Chapter Four: Sparring Practice

As Sakura and Naruto were walking to the Hokage's office, they ran into another of their old friends.

Ino had grown up and grown out in all the right ways. The once pretty blonde girl was now a beautiful woman. Or so, Naruto thought, and he liked her toned, exposed midriff as well as her wide hips. Her hair was longer than ever and tied into a ponytail that flowed behind her as she raced forward.

"...Hey! Naruto! Sakura, how's it going?!" she called.

"Oh, Ino, what are you doing out here?" asked Sakura, surprised. "I thought your team had gone out on scouting duty."

"It's a bit complicated," said Ino. "The Leaf has asked me to help some kids with their training, sort of shore up the next generation thing.

"It seemed like an easy D rank since everything has been quiet."

"Oh, nice, so um..." Naruto suddenly became aware of a robed figure wearing glasses. "Who's this with you?"

"Don't you recognize me, Naruto?" asked the figure.

"It's Shino, obviously," said Ino. "He changed his outfit, and he's always keeping his face hidden, so I don't blame you."

"The Abarame have colonies of insect inside their bodies, Ino," said Shino. "If we did not wear concealing clothing, we might cause stress to those around us."

"Yeah, I know that, Shino," said Ino, shuddering.

Naruto remembered what Shino had done to Zaku in the finals, as well as the fate Dosu had suffered. They'd been bad people, but they hadn't deserved that. "So, are you guys teammates or something?"

"Not that I heard," said Sakura.

"We're just hanging out, Sakura," said Ino. "You know as well as I do that Tsunade likes to mix and match teams."

"So, did you make Chunin?" asked Naruto.

"Oh yeah, I made it the year after you left. Most of us did," said Ino. "Though Neji had to do and show us up. He double-graduated at the Chunin Exams for saving the Kazekage. He actually beat Itachi Uchiha's record.

"Also, I'm pretty the Waterfall Village's Jinchuuriki is crushing on him. She had to be practically dragged off when the tournament was over."

"Like you had to be dragged off Sasuke?" asked Naruto.

"Eh, not really," said Ino. "Fuu knows Neji a lot better than I ever knew Sasuke, to be honest. I mean, I guess we were in the same class. But I think my feelings for him were kind of superficial.

"I liked the idea of being in love with Sasuke more than Sasuke himself. I wasn't willing to see him as a person. Maybe if he hadn't left the village, but..." She paused. "I guess time waits for no one."

"Don't worry," said Naruto. "We'll bring him back, and you can get to know the real him someday."

"If Neji doesn't kill him first," said Ino.

"What do you mean?" asked Naruto.

"Neji is holding a grudge," said Ino. "You can tell by the way he acts when you bring anything about the Sasuke retrieval up. He hasn't forgotten how everyone nearly died, and well..."

"What?" said Sakura.

"Well, I don't think Neji would kill Sasuke if he had him at his mercy," said Ino. "Not without orders from higher up or if he'd done something really unforgivable. But he wouldn't pull his punches if they fought.

"So Sasuke wouldn't be able to, either."

"Do you think he could beat him?" asked Sakura.

"No way could Sasuke beat Neji like he is now," said Naruto. "He's really strong. No matter what new moves Sasuke pulls, it'll take a miracle for him to win."

Ino blinked. "Just what is that supposed to mean."

Naruto considered answering, and then he decided to have some fun with this. "Because nobody has heard from Sasuke in years."

"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Sakura. "We searched all over and found no sign. If anything that means he'll be even stronger when we find him."

"Oh, come on, Sakura," said Naruto. "It's so obvious. You don't have to try and pretend like you don't understand just to appease my ego." And here was the part where Sakura's face scrunched up as she tried to figure it out. But she couldn't because have no practical experience or not as much.

So she didn't see the obvious reason why Sasuke was doomed in a fight between him and Neji. It had nothing to do with powers or abilities or bloodlines. It was simply a matter of reality ensues.

"Gee Sakura," said Ino with a smile. "I can't figure it out. What is it?" This was fun. Ino was pretending she knew but was pretending not to know, to troll Sakura.

