A/N - Okay, I am updating this story for the same reasons I updated Vengeance of the Uzumaki. Simple as that.

Anywho, a variety of things do happen in this chapter, but for the most part it's just conversations and other such things. Lots of dialogue, little action. *shrugs* Hopefully you enjoy it regardless.

I remember a guest said that they wanted to see Kyoko Aono get what's coming to her. I accidentally deleted that particular comment, but the point still stands. Kyoko will be mentioned in the story at some point, though I'm still undecided on what should happen to her. No guarantees on anything right now.

Since I'm sure some of you might be wondering how the Yokai will fare in the Elemental Nations, this chapter should hopefully clear some of that up. I've decided to make them each stronger than they are in canon R + V. They'll be able to fight equally against the Naruto villains, I assure you.

Anywho, not much else to say. Read on and enjoy!

Chapter 2 – Family

Shortly after Naruto left with his team, Moka and Ririko included, Yukari could be found walking around the village, taking in the sights and sounds of the bustling village. It was an incredibly large village, and from an outside point of view, this place might seem like a truly wonderful place to live. However, she knew the truth. The majority of these people were monsters in disguise. They had hurt her beloved and made him feel incredibly unwelcome in his own home. For that, there could be no forgiveness. If they ever tried to hurt her and her new family, she wouldn't hesitate to make them pay for it dearly.

Shaking those thoughts out of her mind, the beautiful young witch soon came upon a small building with a sign out front that said 'Ramen Ichiraku'. Isn't this the place Naruto loves? Might as well check it out. Stepping inside, she looked around at the busy restaurant. So many people were here, eating mostly ramen with a few different side dishes to go along with it. Looking forward, she smiled and asked, "Excuse me? Are the Ichiraku family here? I'd like to meet them."

The waiter/receptionist smiled and pointed towards the kitchen in the back. "They're back there. Are they expecting you?"

Yukari shook her head and said, "No. But I'd really like to meet them. Naruto-kun loves them like family, and I really wanted to meet the people that my darling cherishes so much."

The receptionist's eyebrow raised in curiosity before he said, "Very well. Go on back there and say hello. But do try to stay out of the way, if you can. It's the middle of the lunch rush and they are VERY busy."

"Thank you!" Yukari exclaimed, smiling at the man. Immediately afterwards, she hurried into the kitchen and looked at the ramen duo, who were definitely keeping busy. "U-Um, hello? Are you Teuchi and Ayame Ichiraku? Naruto-kun talks about you two a lot and…"

Ayame and Teuchi immediately perked up at that name and stopped what they were doing. Cleaning their hands, they soon walked up to her and asked, "You know Naruto-kun? We haven't seen him for quite a while. I thought he was out on a mission and wouldn't be back for a few years, at least?"

Yukari smiled sadly at that and said, "Naruto's mission ended in failure. He did nothing wrong, I assure you! There were a number of circumstances that led up to Naruto-kun and Gaara leaving, their mission unsuccessful. We just arrived yesterday, and we were all exhausted. I'm truly sorry we didn't come to see you yesterday!"

As Yukari bowed to them, Ayame giggled and said, "From the way you talk about him, I can tell you care for him. Tell me, did our little Naru end up finding love with you?"

The witch blushed deeply and nodded her head meekly. "Y-Yes. Well, there's actually five of us. Well, six now, if you include Ino Yamanaka. My name is Yukari Sendo. Then there's Kurumu, Moka-chan, Ririko-sensei, and Ageha. We all love him dearly."

Ayame and her father smiled brightly at this information. "So he did find love while away. Good for him. I'll have to treat him to some free ramen to celebrate!" Teuchi exclaimed joyfully. "Sorry Yukari, gotta get back to work. Ayame, that means you too. Let's do this!"

Ayame pouted cutely at her father before turning and looking into the witch's eyes. "Sorry. If you don't mind, could you come back around closing time? We'll be able to talk then."

Yukari smiled and said, "It's alright. Thank you for taking some time to talk with me anyways. I'll be sure to bring the others here later. That's a promise!"

The ramen chef giggled and said, "And you'll never break a promise. Just like Naruto-kun, right?"

The witch giggled and said, "Darn right! See you later Ayame." And with that, she left the restaurant and resumed her walk. They seem really nice. I wonder what they'll think of us when we tell them what we really are?

Naruto

As Naruto and his teammates moved at a quick pace, he glanced back at Moka and Ririko. "Moka-chan, Ririko-chan, how are you doing? If you need us to, we can slow down a bit."

