Naruto wondered why Jiraiya and Tsunade were there for his mission report, he was also slightly bothered that Haku wasn't with him but Shizune had taken the older boy to the hospital for treatment. Choji's team were joining in for the report and Hinata was there so he knew the report was still about the mission and the fact he'd gone completely around the parameters.
"Well first of all," Kakashi began once the report itself was done, "I'm proud of you." he told the blonde jonin, who grinned happily, "Second of all you're an idiot." he continued and the grin on the young ninja dropped, "Why didn't you call for back up?" he asked.
Naruto shrugged, "I didn't think to ask Choji-san or Hinata-chan to call for back up when I sent them on ahead with the merchants." he confessed, "I also guess I didn't think the Janin would be so strong." he added.
"Naruto-san and Haku-san might have been fine if I hadn't come back to help." Choji spoke up, feeling guilty about getting used as a hostage.
"What?" Naruto asked, "No, you and Hinata-chan were definitely a help against the underlings, that Jiga guy was just really strong." he assured the Akamichi.
"Your foolishness aside," Jiraiya said, interrupting them, "some bad news cropped up while you were on the mission." he warned as he pulled out a bingo book and tossed it to the blonde, "I found this on an Otogakure ninja I captured, turns out Orochimaru is making bingo books for his village, have a look at the last B rank entry." he said.
Naruto frowned but flipped through the book, and was surprised to see the face of his pink haired teammate. Sakura Haruno, B rank chunin, listed as a member of the Nidaime Sannin with the nickname Kibaku Fubuki no Sakura. Apparently the girl was known for using genjutsu, shurikenjutsu, and liberal usage of kibaku fuda.
Naruto guessed where this was going and continued reading, seeing Sasuke Uchiha listed as an A rank jonin and another member of the Nidaime Sannin with the nicknames Katame Uchiha and Sharingan no Sasuke. He was known for Katon and Raiton ninjutsu as well as being noted as being adept at kenjutsu and wielding the legendary Raijin no Ken.
One the page right next to Sasuke's entry was Naruto himself, also an A rank jonin, making himself and the Uchiha the youngest A rank ninja to have a bingo book entry in the modern age. He was listed as Uzumaki no Sharingan and the third member of the Nidaime Sannin as well as the partner of Uzumaki no Fubuki. Naruto was startled by the information listed in the book about him, stating that he knew Futon, Suiton, Katon, and Raiton ninjutsu, it was surprising it didn't list the Hyoton he'd copied at this point, and it listed him as one of the owners of the legendary Kiba blades. It mentioned his contract with the toads, but thankfully made no mention of his use of Hiraishin no Jutsu or his Junchuriki status, the latter being surprising since Orochimaru definitely knew about the kitsune.
The genin in the room were shocked as they read over their blonde colleagues shoulder, Asuma had already seen it and couldn't blame the children for being stunned. Finally Naruto flipped the page again to confirm his concerns. Haku was there as an A rank genin, something that was so rare it almost never happened, the boy was listed as Uzumaki no Fubuki and the partner of Naruto, as well as being noted as the other owner of the Kiba blades. The entry listed Haku's Hyoton Kekkei Genkai, his skill with Suiton and Futon ninjutsu, and his talent for shurikenjutsu.
"Kirigakure no Sato hasn't made any demands or declarations, but they'll see this eventually." Jiraiya said once he noticed the blonde was staring at Haku's entry. Naruto frowned in response but said nothing.
"Obviously we aren't going to stand for them trying anything, Haku-san has become an honored member of Konohagakure no Sato." Kakashi added, his choice of honorific making it clear he was taking this seriously, "But you should be aware that you should be wary of any shinobi from Kirigakure while out on missions." he explained and Naruto nodded gratefully.
"A rank kids during this age." Tsunade mused out loud with obvious concern in her tone, "That Orochimaru is really causing trouble listing you kids in a bingo book, even if his village is technically at war with us." she said, frowning at the idea of what Orochimaru was up to.
Naruto double checked the bounties, and found some bittersweet pride that his own bounty was slightly higher than Sasuke's, "Sakura-chan's is the most concerning." Kakashi spoke up, surprising the musing young blonde, "While she's gotten better, she's barely B rank, and most of her threat comes from enemies underestimating her so she can overwhelm them with surprisingly vicious amounts of explosives." the silver haired man explained, half wishing he actually did smoke if it relieved stress, "With this entry that advantage is gone."
"I need to train." Naruto said suddenly, eager to get stronger already and refusing to rest on his laurels. He remembered the Akatsuki and Orochimaru were all considered S rank ninja and he needed to be stronger than them.
"Absolutely not!" Tsunade snapped, "You need bed rest young man, you took a hyorogan, you can't train while that is running through your system or the crash when it finally filters through you will be much worse." she explained in a lecturing tone, glaring at the boy.
Naruto glared back, not intimidated in the slightest but he made no arguments even though he clearly wanted to, "You know what's strange." Jiraiya added to steer the conversation, "Orochimaru told us himself that he thinks the Nidaime Sannin distinction is a load of crap, so why'd he include it?" he wondered.