"Well, I..." Sakura began, if Naruto was right, to scan through her memories. "Well, the Byakugan is a powerful observational tool. And Neji's abilities are extremely powerful defensively.

"So he'd be able to engage Sasuke at a time and place which was to his advantage."

Naruto blinked as he realized he hadn't thought of it. Shino spoke up at this moment. "A good answer. But I would venture an alternative one. The powers of the Hyuga Clan are based on endurance and defense. The powers of the Uchiha are based on illusion and offense.

"A well-trained Hyuga would be well suited to stalemate an Uchiha. And since formidable companions accompany him, teamwork could tip the scale."

Naruto nodded. "Well, neither of those are the answer I had in mind, but yeah, that makes sense." Then he turned to walk toward Ino while putting on his game face. "So, Ino, you doing anything later?"

"What?" said Sakura. "Naruto, I don't think that's..."

"Why not?" asked Ino. "Do you have something in mind?"

"I dunno, I just thought you might want to go get a bowl of ramen or something," said Naruto.

"Naruto..." began Sakura.

"Sakura, you want to come with us?" asked Naruto.

"Well, that sounds pretty nice," said Ino.

Sakura sighed. "...You know what, why not?"

Naruto blinked. "Wait, you're not going to hit me?"

"Of course not; that would just be immature," said Sakura.

Naruto thought they had all changed. Eventually, he looked to Ino. "Well, anyway, Ino, we actually just got back from ramen, and we're kind of heading to meet with Lady Tsunade."

"Oh, don't worry. Don't let me keep you," said Ino.

"Right, thanks," said Naruto.

As Naruto led Sakura to the Hokage's office, he wondered if he could get Tsunade in on things. Probably not; it was too much, too soon. Just get Sakura and Ino into a threesome and work out from there. He saw Shizune, with mousy-brown hair walking through the halls with a stack of paper as he arrived. As she saw Naruto, she dropped it in shock.

Rushing down to pick them up, Naruto leaned forward to help.

"Naruto, you're back. We've been looking forward to hearing from you again," said Shizune. She looked up to find their faces inches apart and blushed. Quickly she drew back and stood.

"Yeah, sorry I got held up. We had one or two problems on the way in, bandits and all that," said Naruto.

'Right, well, now that you've returned," said Shizune, taking the last sheet and standing. "I'll be sure to lead you to Lady Tsunade at once. Just uh... be on your best behavior, please. Danzo is here."

"Danzo?" asked Sakura. And the faint chill in her voice was perfectly appropriate. If even half of what Master Jiraiya had told Naruto about Danzo was true, he didn't want to mess with the guy.

They'd already met a few times, with Naruto tagging along with Pervy Sage. The meetings had been tense, even though nothing was happening.

Shizune led them quickly through the halls, and Naruto wished she was less afraid. She was much cuter when she was flustered or happy. But apparently, he had to do something about this. They came to the door, and Naruto entered the Hokage's office.

Sitting at a table at the far end by a window overlooking the village was Tsunade. Tall, beautiful, and with huge breasts, she was beautiful. Her red lips added to her appearance, and her concealing green jacket could hardly conceal her curves. Now that was a prize Naruto wanted when he became Hokage.

He was looking forward to having her hand over the title.

Oh, and there was also Koharu and Homura, sitting and looking very important to one side. Seeing as all they'd ever done was complain, Naruto did not think much of them. They were very old and had been powerful because the Old Man kept them as advisors. Now they were kept because of seniority and likely contacts.

"Naruto, you've returned at last," said Tsunade. "My agents inform me of your spar with Neji Hyuga. I'm pleased you've grown in power. We're going to need all the help we can get."

Naruto shrugged. "Yeah, well, roving around saving villages is fun. But you called, and I answered." Then he looked to where Danzo was in the shadows. The old man was bent, with tan, weathered skin covered in scars. Half his body was covered in bandages, but he gave Naruto the creeps.

Their eyes met.

Naruto had found that he had a knack for getting on well with them when meeting other people. In meeting the person, becoming friends, or at least being courteous. They called him an idiot, maybe even hit him, but it worked out.

