Disclaimer: "Is that a motherfucking JoJo Reference? No... it's just another repetitive 'I don't own Naruto' disclaimer that forced some type of reference into the disclaimer. :P

Speaking of which, I have enough friends pestering me about JoJo that I might start it soon. Wish me luck... XD"


"Alright, and our hour is up!" Naruto exclaimed, a cheerful smile on his face. "Good work today!"

"Naruto-sensei… we… hate you…" Katsumi panted out.

Naruto proceeded to chuckle. This was now the third time he had gotten permission to leave Shimagame Island to go visit his genin at Mt. Myōboku to check on their progress and give them his own training and, in his honest opinion, the three were doing great. Fukasaku and Shima were doing wonders for their training and toughening them up.

After all, they did manage to last through a whole session of Naruto testing the limits of their newly master 'Shunshin' jutsu.

"Hey, it's all worth it in the end." The Uzumaki noted as he rubbed the brim of his nose. "The more shit I throw at you that you're able to use the Shunshin to get away from, the more likely you'll be able to pull it off during the exams and during the invasion after."

"It… makes sense… but my body…" Kanji groaned as he closed his eyes. "My body… is shutting down…"

"Eh, I think Ma and Pa are letting you all rest until 10 today anyway. So you got an hour to nap if you want." Naruto shrugged his shoulders.

"Good." Katsumi closed her eyes as well as she laid down next to Kanji: "I'll just… nap here… Hey Kanji… wake me up… sometime tomorrow…"

"Yeah… sure…" Kanji mumbled. "Night… Hanabi…"

Naruto blinked for a moment as both Katsumi and Kanji promptly passed out, hearing some light snoring coming from both. He then turned his attention towards Hanabi.

"You don't seem as tired as them." Naruto noted, chuckling: "Guess your endurance is getting better than theirs."

"I… suppose?" Hanabi mumbled between breaths. "I… I'm still tired too… Just I'm better at hiding it… I guess."

"Meh." Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Anyway, tell Katsumi and Kanji I said bye when they wake up. I'm gonna say hi to Ma and Pa real quick before heading back to Shimagame Island."

Hanabi nodded her head. Naruto was about to walk off when she cleared her throat, bringing his attention back to him.

"Can… I ask you something?" She asked.

"Sure." Naruto nodded his head. "What's up?"

Hanabi was quiet for a moment, looking downward. She poked her index fingers together as she took in a deep breath.

"Naruto-sensei… what… kind of shinobi do you think I should be?" She asked.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, his eyes narrowing.

Hanabi did not reply to him, only looking further down. The two remained in silence for a moment until Naruto cleared his throat, causing the Hyūga to look up to her.

"I don't really mind if you have to think about what you have to say and stuff, but I do have to get back to Shimagame Island before it gets too late, cause I'll get yelled at if I miss our training." Naruto said. "So… do you want to maybe take some time to think about what you want to say? And we can talk about it the next time I come by?"

"No… I can talk…" Hanabi mumbled. She took in another deep breath before she narrowed her eyes on her jōnin-sensei: "I went back to Kumo a few days ago. To visit my uncle's grave."

"Your uncle?" Naruto's eyes widened for a moment before he nodded his head: "And you're not sure how to feel about it?"

"Not particularly." She admitted, shaking her head: "I… went with father, Hinata-nee-chan and Neji. And they all spoke for a while. I… was initially okay with not saying much. Hizashi-oji-san was dead before I was born, after all. However… Hinata-nee-san and Neji started talking about the new seal and how they successfully united the Hyūga Clan…" She sighed. "I don't know. I don't feel like I match up at all."

"You shouldn't compare yourself to them." Naruto replied, crossing his arms.

"Easy for you to say. Both Kanji and Katsumi already said the same thing when I spoke to them about it, but…" For a moment, a scowl developed on Hanabi's face. Naruto's eyes widened for a second in response, but the scowl quickly vanished and she sighed once again: "I mean… they're my family. Hinata's my older sister and Neji's my cousin. Even if people don't mean anything by it, they'll always compare me to them. And I'll never match-up to them."

"… I stand by what I say. You can't compare yourself to them." Naruto shook his head. "Hanabi, do you remember what Hinata and Neji were like back when they were genin?"

"Hmm?" Hanabi blinked in response.

"Hinata… heh, she was so shy back then. And very insecure." Naruto said, chuckling slightly. "She didn't believe in herself at all. She had a lot of confidence issues that she had to work through." A smirk then developed on his face: "And don't get me started on Neji; he was an asshole! And he was always whining about 'fate this' and 'destiny that'."

"I…" A slight giggle escaped Hanabi's lips: "That's a mean way to put it, Naruto-sensei."

"Hey, it's the truth." Naruto shrugged his shoulders before his smirk lightened into a smile: "The point being is that they're completely different people than they were back during their genin days. And they're stronger than I think they ever thought they both could ever be. Hinata was able to move past all our insecurities and become strong – strong enough that even she had to recognize it – and Neji got over his beliefs to become the type of shinobi that 'destiny would not have allowed him to be'." His smile widened: "So don't compare yourself to them. Just as they changed, so will you. And I really can't wait to see what kind of shinobi you end up growing into."

Hanabi was quiet for a moment as she stared at her jōnin-sensei. A few seconds passed by before a smile developed on her face and her eyes started to water slightly as she took a step forward and hugged Naruto.

"Thank you, Naruto." She said. "I… needed to hear that."

"Heh. Of course." Naruto hugged her back: "What kind of sensei would I be if I didn't know what to say at any given point."

"Fair." Hanabi giggled in response before she broke the hug: "Although, one of these days, I'm gonna have to start calling you 'brother' instead of 'sensei', right?"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked for a second before a light pink blush developed on his cheeks: "Y-Yeah, that's true."

His mind immediately flashed back to his conversation with Hiashi before leaving to Kumogakure. His blush deepened.