"Maybe he just likes the idea of being considered their Sanshouo no Hanzo." Tsunade answered with a shrug, "Even today that man is a feared shinobi, so being the Hanzo of the Nidaime Sannin has to be good for his reputation." she pointed out.
"Orochimaru has never been that concerned with appearances." Jiraiya pointed out with a frown, "I think it might be that he doesn't want his forces underestimating them, if a group of enemy A rank ninja take them seriously they'd be in trouble even with the Kyubi no Yoko's chakra." he explained.
"Then why not list that?" Naruto asked, speaking up to the surprise of the adults, "That bastard knows I'm the Jinchuriki of the kitsune, so why not include that?" he clarified his question but no one had a good response for that.
Naruto didn't like bed rest, it was time that could be spent training, and with the hyorogan he'd taken he felt more restless than ever. The blonde liked Haku's condition even less, the older boy had been treated for toxic shock and was being monitored in the hospital from taking multiple doses of the combat drug. Naruto himself was cleared to rest at home but visited Haku since he wasn't allowed to train anyway.
Sasuke and Sakura visited too, and got the story of what happened on the mission while they did. The conversation swiftly turned to the bingo book entries about the four ninja. Sasuke thought his nicknames were lazy and insisted he deserved a higher bounty. Sakura actually thought her own nickname was cool, and was quite proud to be considered a B rank threat, but she showed outward worry about what it meant.
Haku looked a bit less pleased, having hoped to keep a lower profile but he supposed it made sense considering how they'd been fighting, although he did wonder how so much information had been leaked. Orochimaru must have more spies in Konoha than anyone realized for some of the details. That being said the pretty boy was still happy to be listed as Naruto's partner and to have Uzumaki in his nickname.
"Raijin no Ken is even more legendary than Kiba and you only have half of your legendary blade, why the hell should your bounty be higher?" Sasuke asked, annoyed with his teammate having a higher bounty than him.
"I'm just better at ninjutsu obviously." Naruto answered smugly, "I've got four out of five basic elements and even some Hyoton." he pointed out.
"Oh come off it, your chakra control is still worse than mine and I've learned some Suiton, I just never use it." Sasuke shot back with a roll of his eyes, "Besides they don't even list that you can use Hyoton too, it'd make sense if it listed you as Jinchuriki but it doesn't, this just makes you look like the leader." he argued, refusing to drop the topic.
"I am the team leader!" Naruto argued back, "You two even agreed to that back when we were first made chunin!" he pointed out, reminding them of the A rank mission to Yuki no Kuni.
Sakura sighed, "Guys come on, it doesn't list anyone as the leader and those weapons are priceless and not included in the bounty anyway." she reasoned, "Naruto is probably just given a higher bounty because of his monstrous chakra reserves and his ability to spam all those different ninjutsu he knows."
Sasuke still seemed annoyed but accepted the explanation without further argument, although he did give a side eyed glare to the smug looking blonde. Haku decided to steer the conversation away from the rivalry between the two youngest jonin in the village, "What Suiton no Jutsu have you managed, Sasuke-san?" the hospitalized boy asked.
"I decided to practice that Suiben no Jutsu we saw way back in Takigakure, I managed to get it and Mizu Bunshin down." Sasuke answered, clearly still annoyed, "I need a water source to use them though, so I prefer my Katon no Jutsu anyway." he added with a shrug.
Haku was impressed that the boy had a third element already, he didn't have the reserves for training ninjutsu nearly as hard as Naruto did, so the Uchiha really must have some talent for ninjutsu. The older of the dark haired boys felt bad for the younger that Naruto eclipsed him in that field, but was still proud of the blonde.
"Oh yeah," Naruto spoke up, "Sakura-chan, it didn't list your Doton either." he pointed out, remembering that the girl could at least perform Moguragakure no Jutsu.
"I've only got two Doton no Jutsu." Sakura responded with a nonchalant shrug and Haku wondered what the other one was, "It's probably for the best that isn't listed anyway, it's bad enough people know to expect genjutsu when they fight me." she grumbled, "Maybe I should get a sword too." she added, putting a finger to her chin as she wondered what kind of blade would suit her.
"Shouldn't you get a weapon suited to Doton chakra instead?" Sasuke asked, "Maybe something with some range like a kusarigama, no offense but your physical strength isn't that great so something that emphasizes your accuracy and skill would be better, right?" he pointed out, surprising the pink haired girl with his praise.
"Well, I mean," Sakura began, frowning as she realized her reasoning would sound odd, "you and Naruto have swords so I guess I just wanted a sword too." she said with an embarrassed look on her face.
Sasuke pulled out the vajra handle of his legendary weapon, "Naruto and I have legendary blades that turn chakra into Raiton chakra." he pointed out, "While that would probably give you an edge over enemy with an affinity to lightning or earth, you should probably get something that emphasizes your strengths and keeps opponents away from you instead." he explained.
Sakura frowned but nodded, "I guess you have a point." she agreed, still looking a little sad that she was being discouraged from using a sword like her teammates.