Danzo wasn't like that, though.

His one good eye was cold and bitter and devoid of anything Naruto knew how to reach. But there wasn't any malice in it, either. It was simple calculation and a willingness to stop at nothing in the pursuit of his duties. But it was the personal reason he didn't get. In their meeting, Naruto had never found any common ground.

Ever.

"Lord Danzo, you have something to say," said Tsunade.

"I believe we are owed a report," said Danzo. "Or am I to understand no discipline was instilled in the past three years."

"Fine, yes, I have a report for you. Here you go," said Naruto, drawing out the scroll. Pervy-Sage technically worked for the guy. But in practice, they were unwilling partners who hated one another. Danzo had murdered three students of Jiraiya's as rebels, and there had been bad blood ever since. But Danzo worked through proper channels. The students had technically been rebels against the legitimate government. Mostly by virtue of Hanzo declaring them rebels.

So the Leaf had come in on the side of their ally and killed them all because nobody wanted to see a return to the bad old days of perpetual proxy wars.

Danzo took the report and read through it, bitter about something, but he shrugged it off. Then he read it twice more and passed it over to Tsunade.

"I don't know why you people keep telling me to write these things," said Naruto. "Every single one of them turns out the same way. 'Become friends with locals, beat the bad guy, move on, rinse and repeat.' I guess I could give you a description of everybody's personality, likes, and growth as people.

"But you don't really seem like the kind to care about details like that."

"Standard procedure," said Danzo simply without an ounce of humor. "It must be followed, lest ninjas become sloppy in their duties."

Duty.

Naruto sighed. "Fair enough, I guess." Then he decided to test the waters. He wasn't sure if Lady Tsunade knew about their earlier meetings. "Who are you anyway? I know Homura and Koharu from a couple of meetings, but I've never seen you before."

Tsunade looked up suddenly, and Homura and Koharu looked at one another, then to Danzo. Naruto hadn't noticed them before since they were more or less irrelevant. Mere proxies for Danzo. They thought their age and experience gave them authority over Tsunade. In reality, they were unwitting pawns at best.

Tsunade stood up. "This, Naruto, is Danzo Shimura, a longstanding servant of the Leaf. He handles matters better left behind the scenes. In the days of my sensei, Sarutobi Hiruzen, he was his right hand. Now he acts as an advisor.

"His resources are one of the only reasons we haven't faced a full-scale war. Several key assassinations ensured the others villages could not plan an invasion."

Right.

Tsunade had been brought in largely to act as a puppet. Koharu and Homura had seemed to think they ran everything. But they didn't really have any drive, and Tsunade had refused to be led around by the nose. She'd set things up how she wanted them, and now Danzo was here.

Had Koharu and Homura brought him in to shore up their power?

If so, they might as well have not bothered. The two of them had no goal, no endgame beyond clinging to their power. They wished merely for an extension of the days of the Old Man. And when they couldn't have that, they brought Danzo into the fold.

"It seems likely that they will target Naruto Uzumaki," said Danzo, impersonal as always. It was like he wasn't even here. "It may be best to keep Naruto here, in the village. If he is not exposed, we are unlikely to lose him."

"No way!" said Naruto, raising a fist. "I didn't spend all those years training with Pervy Sage just to do nothing while everyone else did the work for me. Sakura and I are going out on missions."

Most people either flared up or looked at him in exasperation or were incredulous when he did this. But Danzo just looked at him with a steely gaze that said virtually nothing at all. Naruto looked back, lowering his fist and keeping his gaze on Danzo.

Danzo showed nothing, and Naruto realized he was not being viewed as a demon. Nor as a brat who was out of line or even a disobedient ninja. Just a piece of machinery that Danzo thought could be put back into place by staring at it long enough. Which, to be fair, it could have. A few years ago, Naruto would have been shaking.

Glancing over to Koharu and Homura, he noticed slight trembling. Sakura, meanwhile, was trying to disappear.

They were afraid of Danzo. Tsunade herself looked concerned.