Hinata smiled in response: "Well, I had to become accustomed to calling you Naruto-sensei. If I have to start calling you Naruto-nii-san, I don't think it'll be too difficult."

Naruto returned her smile, his blush still evident slightly: "Thanks, Hanabi."


"Urk!" Tagitsuhime groaned as she and Tagorihime fell to their knees

Both Anko and Hinata stood nearby, staring intently at the two 'snake princesses'. The White Snake Sage laid still in her throne, looking at her two students.

"Well, how did they do?" She asked.

Tagorihime and Tagitsuhime did not reply immediately, only panting amongst one another. A few seconds passed by before they pulled themselves up to their feet and turned their attention to the snake.

"If we were human, I believe Anko-san's poison would have killed me." Tagorihime noted. She then gestured towards her fellow 'snake princess'. "I trust Tagitsuhime would say the same thing about Hinata-san, yes?"

"… I would." Tagitsuhime nodded her head. "They've improved."

"That's good to hear." The 'White Snake Sage' grinned in response as she breathed out a poof of smoke. "It's good to see our teachings are really starting to impact both of you. Being able to produce and utilize your own poison is the most essential aspect to becoming a Sage in our clan's senjutsu style."

Both Anko and Hinata smiled back as they bowed their heads in response.

"We're doing our best. Glad to see progress is showing!" Anko stated, pumping her fists.

"And with progress, it is now time to move on to the next step. I have one more technique I would like you to learn and I think you have enough to time to master it before the invasion you mentioned." The 'White Snake Sage' breathed out another cloud of smoke before speaking: "It is time you learned how to create an aura."

"An aura?" Hinata repeated the word, tilting her head slightly. "What do you mean by that?"

The sage chuckled slightly as she closed her eyes, channeling nature energy. After a few seconds passed, her body became surrounded with a white-cyan colored layer of chakra. The chakra layer then began to twist into a more solid shape, forming what appeared to be multiple, spiraling, snakes that encircled her body.

"It… resembles my 'Flare Aura' jutsu." Anko noted, her eyes widening.

Hinata was silent as she simply stared at the ethereal snakes. The way the snakes swirled from the ground around the throne and the White Snake Sage's body. The sight was entrancing; the snakes moved around in an organized, graceful manner. And yet, she could feel the power radiating from it and the chakra around it.

"I suppose that is a good comparison, Anko-chan, although this would enhance your 'Flare Aura' if you combined the two. This technique is an incredibly useful and versatile one. Allowing the Snake Clan's senjutsu to completely surround you forms this 'chakra shroud' and allows you to use it as an extension of your body." The Sage replied. "It has many applications that can really strengthen yourselves."

"I… I wish to start working on it right away." Hinata said, bowing slightly.

"Good." The 'White Snake Sage' smirked in response. "Then let's not waste any time and get started right away."


As the Nibi door to the training room opened once more, the nine jinchūriki all began to walk in one-by-one. As soon as Naruto walked inside, he was immediately pat on his shoulder. He turned behind to see Rōshi behind him, grinning.

"Hey Naruto, can I get your opinion on a jutsu I've come up with?" He asked.

"Uh, sure." Naruto nodded his head: "What's the technique?"

As the two moved to a separate section of the technicolored training ground, both jinchūriki activated their chakra shrouds. Upon entering their own section, Rōshi clapped his hands together. Immediately, the lava on the outer layer of his chakra cloud began to branch off, forming three separate identical clones of the man.

"I wanted your opinion real quick about this, cause I consider you an expert on clones. I've actually never made a 'Lava Clone' before because, despite having the Lava Release, lava is such a difficult element to mold into the shape of a clone." Rōshi admitted, rubbing the back of his head slightly: "Lava has the fluidity of water, but at the same time has more of a structure like earth. It has always been difficult to find a balance to hold it up when trying beforehand. Might be a mental thing, but the chakra shroud helps me actually make Lava Clones that can hold onto physical form longer than a few seconds."

"Well, as an 'expert on clones'," Naruto snorted as he repeated the line, "I think they look good." He then reached into a holster on his side and threw a kunai at one of the clones. The kunai embedded itself into its neck, but the clone maintained: "And they seem pretty durable-"

Immediately, the clone's neck start to spray lava outward, directly at Naruto. The Uzumaki quickly side-stepped as the lava rushed forward until it hit the ground of the room. It immediately caused a 'sizzling' sound effect as the lava started to harden.

"… Well. Shit." Naruto blinked in response before turning his attention back to Rōshi and his clones. He noticed that the clone that he had stabbed was still standing, the wound having been repaired: "So, those things almost function like Exploding Shadow Clones? Only even more durable?"

"Yup." Rōshi said, grinning.

'… Not jealous. Not jealous at all. Nope.' Naruto crossed his arms as he took in a deep breath. '… Kurama, what the hell, I want Lava Clones!'

"Then fucking learn Lava Release." The Kyūbi snorted in his head. "Quit your whining!"

'It's either a goddamn bloodline ability or a perk of having the Yonbi sealed in you! I can't just 'learn' it.' Naruto rolled his eyes. 'You're-'

"The Lava Clones are definitely going to be useful, especially if I can actually get myself mixed up with them." Rōshi continued to speak, pulling Naruto's attention away from Kurama: "But they're actually essential for my jutsu, if you want to see."

Naruto nodded his head. Both Rōshi and his clones took a step forward and entered a new formation; the three clones stood in a triangle formation while Rōshi stood directly in the center of the clones. They each then reached for the staff at their side.

"Lava Style: Monkey King's Vortex!"

In an instant, Rōshi and his three clones began to spin rapidly in place, spinning the staff alongside them. Immediately, four cyclones of lava surrounded their bodies. A few seconds passed by as the four cyclones merged into one, and changed color, turning into a jade-green colored vortex. The vortex expanded rapidly, spraying lava around as it started to move.