Sasuke and Sakura returned to training immediately without waiting for Naruto, which bothered the antsy blonde young jonin greatly. Sakura did in fact buy a kusarigama to practice with during that time, pleased to find that the weapon did suit her.
As soon as Naruto recovered from the crash of the come down from the combat drug he went right back to training adding Futon chakra to the Rasengan. Eager to get stronger the blonde also set some kage bunshin to continue to work on turning his chakra into water while he did. When Jiraiya learned of this the old man had clipped him over the ear with one hand and scolded him for splitting his focus too much.
Haku was happy that Naruto visited the hospital every day after training while he was recovering, but even then the boy regretted taking a second hyorogan. Even though the toxic shock had been treated the side effects of two doses of the potent combat drug running through his system made the boy feel like he was going to die more than once and he was immensely grateful for the medical expertise of Tsunade and Shizune.
Karin visited while Naruto was training once and asked what he'd been thinking, "I couldn't just let Naruto-kun fight that man alone." had been the only answer the dark haired boy could think to give while recovering. The red haired girl had dropped the issue with that answer, but she didn't look happy about it.
Eventually Haku had recovered from the overdose of combat drugs and was cleared to return home with Naruto, "Welcome back, dipshit." Tayuya surprised the boy with the rude welcome, more that she was being welcoming than she was rude.
"What happened with her?" Haku asked, earning him a glare from the brown eyed red head.
Kin shrugged, "No idea, she calmed down after she got her chakra back, I'm as surprised as you are." the girl answered.
Tayuya looked angry to be considered 'tamed' and stormed off to be alone. Kimimaro gave Karin a look and the younger red head nodded, "I'll keep a mind's eye on her." the calmest of the three Uzumaki said and the Kaguya nodded in gratitude and returned to what he was doing.
Haku wondered when Kimimaro had taken up knitting, and the boy seemed to have noticed his look, "I decided to get a hobby besides training." he explained shortly.
"He also took up gardening." Kin spoke up, "Kimimaro-san has been looking after the plants while you guys were gone." she explained at the questioning look she received from Naruto and Haku.
Isaribi seemed happier than ever, walking around without bandages to show off her human skin proudly. Haku was happy for the girl to have gotten what she wanted.
With Tayuya calmed down the Uzumaki home seemed incredibly peaceful, Haku was happy that Naruto had a much better home life than when he'd first arrived.
Haku rejoined the others for training since he was fully recovered, going back to trying to cut the waterfall in half again. Naruto was still working on the Futon: Rasengan and Sasuke had started practicing alone at his clan training grounds.
Sakura seemed disappointed that Sasuke wasn't training with them, but wanted to get her skills with her new weapon up to a satisfactory level.
Once Haku cut the waterfall in half he spent a good few moments staring at his accomplishment, then replicated the deed to ensure himself it hadn't been a fluke, "Great job, Haku-chan!" Naruto called out when he noticed and the dark haired boy was pleased that the blonde was occasionally glancing at him in between his own training.
The Hyoton wielder remembered Renga and, since he'd finally completed both Futon and Suiton chakra training, he decided to attempt to replicate the strange ice lenses the man had used. He wanted to help Naruto finish the Rasengan but he was curious about the strange jutsu. Someone besides himself, who didn't share his blood, had created ice with their chakra.
Haku frowned at the difficulty of it, he could freeze the water in the air, but controlling the water on a molecular level and folding it as he froze it would take chakra control that the boy just didn't have yet. As much as the Janin had been a foul man he had to be truly talented to have created such a jutsu.
Naruto noticed Haku was practicing his Hyoton and walked over to the boy, "What are you working on?" he asked curiously.
"I'm trying to figure out how Renga accomplished that jutsu of his, he must have had perfect chakra control." Haku answered with a frown, having managed to create a lens finally but unable to get it as thin as the Janin had. Naruto scratched the back of his head, trying to think of advice but even watching the jutsu with Sharingan hadn't helped much since the blonde wouldn't have even known Renga was folding the water if the man hadn't mentioned it.
"So, how are the kids doing?" Kakashi asked, actually smoking something in the pipe for once. The fact he was smoking through his mask was kind of weird though.
"Sakura-chan is doing well enough, she's becoming quite multidisciplinary, however her weakest point remains being up close and personal so I might teach her a mid-range Doton no Jutsu and a defensive ninjutsu to help her keep enemies at bay." Yamato answered without commenting on Kakashi's new habit, "Sasuke-kun has taken to training alone again but I suspect that is mostly because the failed attempts at Futon: Rasengan are disrupting his attempts at Raiton chakra training." he continued, "Naruto-kun is still having trouble with the Futon: Rasengan but is making progress thanks to his use of kage bunshin, and admirably I haven't had to halt him from accessing the Kyubi's chakra even once. Finally, Haku-san has begun working on a jutsu he witnessed an enemy perform in the field, it seems he's trying to weaponize his Hyoton more." he finished.