"Though crudely delivered, Naruto has a point," said Tsunade. "What is the point of having a Jinchuuriki if we don't use him? Naruto is one of our most valuable assets. His presence on the battlefield could make a huge difference."

"But he is also a lynchpin of the Leaf," said Danzo. "His very existence is ensuring the goodwill of the surrounding lands."

"Wait, what?" said Naruto, who was not used to being popular. "That's an exaggeration, isn't it?"

"How many villages did you and your friends save before you went off with Jiraiya?" asked Tsunade. "How many have you saved since? And how many do you think the Konoha 12 have saved in the meantime?

"It all adds up."

"Which is precisely why Naruto's death could undo years of careful negotiations," said Homura, speaking up. "We have not fully recovered, and the Cloud is looking for an opportunity."

"Lord Danzo, what do you think?" said Koharu.

Yup.

They had no authority. Naruto could probably cross them off the list of obstacles. They existed now only to approve or disapprove on behalf of Danzo. Tsunade would never use them, so Danzo was all they had left.

"Every one of the Akatsuki are S ranked ninja," said Danzo. "If they should capture him, it would be disastrous for the Leaf as a whole. But there is merit in the Princesses statement."

"Wait, Lady Tsunade is a Princess?" asked Naruto, who knew better.

"Technically?" asked Tsunade with a slight smile. "Yes. My Grandfather was Hashirama, the First Hokage, who founded the Village and ruled with absolute power. And he ruled as a King of his own dominions before he coordinated with Madara Uchiha to found the Leaf.

"Personally, I've always liked the sound of it, but it isn't really used much anymore."

"Be that as it may, I believe the logical solution is to test Naruto's abilities," said Danzo. "I will send him against two of my best Agents. Depending on how he performs, we should base our judgment. This should also be an opportunity to judge how Jiraiya's training has done."

"...Is that a challenge, Danzo?" asked Naruto.

"It is merely advice to our leader," said Danzo.

"Alright, fair enough," said Tsunade. "I accept."

"Not so fast!" said Naruto. "I'm not accepting this challenge unless Sakura fights with me." Then he realized something. Tsunade had not done anything to greet or take notice of Sakura. Why not?

Wasn't they Master and Student?

"You are in no position to be making demands of your betters Naruto," said Koharu.

"I kind of am," said Naruto. "If you try to tell me to stay here and do nothing against the Akatsuki, I'll just walk out of the village. I can fight them on my own if I have to. Besides, Leaf Ninja are supposed to fight as a team. I want Sakura on my team anyway, so it will be more realistic with her here."

Tsunade sighed. "Sakura, do you consent to this? If you do not believe that your fighting skills are up to the task, I will not hold a refusal against you." Shouldn't she know that?

"...Um, yes, Lady Tsunade," said Sakura, bowing respectfully. "I wish to help Naruto in this match."

There wasn't a lot of familiarity there. Naruto judged by Tsunade's gaze there was recognition, perhaps respect, but nothing else.

"Alright then, we'll start things off," said Tsunade with a smile. "Meet us on the roof."

Naruto and Sakura made their way up to the top of the roof. There they looked out over the village. It was being rebuilt nicely, and Naruto thought he would one day rule it. But looking at Sakura, he saw she looked upset about something. "Sakura, did something happen with Lady Tsunade?"

"No, what makes you say that?" asked Sakura, choking.

"Well, it's just..." Naruto paused. "I don't really get the sense you have the same kind of bond I do with Pervy Sage, or Kakashi-sensei, or even Iruka-sensei."

"Well, why would I have those bonds, Naruto?" asked Sakura.

"She is teaching you," said Naruto. "Aren't you one of the best students she's had?"

"She has a lot of students, Naruto. She wants to create armies of medics to avoid what happened to her boyfriend and brother," said Sakura. "I was just the first.

"Once I mastered the healing techniques with Ino, she gave me a job in the hospital and moved on. I don't keep in contact with any of my teachers from the academy; they're done with me."

"Well, didn't she teach you her hand-to-hand abilities?" asked Naruto.