Naruto quickly jumped away, avoiding oncoming lava. He then jumped again as more lava flew his way. A few seconds passed by until the cyclone finally stopped. The three clones had disappeared and all that remained was Rōshi standing in the center of where the lava vortex was, gripping his staff tightly.

"I actually could maintain that jutsu for a lot longer, but I think you get the point." He noted.

"That's actually really cool, not gonna lie." Naruto stated, whistling in approval. "So having clones do it helps with the jutsu?"

"It does." Rōshi nodded his head: "Because when their vortexes merge with mine, it not only amplifies the heat, but it also forms a barrier around mine." A smirk developed on his face. "It gives this jutsu a defensive edge while I start spinning around and trying to melt whoever I was facing."

Satisfied with Naruto's opinion, Rōshi bowed before walking further off to continue his own training, spinning his staff slightly. Naruto walked further in the opposite direction, his right hand going to his chin.

'Everyone here is learning how to do some really cool shit…' Naruto scratched his chin thought as he closed his eyes. 'I wonder what else I could possibly do in my own chakra shroud?'

"You can freely control chakra arms within that form. You've already experimented with it. You can also freely use any of the jutsu that I know, as we've been experimenting with." Kurama stated. "But if you're wanting to do something a bit more… interesting, I guess, have you ever considered how this form manifested for you?"

Naruto blinked in response: 'What's that supposed to mean?'

"The chakra shroud resembles golden flames. I would consider myself proficient with the fire element, which is why it manifested that way. Why don't you try to incorporate it with your own jutsu style?"

"Hmm." Naruto hummed aloud: "So, you think this form would help augment my fire style ninjutsu?"

"No doubt – I already showed you how to breathe fire the way I do – but why stop there?" The fox suggested. "I'm sure that the flames of your chakra shroud alongside your natural wind elemental chakra could be easily combined. Almost as if you genetically were able to merge the two."

"You mean like a kekkei genkai?" Naruto's eyes widened as he wracked his brain, trying to recall the list of elemental chakra-based kekkei genkai: "… Fire Release and Wind Release make Scorch Release. Do you think it'd be possible for me to do it?"

"Why not try?" Kurama asked.

Naruto was quiet for a moment as he closed his eyes for a second, trying to recall anything he knew about the kekkei genkai.

"Scorch Style: Incinerating Flame Technique!"

In an instant, the image of Yakushi Kabuto, standing on top of the Kazekage's Mansion in Suna, entered his mind. He recalled the silver-haired man clapping his hands together as a large flaming orb appeared between his hands as he separated them.

The Uzumaki took in a deep breath as he clapped his hands together. He began to simultaneously channel his own wind release chakra into his palms while trying to manifest the flames of his chakra shroud at the same time.

"Scorch Style!"

In an instant, the wind and fire combined into a spiraling orb. Naruto's eyes widened in response, his eyes glued to the orb.

'Holy shit, it's working-'

As soon as the thought entered his mind, the orb exploded, causing scattered flames to flow rapidly through the air, before becoming one with the air. A few of the scattered flames made contact with Naruto's skin, causing him to hiss in pain. He could feel underneath his chakra shroud that his skin was burned.

'What the hell kind of fire is this? I've never been hit by anything like this before!' Naruto internally growled. The shear temperature of the fire was overwhelming.

"Quit your whining; you know I'll heal you." Kurama snorted. "But how do you feel? Are you satisfied with that?"

"I…" Naruto spoke aloud, looking at his hands for a moment. A second passed before a grin developed on his face as he tightened them into fists. "I'm ready to get working on this!"

In addition to Kurama's jutsus and his flying, he now had another thing he needed to work on.


'I can't believe that this fucking invasion is adding even more paperwork to my stack even before it happens.' Ē growled as he finished one stack of papers on his desk before looking towards the three other piles he still needed to complete: 'I need a distraction. I'll take anything; hell, I'd even take Bee's shitty rapping if it meant I could take a goddamn break from this-'

"Raikage-sama!" The door to the Raikage's office opened up and a chūnin rushed inside, bowing his head: "The other Kage have arrived-"

"Finally!" Ē cut the shinobi off as he immediately pulled himself out of his chair: "I assume they were already instructed to go to the conference room here, right?" The chūnin nodded his head: "Has the Hokage already been informed?" Again, he nodded his head in response: "Good, then go report to Mabui and Darui and tell them to hurry over as well."

"Yessir." The chūnin bowed his head before rushing out of the office.

Ē walked out of his office and hurried down his hallway until he reached his private conference room. He walked inside and took a seat at the head of the large table and waited.

And god did the Yondaime Raikage hate waiting.

'Better than more fucking paperwork, though.' Ē told himself as he cracked his fingers.

Ē remained alone for another five minutes before both Mabui and Darui walked into the room. They bowed towards their leader before rushing over to him, standing at his side. Two more minutes passed by before the remaining Kage started to walk in.

The Hokage was the first to arrive. Jiraiya bowed his head as he walked and took a seat on the opposite side of the table, with Tsunade and Shikaku standing right by his side. Following him, the Mizukage was the next to walk inside. Mei stepped into the room with a smirk on her face as Zabuza and Aō followed her, taking their spot at her side as she sat down in a chair closer to the Raikage. The Tsuchikage came in next. Kurotsuchi quietly walked into the room and took a seat next to Jiraiya's chair, with Roto and Nendo following her and standing to the side. The Kazekage was the last to arrive. Gaara walked into the room and took his seat directly opposite of Mei and Kurotsuchi, with both Chiyo and Kankurō standing to his side.

With all Kage present, the five proceeded to take off their hats and place them down on the table.

"About damn time you all got here." Ē stated sharply, crossing his arms. His eyes then narrowed on Kurotsuchi: "So, you're Ōnoki's brat. I always wondered what his successor was going to look like. You're younger than I expected."

Kurotsuchi glared in response: "Is that supposed to mean anything?"