Kakashi nodded, pleased with the report, "That's good to hear." he said as he put the pipe down, "However a recent problem has come up," he began, "Naruto-kun has been requested by name for three separate A rank missions by three different Daimyo." he said and the eyes of his subordinate widened in surprise, "Koyuki-hime of Haru no Kuni, Toki-hime of Tori no Kuni, and Haruna-hime of Na no Kuni have all requested Naruto-kun be on their security detail for a meeting with the Hi no Kuni Daimyo." he explained.
Yamato wasn't sure how to respond to that, "Well, that's awkward." he said simply.
The Hokage nodded, looking tired, "Yes, yes it is." he agreed, "Knowing Naruto-kun the blonde will want to accept the mission from all three of them, and I was hoping he'd finish the Futon: Rasengan before Jiraiya had to leave for another mission." Kakashi grumbled.
"Can he even accept all three without causing a diplomatic incident?" Yamato asked, confused by that detail.
Kakashi just shrugged, "Who knows, but he'd try if we let him and from what I've heard all three are fond of the boy." he responded, "My main concern is that something will definitely happen if Naruto-kun goes." he explained.
Yamato was exasperated by the continued superstition about the two young jonin but couldn't deny that Naruto and Sasuke both seemed to be cursed when it came to missions of C rank or higher, "Why not send the entire Nidaime Sannin? With Haku-san included that's a group of four and should be enough to help Naruto-kun deal with whatever comes up." he suggested after giving it some thought.
"I was thinking of that, I want to send the other two genin vassals as well though, a team of six is uncommon but Kimimaro-san is quite powerful in his own right." Kakashi said with a nod, "I just hope Kin-chan can keep up with them, but having her along as an iryonin would be good, although she is still in training." he mused.
True to Yamato's prediction, Naruto had asked to just accept all three missions once his team was brought before Kakashi and told about the three requests. Kakashi wanted to sigh but didn't deny the blonde.
"Protecting three Daimyo?" Sakura asked, "Naruto are you serious!? That's three entire A rank missions at once!" she snapped, rounding on her teammate with annoyance.
Sasuke didn't seem bothered, "We're the Nidaime Sannin and we have Naruto's vassals with us too from the looks of it." he pointed out, "We'll probably be fine." he placated the pink haired chunin with a shrug.
Naruto nodded with a wide grin, "Alright, so Haruna-chan already has one of my kunai, so the best way to do this is to send Sasuke and Haku-chan to meet with Toki-chan and explain the situation, Sakura-chan and Kimimaro should go explain it to Haruna-chan, while Kin-chan and I pick up Koyuki-chan." the blonde listed off cheerfully, "Then I'll get us all together with Hiraishin!" he declared.
Haku frowned, not liking the honorifics Naruto chose or the way the group had been split, "Couldn't I go with you, Naruto-kun?" he asked, "You can give your teammates some formula marked kunai anyway, right?" he pointed out hopefully.
Naruto blinked owlishly, "Oh right, I didn't think of that." he said, pulling out a scroll. Kakashi had been proud of the blonde but was disappointed that Haku still refused to be separated from the blonde for extended periods, "Here you go." the jonin said, revealing that he'd had more three pronged kunai commissioned and handed one each to Sasuke, Sakura, Kin, and Kimimaro.
"So, I'm with the Uchiha?" Kin asked, testing the weight of the odd weapon.
"Got a problem with that?" Sasuke asked as he put the kunai in his equipment pouch, Kakashi was surprised the boy hadn't complained about Naruto taking the lead and wondered if it was because the blonde was the one specifically requested.
"Nope, just checking." Kin answered with a shrug, she wasn't bothered either way.
Haku felt like his own good luck charm was a little less special but was happy to be traveling with his blonde lover to pick up Koyuki. The boat trip had been relatively uneventful and the two had been surprised to see how much Yuki no Kuni had changed to become Haru no Kuni.
"Naruto-kun!" Koyuki called out from the docks, surrounded by a security detail already, "It's good to see you two again, I heard you made jonin." she greeted when they came down.
"Nice to see you too, Koyuki-chan." Naruto greeted with a grin as Haku bowed next to him. A few of the guards frowned that the blonde didn't bow to their Daimyo but made no move since she herself wasn't concerned, "To be honest you aren't the only one who requested my protection for this meeting." he added with a chuckle.
"Then I am honored you accepted my request." Koyuki said with a bow that startled her guards, they knew the boy was considered a hero but this seemed like a bit much.
"Oh," Naruto said, seeming to realize he should bring that up, "I accepted all three requests actually. I know all three of you, so it felt wrong to deny them since I can just protect you all at the same time." he explained, stunning the guards with his arrogant confidence.
Koyuki was taken aback for a moment before she laughed, "Ah, your kind heart is why you're a hero to this land I suppose. Perhaps our security details working together under you will help ensure peace through a united front." she said happily, unable to be offended by the blonde when she understood the meaning behind his actions.
Naruto grinned at her understanding, "Is this everyone you're bringing?" he asked and Koyuki nodded, "Do you guys have everything?"
Koyuki blinked at the second question, "You don't want to rest first?" she asked in confusion.
Naruto laughed, "I got plenty of rest on the boat." he assured, "I have a Jikukan Ninjutsu to transport all of us so we can gather all three Daimyo I'm protecting together before we meet with the Hi no Kuni Daimyo." he explained, shocking the guards again with that.
