The Wanderers
Chapter 64 – The Sound of Progress
A/N: After reading a Guest review, I'll admit it. I might have been a bit delusional about the dark elements of this story. I guess it got a lot darker than I initially conceived, without my even noticing. I'm not going to change it; it fits the story quite well. My main thing is that I don't want it to become angsty. So long as I can avoid that, I think it'll be fine. Also, because I've been going through my story and I'm anal, all Red Guard are now called Red Warriors.
A/N2:I'll also be trying to convey more of the romance side of the story. I recognise that has been a bit lacking, particularly since the main pair are so far along. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about it completely.
A/N3: I knew I could write a chapter in a week. The next few should be in the same schedule pattern.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, people would drown when they are underwater for so goddamn long.
***Previously-On***
At the village of Yukigakure, the last living shinobi fought against the Quiraji invaders bravely, but ultimately in vain. She perished with the lord of the wolf summons at the hand of Benkei, with the Quiraji army finally succeeding in wiping out the village completely. Kiba and Nagisa arrived at the village at the request of the Kazekage, but they were too late and fled at the presence of the Quiraji leader before they fell to the same fate as the Yukigakure shinobi.
***End Summary***
Hinata thanked the elderly lady and smiled at the little boy at her side, waving to them as they returned into their small fishing village. She turned to her husband who was nearby tossing rocks at a nearby tree, shaking her head slowly.
Naruto sighed and hopped up onto his feet. "You'd think someone would know where this place is. It's a shinobi village; it's not like you can hide it underground."
"That's exactly what they might have done, Naruto. I doubt Neji took the same approach as Konoha, there's a good reason why nobody knows where it is."
The blonde shinobi smiled at his wife and conceded her point, "Okay, well I can search the old way, but that'll take time. The Land of Rice Fields is pretty large."
"Do you have a better idea?"
Naruto grinned evilly and stepped forward quickly to sweep Hinata off her feet into his arms, holding her tightly yet affectionately as he pulled her face towards him. "I have several."
A slight blush came over Hinata's face as she gently placed her hands on the sides of his face, "That sounds lovely, but we have company."
Naruto frowned slightly and looked up to see an old friend sitting on a nearby rock with the widest possible grin on his face. The blonde shinobi's surprise was only levelled by the fact that he was holding his young wife in a rather compromising position. He let her back onto her feet and watched as she dusted herself off as if it would make her appear more presentable.
"What are you doing here?" asked Naruto before shaking his head in response to his own question. "No, wait, better question. How did you get here?"
The old man sitting on the rock's smile grew even wider as he pulled out his trademark bag, but to his surprise Hinata put up a hand to stop him.
"And don't you dare say it's a trick."
Magnus cackled loudly and waved his short legs in the air like a child, "It's a really good trick?"
Naruto and Hinata shared a look as they often did before laughing in turn and approaching him with wide smiles. "It is good to see you again, old friend. But again, what are you doing here? I thought you were travelling around in that country, minding your own business."
"I was and I am. But I was feeling a bit bored, and a bit lonely, and a bit hungry…"
"Is it just me or has he gotten crazier?" whispered Naruto into Hinata's ear.
"It's not just you," she whispered back.
"…and anyway, that's what happened to my horse," finished Magnus, ignorant of their whispering. He turned his gaze back to the lovers, "What's up with you guys?"
The couple gave their friend a brief rundown of the events that had transpired over the past three years, with Magnus keeping a rapturous expression throughout their story. They asked for what he'd been doing in return, but as they expected he dodged their questions expertly and plied them with oranges and easy laughs.
After a nostalgia-filled conversation, Hinata found herself needing to be excused. She apologised to both Magnus and her husband and quickly ran into the village.
Once she was out of ear-shot, Magnus' expression changed to a more serious tone and he pulled his blonde friend into closer proximity. "There is something you will have to do, something that may end your life in the process."
Naruto gulped visibly at the prospect, though a part of him was sure that Magnus was just messing with him. Reaching into his ever-present bag, the old man pulled out a small dagger and handed it very carefully to the young shinobi. Naruto frowned and took it from his hands, examining it to see if there were any obvious special properties, but it appeared to simply be a blade of jagged metal with a plain black hilt.
He flipped it over in his hand and went to feel at the edge with his fingers, but a loud withdrawn gasp from Magnus caused him to hesitate.
"You…might not want to do that…" said Magnus with concern in his voice.
Carefully placing it in one of his hands, Naruto looked at his old friend with a mixture of confusion and curiosity, "What is it, the Dagger of Destiny?"
"Well…no. It's just a dagger."
"Then why shouldn't I touch the edge?"
Magnus looked at him like he was stupid, "Because you'd cut yourself?"
Naruto's gaze shot to the sky as he pocketed the dagger inside his jacket, "I was almost worried that you were taking something seriously for a change. Does it actually do anything?"
The old man shrugged and started to peel an orange he had mysteriously produced from his bag. "I dunno. Seems like something handy to hold on to though."
Naruto groaned loudly before turning and smiling as he saw Hinata walked towards them with a satisfied look on her face. "So, what are you doing now? Are you going to come with us?"
With orange juice flowing down the sides of his mouth, Magnus chuckled as he watched Hinata kiss her husband lightly on the cheek before smiling down at him. "Nah. I've got important…stuff I need to do."
"Cheating at cards?" asked Hinata with a raised eyebrow.
"And sleeping," added Magnus. "You two go have your adventure. I just wanted to pop in and say hi. I would've said something at your wedding, but the two of you were in such a rush."
"Hang on, you weren't at the wedding," said Naruto as he remembered the townsfolk who had attended their nuptials.
Magnus finished his orange and tossed the peel onto the grass before hopping up to his feet and grinning at him, "Wasn't I?"
Naruto and Hinata shared another look, but neither of them was willing to challenge the old man's statement.
Magnus reached over and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder with a lively look in his eyes, "Remember, just because something can't die, doesn't mean it can't be destroyed."
"I have NO idea what that means," said Naruto with a sigh.
"Well that's convenient, neither do I." Magnus pointed to a direction nearby to the slowly setting sun, just past a small forest of trees. "The place you're looking for is a day's walk that way, north-west. You can't miss it."
"Um…thanks…" said Naruto in reply. "How do you know that?"
He immediately regretted asking as he saw the look on Hinata's face beside him. Magnus waved a hand over his face with a whoosh sound, "It's a trick."
"I just had to ask…" muttered Naruto to himself while Hinata giggled quietly and locked her arm around her husband's.
The strange old man turned to leave with his ever-present bag sitting on his belt.
"Magnus…"
He turned around and flashed his friends a wild grin, "Something else you need?"
Naruto looked at his wife for a moment before turning back to their friend, "Is your part in this…over? You've been very helpful to us, but something tells me we haven't seen the last of you."
Magnus chuckled vigorously, "Perhaps, perhaps not. The game is yet to play out fully, and I hate to lose. If she keeps cheating, then so shall I."
"We don't know what any of that means," said Hinata with a confused expression on her face.