"No. It's just an observation." Ē said as he turned towards Gaara: "I'd like to begin this meeting right away, but I should ask you this first. Kazekage, how is the training going?"

"It is going well." Gaara said, crossing his arms: "All of us have obtained this 'Bijū Form' as Yugito-san and Bee-san have referred to it. As of right now, we're still experimenting with ways to best optimize our new abilities."

"Good." Ē nodded his head. "I trust you'll be ready then for the invasion and your battle."

Gaara nodded his head back: "We shall."

"I guess now's the best time to begin discussing this." Jiraiya brought his hands together as he leaned forward slightly: "We need to come up with a strategy for how to handle this invasion. This is the best opportunity to wipe out Akatsuki once and for all and we need to ensure that all their numbers and associates die here."

Ē scoffed in response: "No need to tell me that. I'm aware." He then brought his left hand to his chin: "Their plan is to attack during the Third Exam. I'd envision they would wait for a time when they could ensure the audience would be most attentive to the matches. I think the attack could be assumed to occur near the end of the matches."

"Orochimaru did something back when he invaded Konoha." Gaara said, frowning. "If Akatsuki follows a similar playbook, they would most likely attack during the semi-finals."

"What numbers are we looking at?" Mei asked. "How many shinobi should we expect Akatsuki to have?"

"Akatsuki's leader – the man known as 'Pain' – is from Amegakure." Jiraiya said with a sigh. "I would envision a large chunk of Ame missing ninja."

"Perhaps even the whole village." Mei hummed slightly. Jiraiya looked at her with a confused look on his face, prompting her to continue: "Has anyone actually heard from Hanzō in these recent years? Or events going on in Amegakure in general? If this 'Pain' has the Rinnegan, as you once mentioned, I don't think it's impossible to assume that maybe he has simply taken over the whole village."

'… But if Nagato really did take control of Ame…' Jiraiya bit down on his lip as the image of the three orphans he trained entered his mind once more: '… I should have checked up on them earlier. Much earlier. Dammit…'

"So we could operate under the assumption that Ame's shinobi force will invade." Kurotsuchi mumbled, closing her eyes in thought: "Would they have help? Would any of the minor shinobi villages be allied with them?"

Chiyo shook her head: "No. Ame has always kept a distance with the other villages. I would not assume they have enemies, but I'm certain they would not have recruited any of the other minor villages to assist them."

"They do have Akatsuki agents, though, which give them connections to a variety of missing ninja." Shikaku added. "We should assume that they have a large chunk of connections. That, and they have Yakushi Kabuto as an ally, meaning they have access to the Edo Tensei."

"Kabuto…" Kurotsuchi's hands tightened into fists: 'That asshole is going to pay for what he did to my father and grandfather!'

"We also confirmed they are working with En Oyashiro, and we have never been able to confirm his exact numbers." Jiraiya noted.

"Oyashiro? Oyashiro's going to be involved?" Mei asked, her eyes widening. Jiraiya and Ē nodded their heads. "… Heh. Hehehehehe." A dark grin developed on Mei's face as she cracked her knuckles: "Well, seems karmic to find him here. I would love to watch that monster perish."

"You know him?" Ē's eyebrow raised.

"As Yagura's rampage took over Mizu no Kuni, Oyashiro would sneak into Mizu no Kuni and kidnap anyone he came across with a kekkei genkai to incorporate into his 'collection'. He even targeted my rebels." Her eyes narrowed: "I would greatly enjoying watching that man die."

"So, we have a timeline of when we think the invasion will begin, as well as some of the key components involved in it." Gaara noted, crossing his arms: "I am aware that I, along with the other jinchūriki, will be confronting their leader and key members. How do we intend on handling the rest of the invasion?"

"The majority of the Kumogakure civilians will either be escorted out of the village or placed in hiding. I intend on having scattered shinobi throughout the village and in attendance of the exams that are posing as civilians." Ē said. "I would hope that your villages' shinobi would be doing the same."

"Of course." Jiraiya said, rubbing his chin in thought: "We should assume that while their leader and some of their key stronger members are going to oversee the attack on the known jinchūriki here, they should have a lot of numbers focusing on doing enough damage to 'distract' our attention."

Tsunade nodded her head in agreement: "Beyond just numbers, I would imagine they would have potentially a Boss Summon of some sort, such as Katsuyu or Gamabunta."

"In addition, I believe Akasuna no Sasori is a member of the Akatsuki, correct?" Mei asked. Both Chiyo and Kankurō stiffened slightly in response as Gaara nodded his head: "If my memory is correct, he has a puppet collection that he used to take down a whole shinobi nation during the Third Shinobi World War, correct?"

"My grandson does." Chiyo said, frowning. She was quiet for a moment as she brought her hands together: "If Akatsuki is intending on dividing up their attention, I would imagine he would be attacking the village. If he has the proper back-up, I imagine he could destroy Kumogakure."

"That will not be happening!" Ē snarled as he banged his fist on the table, causing it to crack slightly: "Once their invasion is underway, I intend on being out in my village keeping it safe alongside my shinobi."

There was a silence in the air for a moment as the five Kage, alongside their attendants, all stared at one another. Ē was breathing heavily as he leaked killing intent throughout the room at nobody in particular. A few seconds passed before his breathing calmed. Jiraiya cleared his throat, bringing everyone's attention towards him.

"That can be what we focus on first. Where we shall be stationed and what's our plan. We can then spread out or shinobi forces accordingly." Jiraiya suggested.

The remaining Kage nodded their heads as they discussed their battle strategy in further detail.


"Water Style: Bubbles Technique: Drift!"

"Wind Style: Drift!"

Within a few seconds, Hotaru began floating through the air, a bubble surrounding her. Naruto followed behind her into the air, his body being propelled upward by the release of wind-release chakra from his entire chakra network.

Utakata, who remained still on the ground, snorted as he stared at Naruto's moving figure: "I just realized you named your jutsu after mine. Are you sure that Mitarashi Anko was your jōnin-sensei, or was it Hatake Kakashi the Copycat Ninja?"