Koyuki was stunned, "Oh, well then just give my guards a moment to gather my things." she requested and the blonde nodded while the four samurai of Haru no Kuni scrambled to obey their Daimyo.
Sasuke and Kin made it to Tori no Kuni without issue, although the dark haired girl had trouble keeping up with the young jonin.
Toki and Chishima met the two with a pair of guards, confused by their appearance, "I requested Naruto Uzumaki," the female Daimyo spoke up, "has he snubbed me?" she asked, looking more hurt than offended.
Sasuke shook his head, "No, we're with him, we just had to split up because that dumbass has a bigger heart than a brain." he explained shortly, causing Kin to snort at the accurate description before she silenced herself at the look from the Daimyo.
"And you two would be?" Toki asked with a raised eyebrow and Kin became aware that the guards were glaring at them.
"I am Sasuke Uchiha of the Nidaime Sannin, I believe Naruto used my eye to assist you in the past." Sasuke introduced calmly before bowing, "It's nice to meet you in person, Toki-hime." he added.
Kin bowed, "My name is Kin Tsuchi, a vassal of Naruto Uzumaki." she introduced, relieved that the guards seemed placated by the introductions.
"So what has Naruto-kun done?" Toki asked, confused as to why the blonde wasn't with them.
Sasuke sighed, "He accepted three different missions at once, as well as yourself he'll be assisting in the protection of the Daimyo of Haru no Kuni and Na no Kuni." he began and the guards looked downright scandalized as Toki's eyes widened, "However as a result you'll have a team of six shinobi protecting all three of you." he explained.
Toki blinked owlishly and sighed, "That boy is too kind for his own good, I heard he had a habit of rescuing princesses but someone really needs to teach him decorum." she groused, "How are we doing this then?" she asked.
"Naruto is going to just teleport all the groups together before we travel to meet with the Hi no Kuni Daimyo, he's got a boat trip to pick up the Haru no Kuni Daimyo so he could still be a few days." Sasuke explained.
"Then we will provide lodgings until that happens." Toki said with a nod, although she was still clearly a little annoyed.
Haruna frowned at Sakura and Kimimaro, "Has something happened to Naruto-kun?" she asked with concern in her tone.
"Uh, not exactly." Sakura answered awkwardly, "See, he actually accepted three missions." she began.
"What?" Haruna asked, eyes narrowing dangerously.
"Sorry, he was requested by name by yourself and two other Daimyo and well, I guess he couldn't say no to any of you." Sakura explained, trying to placate the Daimyo.
Yurinojo tried not to laugh from his place beside Haruna as the woman took a deep breath to compose herself, "Does he ever think things through?" she asked after a moment.
"Naruto?" Sakura asked in surprise, "Of course not." she answered bluntly.
Haruna sighed, "Well at least I'll have a chance to talk with two other Daimyo before we go meet with the others in Hi no Kuni." she grumbled, clearly annoyed that Naruto hadn't come himself.
Koyuki was bringing four guards with her and some luggage, the guards insisted it would be improper to leave without the palanquin so Naruto told them to wait a moment while he made sure the space was clear enough for them all.
Sakura looked up as Naruto flashed next to her, "Hey, Sakura-chan, could you get somewhere I can bring a palanquin?" the blonde asked before disappearing. The pink haired chunin blinked before rushing to get outside, telling Kimimaro to tell Haruna the blonde would be arriving soon.
Haruna and Yurinojo came out with Kimimaro to meet the other Daimyo as Naruto teleported Koyuki and her delegation to Sakura, who had gotten out into the courtyard. The guards of Koyuki looked to be on edge, clearly not happy with being teleported like that.
"It's an honor to meet another Daimyo that Naruto-kun holds in high enough regard to meet before me." Haruna greeted the palanquin cordially and trying to keep the venom out of her voice at the last part.
Koyuki pushed open the door of the palanquin and got out, "Sorry about the flashy arrival, my guards insisted it was proper." she apologized, "A pleasure to meet you too, I am Koyuki Kazahana, Haru no Kuni Daimyo." she introduced with a bow.
Haruna was surprised to see a fellow princess and bowed in return, glad the other Daimyo wasn't some stuck up old man, "The pleasure is mine, I am Haruna, Na no Kuni Daimyo." she introduced in turn.
Naruto grinned, happy the two seemed to be getting along, "Sorry I didn't come sooner, I'll be back with the third in a bit." he said, disappearing with a hand seal and a flash.
Haku sighed, "We should step aside in case there is another palanquin." he suggested, prompting Koyuki's annoyed guard to move the palanquin aside as Koyuki stood with Haku and Haruna stood with Kimimaro.
Sasuke looked up as Naruto appeared next to him, "Yo, where's Toki-chan?" the blonde asked. The Uchiha rolled his eye and went to retrieve Kin, Toki, and her guards.
"Naruto-kun, how have you been?" Toki asked as she approached with Chishima and a pair of guards.
"I've been great thanks, I'm getting way stronger." Naruto answered happily, "Are you guys ready to go? The others are in Na no Kuni." he asked, surprising the guards with how far the boy could apparently teleport.