"That's the point, my dear," replied the old man. "If I didn't let you discover for yourself, then there is no fun to be had."
The two Konoha shinobi shared a look for a moment, but when they turned back to ask him something else he was gone.
Naruto rolled his eyes, while Hinata let out a small chuckle in amusement. They knew where they were going now, but not for the first time they questioned whether there was a larger part to their quest than they first thought.
Figuring things would work themselves out at some point in the future; Naruto and Hinata adjusted their path and began walking to where Magnus told them Neji's village was located. The likelihood that Magnus was simply pulling a trick on them was fairly high, but neither of them had a clue on where to even start otherwise.
The shinobi village of Otogakure was unlike either of them had been expecting. The village was settled within a large scale set of concrete walls, looking more like a fortress than a village.
How none of the Land of Rice Field's civilians didn't know where it was, was beyond either of them. Four tall towers sat on the corners of each part of the village, each appeared to be bristling with weaponry. It also sat on a tall hill with only a single raised walkway that would allow for the people to descend to the main level of the land.
Naruto found his head shaking as they walked closer to the village. "You could hold this village with six old ladies with broomsticks…forever."
"Looks very…Neji-like, doesn't it?" said Hinata with a smile.
Her husband nodded in agreement as they stepped onto the walkway. Immediately they saw large groups of shinobi wearing forehead protectors they were familiar with, readying a number of long range weapons. If they presented themselves as a threat they could easily be taken out without getting within a stone's throw of the main gate.
"Hold it right there!" came a voice from the gate.
Both Naruto and Hinata halted immediately, recognising that they weren't in a position to argue the point. They put up their hands to demonstrate they meant no harm.
"Are you armed?"
Naruto snorted loudly, "Of course we're armed. We're shinobi."
An arrow screamed through the air and landed straight into between Naruto's legs. The blonde shinobi didn't flinch, though he did raise his hands up higher to extenuate his point.
"Can we come in? We're friends of your…leader," said Naruto loudly.
"Still can't say it properly, can you?" asked Hinata quietly. "Jealousy is not an attractive trait, dear."
"Yes dear," said Naruto drolly as they watched the large gate in the front of the village open slightly and a group of three Sound shinobi approached them. They were led by a tall man who looked like someone had tried to grind rocks on his face, and to Naruto and Hinata's view they couldn't see any weapons in their hands.
"State your business quickly or we will kill you on the spot," said the leader without hint of emotion.
Naruto went to step forward, but Hinata put a hand up to stop him and stepped in front of the guard.
"My name is Hyuuga Hinata and this is my partner Uzumaki Naruto. We are old friends of your leader, Hyuuga Neji. We've come to offer our help."
The guard frowned at her statement, taking a moment to stare at her white eyes before turning to the other guards and motioning with his head. The two of them nodded in response and walked around to stand behind Naruto and Hinata.
"It doesn't quite work that way around here," said the guard. "We'll have to get clarification of who you are and even then I doubt the Otokage will see you."
"Otokage…damn, he really did do it, didn't he?" said Naruto with only a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
The guard motioned towards the gate, "Come with us to the security checkpoint. If everything checks out, we'll see about getting a message to the Otokage."
Seeing nothing else to do, Naruto and Hinata followed the three guards into Neji's village, unsure what to expect within.
oOoOoOo
After a pair of sensory shinobi scanned them for anything out of the ordinary, Naruto and Hinata were given a pass by the security team and were sent from the security gatehouse to the front of the village. They were still surrounded by security armed to the teeth, but for the first time they were granted a look at the village exterior.
From what they could see, the village of Otogakure was a thriving village on such a scale they hadn't seen in a very long time. The streets were lined with shops and markets, yet the streets were twisted and winding, with seemingly no rhythm or rhyme to them whatsoever. Each of the buildings were the same height despite the variety in shapes and the streets were full of people going about their business.
Hinata made several observations about the village that she was sure that her husband likely would not. The people of the village all walked as shinobi would, though they appeared more relaxed than they likely were. Each appeared to be either discussing items of interest with one another or bartering for items from a variety of shop fronts. She noticed women and children acting as she remembered they used to in Konoha, though there was a different atmosphere due to the different people.
"So can we go?" asked Naruto to one of the guards.
The female Sound shinobi ignored his request as the main guard came to them from the security gatehouse with a weapon at his side.
"You will wait here until you are given final clearance. If you leave this spot, you will be hunted down and killed before you could even get to the first group of houses."
Naruto chuckled at the prospect, "You guys could try. I reckon we could probably take the lot of you down without so much as a scratch."
Despite her usual graceful exterior, Hinata let out a groan and her gaze shot up towards the sky, "Naruto, why …"
The main guard stepped forward so that he was right in front of Naruto's face as his expression grew furious.
"Look, I don't give a damn if you think you could take all of us down, if you threaten any of us you will be taken down without prejudice."
"Whoa, calm down there," said Naruto with his hands up to indicate he meant no harm to them. "It was just a joke. Can you just tell Neji to give the stick out of his ass and let us in?"
He turned to his wife with an apologetic look, "Sorry dear."
Hinata shrugged lightly, "I agree, Neji-niisan's stick is almost as big as yours."
Her husband grinned widely at her. Hinata groaned at the look on his face, "I didn't mean it like that."
"I don't care," he said through a chuckle. "I'm counting it."
The guard watched the exchange with barely contained fury. He tapped a finger on the blade at his shoulder impatiently before finally giving in and barking an order at the guards around them, causing them to stand with their weapons ready.
Both Naruto and Hinata immediately had weapons in their hands, but still stood neutrally in amidst the guards.
The main guard stepped forward to stand off against Naruto directly, "Like I said, you aren't going anywhere without the say-so of the Otokage!"
To their surprise a Sound shinobi appeared out of thin air beside the air, holding a small piece of paper in his hand. The guard snapped it out of the messenger's hand and read it quickly before cursing silently and turning to the two of them.
"The Otokage has granted you permission to enter." With that the Sound guards stood down, but the main guard didn't back down completely. "But don't think this gives you a free pass! This is our village and if you step one toe out of line…"
Another Sound shinobi appeared at his side, handing him another piece of paper. The guard snarled and read it quickly before crumpling it up and tossing it on to the ground.
With an exasperated look on his face, the guard slowly lowered his blade before sheathing it on his belt. He cleared his throat awkwardly, "Apparently…you have been given free passes. I am to provide you with an escort to the Otokage."
He turned to one of his subordinates, "It's around midday, he'll likely be at the academy. Escort our…guests to him without delay."
She saluted him quickly before motioning for Naruto and Hinata to follow her. The two of them nodded courteously as Naruto chucked a quick smirk to the main guard. Just as they went to leave, the guard put up a hand and placed it on Naruto's shoulder.
"I'm watching you, boy. If you have brought our enemies to us, I will not hesitate to…"
A third shinobi appeared at his side holding a piece of paper.
This time the guard didn't even bother reading it, he simply threw his hands into the air and stomped back to his post, grumbling incoherently to himself.
oOoOoOo
The village continued to impress the two of them as they were 'escorted' on the way to the Otokage. The pathway they were walking on slowly opened up to a large oval area with a building that brought a smile to both Naruto and Hinata's face immediately.