"I had to beg her to do it, and I think she only agreed because I'm your friend," said Sakura. "Even then, she kept hammering home to me that a medical ninjas main role is to stay alive to treat the wounded. I think she resented being out there and didn't really want to teach me anything.

"So once I learned the techniques, I left her alone.

"Since I work at the hospital and don't have a team, I don't really have any reason to meet her."

Naruto paused at the thought, considering what had been said. And this was, for the first time, a personal problem he had no idea how to fix. It was obvious Sakura wanted Tsunade's approval and that Tsunade was important to her. But to Tsunade, Sakura seemed to be just one of many students.

Nothing Naruto had seen indicated that Tsunade was bad to Sakura. In fact, she might not even know there was a problem. But what exactly could he do here? This wasn't like with Neji and Hinata where their screwed-up family had wronged both sides. There was no vendetta to move beyond or misunderstanding to clear up.

Just the absence of a bond. The absence of any bonds.

Sakura was alone. But there wasn't a reason for it. No demon inside her that needed taming, no schoolyard bullies to beat up. No hatred to let go of. She hadn't even done anything wrong to justify what had happened to her. Not beyond being a bit antisocial in the early days.

"Well," said Naruto. "Why don't we think about this match as a chance to impress her. If you can really do well in this fight, maybe she'll think about teaching you the higher levels."

"I guess," said Sakura. And Naruto realized she didn't believe a word he was saying; she was just going to try anyway.

Shortly, Danzo arrived with two masked ninjas clad in concealing garb. Tsunade arrived, and Danzo moved forward. "This is Fu, and Torune, two of my finest subordinates.

"You will be fighting a match against them."

"Great, so who are these guys anyway?" asked Naruto, moving forward and taking a stance.

"I leave you to discover the details of their abilities for yourself," said Danzo. "A ninja must be capable of adaptation as well as brute strength.

"Lady Tsunade?"

Tsunade shifted, and both sides took a position between them. Then raising a hand much as she had before, she cut through the air, the motion sending her bosom bouncing. "Begin!"

Naruto sprang forward at a normal pace, straight for the leftmost one. The other headed right for Sakura, and he swung a fist at them. The blow decked them in the face, and they barely recovered before he caught them from behind.

Elbowing them in the back, he sent them falling forward. They caught themselves on the one hand, and Naruto felt disappointed. Meanwhile, Sakura was fighting with the other, who had blonde hair. Those movements were familiar, somehow.

Sakura was fighting far faster than he'd ever seen her, and she was about on these guys' level. "Huh, these guys aren't nearly as fast as Neji was. I was kind of expecting more from them-"

"Naruto, look out!" said Sakura.

Naruto looked down and saw beetles scuttling up his shoes. Leaping into the air, he found mosquitos all around. Creating dozens of shadow clones, he dispersed them while landing. Then he looked to where Fu and Sakura were still fighting, and Sakura was doing well. A single punch caught the cloth at the edge of Fu's uniform and ripped it to reveal feminine thighs.

This was hot.

"Thanks, Sakura," said Naruto as he hit the ground. By now, he'd kicked off the beetles, but the insects were all around them.

"No problem. I'll deal with this one," said Sakura.

Then suddenly, she stiffened as the insects began to crawl up here. "Those are...

"My hand, I... I can hardly move it. What is this?"

Thrashing, Sakura spun around on one leg with incredible speed. The moving cracked the ground, and the bugs were thrown off her. Even as they stopped, Naruto realized they were coming at him from all directions.

Naruto smiled.

As the crawling things went over him, he reached deep within himself.

"Bugs," said Naruto. "Fine, two can play at that game."

And he began to absorb natural energy from the insects as he'd practiced with Pervy Sage. Weeks upon weeks of neverending training little by little paid off as the bugs began to die around him. Some scuttled away in terrors as he continued to summon nature's energy.

"The insects are retreating? How?" said Tsunade, staring.

"Oh, I learned to absorb natural energy during my time with Jiraiya-sensei," said Naruto. "So I drained chakra from those bugs faster than they could drain mine.

"You didn't really think all he taught me was how to not break genjutsu and make a bigger Rasengan, did you?"