At Toki's order her guards hastily gathered up her luggage and palanquin so Naruto could take them to the others. With a flash the courtyard in Na no Kuni had three Daimyo in it and Toki opened her palanquin but didn't step out of it to greet the other two, surprised to see the other two were also women.
The three female Daimyo wondered just how popular Naruto actually was with women as they introduced themselves to each other and their guards stared warily at each other. Kimimaro and Kin kept a look out with Sasuke and Sakura while Naruto just grinned happily at being with so many of his friends, two of which he hadn't seen in a while. The blonde was just happy the three women seemed to be getting along.
Yurinojo noticed that among the guards while he was outnumbered he was likely the most skilled since the other guards didn't seem to have ninja training unless they were hiding it, so he decided to check, "Pardon me," he said and both Koyuki's and Toki's guards tensed, "but do any of you have shinobi training?" he asked, frowning in concern when Koyuki's delegation shook their heads.
"Do not concern yourself." Kimimaro spoke up, "Naruto-sama will likely be enough for any shinobi of A rank threat, and from what I have heard he and Sasuke-san are capable of dealing with threats greater than themselves when working together." he explained.
Yurinojo was surprised to hear that the two would be capable of dealing with even greater threats, since Naruto with Haku had been able to face off against the Janin, while the guards of the other two Daimyo just looked confused, not fully understanding ninja matters. The guards of Koyuki knew Sasuke to be a hero to their land as well though so they were a little more at ease than the guards of Toki.
Haruna was pleased the other two Daimyo were such pleasant women to speak with, although she was surprised they were both also women, "Guards, Koyuki-hime has suggested we put up a united front, so I want you all to defer to Naruto-kun and his team." Toki told her guards, who seemed bothered but obeyed their Daimyo.
Haruna offered the two delegations hospitality, although her land was still quite poor she could afford to feed the two delegations and the Konoha shinobi for one night before they traveled.
During said dinner the Na no Kuni Daimyo informed the two other female country leaders about how her land was poor and that she was going to ask assistance to help her land recover.
Koyuki and Toki were both sympathetic, but the only one of them who could help was Koyuki and her trade route would have to go through Hi no Kuni, so they agreed to try and sway the Hi no Kuni Daimyo during the upcoming talks.
The next morning the combined delegation made their way to Hi no Kuni where the Daimyo would be hosting a meeting between allied and neutral Daimyo. The journey there was a peaceful one, although Naruto annoyed Koyuki's samurai guard by casually chatting to her about the adventures he'd had since they last saw each other.
During the journey Haruna, Toki, and Koyuki had all been surprised to learn how similar their background were. They'd all lost their fathers to assassination, they'd all disguised themselves as someone they weren't, and Naruto had helped all of them get revenge. The fact Toki had actually gotten revenge by her own hand thanks to Naruto had the other two seeing the Tori no Kuni Daimyo in a different light.
As the combined delegation approached the estate of the Hi no Kuni Daimyo they stopped when Sasuke noticed another delegation approaching them. The three Daimyo wondered why the Mizu no Kuni Daimyo was approaching them and waited in their palanquins.
A shinobi of Kirigakure no Sato, a member of the Mizu no Kuni delegation, moved ahead of his colleagues and approached the combined delegation that traveled under Naruto's protection. The blonde jonin noticed his glare and stepped up to meet him, remembering what Kakashi had said.
"Uzumaki no Sharingan." The unknown man greeted, he had straight black hair and dressed rather plainly, the only thing that was truly distinguishing about the man was the katana strapped to his back.
"Yes." Naruto confirmed, not asking for a name in return and wondering what the man wanted as the four delegations watched the exchange curiously. Haku was on edge and Kimimaro resisted the urge to make his bones denser. Sasuke seemed calm but his Sharingan had been active for the entire journey.
"I have come to request the return of the Kiba and the renouncement of two of your vassals-" The man began and Sakura realized the man was being cordial due to the presense of Daimyo and guards.
"Go fuck yourself." Naruto interrupted, taking a page out of Tayuya's book for his response as he crossed his arms and intensified his glare. Kin struggled to contain her laughter at the shocked look on the face of the Kiri nin as Sasuke smirked in amusement.
Koyuki bit her lip to stifle her own amusement and was glad the palanquin hid her form from the outside as the Kiri nin's face morphed into one of rage and he stormed back to the Mizu no Kuni delegation. Haruna wished the boy had shown more tact but she was pretty sure the foreign ninja was lucky Naruto hadn't responded to such a request with violence.
Haku did not approve of Naruto's choice of words but smiled at how protective he was, it was obvious the man had been referring to himself and Kimimaro. The Kaguya seemed completely unbothered but was staring at the Mizu no Kuni delegation as they left.
Naruto returned to the combined delegation and split the team to guard the different delegations. Sakura and Kin would be in charge of guarding Toki, Sasuke and Kimimaro would watch over Koyuki, and Haruna would under guard from Naruto and Haku.