"I can't believe he built that in three years," said Naruto with an impressed whistle.
"I can't believe he built this whole village in three years," said Hinata. "It's unimaginable."
"He didn't do it alone," came a deep male voice from behind a nearby wall. The two Konoha shinobi watched as a huge man with a completely bald head walked into view, a bag of potato chips in his hands. "This village was built by all of us."
"Jirobou!" came a second voice, though this one sent a chill down Naruto's spine. A tall man with dark grey hair and a wicked smile on his face jogged up to the large man. "You deadshit, you stole the last bag of chips! I was going to relax and eat those while going through brother's intelligence report."
The large man shrugged and shoved a large handful of chips into his mouth just to prove his point.
Naruto stepped forward and pointed an accusatory finger at the grey-haired shinobi, "What the hell are you doing here?"
Sakon turned to him with a look that Hinata could only describe as apathetic, "Oh, it's little blondy."
Before Naruto could say any more, his wife put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "Naruto, we knew that there would be some survivors from those battles."
Sakon laughed deeply at her comment, "You kids couldn't kill us if you tried. Not for a lack of trying, I'll give you that." He turned to Jirobou, "You got any chips left?"
The large Sound shinobi looked into the bag for a moment before shovelling the last few pieces into his mouth and chewing loudly. "Nope."
"Fatass…" swore Sakon under his breath. "I'm gonna check the markets before signing in." He walked towards his blonde ex-foe slowly before feigning a head butt.
Despite himself, Naruto flinched, causing the Sound shinobi to bark out a laugh and push past him with a shove. The Konoha shinobi stared at him with fury in his eyes, but he knew that attacking the Sound shinobi just on principle was a stupid move even for him.
"You're here to meet with the boss man, right?" asked Jirobou in a surprisingly polite voice.
Hinata nodded with a smile on her face, "Yes, we are. I'm Hyuuga Hinata, this is Uzumaki Naruto."
"Yes, I've heard of you," nodded Jirobou. He turned to their escorts, "You're relieved. I will take them to the Otokage."
The guards bowed in respect to him and disappeared back to the front gate.
Without a word, Jirobou started walking towards the building in front of them, with Naruto and Hinata following behind quietly.
The building had a large plaque that told the newcomers that it was an academy modelled after the one that had been destroyed in Konoha, but their gazes were drawn to a large crowd of people standing in a circle on the grassy oval.
The three of them walked up to the group, noticing that many of the people appeared to be Genin, with some older shinobi seemingly standing with their children, watching with fascination at the events in the middle of the group.
Standing in a form several years older than either of them remember in his black and white robe was the Otokage. Neji wore his hat over a long head of dark hair and didn't appear to have any weapons on hand.
Around him were ten young people armed with a variety of bladed weaponry, each charging forward to try and remove Neji's head from his shoulders or pierce him through the middle.
However the Otokage merely brushed aside the blows with the grace of a dancer, each blade strike barely missing him as he moved through the attackers and moved around them so that he could continue to dodge their attacks.
As they stepped into the ranks of observers, Naruto and Hinata found themselves impressed by what they saw. Even as several of the attackers banded together and seemingly pinned the Sound leader into an inescapable position, Neji leapt high into the air and placed his right hand on the hilt of one of the staffs before pushing himself over his attackers and landing away from them with his arms at his side.
"That's not that impressive, he's probably using his Byakugan," whispered Naruto to his wife.
Hinata simply smiled and indicated to her cousin's relaxed expression. Neji's eyes were their normal white colour with no popping veins to indicate that he was using his doujutsu in any capacity.
"Okay, that's a little bit impressive…I guess…" muttered Naruto quietly.
The attackers moved to slash at the Otokage once again, but he put up a hand, "Stop."
They all froze in place as Neji walked into their ranks. He placed his remaining hand on one of the attackers at the wrist, adjusting the grip on his sword, "You need to keep a tighter grip on your weapon. If the enemy is able to dodge your attack they could disarm you with little effort."
The young man nodded and stepped back into line with the others. Neji observed them momentarily before turning his gaze to a young woman with dark red hair, "You attack well, but you overextend too quickly. Practise your footwork more thoroughly."
"Yes sir," said the young woman with respect in her voice.
Neji turned to regard the group as a whole, "You have all come a long way. I will send your evaluations to your supervisors and those that are promoted to Chuunin will be integrated into the forward ranks. Those that do not, you will have another chance within the week. Dismissed."
The students all bowed to the Otokage respectfully before dispersing with the observers. A young woman approached Neji and handed him a damp cloth, which the Hyuuga leader took with a word of thanks. He pressed the cloth to his face with a sigh as Naruto and Hinata walked up to him with smiles on their faces.
Neji turned to them and a rare smile broke out on his face. "Ah, you finally got here. I was expecting you sometime last week."
"Never thought I'd say this, but it's good to see you, Neji," said Naruto as he regarded the Otokage.
"Likewise," replied Neji before turning to his cousin. "Hinata, it is good to see you alive and well."
Unlike the two of them, Hinata had no issue stepping forward and embracing her cousin in a tight hug. Naruto chuckled at the image, while Neji recovered from the surprise quickly enough and placed his right arm onto her shoulder. After a few seconds Hinata released him and stepped back, smiling warmly at her cousin as she wiped at her eyes.
"I thought you were dead for so long. We would've come sooner, but we were held up."
"In Kirigakure, I'm aware." Neji nodded to Jirobou behind them, who left them silently to their discussion. "By the sounds of it, the two of you haven't been in the country for a long time. I've been trying to find you since I first established Otogakure."
"In that, how the hell did you do all of this?" asked Naruto, motioning to the village proper. "This isn't the Sound village we destroyed years ago. Was this all you?"
Neji crossed his arms over his chest, "That's…a long story. Why don't we talk about this while I show you around?"
Hinata showed a rare frown on her face as her eyes were drawn to her cousin's left hand, or rather the lack of one. "Neji, what…"
The elder Hyuuga brought up his stump with an awkward look on his face, "That's…the price of hubris I had to pay. It's also a long story."
Naruto examined it with a low whistle, "That's rough. Do you have a hook or something to put on it when you fight?"
Neji resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he pulled his sleeve back up to cover his stump, "You haven't changed at all, Naruto. Somehow that's oddly comforting." A thought came to his mind and he turned to his old friends with a slight smirk, "How would like to meet another old friend?"
The sounds of metal slamming on to metal were virtually deafening by the time they reached the blacksmith, but none of them paid any heed as Neji rapped on the front door.
"Whoever it is, get lost! We don't have time for any more orders!" came a loud female voice before a loud crash caused her to curse loudly.
Neji rolled his eyes and put up a hand to Naruto and Hinata to tell them to wait for a moment. He turned back to the door, "It's me. Open the door."
"Oh shit! Baro, open the door quickly!"