"Hey, I thought naming it after yours would be seen as a compliment." Naruto huffed in response. He continued to move slightly back-and-forth. He still remained floating in air, which caused him to grin: "I think it's finally working too!"

"It better." Hotaru giggled in response: "We've been working on this ever since you all got dismissed from your special jinchūriki training today."

"Well, I also had been working on this for a couple of days before asking you all for help." Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly: "Yours and Utakata's advice really were the last bit of info I needed in order to finally take flight-"

His words were interrupted as Utakata quickly pulled out his pipe and blew out a barrage of bubbles directly at Naruto. The Uzumaki's eyes widened as he tried to fly out of the way. His attempts failed, however, and the blond was hit on the leg.

He was promptly sent free-falling back into the ground.

"Aghhh!" He hissed in pain upon contact with the earth. He rubbed his hip as he pulled himself off the ground: "Th-The hell was that for?"

"What's the point of flying in battle if you can't take a single hit without falling? Also, what's the point of flying if you can't dodge an easy to avoid attack in the first place?" Utakata asked, shaking his head: "You were starting to feel confident, but you're not at that point yet. As of right now, your flying isn't combat-ready."

"… Gotcha." Naruto sighed in response. His eyes then quickly narrowed in determination: "Alright, I'm ready to get back to work on it then-"

"Oi!" Naruto, Utakata, and Hotaru turned their heads towards Yugito, who was approaching them with her arms crossed: "Kazekage-sama's back from his meeting with the other Kage and dinner's ready. Head to the dining room already!"

She only quick replies from the three as they hurried off away from their training towards dinner.


As the sun began to set over Kumogakure, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kiba and Akamaru all stood in an empty training ground close to the Kumogakure Shinobi Academy. The equipment present was all the standard bullseye targets and wooden mannequins that they used in Konoha. It was almost a nostalgic feeling standing there.

Kiba and Sakura faced one another chatting while Akamaru would bark if addressed. Sasuke stood to the side, leaning against one of the mannequins. His eyes would move from his former teammates to the entrance to the training ground.

'Dammit, where is he?' He sighed. 'Tayuya still hasn't heard back yet. At this rate-'

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura called out. Sasuke blinked for a second as he focused on the pink-haired kunoichi. "You alright?"

"Yeah, you seem more distant than usual." Kiba said, frowning. Akamaru barked back, which caused his partner to scowl: "Hey, I know he's always been that way, but he's been better recently. No need to be rude about it."

"Heh." Sasuke snorted in response as he turned his attention to Akamaru: "You're an asshole, you know that?"

Akamaru barked back in response as a grin developed on his face.

Sakura blinked. 'Can dogs even grin? Or are the Inuzuka dogs just that unique-' She shook her head as she focused back on Sasuke: "Seriously, are you doing alright? You seem frustrated."

"I'm just tired of waiting, I guess." He said with a sigh.

"For Kakashi-sensei?" Kiba laughed as he crossed his arms: "You actually expected him to be on time for this?"

"I wasn't talking about him." Sasuke sighed. "I was-"

"Hmm? Were you all saying something about me?"

The three Team Seven members turned their attention as Kakashi walked forward, smiling behind his mask as he carried four bento boxes.

"You know, you asked to meet us for lunch, remember?" Kiba called out, shaking his head: "Looks like we're having an early dinner together instead."

"My apologies. As you can see, I decided to make my precious, cute, former genin a bento box, but I messed up and forgot the rice for the onigiri. So, I had to go buy rice from a local market, but there was an old lady in front of me at the market who started arguing with the worker and-"

"Yeah, yeah. We get it." Sakura sighed. A small smile then developed on her face as she looked at the man: "Thanks for the bento box, dad."

"Dad, huh? Well, that's a first, and hopefully the last time I'll hear that." Kakashi chuckled as he continued to walk over to them. "I'm not that old."

"And we're not that young, so no need to be making us bento." Kiba added, rolling his eyes.

"I thought it would be nostalgic for you all. When did my students get so cruel?" Kakashi asked, still chuckling as he tossed three of the boxes at his students: "Go ahead and start eating, but there's actually something I wanted to discuss with you all."

All three students caught the bento boxes. Inside was a decent selection of food – karaage chicken, onigiri, string beans, and a small salad. Both Kiba and Sakura opened up their boxes while Sasuke only stared at its contents before turning his attention back to Kakashi.

"What do you want to discuss?" He asked.

"Well, it's something I had been debating about for a while and only recently just got permission for." Kakashi stated as he reached into his flak jacket and pulled out a scroll. He unraveled it, causing the scroll to extend on the ground towards his former students. "Care to take a look?"

Sasuke, Sakura, and Kiba all glanced at the scroll. Both Sasuke and Sakura leaned closer to examine the seals. Kiba, however, knew instantly; his eyes widened at Kakashi.

"This is the summoning contract for the Ninken Dog Clan?" He asked.

"Ah, yes. You would know about them." Kakashi smiled again behind his mask.

"Know them?" Kiba snorted. "The head of the summoning clan still meets with my Mom's partner, Kuromaru, for drinks regularly at the Inuzuka estate."

"I'm aware of that." Kakashi chuckled again before turning his attention back to Sasuke and Sakura. "Since Kiba already is aware, I guess I really only have to explain to you two. The Ninken Dog Summoning Clan is a summoning clan with some vague ties to the Inuzuka Clan. Some say the Inuzuka dogs were the originals and the Ninken Summon Clan separated from them, others say it was the other way." He shrugged his shoulders: "Either way, the Ninken Summoning Clan are some of the best allies you could have ever have on the battlefield. I inherited the clan's contact in my father's passing, and now it is time for me to pass it onto the next generation of shinobi."

"Wait, you want to pass on the summoning contract? To one of us?" Sakura asked, blinking in surprise.