Toki was a little disappointed if she was honest but didn't argue as her delegation went on ahead to take her to the meeting. Koyuki knew Sasuke was reliable as well but had been hoping for Naruto to guard her personally. Haruna meanwhile was happy with the way the group had been split since she knew personally how powerful Naruto and Haku were.
The meeting was boring to Naruto, the blonde didn't even pretend to pay attention and the fact he just sat with Haruna caused a few of the older Daimyo to glare at him more than once. The Kirigakure ninja guarding the Mizu no Kuni Daimyo were also glaring at the blonde, and also at Haku who was doing his best to ignore them.
Surprisingly the Hi no Kuni Daimyo seemed amused with the casual attitude of the young jonin and listened seriously to the plea of the Na no Kuni Daimyo under his protection. Some of the other Daimyo found the three women in charge of small lands making an alliance to be somewhat threatening, but made no arguments against the plea deal since trade going to Na no Kuni from Haru no Kuni would benefit many of them anyway.
Sasuke kept his Sharingan active the entire meeting, watching for threats, but even he was getting bored. It was a tense atmosphere to be sure, with this many high rank ninja in one place, but no one dared make any overt moves during the meeting. Kimimaro kept on alert as well, although he seemed outwardly calm.
Sakura and Kin were completely nervous unlike their colleagues, the dark haired genin feeling completely out of her depth and the pink haired chunin just nervous in general. Neither of them could understand how the other four shinobi on their team seemed so calm, the only other one of them who looked even slightly worried was Haku but he was calmed by being near Naruto.
"Another issue," The Hi no Kuni Daimyo spoke after an issue between two minor lands Naruto hadn't been paying attention to had been resolved, "is the ongoing conflict between Konohagakure no Sato and Otogakure no Sato." he said, getting the attention of all the Konoha ninja in the room, "As I have been informed Ta no Kuni have renamed themselves Oto no Kuni and their Daimyo has declined to meet with us, implying he takes such conflict seriously." the old man explained, "While my land is not the largest, we boast the largest ninja village." he continued and the Daimyo of the other Shinobi Godaikoku frowned openly since their own nations had been at war with Hi no Kuni at some points in the past, "This is an era of peace, to my understanding Sunagakure no Sato was involved in this conflict early on but were tricked into it and I hold no ill will towards the Kaze no Kuni Daimyo for such a thing. However the Oto no Kuni Daimyo has snubbed us all by declining to meet with us and discuss things peacefully."
The Mizu no Kuni Daimyo cleared his throat, "What would you have us do? Impose sanctions? My lands make use of rice from the newly named Oto no Kuni, I have no interest in involving my people or my hidden village in your affairs." he stated plainly and a few other Daimyo nodded in agreement, "Further, your ninja village has taken to involving itself in the affairs of my own ninja village, I will continue to trade fish for rice with them." he declared.
The Kaminari no Kuni Daimyo was one such nodding leader, "My people also enjoy the rice from Oto no Kuni, if you seek to impose sanctions I will have no part in this." he agreed.
The Tsuchi no Kuni Daimyo spoke up next, "Our regional specialty relies on rice, our land is too arid to grow much of it for ourselves, I will not deny my people rice because of some conflict between past enemies." he said coldly.
The Hi no Kuni Daimyo frowned but did not press the issue further, although the Kaze no Kuni Daimyo did agree to trade with Haru no Kuni and Tori no Kuni through Na no Kuni instead to feed his people and the three younger female Daimyo all agreed that they would not be trading with Oto no Kuni.
The Kuma no Kuni Daimyo seemed thoughtful, "My own ninja village has caused problems for others in the past, I acknowledge this, and they have recently lost much power due to the actions of shinobi from Konohagakure no Sato." he began, concerning the Hi no Kuni Daimyo, "However, this loss of immediate power has likely saved my ninja village from complete destruction in the future and I have been told that many of my ninja hold Konohagakure no Sato in high regard since the event, so I will be happy to cut off trade with Oto no Kuni provided I can receive a more beneficial trade deal." he explained, not worrying about snubbing a Daimyo who hadn't even shown up to meet with the rest of them.
"My land is poor, but the land is fertile," Haruna spoke up, "We will happily trade what surplus vegetables we can grow to you." she agreed.
"We do not have as many rice patties as Oto no Kuni, but Tori no Kuni is built on freshwater rivers, rice is something we can afford to export." Toki agreed as well.
Naruto was a little lost but did his best to commit the trade alliances to memory, although he didn't fully understand the intricacies of diplomacy even he knew that Kaminari no Kuni, Mizu no Kuni, and Tsuchi no Kuni had all essentially given support to Orochimaru without actually pledging military support, while Kaze no Kuni had sided against them. The smaller lands around Oto no Kuni also continued their trade with the rice rich land, and Umi no Kuni had followed the lead of Mizu no Kuni. Meanwhile the smaller lands around Hi no Kuni and Kaze no Kuni had jumped into the trade deal between Haru no Kuni and Na no Kuni, including Kawa no Kuni.
The meeting wrapped up in short order and Naruto prepared to take the Daimyo home with Hiraishin before realizing he hadn't left formula in any of their homelands. Sasuke sighed at how absent minded the blonde could be and Sakura apologized on his behalf.