The Otokage stepped back and watched as one of the doors swung open and a large blast of heat hit the three of them as a soot-covered man coughed loudly and stared at them through beady eyes.
"Don't you know we're on a dead…oh shit…" The man bowed to Neji quickly, hitting his head on the door and crying out in pain. "I'm…sorry sir, I didn't know it was you."
"Back to work, Baro," said Neji, letting him nod respectfully to the Otokage's companions before diving back into his work.
The blacksmith workshop was massive, far larger than any of the other buildings they had been shown so far. Six furnaces bellowed fire and metal as they were worked by the aproned blacksmiths, with rows upon rows of blades stacked in boxes on the sides of the walls. The workers ignored Neji and his companions, continuously slamming hammers into anvils in perfect synchronisation. Naruto found a grin sitting on his face; all that was missing was a work song and a supervisor with a whip.
"This is our blacksmith," said Neji proudly. "This room is where we win the war."
"Impressive," admitted Naruto, reaching down to pick up one of the swords in a nearby crate. "This is some good quality steel."
"HEY! PUT THAT DOWN!"
The blonde shinobi dropped it immediately, having been conditioned to respond instantly to a loud female voice after being on Grace's ship. "I wasn't touching it."
Hinata nudged him with a smirk as a young woman in a mask stomped over to them and glared at him with what felt like fiery eyes.
Naruto wanted to put up his hands in surrender, but the young woman reached up with callused hands and removed her mask. Her face sat in a constant smirk because of a scar that ran from her lips to her cheek, though her eyes spoke volumes of a range of other emotions.
"Looking good there blondy," said Tenten with a hint of amusement in her voice. She turned to his wife, "Hinata, you are looking well."
The Hyuuga kunoichi almost squealed as she shot forward to give her old friend a hug, but Tenten put a hand up between them to stop her.
"Hang on there; you don't want to do that. I'm covered in soot, dust and vomit. Don't ask about the last one."
"How is work coming along?" asked Neji of his subordinate.
Tenten turned to him and her eyes showed her frustration, as did her furrowed brow. "Better, though interruptions like this make it impossible to keep to your insane schedule." She turned back to the married couple, "Not that it isn't brilliant to see you guys. I would love to talk…"
Another loud crash echoed through the building, causing Tenten to sigh before putting her mask back on and turning to her workers. "Get that furnace burning again! If you've ruined those kunai, I'll have you working triple shifts until they are replaced! And somebody take Yui to the hospital, she's started to turn purple."
Through her mask she nodded to Naruto and Hinata before storming back to the furnaces. They turned to Neji for an explanation as to the mad rush, but the Otokage waved off their question and motioned for them to join him outside.
He shut the door behind them as the three of them all breathed in the sootless air.
"Seems like Tenten is doing well for herself," said Hinata through deep breaths. "I don't think I've ever seen her so animated."
"What's with the scar on her face?" asked Naruto, though he regretted it as Hinata gave him a disapproving look.
Neji shook his head; he wasn't going to tell them what happened with Tenten and her father. That was her business and hers alone. "There are a number of other places you should see, but there are a number of things I have to attend to."
"Of course, we don't mean to intrude on your duties," said Hinata quickly.
"Well, maybe a little bit," said Naruto with a smirk. "This place is pretty neat. Be nicer if people weren't giving us shifty looks every five seconds."
"Be grateful that's all they are giving you. We don't get visitors at all, so people around here are naturally suspicious." Neji motioned for them to follow him as he began to walk towards his office and apartment complex. "But since you guys are family, I've given you a free pass."
Walking down the street with Neji beside them, Naruto and Hinata could see the level of respect their old friend had to the Sound shinobi. They didn't regard him necessarily with warmth, they both knew that the elder Hyuuga was a difficult person to like, but there was respect and admiration in their eyes as they saw his black and white robe.
"Where are you taking us now?" asked Naruto as they turned a corner and saw the large building that he worked and lived in. "Hinata and I have been on the road a long time, we could use the time to rest before we work out our next move."
"Of course," replied Neji quickly. "I'll get someone to organise a pair of apartments for the two of you to stay in."
Naruto and Hinata both shared a look and despite walking behind the Sound leader, Neji turned around and frowned with his hands by his side, "Something I should know about?"
"You should tell him," whispered Naruto quietly.
"No way, you lost the coin toss," whispered Hinata back.
"I'll rub your feet…"
"You do that anyway."
"Damnit, you're right."
"You guys know I'm right here, don't you?" said Neji with an unamused expression on his face.
Naruto gave Hinata one final look before sighing and bringing up his hand to show the golden band around his finger. His wife reciprocated the gesture, and the look on Neji's made it clear that the message had gotten through.
For several seconds Neji's white eyes were fixed on their rings as a range of emotions played out on his face. Naruto was sure that the situation was going to end badly, but to his surprise the Hyuuga leader merely gave him a look before turning around and continued walking towards his home.
Naruto and Hinata shared another look before shrugging and following after him.
"I'll see to getting you an apartment," said Neji with a hint of a begrudging tone.
Neji nodded to the guards at his apartment as Naruto and Hinata followed behind him quickly. "That's a remarkable story," he said as he slowly went through the process of unlocking the security. "This Magnus person sounds particularly interesting."
"Not as interesting as building a village of your own. How many shinobi do you have working for you?" asked Naruto.
"Over a thousand," said Neji, opening the door and indicating for them to enter inside. "There are several large clans that make up the bulk of our army."
Naruto let out a low whistle; it was an impressive amount to accumulate in just three years. He and Hinata walked into Neji's apartment, and were immediately struck by the fact that they heard children laughing. They shared a glance before both gave Neji questioning looks, but the Hyuuga shinobi made no comment as he stepped forward and opened up a second set of doors.
Inside was a wide living area with a number of couches and desks, but the couple's eyes were drawn to the two small children sitting on a wide carpet, both of them playing with a set of building blocks. A woman appeared from a side corridor with bright silver hair that ran past her waist and a pair of violet eyes that spoke of both intelligence and kindness. In her arms was a sleeping baby covered in blankets, but the real surprise came when she smiled at the elder Hyuuga and kissed him lightly before greeting them politely.
"Naruto, Hinata, this is Yuko. She was the daughter of the Daimyo…and my wife."
"Wife?!" exclaimed both of them with dropped jaws.
Yuko chuckled lightly, "We get that a lot." She turned to her husband, "I can take the children out if you want to talk business."
"No, that's okay. I brought them here to meet them," said Neji with an affectionate expression.
Both Naruto and Hinata were blown away by the idea of the elder Hyuuga producing offspring, but as they looked at the little boy and girl playing with blocks the evidence was irrefutable. As they played with their blocks, they both glanced over at the couple through bright white eyes. Hinata even found the young girl's face eerily similar to her younger sister Hanabi, bringing a small collection of tears to her eyes.
She wiped her eyes and turned to her cousin, "What are their names?"
Neji indicated to the twins playing on the carpet, "The girl is Akari, and the boy is Hizashi. I named him after my father." He motioned to the baby in Yuko's arms as his young wife carefully took a seat on a rocking chair. "His name is Akira."