Ririko giggled a bit and said, "We're fine. Yes, you ninja are quite quick on your feet, but we can keep up, I promise. Isn't that right Moka-chan?"

Moka nodded and said, "No problem. Besides, if there's a demon involved, we can't afford to take it slow. So go ahead, Naruto-kun. Set a pace you're comfortable with and we'll keep up."

Naruto smiled at his lovers and nodded his head. "Right. Everyone, best keep up. I plan for us to reach the Land of Waves by the afternoon at the earliest. Late night at the latest. From there, we'll take a ship to the Land of Demons. It'll take us a few days to get to the Land of Demons after we dock at the port there. From there, we've got quite a trek ahead of us. I'm going to push you all hard on this mission, so I hope you can keep up."

Neji smiled and said, "Very well. Time is of the essence after all. I'm just glad you haven't been taking it easy while on your little vacation."

Naruto chuckled and said, "Trust me, that mission was no cakewalk. I still took time to train with Gaara. Then there was all the other crap we had to deal with, such as a raging ghoul." Glancing over his shoulder at Moka, he smiled apologetically at her. "Sorry Moka-chan."

The pink-haired beauty shook her head and said, "It's okay, Naruto-kun. I'm over it."

Lee and Neji both looked confused. "Naruto-kun, what happened? Is there something we should know about?"

Naruto glanced at Lee and said, "One of our primary mission parameters was to look after a guy named Tsukune as well as all the girls that practically flocked to the guy. However, our client failed to mention that Tsukune had been turned into a ghoul. His powers and true form were sealed, but there was a problem. The guy was the easily jealous type."

Sighing to himself, Naruto looked forward once more as they continued to keep their pace. "He was infatuated with Moka-chan. At the same time, however, he had a veritable harem willing to make him happy no matter what it took. Sadly, he didn't appreciate how good he had it. When Moka-chan and I grew closer, merely as good friends, Tsukune lost it and released his powers and his true form. I…" Frowning to himself for a time, Naruto breathed in through his nose and released the breath slowly through his open mouth. "I had to kill Tsukune. That was the first part of my mission that I failed. I failed to keep Tsukune safe."

Lee frowned sadly and said, "How unyouthful. To give into jealousy and hatred like that…"

Neji frowned before glancing back at Moka. "If that's the case and you all loved him so much…why are you here now? I'm assuming something changed."

Moka nodded in response to this and said, "Things happened and words were said that I'm sure some of us wish they could take back. However, after about a month or so, things changed. I fell for Naruto-kun, just as the others did. We were happy together and were enjoying our school life. Then…"

Ririko grumbled irritably to herself and said, "Something happened that caused Naruto-kun's mission to end in a complete failure."

Neji and Lee both blinked in shock at this before looking at Naruto. He had NEVER failed a mission before! Whatever happened had to have been HUGE.

Sensing their eyes on him again, Naruto continued where Ririko left off. "Tsukune's cousin, a girl named Kyoko, was brought to Yokai Academy and tricked into releasing Lilith upon the school. We can discuss that particular problem another time. Suffice it to say, Kyoko was NOT happy that I killed her cousin. She blamed both Moka-chan and myself for his death. In exchange for her keeping her trap shut about Yokai Academy and the existence of said Yokai, Mikogami, our client, had to exile us from Yokai Academy. Thus, my spotless mission record was ruined."

Lee frowned deeply at this and said, "I'm sorry you had to go through that experience, Naruto-kun. But why was Moka-san exiled as well?"

Grumbling to himself, Naruto explained. "Kyoko blamed Moka-chan as well for her cousin's death. After all, as she put it, if Tsukune had never met and fallen in love with each other, Tsukune would never have done what he did. Tsukune would still be alive were it not for Moka-chan."

Neji scoffed at that and said, "You can't control who you meet and fall in love with. Something like that is almost always bound to happen."

Ririko sighed and said, "Yes, but she was a naïve little thing. It doesn't excuse her actions and what she did, but she just couldn't seem to grasp the whole concept. So, it was easier for her to blame Naruto-kun and Moka-chan than it was to accept her cousin wasn't as 'perfect' as she believed him to be."

Moka could feel tears welling up in her eyes. "I love Yokai Academy. I miss it dearly. I wish we could go back and be happy together there. But…Naruto-kun was needed in Konoha again, so we returned with our beloved to help him. We weren't about to lose the man we love, after all."

Lee smiled back at her before returning his gaze forward once again. "I see your youthful flames have not dimmed during your absence from the village, Naruto-kun. And the flames burn bright in your girlfriends as well. I'm happy for you, Naruto-kun."