Kakashi shook his head as his smile behind the mask got wider: "Correction. I'm passing it onto all three of you."

All three shinobi all stared at Kakashi with wide eyes: "Huh?"

Their former sensei chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head: "Well, none of you have summoning contracts, so this is something I've been wanting to offer for a while. But I was not particularly fond of the idea of just passing it onto one student, so I've been badgering the Ninken's Clan Head every now and then about this. And yesterday, he finally relented."

"Signing the Dog Summoning Contract…" Kiba mumbled. Akamaru barked something at his partner, which caused the Inuzuka to turn to his sensei: "Is that something I'm even allowed to do? I already have a partner with my clan and I'm not trading Akamaru."

"The Ninken clan is literally a summoning contract, not a partner. If anything, it gives you access to more dogs that Akamaru could spar with and learn a few tricks from, in addition to giving you access to even more ninjutsu." Kakashi said. "They're a very useful summoning contract for both tracking and for offense."

"Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura shook her head as her eyes started to water: "Y-You really want us to sign?"

"Well, of course. After all, you all are my precious students. The first group of students I ever passed, and most likely the last." Kakashi replied, rubbing the back of his head. "To use a dog metaphor, I would consider you all my 'pack' and would be honored to be able to share this with you all."

"A pack, huh?" Kiba grinned in response. Akamaru howled lightly in agreement, causing Kiba's grin to widen: "That's how I've always seen us. Guess this will make it official though, huh?" He took a step forward. "Count me in."

Kiba quickly bit at his thumb and coated his fingers in blood as he signed the contract. As he finished with the contract, Sakura took a step forward.

"I… back when I first started, I really didn't know what it meant to be a shinobi." She admitted, looking down slightly: "I was on the path for the wrong reasons. But things are different now, and I credit that to all of you." Her hands tightened into a fist as a smirk developed on her face: "I'd be more than honored, Kakashi-sensei. I'll definitely do my best to make you and the Dog Clan proud!"

Sakura reached into a weapons pouch on her waist and pulled out a kunai. After briefly stabbing her thumb, she followed Kiba's example and signed the contract.

As she walked back, Sasuke took a step forward.

'… I never even considered something like this before. The Dog Summoning Contract, huh?' Sasuke mumbled to himself, closing his eyes in thought. 'If nothing else, they would help me as a fighter. Perhaps I should-'

Before Sasuke could draw his own blood, the ground in front of him opened up. He tensed-up as he took a step back. Sakura's and Kiba's eyes narrowed while Kakashi reached for a kunai.

Out of newly-formed a hole, a mole with red-fur the size of one of the training mannequins appeared.

"Finally, there you are Uchiha Sasuke. I've been looking for you a while now." The mole grumbled. "Tayuya-san has a message for you; meet her at the gate to the village."

"Tayuya?" Sasuke's eyes widened: "Did she hear from him?"

"Don't waste her time." The mole responded as he jumped into the air and went back down the hole he had created.

"Sasuke?" Kakashi's eye narrowed on the Uchiha: "What was that about?"

"That was a summoning of Uzumaki Tayuya." Sasuke replied. His body tensed as he turned around: "I'm sorry to leave like this, but I have to go!"

"Huh?" Kiba blinked. "Right now? Dude, you haven't-"

Sasuke turned to look the Inuzuka directly in the eye. The Inuzuka's words died on his lips as he noticed the glare.

"Kiba, this is important." Sasuke said. "I'll be back."

With those words, Sasuke ran out of the training ground, heading towards the Kumogakure Gates, leaving behind his bento box and the Dog Summoning Contract, unsigned.


"Took your sweet-ass time getting here." Tayuya shook her head as Sasuke rushed-up to the Kumogakure gate.

"… Sorry." Sasuke mumbled as he untied his Konoha forehead protector and pocketed it. "So, where are we meeting him?"

Tayuya was quiet for a moment as her eyes focused on Sasuke, her eyebrow raised slightly. A snort escaped her lips as she shook her head.

"You know, I thought my 'disguise' as a wandering musician looked good, but looking at you like this without the forehead protector, if you had a sitar or some shit, you could easily pass as a homeless musician better than I ever could." She noted.

Sasuke's eye twitched slightly: "Where are we meeting him?"

"Someone's impatient." Tayuya snickered as she started to walk out through the gates: "We're going to a village maybe an hour's walk from here. Won't take us long."

"And he'll be there?" Sasuke asked as he followed after her.

"Yes, he'll be there." Tayuya nodded her head: "I saw his crow. He's probably got something important to tell, too. I doubt he'd arrange a meeting this close to the date otherwise."

Sasuke nodded his head in response. The two shinobi proceeded to walk together in silence, making their way out into the mountain path of Kaminari no Kuni.


"Shikamaru, what the hell did you do to yourself?" Tsunade asked, shaking her head as she applied her 'healing palm' to Shikamaru's back.

"J-Just finished a training session with Homura-sensei and Katsuyu-sama." Shikamaru said with a chuckle, rubbing the back of his head. He struggled to resist wincing.

'Training session' was an understatement; Homura was merciless with his training in regards to the 'Holy Barricade' jutsu. Even after Shikamaru had finally produced the barrier, Homura insisted on pushing forward, testing both Shikamaru's endurance in maintaining the barrier and the barrier's durability with a variety of different jutsu.

The Nara left their training session today feeling much more confident in his skills with the jutsu, but he could not recall a time where he had been this physically exhausted and this drained of chakra. He was unable to heal his own injuries after the session, forcing him to go find Tsunade.

"I don't know how you stomach working with him like that." Tsunade said with a snort. "That man hated Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and I back when we were kids. He always insisted Sarutobi-sensei wasted his time with us. Nothing is ever satisfying to that fucker." She shook her head: "God, I don't like Koharu that much either, but she's a goddamn saint compared to Homura. He's the fucking worst."