Naruto slapped Neji's on the back again with gusto, through which the Hyuuga leader merely sighed with exasperation.
"How old are you?" asked Hinata sweetly as she knelt down beside the twins.
Hizashi thought about it for a while, turning to Akari for a moment before grinning with slowly growing teeth at his new aunt, "I'm two…" He put up two fingers to prove his point.
Naruto chuckled at the toddler and gave Neji an amused look, "You didn't waste any time, did you?"
The Hyuuga leader ignored his comment and placed a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder, "Are you okay? You're looking a bit tired."
Yuko smiled up at her husband and continued to rock the baby in her hands, "I'm fine, just haven't been getting much sleep lately."
He smiled back down at her, reaching forward to brush his hand across Akira's little head as he slept silently. "I can look after him tonight if you want to get some sleep."
His silver haired wife simply smiled in response, she knew he would do so without question, but they both knew there was a better way of getting rest for both of them.
"I must say Neji, I'm very impressed," said Naruto, watching as Akari waddled her way to Hinata and started to feel at her pant leg with the kind of fascination only a small child could exhibit. "A village, a family…seems like you've got everything worked out."
Neji smiled proudly at his family, "It's a cause of great happiness for me."
A knock came from the door and a young woman bowed as she walked into the room, "Excuse me sir, madam, it is time for the younglings' bath."
"Of course." Neji knelt down beside Hizashi, "Take your sister and go with Toriko."
The little white eyed boy stood up slowly and pouted defiantly, "I don't wanna. She keeps kicking me."
The Otokage turned to his daughter with a disapproving look that struck Hinata as frighteningly similar to the ones her father would give her.
However unlike how Hinata would shirk away from her father's pressure and withdraw into herself, her niece stamped her feet and pouted, "I have to. He steals all the soap bubbles."
Neji continued to stare at her and his daughter stared right back. After almost a minute, the Otokage sighed and turned to his young wife, "Yuko, can you talk some sense into this little hell-raiser?"
Unfortunately the silver haired woman was fast asleep, her young son still sleeping in her arms without a sound.
At Hinata's side, Naruto couldn't help but laugh at the image. "Quite the family you've got there, Neji. The irony is perfect."
Neji once again ignored his blonde friend and reached down to pick up a struggling Akari with his hand and giving her to the woman. Unlike his sister, Hizashi followed quietly behind her as she took them to the bathing room.
Leaving his wife to her well-deserved rest, Neji motioned for his two old companions to follow him towards his office.
"Your family is wonderful, Neji," said Hinata with a warm smile on her face. "You all appear to be very loving."
"Yeah, didn't think you had it in you," said Naruto with a slap on Neji's back.
The Otokage shot the blonde shinobi an annoyed look as he shut his office door behind them. "So long as it lasts."
"How bad is it?" asked Naruto with a serious tone. "We saw bits and pieces…"
"It…hasn't been good," said Neji slowly as he took his seat behind his desk. "The Kazekage told you of some of our friends?"
The two of them nodded sadly, the news of both Kurenai and Asuma, compiled with Shino, had struck both of them hard. Hinata had taken it particularly hard; she'd lost two of her teammates without even knowing.
"For the past two years, the Quiraji have been attacking us through a variety of means," continued Neji, placing his hand on to his desk. "At first they would convert shinobi and use them against us, but when that facility was destroyed and its creator killed, the real army arrived. They were merely bidding their time."
"Gaara and Utakata said that the army they destroyed over the ocean of the Land of Water was nearly a thousand soldiers strong," said Naruto. "Surely that will've made some kind of dent in their overall force."
Neji shook his head grimly, "Not even close. By our estimates, their entire army landed on the Land of Fire shores over a year ago. At least we hope so; otherwise we'll have no chance."
"How many soldiers are we talking about?" asked Hinata with concern in her voice.
Neji reached over and picked up a nearby piece of paper, "Tens of thousands, possibly over a hundred. These soldiers are just basic warriors, not holding a candle to the average shinobi, but their weapons are very powerful and they are very determined."
Both Naruto and Hinata breathed out slowly, it was a difficult thing to imagine.
"To our knowledge, there are three main armies. The size of which we do not know." Neji sighed visibly, "We've been trying to track their movements, but we've lost a lot of good people already."
He turned back to his old friends, "We could really use your help here. The two of you have a place here, if you wish to stay."
Hinata looked at Naruto for a moment, suddenly realising that neither of them had talked about what they actually wanted to do with themselves. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do, but she also knew that now was not a time to settle down and have a family as they both wanted.
Naruto leaned forward onto Neji's desk, "What are you offering? We've been travelling for a long time to get back to you guys. It isn't like we can go back to being regular shinobi like the old days."
"I'm sure I could find something for you two, Naruto. Your skills would be invaluable to our village."
The blonde shinobi went to make a comment, but Hinata chimed in before he could. "What about the others? Gaara mentioned a fair number of our group is residing in his village, but others like Sasuke left for their own purposes."
Naruto turned and frowned at his wife's comment, "Gaara didn't mention that to me."
"Yes he did, Naruto. You were drinking rum with him at the time."
"Ah, that's right," said her husband with a warm smile. "That was fun." He turned to Neji to snap himself out of the memory, "What do you know about the brooding idiot?"
Neji put up his hand to indicate for them to wait before using that hand to shift through a large stack of paper on his desk. "I've got it written down here somewhere. Hmm…ah, here it is."
He read off the paper quickly, "Sasuke and his brother have joined a rebellion in the Land of Earth. They appear to be trying to overthrow Iwagakure."
Naruto gave him a look that defied description, "Why the hell would he be trying something like that? Doesn't he know we need all the shinobi we can get?"
"I couldn't tell you," said Neji. "All we know is that he's part of a group called Cascading Flow and they are fighting a losing war."
Naruto glanced over at his wife, and she immediately understood what he wanted to do. The young woman sighed and ran her hands through her dark blue hair.
"Can I at least have a bath first?"
"I'm not saying right now…"
"Yes you are," she said back. "If I was a jealous woman, I'd be concerned for you, Naruto."
The blonde shinobi smiled and placed a hand on his wife's back, "I love you too, dear."
"Can we get back on topic, please?" asked Neji quickly, not wanting to hear any more of their couple talk. "What are you suggesting?"
Pushing himself up off his chair, Naruto stood up to face the Hyuuga leader, "If Sasuke is in danger, we should go help him. Maybe we can talk them out of killing the Iwa shinobi at the same time."
Neji turned to his cousin, "Hinata? Do you support this?"
"Just because we are husband and wife doesn't mean we agree on everything." She turned to Naruto and smiled to reassure him, "But we'll talk about it. Can we get back to you about this?"
Neji recognised when his argument would have no place, nodding in response. "If you'd like Hinata, there are a few things I would like to discuss with you alone. Would you like to have dinner tonight?"
"It would be my pleasure, Neji," said Hinata with a slight bow. She turned to her husband, "What are you going to do?"
"Well you two have fun at your dinner. Maybe I'll have a look around the village or something."