"Thanks Lee. Though, since we're kind of on the topic…" Glancing back over his shoulder, Naruto smirked at Neji and Lee. "How about you two? Have you found love in anyone yet?"

Neji smirked back before looking at Lee. "Well, Lee and Tenten have begun seeing each other. They've tried to hide it, but it was easy enough to figure out. As for me, I haven't found anyone just yet. I just have to wait until I meet Mrs. Right."

Chuckling softly, Naruto took note of Lee's red cheeks and grinned. "Well, look at you Lee. Congratulations."

"Th-Thank you, Naruto-kun. She's, erm…she's expecting our first child in about six more months. She thinks it's going to be a girl, but I'm sure it's going to be a boy." Lee said, a true smile of happiness on his face.

Ririko giggled and said, "Never doubt a woman's intuition, Lee. A mother always knows, after all."

Naruto smiled happily for his friend. "I'm so happy for you, Lee. You have to make sure you invite me to the wedding. Even if you don't make me your best man, I want to be there and support you every step of the way. You're like a brother to me, Lee."

Smiling thankfully at his friend, Lee soon nodded his head, a determined look on his face. "Same, Naruto-kun. Now, as much as I'd like to let our youthful flames burn brightly, we should hurry. No matter what it takes, we'll stop Moryo from awakening. Our enemies will fall before us."

Grinning at his friend, Naruto said, "Oh, this is going to be fun."

Konoha – Uzumaki Household

Konan found herself blinking a few times as she stared at the outfit Ageha had presented to her. "You want me to wear that?" she asked in disbelief.

The succubus smirked devilishly and said, "I think Naruto-kun would very much appreciate a woman of your beauty wearing this while you, hmhmhm, serve him. Wouldn't you agree, girls?"

Kurumu giggled pervertedly and said, "Oh, most definitely. If you're really lucky, he might just ravish you on the spot the moment he sees you. Wouldn't that be fun?"

Konan deadpanned at the two of them and said, "I'm not having sex with Naruto. What made you think I liked him in that way?"

Ageha grinned and said, "You might not want him right now, but give it time and you'll be begging him to take you on the floor, in a bed, in the shower, and anywhere else you can imagine in that pretty head of yours. From what I hear, Naruto's an excellent lover. I'm sure once he sees you in this, he'll fall madly in love with you. Then, all you'd need to do is…"

Before the busty succubus could continue any further, Konan snatched the clothes from her and stormed off, not even speaking a word to them. I am NOT wearing this around the house! I absolutely REFUSE to wear such revealing clothing in front of someone I don't love.

Kurumu grinned as she looked at her mother. "How much do you want to bet that she'll try it on in the next few minutes and check in a mirror?"

Ageha giggled and said, "That's a sucker's bet and you know it."

"True. For now, I say we continue trying to corrupt her. We're going to make her crave Naruto's dick." Giggling to herself, Kurumu glanced in the direction of Konan's room and said, "She is awfully attractive for a human. I'm surprised she's so innocent, considering she used to be a member of the Akatsuki."

Ageha simply shrugged and said, "She's got a pure heart. I can tell she isn't fond of violence. She's strong, though. She'll make a valuable ally for Naruto-kun to have."

"Agreed." Kurumu said.

A short time later, Yukari entered the home and looked at the two succubae. "Just who I was hoping to see! Girls, we're going out tonight. The Ichiraku's would like to meet you two."

Kurumu smiled brightly and said, "Oooh. Do you think they'll cook us some of the ramen that Naruto-kun loves so much? I really want to try some and see if it's as good as he says it is."

Yukari shrugged and said, "If we leave about an hour or so early, we should be able to get there before they close up for the night. Seems as good a time as any to try it out." Looking around, she asked, "Where are Tamao and Mizore? I was going to invite them as well. Maybe Konan too, if she's interested."

Kurumu shrugged and said, "Tamao and Mizore went out to explore Konoha for a little while. I think they wanted to check out the hot springs, too. They should be back before nightfall, though. As for Konan, she's trying on the new outfit we gave her."

Yukari blinked and asked, "What new outfit?"

Ageha giggled to herself and said, "Go see for yourself. I think you'll like it. I know Naruto-kun will approve."

The witch frowned for a moment before she walked off to Konan's room. Slowly, she pushed the door open just enough so she could peek inside. When she saw what Konan was wearing, she almost gasped. Whoa! A skimpy maid outfit! Oooh, if she wears that in front of Naruto-kun, he's definitely going to want her. Very nice.

