I love writing this story, the many characters make it a little harder but I love it. I love showing competent ninjas, young as they are, and people without the issues and tendency towards bullying that you find in Naruto's age group...

Tazuna's house was beautiful, as was his daughter Tsunami. Naomi felt honored to be entering it, especially seeing the thinness and weariness Tsunami was covered in. However she could not focus on that feeling, instead she focused on using her minimal medical training from Hana to examine and monitor Kakashi and Ami. Thankfully it was an easy diagnosis for both.

"He over used his Sharingan, his chakra levels are abysmally low and he has some damage, mostly bruises, from his fight with Zabuza. As for Ami, She definitely needs her ribs wrapped. Yura, help me with this. Naruto, hold onto Mio for me for a while longer... and watch, you need to learn how to do this. Rib injuries are incredibly common."

They obeyed her instantly, as the leader of her team and Naruto's only friend. Yura lifted their teammate up gently as she could, helping Naomi to lift off her top so they could properly place on her wraps.

"Hey, she's naked the boys should leave." Sakura screeched out, making Naomi roll her eyes.

Thankfully Aoba interfered for her. "We are ninja Sakura, we cannot afford to be so focused on norms like that. This is a valuable lesson for you all. Learning to wrap injured limbs should be taught in the academy but it isn't for some Kami awful reason. Shut up and watch them."

The girl cringed, but Naruto seemed emboldened and so asked. " Did you teach them, Aoba sensei?"

"No, your classmate Kiba's sister did. Hana is teaching Naomi how to care for Miss Mio and taught her more advanced medical jutsu. Still, I would have taught them had she not learned it."

"Wow... is it really that important?"

"Yes, a cracked rib can quickly turn into a full break and that can puncture your lungs or other organs. They need to be wrapped so they can heal properly. Thankfully she is an Akamichi, they heal quicker then average thanks to their strong Physical chakra."

"What's catra?" Everyone, even the now barely conscious Ami turned towards Naruto in shock. "What, what did I say?"

Naomi was all but buzzing with rage. " It's Chakra, Naruto and it is what allows us our powers. It is a mixture of physical energy, from every cell in your body... and spiritual energy, a mixture of knowledge and experience. By mixing it in various amounts, you get jutsu. It is the basis of everything we do, how do you not know what it is?"

"Cause he's an idiot. " Naturally that was Sakura.

Naomi turned and spiked her chakra at the girl, as did Yura. Sakura choked, and backed away. "Help him, don't drag him down. You can't expect him to learn if no one is willing to help him." It was getting harder to focus on poor Ami, but she had to defend her little kind of friend. "Yeah, he should know, but there is no point in treating him like dog shit. Aoba sensei, can you explain more about chakra to Naruto while we fix up Ami. I need to focus...and maybe hit Sakura?"

Aoba just laughed at her. "No on the hitting but yes on educating the boy. Come on Naruto, I need to check on the perimeter anyway and your clones will be a huge help."

The diminutive boy followed her teacher, out of the building, taking the little cat with him.

It took Naomi and Yura nearly ten minutes to fully wrap up Ami's large frame, but they managed to succeed. Sasuke, who was oddly quiet by nature, actually helped them by cutting off the wrap when they were done and tying it off for them, showing that he unlike his team actually knew more then the basics of medical care.

"Thank you, Sasuke." Ami said, her tone sweet and soft, enough to make Sakura huff out in rage and jealousy.

None of them really cared...

It was about then, when Naruto and Aoba and Mio returned and they finished with Ami's care, that Kakashi woke up up with a blurry eye. "Ow..."

"Are you alright?" Tsunami, who entered the room just then, saw the man attempting to sit up. " Are you alright?" She asked.

Yura, usually quiet, just laughed a little. " He has stage three chakra exhaustion, it will take at least a week to heal up properly. I imagine he has a wicked headache and is quite nauseous." She smugly smirked at the man, making Naomi laugh a little inside. "I can see your chakra, it is beyond low. You barely have enough to be awake let alone do anything. Here, you should eat these." She pulled out some protein bars, only they looked very different then the typical ones you found in the stores. " Hyuuga's deal with chakra exhaustion frequently, we developed these bars that help heal that quicker then normal. Lot of protein and electrolytes is what you need."

The man looked at her, confused but grateful and took the bars. " Thank you, but don't you need it. I know activating your byakugan is exceptionally draining the first time."

"I brought two dozen, I've already eaten three on the way here. I'm good. Chow down."

"Your team is awfully well prepared." Kakashi seemed impressed if not a bit saddened by that relevation.

Ami, who was now fully conscious, shrugged with a wince. "Better to be prepared and live then unprepared and die." She turned towards Naruto and Aoba. " How's the perimeter?"

Naruto beamed a happy smile. "It's great, I have fifty clones hiding as lookouts. Aoba was really impressed with my clones, says it's rare for someone to make so many."

Team Thirteen's sensei nodded, a proud smile on his face. "Yes, Naruto, it is. And why is that?"

"Cause most people have a chakra limit of around mid jonin but my chakra levels are already stronger then some Kage."

"Very good, see you can learn if you listen. Your a smart boy Naruto." And so the boy seemed to wriggle with happiness.

"MEOW!" Mio's sudden meow caught many of them off guard as she leapt away from Naruto and settled on Ami, purring happily.

Naomi laughed. "Cats sense injury, even untrained. Their purring can actually help with healing. She's trying to help you, Ami."

"Of course, she is, she is such a good girl." Ami cooed out, rubbing the beautiful cat softly.