"Okay then." Hinata stood up from her chair slowly. "Will your wife be cooking for us?"
Neji smirked at the idea, "Definitely not. I love my wife, but she can't cook worth a damn. I'll get the restaurant to make us something. Give me a few hours, there are several things I need to do before day's end."
"Of course," said Hinata quickly.
"And talk about what I proposed. You'd be safer here than out there."
"We aren't safe anywhere," said Naruto with a grim expression.
Nodding to the guards outside the large steel door, the Otogakure walked into the laboratory and immediately clutched at his nose at the horrid smell emanating from within.
The laboratory was covered in capsules and animals kept in cages, screaming out for release. Neji hated that such things were necessary, but he'd found out a long time ago that you can't win wars by being honourable.
He looked over at the scientists working tirelessly at their benches, creating the poisons and medicines that would keep their army above the Quiraji soldiers they faced on the battlefield. They ignored his presence completely, which was a blessing as Neji had been pushing everyone to their limits to meet their deadlines.
A fiery red-haired woman ran through the laboratory and stood over a group of scientists working with a malicious green acid on a collection of petri dishes. Pushing at the black glasses on her face, the woman observed their work for a moment before throwing her arms up in the air in exasperation.
"No, no, no! You have to mix the mulberry roots with a diluted mixture of black water element! Otherwise it won't get the potency needed to break down the proteins on a molecular level!"
Using a small amount of chakra to block off his sense of smell, Neji flicked his wrist to collect his robe's sleeve as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"How are things progressing here?" he asked loudly.
The scientists all ignored him, being too involved in their work, but the red-haired woman turned around and stomped towards him with a tired look on her face.
"Slowly," she said bluntly. "These people have no idea what they are doing. It's like working with a bunch of apes with chopsticks."
Neji sighed loudly as his observant eyes noticed the slight slumps in the scientist's shoulders at her comments. "Karin, you need to work on your people skills. I gave you the position of head scientist because of your knowledge, but people work best when they are properly motivated."
Karin snorted and pushed her glasses up her nose, "Fear and intimidation work much quicker. That's how Orochimaru kept his people working for him."
"And he died because he had no loyal followers," pointed out Neji. "I'm not Orochimaru and everyone here knows it. You need to understand that."
The woman swore under her breath and turned around to a nearby workbench with no scientists working on it currently. "Well if wishing and magic ponies are what you want, feel free to do so. I'm only here for my own experiments."
Neji followed after her and glanced at a notepad with a number of scientific details that went completely over his head. "I don't care about your motivations, Karin. I care about your ability to get results. What can you tell me about the specimens we've been giving you?"
"Ah, now that's an interesting field." She bounded away with a disturbing amount of joy, with Neji stoically following behind as she led him to the morgue section of the laboratory. "Your scouts have given us no small amount of material to work with, though there were some initial barriers."
"Karin, I asked for results, not pre-amble."
She put up a hand to wave off his concern and drew his attention to a corpse laid out on the table. "There is a clear genetic marker missing from Quiraji soldiers, one that prevents them from being able to mix physical and spiritual energy into chakra."
"Fascinating," said Neji, trying his best not to look at the open chest of the Quiraji corpse. He wasn't squeamish by any stretch of the imagination, but he was having dinner with his cousin later on and wanted to be able to keep something down. "How does this help us?"
Karin tapped a pen to her lips as she poured over the information on the chart. "We've got a number of poisons that are tailored specifically to break their immune systems down, but that's not the interesting thing that we discovered."
She put down the chart and reached into her lab coat, producing a small vial with a clear bubbling liquid inside. "This is our golden ticket."
Neji took the vial from her hand and looked into it, suspicious of what she was claiming. It appeared to be very inconspicuous, but if it was something like a super-virus then he could already envision the use for such a thing.
Though he hated the fact that he'd accepted such means of warfare.
"What is it?" he finally asked, handing the vial carefully back to his chief scientist.
Karin placed the vial back into her coat and stepped forward to close the morgue door behind them. "It's an enhancer. This serum will allow a select group of people to use both physical and spiritual energy on scales unimaginable. Think of the kind of power the Tailed Beasts wielded, and put that in the form of a squad of shinobi."
Neji had to admit that sounded enticing, but something like that sounded far too good to be true. "What's the catch, Karin?"
The red eyed scientist hesitated for a moment, but under Neji's white eyed stare she relented quickly. "It breaks down the user's immune system to basically nothing. Because we are using the spinal fluid and adrenaline from the Quiraji soldiers, it isn't completely compatible with our systems. They would die within a week of using the serum."
Neji shook his head and turned around to open the morgue door, "That's unacceptable, Karin. I'm willing to compromise a number of things in order to achieve victory, but not at such a price."
"But what about…"
The Otokage turned around and glared at her, causing the normally strong-willed Karin to shirk backwards as she realised the level of the power the man in front of her commanded. If he wished her killed, he could simply order one of the scientists to do it and they would obey without question.
"Concentrate your efforts on the items we spoke about when you first arrived here, Karin. Nothing else."
"Yes…sir…" she said through her teeth, giving him a slight nod in deference to his position.
Neji started to walk back towards the entrance, the scientists all staring at him with proud looks in their eyes.
"You have one month."
Neji waited patiently in the recently constructed restaurant, a single glass of water sitting untouched in front of him. As Otokage he'd had the other guests spend their night elsewhere, now wasn't the time to mingle with his villagers. He didn't want the wrong people to eavesdrop on what he was to discuss. He trusted his people with his life, but there were some things they didn't need to know.
And all the waiting staff were his people, over and above the regular villagers.
The receptionist at the door rang a bell to indicate his guest had arrived, Neji standing up and straightening out his robe so that he presented a respectable image.
Thanking the receptionist with a warm smile, Hinata walked into the restaurant and marvelled at the aesthetics. There were over a dozen tables and a large fish tank that was full of a wide variety of fish.
Neji's eyes widened at his cousin, she wore a long tight-fitting silver dress that fell just past a pair of black strappy high heels. Her hair was bundled up behind her head with a golden hair clip; she looked nothing like the girl he'd grown up with.
Hinata walked up to him and bowed in their clan's manner, Neji immediately noticing the similarities between her and her mother before she died. His aunt had been a beautiful woman, but Hinata was something else.
For a split second Neji was jealous of Naruto, but he squashed those thoughts down as he greeted her back and she gracefully sat at the table.
"You didn't have to dress up for the occasion, Hinata-sama. It's just a dinner between family."
The young woman smiled warmly as a waitress served her a glass of water. "I haven't had much reason to dress like this for a long time, Neji-niisan. I might not for even longer."
"Is it Yuko's?" he asked respectfully, trying his best not to stare at her neck region.
Hinata shook her head, "I bought it a long time ago, stored it in a scroll until now. And Neji, you shouldn't be looking at me that way."
The Otokage had the respect to look embarrassed, "Sorry. You look very beautiful is all."
Placing her hands on the table gently, Hinata regarded her cousin through her white-eyed gaze. "Also you shouldn't be calling me Hinata-sama. You are a Kage now, if anything I should be calling you Neji-sama."