"Yeah, he's never satisfied. Training with him is exhausting. But it's worth it. Plus, I think deep down, he cares." Shikamaru said with another chuckle: "He's like one of those characters in kid manga who can't admit they like someone, so they just act like an asshole." He bit down on his lip slightly in recollection: "I think they call people like him a tsundere."

"If you say." Tsunade said with a disbelieving sigh. She then finally pulled away from Shikamaru's body: "Alright, I think you should be fine, provided you get rest. But I'd advise taking a day off of training with him." Shikamaru frowned in response, which earned another sigh from the Sannin: "Let your body and chakra rest, dammit. You're a Nara. You're supposed to be lazy. Just… I don't know, go walk around Kumo or something. Just take one day off from training."

With those words, Tsunade walked towards the door to the room. The two waved goodbye to one another as Tsunade left. Shikamaru was now left alone. He relaxed further into his chair as his eyes moved towards the ceiling.

'Take a day off…' Shikamaru bit down on his lip as he recalled his conversation with his mother prior to leaving for Kumo: 'I probably have been working my ass off too much. I told Mom I'd be better with that.' He sighed as he pulled himself out of his chair: 'Maybe I'll ask Dad if he wants to play shogi-'

A knock on the door interrupted Shikamaru's thoughts. The Nara's eyebrow raised slightly as he turned his head towards the door: 'She forget something?'

Shikamaru walked over to the door and opened it, fully expecting to see Tsunade once again.

He was instead greeted by familiar pair of pink-colored eyes and black hair.

"Kurotsuchi?" Shikamaru's eyes widened.

The Tsuchikage grinned as she rushed into his room and hugged him. Shikamaru's shock was quickly turned into a feeling of excitement as he hugged her back.

"What, are you actually shocked to see me?" She asked with a chuckle: "What Chūnin Exams can occur without the Tsuchikage being present?"

"I don't know, I'm just shocked to see you now. I thought you were getting here earlier." Shikamaru replied, chuckling back: "As far as I'm concerned, you're late."

"Hey, don't start that shit. I already got enough crap from Ē." Kurotsuchi snorted, her laughter growing louder: "Iwa's further away. Of course it took us a little longer."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes: "Yeah, sure. That can be your excuse."

The two stood still for a moment as their laughter grew louder-and-louder. Once they finally started to quiet down, the two realized that they had never stopped hugging one another.

Instead of letting go, however, they tightened their embrace.

"I missed you." Shikamaru said, a small smile developing on his face.

"I missed you too." Kurotsuchi replied, returning his smile with one of her own.

Their faces leaned towards one another and their lips met together. Both held onto each other as their kiss deepened.

A few seconds passed by before they finally broke apart. Kurotsuchi walked further into Shikamaru's apartment while he proceeded to close the door.

The Nara had a better idea of what he was going to be doing tomorrow instead of training.


The sun had finally finished setting and the moon was now visible for all to see as Tayuya and Sasuke both arrived at their destination: a lively izakaya in a village an hour away from Kumogakure. The two made their way to a corner table. A server quickly walked over to them.

"What can I get you and your girlfriend started with?" She asked Sasuke.

The Uchiha's eyes narrowed: "She's not-"

"Two bottles of Kaminari sake." Tayuya stated.

The server nodded her head as she walked off. When she left, Tayuya turned her head towards Sasuke with a scowl.

"Does the thought of dating me offend you that much?" She asked with a snort: "Well fuck you too. You're not even my type anyway-"

"It's not that." He hissed in response: "I'm surprised you didn't correct her."

"When you're in my profession, you don't correct other people's assumptions when they're that minor. The last thing you want is someone asking you questions." She replied quietly, rolling her eyes slightly: "Remember that next time."

"Sure. Whatever." Sasuke sighed in response. "Is it wise to be meeting with him in public?"

"Trust me, sometimes being in public is better." Tayuya replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Easier to keep an eye on the people around you."

Sasuke hummed in response for a moment: "… So, when's he getting here?"

"I'd imagine soon. Just wait patiently." She replied. "Don't make a scene. Just relax." She then raised an eyebrow: "By the way, what's your alcohol tolerance like?"

"Don't drink much." He shrugged his shoulders. "Why?"

Tayuya hummed for a second as she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly: "Uh… if you want to stay sober for the talk, don't drink too much then. Cause the shit I ordered will fuck you up if you're a lightweight, and if you don't drink much…"

"Got it." Sasuke sighed in response: 'God, she even does that stupid back-of-the-head rub that Naruto does. Guess they really are related.'

The two remained quiet for a moment until they were brought their bottles of sake. Tayuya began to casually drink at her bottle while Sasuke only took sips every few moments. Tayuya would make occasional small talk, but Sasuke could not fully pay attention; his mind was too preoccupied.

Minutes quickly turned into an hour. Tayuya had downed her entire bottle and was now drinking from Sasuke's barely-started sake. A sigh escaped Sasuke's lips as he turned his attention to entrance to the izakaya as the door opened up.

Sasuke's eyes immediately widened.

The man that walked in was dressed in a dark green unzipped jacket over a white t-shirt and black pants. He also wore a black fedora-like hat. The man appeared rather nondescript as he made his way through the building, but Sasuke recognized him immediately.

'Itachi…'

His brother made his way over to the table, his eyes focused almost exclusively on Sasuke. Tayuya snorted at the sight of the man.

"What in the fuck is that hat?" She asked, doing her best to resist laughing. She failed. "You look like shit like that."

"I…" Itachi turned briefly to her before her shook his head, turning his attention back to Sasuke: "It's… It's great to see you, Sasuke-"

Sasuke proceeded to stand-up, interrupting his brother as he reached out to him with his right hand. Itachi stared at the hand for a moment before he reached it and took it, the two shaking hands.

Sasuke then pulled forward slightly, bringing Itachi forward into a hug.

"It's… good to see you too, Itachi." Sasuke said.