Tsunami seemed confused. "Trained, you train cats to be ninja?"

Her father, suddenly excited, straightened his back. " Don't underestimate that cat, she saved us all sensing that Zabuza fellow long before anyone else did."

"Really... good kitty indeed."

Kakashi suddenly sighed, drawing their collective attention from Mio. "As sweet as that is, we need to focus. Zabuza and Haku are still alive and that means they are still a danger. Aoba, what was Haku capable of?"

"He was beyond fast, comparable to a young Gai though he wasn't very strong in terms of sheer strength. His aim with Senbon was beyond accurate but what confused me most was his chakra and mind, I could sense a great deal of hesitation. I saw from being so close to his mind, that he has never killed and is quiet afraid too. My team could take him but even they would have a trouble. I would classify him as Low B Rank easily but with a great deal of experience. Also his chakra was very, very cold. I cannot explain why, but I suspect a Kekkai Genkai."

Naomi froze for a moment, thinking of the chances of fighting a bloodline user. They were some of the most dangerous beings due to the unpredictability of their bloodline powers, and the raw skill they often had due to sheer breeding. Aoba warned them about that, as had Yura.

Kakashi seemed equally concerned. " It seems we need to up our training, if we want to succeed."

"Training, but you can barely sit up Sensei!" Sakura called out, her pink hair fluttering as she shook her head in terror. "How would training help us beat them anyway, Zabuza easily got you the first time."

Aoba leaned over and put a hand on Sakura's arm. " Sakura, my team is well trained and they were able to overcome Zabuza for just long enough to free Kakashi. Any training, even if it only slightly increases your powers, is worth it. Besides, it is clear your team needs more training in teamwork and chakra control. Can you do the Tree climbing exercise?"

"The what?"

Team Thirteen entirely turned to Kakashi, who looked a little afraid. Aoba, their sensei, was the first to speak up. " They don't know that tree climbing exercise and you allowed them on a C rank, are you kidding me?"

"I knew that technique at six years old." Yura said, her nose in the air. " I taught our team, I can teach team Seven while Kakashi recovers. Then we can work on teamwork if that helps, Sensei."

"Yes, it does. Kakashi, you will answer to the Hokage for this negligence." Aoba frowned out, making the man before him recoil.

Naomi stood, her hands shaking with rage. "Did you bother to teach them anything? They could barely pull off a Manji formation! Are you trying to get them killed? Naruto was neglected enough in the academy, Sakura is a civilian born like me. The three of us have no advantages, we have to work for everything. We rely on people like you to bolster our abilities as we have little access otherwise. How could you... abandon them so freely!" Kakashi only sighed, looking away from her and her accusing eyes. "Naruto, your with me. Once we get the Tree climbing and water walking exercises into you I got your taijutsu. It will take a least a week for Zabuza to heal from that internal damage, we will make you combat ready.

Ami, you stay and heal, meditate if you want but say put. Keep Mio with you in case you sense outside forces. Sakura, you are with Yura once you got your chakra exercises down. She is more like you, small and frail, she is the best suited to help you. Yura, use your byakugan to help with training that way you can also practice using your new eyes. Does that sound good Aoba sensei?"

The man nodded, a proud look on his face. "That sounds perfect."

"Can I send a Naruto clone to look for flowers to ease Ami's pain, I think some grow around her. They should, it is the right environment for it. Hana taught me to use them for blunt force trauma like what Ami received."

"Of course, show him what you need to."

The door suddenly whipped open, and a small brooding child with a big hat walked into the room. "There's really no point, your just going to die."

" Who are you?" Naruto bellowed.

Tazuna's arms went wide. "Inari where've you been?"

"Welcome back grandpa!" The brat, Inari, rushed over to embrace his grandpa.

"Inari that is very rude." Tsunami, ever the mother, walked over to her son. " These ninja helped your grandpa and brought him here safely."

Inari frowned. "But mom, don't you see, these people are going to die. Gato and his men are going to find them and wipe them out."

"What did you say brat?" Naruto jumped, shaking with rage. Naomi only sighed, seeing exactly why Naruto was so pissed but she stood herself and put a hand on his arm.

"Calm down, he is a child Naruto."

"Well this child knows that your just going to get yourself killed." Turning around, Inari turned on heel and headed out to the door.

"Inari!" Tazuna yelled. " Where are you going?"

"Out to look at the ocean, I want to be alone!" Then he slammed the door like a brat.

Tazuna frowned. "Really I am sorry about that."

"It's alright, if this really bothered us then we have no business being ninja." Ami said, sitting up. "Besides, we have no concept of how much you and your people have suffered. He is young and he will show that more then you, who've learned self control, will. We aren't offended by it, right Naruto?"

The boy huffed. "Yeah, whatever..."

Naomi rubbed his shoulder before pulling him into a side hug. "Just breathe, we can talk about it later... for the time being we need to get that flower... and fish some food for Tsunami. There are a lot of us, and it will be hard to feed us all."

The women looked alarmed. "Your my guests, it would be a dishonor if you-"

"There are eight of us, and three of you. That's eleven people, it would be hard for anyone to feed us all, especially in a country crushed by Gato. We can help, it is not problem. Naruto's clones will fish and hunt some food, that should ease the strain on your family."

Sighing, Tsunami nodded. " Thank you... I... it is deeply appreciated."

Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.

This was fun to write, and I enjoyed showing the reactions even if it is hard to have so many characters in one scene...

Love, your Ninja Overlord,

Mika.