He waved off her comment glibly, "You are the heiress to the Hyuuga clan, I'll always be calling you Hinata-sama. That's how it should be."
She stared at him for a moment before letting you a soft laugh and taking a sip from her drink, "Neji, you aren't a part of the Branch Family anymore. I gave you that scroll and you removed the caged-bird seal from your forehead. As my elder, you are the heir to the Main Family now."
"But I…"
Hinata put up a finger to stop him, "Neji, we are both adults. We've both gone on our different paths, and the old ways don't work anymore."
Neji went to say something, but held it back as he realised that there would be no talking her out of the matter. She could hold her own as well as anyone he knew.
The waitress returned to their table and handed them menus, exchanging pleasantries with her leader and his cousin before taking their orders and leaving them to their business.
"It's really amazing what you've done with this place," commented Hinata. "Reminds me a lot of Konoha."
"But different as well," said Neji. "This is our home, our village."
"I know Naruto is very impressed. I think he's jealous that you got to fulfil his dream before he could."
Neji chuckled at the thought; he enjoyed the idea of his cousin-in-law being somewhat miserable about it. "Well it's all worked out in the end. Have you and your…husband…discussed what I was talking about?"
Hinata sighed softly and put her hands together, "We have, and even if I wasn't married to him, I have to agree with him. Naruto and I have the freedom to help the others, and by the sounds of it there are some that really need it."
"It's not a safe world out there, Hinata. You are family; you should be here with us."
His cousin shook her head slowly as their food arrived and they thanked the waitress. Neji had ordered a fresh plate of herring soba while Hinata, to his amusement ordered their best ramen without a second thought. The Otokage simply let out a long breath and they began eating.
"We are better off trying to help bring others to you, Neji. I think you know that."
"I'm just trying to keep you safe, that's all," said the Otokage emphatically, but he knew that the decision had been made.
Hinata slurped a large group of noodles before grimacing as she realised she wasn't in a seedy bar like she was used to. She apologised immediately, but Neji merely smiled at her and motioned that it was fine.
"I'm safer with Naruto than anyone else."
"I know, I know. You can't blame me for asking though."
After they finished their meals they talked for a long time over a bottle of wine, finding that they had a lot to speak on that didn't have anything to do with their current situation. Neji asked about what they'd been doing over the past three years, while Hinata asked him about Yuko. She wanted to know about how they met and was quite persistent until he finally relented and told the story.
"So what is Naruto doing while you are here dining with me?"
"He mentioned something about helping one of your men with your defences. You know Naruto; he likes to help when he can."
If Kidoumaru puts him to work on what I think he will, we might actually be prepared, thought Neji, though he kept that to himself. "I'm sure he will be stunned when he sees you." His eyes shot to the ceiling and he groaned loudly, "And I just remembered you are my cousin. Forget I said anything."
Hinata grinned and raised her wine glass, "It's forgotten. It's not as if he makes me dress up or anything."
"You've been talking to Yuko, haven't you?" said Neji with pain in his voice.
His cousin grinned evilly and drank from her glass slowly.
Hinata smiled to herself as she shouldered on the grey bathrobe that had been sitting in their room. She ran her hands through her dark blue hair, ensuring that transforming back hadn't messed it up before they went to sleep properly.
Lying on the bed panting heavily and covered in sweat was her husband, though not as he normally was. His hair was scattered around his face in two long blonde ponytails and he was stark naked, but in a female form.
Taking a seat beside her exhausted husband/wife, Hinata placed a hand on his/her leg. "Are you okay, honey? You haven't turned back yet."
Naruto gasped several times to catch his/her breath and looked at her with both love and exhaustion in his/her eyes. "Why…didn't…we…try…this…earlier?"
"I wasn't sure you'd like it, dear. I think you are beautiful in that form, but I wasn't sure how you'd feel about mine."
Through his/her gasps, Naruto was able to put his/her hands together and release the transformation, turning back to his normal male form. He took long breaths to calm himself down for several moments before reaching forward and threading his arms over her sides and clutching at her back.
"I didn't have a problem at all. It might sound weird…but I liked it."
Hinata's smile widened and she placed her hands into his. "I'm glad. It certainly was a different experience. You aren't feeling any side effects?"
"There's a strange feeling in my stomach, if that's what you mean."
She had no interest in telling Naruto what that was; it would probably gross him out.
The two of them lay down on the large double bed in their room and held each other for a long time, neither needing to say anything. After a while Hinata removed her bathrobe and they got under the covers, it had started to get colder as they approached winter and it was easier to use each other's body heat than add on extra blankets.
"We probably shouldn't tell anyone about what we just did," said Naruto quietly.
"Embarrassed?" purred his wife into his chest, tracing a line over his many scars.
"Well…maybe a little."
Hinata chuckled, "You're cute when you turn that shade of red."
Her husband ignored her teasing and wiggled his head so that he was on one of the pillows properly. "If that's how it feels for you guys, how do you keep it in your pants so much? If we felt like that, we would never not want to."
"Oh, you know. Normal things. We tend to think about shoes…our friends…sometimes we get cramps…"
"Hinata…"
The white eyed girl grinned and turned around so that he could hug her from behind, "We have very good self-control."
"Hinata, we once had sex in synchronisation with a pair of dolphins."
"That was…no wait…that was my suggestion…damnit."
Naruto grinned as he kissed his wife's back affectionately, "Self-control my foot."
They lay in silence for a little while longer before a thought came to Hinata's mind and she turned around and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Did you model your breasts after Sakura's?"
"Did you model yourself after Sasuke?"
"I withdraw the question."
As Hinata said a quick goodbye to Tenten in the blacksmith, Neji took Naruto to one side at the village entrance.
"I don't like that the two of you are leaving so soon, Naruto."
"It's not something I'm particularly excited about either," said the blonde shinobi in response. "We've been running around so much that we've barely had a moment to catch our breath. But our friends are still out there and we have an obligation to help them."
Neji sighed; he knew that there was no way he'd be able to convince them to stay. "You were always like that." He looked into Naruto's blue eyes, "Be careful out there. The two of you are charging into a war just to find a few people. I know you will look after my cousin, but I'm giving you a large amount of trust here. Don't lose her, Naruto."
The blonde shinobi adopted a serious expression on his face, "I have no intention of losing my wife."
"Good. As odd as it sounds, you are part of my clan now. The two of you will always have a place among our people, it's part of the reason I've taken this village this far."
The two of them turned to see Hinata walking towards them, a pack on her shoulders. As his wife approached, Naruto turned to Neji and handed him one of his kunai.
"Take this, Neji. When we find Sasuke, we'll be able to come back immediately."
Neji took it and placed it in his pocket, "I'll keep that in mind. We have a number of plans in place, but that would be most reassuring."
Hinata smiled at her cousin before giving her husband a quick peck on his cheek, "Are you ready to go?"
Naruto nodded and offered her his hand, which the white eyed woman took with a smile. "To the Land of Earth, I guess."