The three female Daimyo didn't mind, since they'd honestly expected having to travel home the long way anyway. They were all fine with continuing as a group, Naruto planned out a route with the help of Sakura that would get Toki home first, then Haruna, and finally they'd take Koyuki to the coast and escort her by ship.
Sasuke was surprised that nothing had truly gone wrong, the meeting had been boring but tense, and nothing had happened. As soon as he though that he realized he had jinxed it when he detected a killing intent creeping up on them.
"Alright whoever it is, come out." Sasuke called out almost lazily, startling the guards of the three Daimyo under their command except for Yurinojo who had noticed it as well, "If you're going to sneak up on ninja you should hide your fangs better." he explained as Naruto went through hand seals and water started gathering around the delegation in droplets. The Uchiha wasn't sure what jutsu the blonde Uzumaki had used but his eyes saw his fellow teen jonin had his chakra spread out through the water drops that rose in an odd reversal of rainfall and didn't pay it too much attention.
A mist fell over them and Sasuke scoffed when he saw the chakra in the mist, "Kirigakure?" Kimimaro asked mockingly as the water droplets formed by Naruto coalesced around the combined delegation and formed a dome of solid water around them that kept the mist from entering.
Sakura palmed a trio of shuriken in each hand as she prepared for a fight as Kin palmed senbon in both of her own hands. Haku and Sasuke both pulled out their legendary weapons as Naruto lifted up his forehead protector to reveal the other Sharingan in the pair and Kimimaro hardened the humerus bone in his left arm and disconnected it pulling it up and out of his shoulder with his right hand, usheathing it from his muscles in a gruesome display as he sharpened the tip.
The combined delegation was particularly disturbed by the use of the Shikotsumyaku but drew their own weapons to protect their Daimyo, confused by the dome of water they were in and the droplets of water surrounding them. A Suiryudan burst out from the mist and struck against the dome, startling the guards and Daimyo but Naruto's water defense held form against it with barely a ripple.
Haku was startled as the blade of a katana rose up from the ground beneath him and he barely blocked with his half of the Kiba as another pair of blades rose up behind him and more burst out of the ground surrounding Kimimaro. They hadn't been expecting the combination of Muragakure to be used with Kirigakure and the five enemy ninja who infiltrated the dome all had masks showing alleigiance to Kirigakure no Sato.
Kimimaro twirled and burst more hardening bones out of his flesh to parry the onslaught of six tanto from his three dual wielding opponents as Sakura and Kin tried to protect Haku by throwing their weapons at the one who came up behind him with two ninjato, forcing the man to block both volleys and giving Haku a chance to dive out from between his assailants before they both gave chase.
Naruto was between them in a flash and the water droplets coalesced around him to block their slashes as he went through hand seals. Sasuke struck one of Kimimaro's attackers from behind with his Raijin no Ken, electrifying the man as the Kaguya cut down the other two.
Sakura pulled out her kusarigama as Kin tried to paralyze the enemy with her genjutsu by ringing the bells on her senbon only to be interrupted as a sixth enemy ninja burst from the ground and stunned her with an elbow to the solar plexus. Sakura wrapped the chain of her weapon around the arm of the new enemy and struggled to pull him away as Kin stumbled back from the man.
Sasuke and Kimimaro rushed to assist as the two shinobi attacking Naruto retreated back into the ground to avoid the swirling Suiryudan from the blonde, who directed the Suiton no Jutsu at the enemy grappled by Sakura instead as Sasuke deacted the Raijin no Ken and went through hand seals of his own. Haku swiftly stabbed the ground and channeled chakra into the fanged blade that transformed it into Raiton chakra but no enemy came for him.
The three shinobi downed by Kimimaro and Sasuke were dragged into the ground as the one grappled by Sakura's chain was knocked to the ground by the Suiryudan and subsequently dragged under as well, "Iwa Nadare!" the Uchiha declared and the ground around them burst and crumbled as the enemy ninja screamed from beneath the dirt, Naruto struggled to focus his Suiten Hofutsu to catch the delegation with platforms of water.
Sakura pulled her chain to drag the captured enemy into the dome and frowned at the log she fished up instead, "Damn it, they got away." she groused, frowning down at the destruction Sasuke had done to the ground. The delegations guarding their Daimyo all shivered at the power displayed by the group of shinobi as Sasuke looked down at the water and shattered logs with his Sharingan, frowning that all of them had managed to escape with Kawarimi no Jutsu.
Naruto had the water place them all down safely on more solid ground, "I don't detect any more killing intent, you guys?" he asked, Sasuke and Kimimaro both shook their heads to confirm they didn't feel anything either. Haku didn't sense anything either but was still on edge, as was Sakura who didn't put away her weapon yet while Kin was catching her breath.
The rest of the journey went by without issue, and Sasuke found it surprising that was the only thing that went wrong on the mission, although the political implications of Kirigakure attacking them were not lost on him. Haku felt guilty for being the reason for being attacked and stuck close to Naruto for the rest of the journey, glad no one else but himself blamed him.