The two were quiet for a moment, enjoying their hug, before they finally broke apart and took seats next to one another across from Tayuya. The Uzumaki had a shit-eating grin on her face as she took a swig from her bottle.

"Two things. One: that was the most awkward hug I've ever seen." She said, her eyes narrowing on Sasuke: "You two have no social skills, do you?"

"Fuck off." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Things are complicated, Tayuya-san." Itachi replied with a frown.

"Yeah, I know. Whose fault is that?" The redhead rolled her eyes. Itachi's gaze on her hardened slightly, but she took another swig of her drink, as if intentionally trying to ignore it: "Second thing; I see you took my advice about actually talking to him about the truth. Good for you."

Itachi's face twitched ever-so-slightly into a small smile, before his face hardened once again.

"This will have to be brief." Itachi said. "Unlike the last time I met with either of you, Zetsu is in Kaminari no Kuni. We can't afford to be careless with that creature lurking around."

"Understood." Tayuya nodded her head while Sasuke stiffened slightly: "Anything of interest to report?"

Itachi nodded his head as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a scroll. He then handed it to Tayuya, who took it.

"From my understanding, this is Akatsuki's 'plan of action', per what I have been made aware of. Things could change, but this is the rough framework." Itachi explained. "Make sure to pass it to Hokage-sama."

"Understood." Tayuya, again, nodded her head.

"What is your role in the invasion?" Sasuke asked.

"I'll be attacking the actual stadium, alongside Pain, Konan, and Kisame." Itachi elaborated. "If needed, I'll be helping Pain fight the jinchūriki."

The sound of a door opening brought their conversation to a halt. A young man with spiky blonde walked into the izakaya alongside a tall, older-looking man with a pale skin complexion. They took a seat at the bar.

The group's attention remained focused on the door for a moment, making sure no one else was coming in. They then turned their attention back to one another.

"So you're going to be in the center of the action, huh?" Tayuya's eyebrow raised slightly.

Itachi nodded his head: "The scroll I gave you has the plans for Tobi's, Zetsu's, Sasori's, Deidara's, Hidan's, and Kabuto's roles. Also some information on the two recruits."

"Recruits?" Tayuya blinked in response: "You recruited members this late? I thought you said your organization could only have ten people."

"They sought out the organization to join." Itachi replied, his eyes narrowing slightly: "They're former ROOT agents."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly in recognition: "Shigaraki Tanuki and Tsumiki Kido?"

"Ah. Yes. You know them." Itachi noted: "They've been fine-tuning some projects of theirs they had been researching, although the details have not been cleared to anyone. The organization's been starting to get tight-lipped with information." His eyes narrowed: "They've discovered there's been a leak, after all."

"Ah." Sasuke tensed in response: "Are you sure it's alright to be meeting with us, then? You're putting yourself in danger if your leak was found out."

"I had information to give. That's the most important thing." Itachi said. "Although, I'll have to be leaving shortly."

"Going so soon?"

'Shit!'

Itachi, Tayuya, and Sasuke tensed up as a spiraling vortex appeared directly above them. Within seconds, two men dropped from the vortex and crashed down onto their table, knocking the sake bottles to the ground.

The sudden crashing and appearance of the men caused the civilians in the bar to start screaming and rushing out of the building.

"No need to rush out, Itachi. If you have more information to give out, stay and share." Tobi stated.

"Itachi… you really did turn traitor, huh?" Kisame spoke-up, a scowl on his face as he glared at Itachi: "Seems like you're not the man I thought you were. You're just another willing participant in this world of lies."

"Kisame…" Itachi's eyes narrowed on his partner in the Akatsuki for a brief moment before focusing back on the second man. "And you…"

"Anyway, this is admittedly disappointing. I really was hoping the traitor was Kabuto. It would have been a good excuse to kill him." Tobi noted, his Sharingan visible from the hole in his mask. "But turns out, it was you. Guess I'll have to kill you instead." His eyes then focused on both Tayuya and Sasuke behind him: "Kill all of you, it seems."


Quick Notes:

1: I am aware that Naruto's Kyūbi Chakra Mode never gave him access to Scorch Release. Or really gave him better fire-release. This is simply me interpreting some potential abilities based entirely on its appearance. It was an idea that entered my head a while ago and wouldn't leave it. But I'm actually really excited to experiment with the concept :P

No, Naruto's not going to have regular access to Scorch Release. His abilities with it are inherently linked to Bijū Mode, as he needs it active to have such free access to Kurama's chakra in order to fully merge the fire and wind releases like a kekkei genkai. But it will be something he is capable of doing with his chakra shroud up! I'm hoping it doesn't seem too reaching; again, the idea entered my head quite a while ago and this is something I've been very excited to show off! Just like finally learning how to fly.

2: Kakashi and his Dog Summons... I very, very, VERY rarely see him pass it down to any students in fanfiction. The only times I ever see it happen are in stories where Kakashi adopts Naruto and he passes it down to him, sorta like a "passing of the torch" kinda thing. I wish it was something more common. I understand why Kakashi never passed it down in canon (Naruto/Sakura were both receiving training by a Sannin and already had contracts, Sasuke defected and signed the Snake contract while gone), but in fanfiction, there's usually a blank space that Kakashi could pass down the contract to. Considering how big of a deal Kakashi makes about loyalty and 'sticking by your team', I figured it would make sense for him to pass it down to at least someone, and in the case of this particular fanfic, the whole team (even though Sasuke did just run out right before signing... whooops lol). Just wanted to elaborate on that


Author's Note: Hey! Chapter 116 done.

Sigh. Still feel a little not on my A-game. Hopefully by the end of the next chapter, I'll be up to par with my writing. Especially cause next chapter is something I've been looking forward to writing for literal years!

Dun dun dun...

Anyway, I'm exhausted, so this author's note is once again, getting cut Short. I swear to god I need to start updating this shit not after long-ass days and past Midnight, but c'est la vie... XD Regardless, I'll see you all when 117 is finished. Until then :)