"The provisions we've given you should last you a while," said Neji, nodding to the gate guards for them to open up the entrance. "Be quick though, we are much stronger together than we are apart."
Naruto and Hinata bid him one final farewell before starting down the walkway. Neji only watched them for a moment before signalling for the guards to close the gate. He quickly made his way back to his office, trying to push down the feeling that he wouldn't see them again.
oOoOoOo
With their packs in hand, Naruto and Hinata begin down the grass path towards the Land of Earth.
"You sure this is the right thing to do?" asked Hinata quietly as they walked side by side.
Naruto turned to her with a curious expression, "What makes you ask? I thought we both agreed."
"I do agree with you, honey. But rushing into a warzone isn't the best plan in the world."
Stopping for a moment just as the village of Otogakure had started to fade out into the distance, the blonde shinobi brought his wife's hands into his as he liked to do from time to time.
"Our friend is right in the middle of that. I have faith that Sasuke will be fine but…"
Hinata smiled and kissed the top of her husband's hands gently, "I understand. Besides, this Cascading Flow group sounds like they would make good allies."
Naruto winked at his wife affectionately, "Exactly. Neji's looking for more strength to push the Quiraji back and they could be just the right kind of people."
"You're insulted that Sasuke didn't invite you along, aren't you?"
"Not even a single message!"
Neji let out a long breath as the visitors walked out of view. He cancelled his Byakugan and considered the fact that it was possible he wouldn't see his cousin again for a long time.
Just as he was about to turn and continue the monstrous amount of paperwork on his desk, Sakon burst through the door, causing a frown to emerge on Neji's face.
"It's called knocking, Sakon."
The grey haired shinobi was short of breath as he stared at his leader with a desperate gaze, "I'm sorry sir, but it couldn't wait. Kumogakure has just come under attack."
Neji swore loudly and slammed his fist onto his desk, "Damnit!"
"Sir?"
The Otokage unclenched his hand while turning his white-eyed gaze to his subordinate, "How big is the force?"
Sakon caught his breath as stood up straight, "Tens of thousands. Enough to level the village."
Neji swore again, "We should've had more time. We were meant to have another month before this happened. We're not prepared."
"What are your orders?"
His leader pulled up a piece of paper and wrote down a list of information quickly, handing it to his intelligence shinobi. "Take these instructions to Dosu and Rene and recall Zaku from Suna. Tell them to wait as long as they can, but to execute their instructions to the letter."
Sakon nodded and went to leave the office.
"And tell Kidoumaru to meet me here, right now."
Author's Note:
For those who are interested, I've constructed a basic timeline that explains the major events that have happened so far and the time between them in relation to the characters. Thanks to Thormanator for the idea.
BEGINNING
-3 months – The Konoha Shinobi leave for the Chuunin Exams in Suna.
0 – Returning from Suna, they discover Konoha has been destroyed.
+1 week – Itachi/Shizune join the group. Orochimaru/Tsunade/Jiraiya die. Asuma/Kurenai/Tenten retire.
+5 weeks – The Kyuubi is 'extracted' from Naruto. Gai is killed in battle.
+7 months – Itachi and Kakashi search the past for answers. The group enters Uzu village.
+9 months – They attack the Sound Village. Neji kills Kabuto. They get scattered by Shouri.
+10 months – Shikamaru is found in Suna. Naruto/Hinata are sent to the Quiraji homeland. Sasuke is sent to an arena in Iwa. Kiba is sent to a mountain in Yuki. Sakura is captured by the Quiraji and brainwashed. Ino works in a small town. Lee is captured by Quiraji. Chouji is found at a village. Shino bars himself in a forest in the Land of Fire.
POST SEPARATION – Add 10 months
0 – Neji assembles Sound shinobi and begins to make a village. Kiba discovers a frozen Nagisa and thaws her out. They escape Yukigakure's grasp.
+1 month – Ino discovers Asuma/Kurenai killed by Iceheart. Rescues Airi. Neji creates first village, goes to capital, marries Yuko. Kakashi stays in Amegakure, befriends Konan. Naruto takes Hinata to a castle town and fights off an invasion while she recovers. Sasuke escapes the arena with Fiore's help and meets his mother. With Cascading Flow they attack the Daimyo of Iwa, and Mikoto is killed by Kyoukou.
+1.5 months – Naruto and Hinata are married.
+2 months – Ino leaves for another village. Amegakure is destroyed by Shikyo. Nagato dies reviving Konan, and she goes with Kakashi. Itachi kills Shouri at the battle of Kumogakure, but is captured by Sensou. Naruto/Hinata begin work on a ship.
+3 months – Neji brings the clans in for Otogakure. Tenten joins the village.
+4 months – Shikamaru is imprisoned. Shino is killed by Iceheart. Lee escapes the Quiraji prison with Jito. Naruto/Hinata leave on Grace's ship for their homeland.
+5 months – Shikamaru helps Suna fight off invasion. Gaara is promoted to Kazekage.
+6 months – Chouji decides to stay at his village. Lee attacks Iceheart and is killed, but revived by Shikyo.
+7 months – Lee tracks down and defeats Iceheart. With Sakura in recovery, Lee escapes Kirigakure.
+8 months – Ino races to hospital, stays with Shizune.
+1.5 years – Neji and his subordinates attack and destroy the Village of Water. The hospital with Shizune and co. is attacked and they all flee to Sunagakure. Shizune leaves with her summons.
END SEPARATION PERIOD – Add 3.5 years
0 – Jito brings together a group to invade the Land of Fire (Kakashi/Konan/Sasuke/Fiore).
+1 week – They are joined by Lee. They attack the Quiraji factory. Jito sacrifices himself to save Itachi and a captured Anko destroys the facility with herself.
+2 weeks – The group escape the Land of Fire and enter Suna.
+1 month – The remaining Kages meet on neutral ground for a meeting, with Neji declaring himself the Otokage and tells them about the Quiraji threat. Sensou attacks the summit with an army of converted shinobi. Lee arrives and kills Sensou in single combat.
+2 months – Eight Tailed Beasts gather at the ocean edge. Naruto/Hinata made landfall. They agree to help Yagura. Naruto scouts out the Land of Fire, destroys their port and a science facility. The group attack Kirigakure. Roshi is killed, Han disappears, Utakata dies. Tobi is killed and Mei Terumi is reinstated as Mizukage again.
+3 months – The last shinobi in Yukigakure is killed by Benkei. Naruto/Hinata reach Otogakure.
So yeah, that's the timeline so far. Took a while to work some things out, but hopefully that'll give you some clarification. So if Naruto was 13 at the start, he's now just over 17.
In response to Fragile Kirito, this story has some Summoning Techniques already. Shizune and Ino have the tiger-summoning, Sapphire had wolves, and there are several more coming up. The other two won't be making an appearance though, as they were predicated on Jiraiya's teachings, and he is dead.
Please review and tell me what you think. I try to take each review into account, and believe me I read them all. Tell me what can be improved, what you liked, what you didn't, everything. I'm a writer so I'm always open to criticism.