And then Sakura surged forward, and a single blow caught Torune head-on. He caught the blow on both arms and was thrown backward, spinning toward the wall. However, he turned in mid-air and landed on the wall before running down.

He summoned his insects and looked at their number.

"I am unable to continue," said Torune.

"Sakura, where did you learn to punch like that?" asked Naruto.

"I told you, I've been practicing!" said Sakura, pumping a fist.

"Nice job," said Naruto before turning to see Fu making a familiar gesture. It clicked. "Hang on, that's the Yamanaka Clan jutsu!

"Sakura, get behind me!"

And he raced between them.

And that was how Naruto was drawn into that same damn place he'd been in before. There were the nine-tails, snarling at Fu.

"So that's the nine-tails, huh?" said Fu.

"Come closer, girl," said Kurama. "And I'll devour you alive." Then he turned to Naruto with the usual contempt. "At the rate things are going, you'll have to make two seals."

"I'll keep it in mind," said Naruto. He'd tried to establish a rapport of sorts with Kurama, but it was a creature of pure malevolence. "So, Fu, right?

"That's the name you decided to use for this demonstration, right? Ino!"

"What..." Fu tore off the mask to reveal Ino. "Okay, what gave me away?"

"Well, you really seemed to be targetting Sakura a lot," said Naruto. "You two have always had a very personal thing between you. Why the mask anyway?"

"Oh, it's sort of a test thing," said Ino with a shrug. "Lord Danzo wants to know if you are smart enough to deduce who you were fighting. That's why we met up with you by coincidence on the way here."

"What exactly were you going to do if I hadn't had the power to come down here?" asked Naruto.

"I just wanted to get a look at the place, to be honest," said Ino. "What, you'd think I'd unleash that thing on the village."

"By all means," said Kurama.

"So, you want to get out of here?" asked Ino.

Naruto smiled and took her hand. "I don't see why not."

"So, are you ready for a surprise, Naruto?" asked Ino, drawing near as they disappeared.

"I like surprises," said Naruto.

And then he got punched in the face by Sakura and was nearly sent hurtling off the roof. Turning in mid-air, he shifted in place and saw Sakura standing at the ready with Fu behind her.

"How'd you attack me while possessing me?" asked Naruto.

"I learned to possess people with only a portion of my chakra, obviously," said Ino. "It's kind of like a clone jutsu, except you never form it physically."

"Well, don't expect to get me with it twice," said Naruto.

"Who says I'm going to be the one doing the getting?" asked Ino.

And then she and Sakura went at him from both sides. Naruto dodged and weaved, moving against their strikes. They fought very well together, coordinating, and he had to admit he was enjoying the fight.

"So I'm guessing that you possessed her too! How are you controlling her and yourself?" asked Naruto.

"Oh, come on, Yamanaka do their best work in communications!" said Ino.

"Okay, but I blocked you from getting into Sakura's mind," said Naruto, ducking under a punch from Sakura. Then grabbing another attack, he judo threw Ino away.

"Yeah, I was already in it," said Ino, landing on her hands and springing in again.

"Wait, what?" That was weird.

"I've sort of been using her as a sparring partner for my possession jutsu," said Ino. "It really helps with fine-tuning the technique."

Wait a minute; Sakura had already blocked that technique easily. "Um, Ino, that's a bit weird."

"Weirder than this?" asked Ino. "Yamanaka puppetmaster jutsu!"

Then she raised a hand, and lines of light shot forward to Sakura, gripping her arms as she landed. And both their eyes glowed.

"Okay, what is this?" asked Naruto.

"Aw, come on, Naruto?" said Ino and Sakura at once. "You were the one who wanted to get us together. Call it a double-date without the ramen." And then both attacked together, only to strike differently. It was like both of their fighting styles had merged into one, far more powerful one.

Ino's strikes were a lot more powerful now, and Sakura's had a lot more skill.

Naruto found he had to work a lot harder against the onslaught, and it was both scary and hot in a very weird way. Just what had been going on here. And why was Shino just sitting there? Landing, Naruto knocked Sakura and Ino away and looked back.

