, Front Gates

Team Anko all had travelling cloaks on as they travelled into the village with Jiraiya and the ANBU. Aside of Jiraiya being in terrible need of a bath and change of clothes everyone looked fine. Anko came over to Izumo and Kotetsu and said quietly, "Team Anko and company reporting a successful mission. We are in silent running so we will be reporting directly to the Hokage Tower."

Izumo nodded and said, "Welcome home. Your group has been missed. Naruto put on a henge just in case. I'll need all of you to sign in."

Everyone affixed their signatures to the sign in sheet:

Jonin Mitarashi Anko

Chunin Uzumaki Naruto

Genin Illyana Rasputin

Chunin Hyūga Hinata

Chunin Haruno Sakura

Unaffiliated Uzumaki Karin

No Rank Katherine Ann Pryde

Village Leader Nadeshiko Shizuka**

Jonin Nadeshiko Tokiwa***

The last four both Izumo and Kotetsu raised their eyebrows on for various reasons. "You've gathered quite a crowd here." said Kotetsu with humor in his voice. "You almost doubled your team size Anko."

Anko sweat dropped. "There were a lot of extenuating circumstances."

The four newcomers were looking around curiously at the village. "It's very large compared to back home." said Shizuka in her usual quiet manner.

Tokiwa nodded. "Indeed it is Shizuka-sama."

Kitty looked around and said, "So where do you live Illyana?"

Ilyana said in English as she pointed {"It's the light blue building on Hashirama Lane; a ninja's home is on a need to know basis only so don't repeat it please."}

Naruto playfully bumped hips with Illyana. "Sharing state secrets Illyana-chan?"

Illyana giggled and said, "Just telling Kitty where we live. She may be stuck with us for a while."

"That may be true." commented Hinata. "The same goes for Karin. Shizuka and Tokiwa would at least have a place to stay out of diplomatic courtesy."

"It will all work out Naruto." said Jiraiya still looking battered.

Naruto growled, "I'm not done with you Ero-Sennin."

"Now; now!" said Wolf. "Stand down Uzumaki." Naruto huffed and turned back to the much lovelier scenery of his girlfriends.

Wolf said quietly to Cat, "I haven't seen Naruto this angry since he was a little kid. He is pissed."

"No kidding." sad Cat with sweat drop. "At least he's not trying to murder Jiraiya-sama any more. I have no idea how Jiraiya is going to make all this up to Naruto and his girlfriends."

"He could give the three of them a cut of the profits for those books." said Lizard. "From what I've heard Jiraiya-sama's books are basically like printing ryo bills. I heard a movie deal is in the works."

Lizard felt three sets of glowing eyes burning holes burning holes in the back of his head. "Ahhaha! So how about that Uzumaki Clan Temple? Pretty cool huh?" said lizard in a panicky tone.

The other ANBU just sweat dropped….

….

Hokage Tower

The mangled looking Jiraiya led the way upstairs to see the Hokage. He was mixed between worrying about his Godson and enjoying talking to Karin about his books. He saw Shizune at her desk and the dark haired young woman looked at him with shock in her eyes.

"J-Jiraiya-sama? Shouldn't you be in the hospital?" asked Shizune in a slight panic. "What on Earth happened at the Uzumaki Mask Storage Temple?"

Jiraiya laughed weakly and said, "I'm just fine and the Uzumaki Temple is safe but off limits for now. We ran into Team Anko there. I think it would be a good idea to see Tsunade-hime immediately." Looking over his shoulder at his Godson's smoldering glare, Jiraiya said, "No time like the present!"

The dark haired young woman announced them and Team Anko and Jiraiya went into Tsunade's office. Shizune heard Tsunade say with her usual tact, "God damn Jiraiya; you smell like piss, shit and death and look even worse. What the hell happened to you?!"

….After thirty-seven days out on their mission Team Anko was finally home….

….

POSTSCRIPT:

**Shizuka simply is listed as a "Village Leader" rather than by rank. I figure she's high chunin skill wise.

***Tokiwa is listed as "Shizuka's Attendant" so I figure she's jonin rank given she has to protect the most important person in the Nadeshiko Village.

This was a much shorter chapter than planned but it wrapped up the Vacation Mission from Hell arc so nicely that I decided it was a perfect place to conclude the chapter. Next chapter will be a cleanup/fallout chapter before a new arc begins. We'll also be exploring the (now semi-safe) Uzumaki Clan Temple to find out what Clan Secrets it may hold for Naruto and his family. See you next time. Blue out. 1/3/17