"Hey, Shino! I know you're trying to pretend to be this Torune guy, but I already know!" said Naruto. "Could you throw something at me that's actually serious? Because I'm about to end this entire match!"

"I would," said Shino, taking off his mask. "But you'd die."

Given how scary Shino was already, that was one boast Naruto didn't want to test. So he halted in place as Ino and Sakura rushed toward him. He made hand signs. "Fair enough.

"Wind Style: Hurricane Shield!"

A circle of air surrounded him as he poured immense amounts of nature power. It surged through the air, catching Sakura and Ino in the waves and throwing both high into the air. As they righted themselves, they descended hard and fast toward the ground. As they did, Naruto leaped into the air. Grabbing Ino, he slung her over one shoulder before catching Sakura in a bridal style and landing near the roof; he ran down the side of the building and setting them both down.

Quickly, he kissed both on the lips before they could respond. Then he rushed back up as they recovered.

"And that's a ring out," said Naruto.

Ino and Sakura came back up shortly thereafter, and Sakura looked at Ino in shock. "Naruto, what...

"Ino, what's the big idea!"

"We were in the middle of a match Sakura. I was supposed to use no holds barred," said Ino.

"Yeah, but... never mind," said Sakura, and Naruto was surprised she didn't flare up anymore. "Naruto... um... never mind."

Sakura didn't seem to flare up anymore. But it wasn't time to deal with that, so Naruto looked to Ino and Shino. "Hey, how did you guys end up working for Danzo, anyone?"

"Oh, it's a bit of a long story. Danzo observed us in action, and his top agent, Sai, recruited us," said Ino. "Dad said it was a good career opportunity."

"We'll talk later," said Shino.

Then both moved to the background, fading out of things in a way they never would before.

Naruto looked over to where Tsunade was staring with pride at both Naruto and Sakura. Sakura was blushing with pride. "Well, Lord Danzo. Are you satisfied?"

"Quite," said Danzo. "It is my assessment that Naruto Uzumaki has exceeded our projections. He did not use his full power against Fu or Torune. And his ability to perceive their true natures speaks of improved intellect. We should contemplate how he may best be used against the Sound Village and the Akatsuki."

"I'll be the one who makes the decisions on that subject," said Tsunade. "Sakura, your offensive techniques were excellent. However, you need to work on making more efficient use of them. A lack of accuracy can render even the most powerful technique useless.

"I also note that you were unable to defend against the Yamanaka possession jutsu. Given that you defeated it once before, you might want to brush up on that skill set. I also recommend you invest in some other offensive capability when you have time. Having options is always important in combat."

"Yes... Lady Tsunade," said Sakura, smiling.

"For now, you are both hereby given a field promotion to the rank of Chunin," said Tsunade.

"Wait, Sakura, haven't you already been promoted?" asked Naruto.

"I uh... haven't seen a lot of combat," said Sakura.

"Well, that will change," said Tsunade. "I think it is about time you got some practical experience, Sakura. And your status as a medical ninja will be very useful in assisting Naruto.

"However, you are still going to need a team leader."

And that was when Kakashi leaped down from a perch Naruto hadn't seen him at. Shutting his Icha Icha book, he adjusted his mask and nodded to them. "Morning, everyone. Sorry, I'm late; I had to help a damsel in distress."

"...Lady Tsunade, please tell me you aren't reassembling Team 7?" said Sakura with a sigh.

"I thought you'd be pleased, Sakura," said Kakashi.

"I am. I just... never mind, I was hoping Naruto would be the team leader, to be honest," said Sakura.

"Sorry, field promotions like that take a bit more in the way of legwork," said Kakashi. "Still, with luck, you'll both be leading your own squads soon.

"So, what is our first mission?"

"I actually do have something for you," said Tsunade. "There have been indications. The Village Hidden in the Cloud has been getting ambitious. We've caught several of their Shinobi near some of the mining towns on the northern border."

"So you want us to beat them up?" guessed Naruto.

Tsunade laughed. "Not quite.

"You see, the Cloud is likely just trying to provoke a confrontation with us. They know that many in the Leaf are embittered about the Hyuga affair. The Cloud also has a long history of letting its Shinobi violate truces. If they fail, they disclaim their actions. If they succeed, they take the gains and apologize after the fact.

"So we're going to provoke them into starting a fight."

"But Lady Tsunade, couldn't that lead to a full-scale war?" asked Sakura.

"It won't because you will not be killing any of them," said Tsunade.

"Well, how are we going to lure the Cloud Ninja into attacking us?" asked Naruto.

"With a prize that they will think of as too good to pass up," said Tsunade. "Hinata, please appear."

At that moment, Hinata descended from another place nobody had seen her. The dark-haired girl had only grown more beautiful with time. Her hair was longer, her eyes were the same gray, and she had that gentle appearance. At the same time, her already breasts had increased, and at this rate, she'd rival Tsunade.

Well, Naruto could make two prizes for two women he loved.

"Hinata, I didn't even see you there," said Naruto. "You're good at stealth.

"Oh, um... Naruto, I just... well I've gotten very good at hiding lately and... um... that is to say..." said Hinata.

"Are you certain that this girl would be suitable?" asked Danzo. "Perhaps another from the Main Family? Or a member of the Branch Clan disguised?"

"Hinata has a respectable record, Danzo," said Tsunade. "And the fact that the Cloud previously failed to capture her twice will only entice them further. More importantly, even though she is far from helpless, she looks helpless.

"The Cloud has to assume that easy prey is just waiting for them to grab it."

Danzo nodded. "Very well, I see your point.

"I will consult my own sources to ensure security for the operation."

"What kind of security?" asked Naruto.

"That is need to know information, Naruto," said Kakashi. "If one of us were captured, we could expose our comrades."

"Right, right," said Naruto. "Well, Lady Tsunade is Hokage."

"Remember, Naruto. The Cloud Village must be humiliated, but bloodlessly," said Tsunade. "If anyone is killed, this will be a major disaster."

"Sure, that's fine by me. I don't like killing people," said Naruto.

He'd done it, once or twice, on a few very bad people. But thinking about it, he sometimes wondered if he'd only seen them on their worst day. Zabuza had been good, in the end, just twisted up by all the evil of the world. And he'd seemed like a monster.

"Lady Tsunade, may I speak?" asked Shino.

"What is it, Shino?" asked Tsunade.

"The Cloud Village wants a war and will do anything to get one," said Shino. "They have already violated international law to pursue one. First, it cost Neji Hyuga, his father. Then they attempted it again during the Chunin Exams. Whatever their excuses, if they had captured Hinata, they would have taken the gains. We should not be gentle. Instead of safely defeating a few, we should initiate a mass slaughter of many.

"If the Raikage makes any demands, we can then invite him to a meeting and assassinate him."

"Cut off the head, and the rest of the giant will fall," affirmed Ino.

"...That's a little hardcore, don't you think?" asked Naruto. Granted, the Raikage probably deserved it more than most people. If he had seized Hinata, they'd have turned her into a broodmare to make a Cloud Hyuga clan. He also might have ripped out her eyes.

"Yes, Shino," said Tsunade. "Naruto is quite correct.

"As much as we'd all enjoy seeing that, the Cloud has a history of never backing down. We'd have a war for sure, and the Akatsuki and Sound are still a problem. It's better to whittle down our enemies in a low-intensity conflict."

"Then we should wield a gentle fist. No damage on the surface, but the heart failing within," said Shino.

"We will speak more of such considerations later, Torune," said Danzo. "For the moment, we have our responsibilities.

"What is important is that the mission is carried out as the Princess ordered. Our long-term strategy is already being discussed. What we must do now is make the Cloud cautious, without creating a vendetta."

"Sounds good to me," said Naruto, who wondered why Shino and Ino had been drawn into this. And who Sai was. But eventually, he shrugged and turned to his friends. "Sakura, Hinata, Kakashi-sensei...

"We're going to protect the Peace of the Leaf Village!"

And he raised a fist.

There was an awkward silence.

Naruto sighed and went to the back of the line. "Oh, sorry, Kakashi-sensei, you give the orders."

Then they got going for real.