Deciding it would be best not to disturb Konan, she silently closed the door before returning to the living room and sitting on the couch. "Sooo, what are you two going to do?"

Kurumu shrugged and said, "I was planning to train some. Naruto-kun wouldn't want us to slack off and grow weaker. I want to become strong enough that I'll be able to fight at his side without being a burden to him. What about you two?"

Yukari frowned thoughtfully for a time before she nodded. "I think I'll start training as well. Right now, I don't have any really powerful spells that would truly help us. I've got plenty of spellbooks with me, though, so I should be able to improve my arsenal pretty easily."

Ageha shook her head and said, "You'll need to work on more than just magic. You need to practice casting magic even without your wand. There's a chance your wand could be destroyed or knocked out of your hands. You need to be able to defend yourself even without your wand. If you want, I can help you two train?"

Yukari smiled and said, "I'd greatly appreciate that. Thank you, Ageha-san!"

Giggling to herself, Ageha said, "You're welcome. Who knows? I might even get in some training of my own."

Kurumu frowned for a moment in thought. After about a minute had passed, she looked into her mother's eyes and said, "I want to become as strong as you, if not stronger. Please teach me everything you know, Mom!"

"Of course dear. Now let's go. We have some serious training to do before we leave for dinner." Ageha said, leading the two of them outside.

Meanwhile, in her room, Konan was a blushing mess as she looked herself over in the mirror. "I swear, if I bend over even just a little, he'll get a view of my panties. And does this have to be so snug around the breasts? And for that matter, why is so much of my cleavage showing?! I…I can't wear this thing in front of him!" After a moment to think on it, though, she found herself smiling lopsidedly as she said, "I do look good, though. Better than I thought I would."

Later that night

"Mmm! This is soooo good!" Kurumu exclaimed giddily after swallowing some noodles. "I see why Naruto-kun loves this place so much."

Teuchi chuckled and said, "Glad you're enjoying it Miss. There's plenty more where that came from if you want some more."

Kurumu nodded excitedly and said, "Oh definitely! Keep it coming Teuchi-san!"

Ayame giggled as she watched her father return to work. Looking at Yukari, she grinned and asked, "Well, how do you like it? Does it measure up to your standards?"

The witch giggled as well and said, "It's wonderful. Thank you very much for such a wonderful meal."

"No problem. Any friend of Naruto-kun's is a friend to us as well. Though, I'm sure some of you are more than mere friends, hm?" she teased.

Ageha smirked at her and said, "Damn right! I haven't been able to take him for a ride yet, myself. Buuut, my daughter here can tell you all about it. Would you like to know all the juicy bits, Ayame-san?"

Ayame blushed profusely and shouted, "N-No! He's like a b-brother to me! I reaaaally don't need to know details about his sex life."

Kurumu smirked at her and said, "Don't worry, we won't say anything. Just know that he's a wonderful lover. And if I have my way, I'll be giving him lots of wonderful children. I can't wait!"

Ayame blushed worse and facepalmed. "I see. I think I'm going to get back to work now. We can talk more later."

As Ayame walked away, Kurumu and Ageha high-fived one another before giggling to themselves. Yukari could only shake her head exasperatedly. Meanwhile, Tamao and Mizore simply enjoyed their bowls of ramen, completely ignoring all the sex talk going on. Finally, Konan's eyebrow was twitching wildly as she tried to focus on simply eating her ramen. Still, with all the talk of sex with Naruto, she was feeling a little intrigued. Still, she would stay strong and not give into their wanton desires!

Naruto

Naruto blinked as he stared at the plaque before him. They had just arrived at the Land of Waves famous bridge, though the name of said bridge certainly got their attention. "The Great Naruto Bridge? Wow. You must have done something great for them to name such a grand bridge after you." Ririko said, sounding genuinely impressed.

The blonde chuckled softly and shook his head. "It happened so long ago. I inspired hope in the people and they stood up against their oppressors. It feels like I barely did anything, but at the same time…"

"You're flattered. Right, Naruto-kun?" Moka asked, smiling lovingly at her boyfriend.

Nodding once, he began walking across the bridge, his teammates joining him at his sides. "Yes. I'd love to stay and check on Tazuna and his family, but we can't get sidetracked. We can hop a boat from here to the Land of Demons. It'll take a few days, perhaps even as much as four days, to reach land again. I just hope they can hold out until we get there."

Neji patted his friend on the shoulder and said, "Everything will work out. We're moving as fast as we can, but a ship can only move so fast and its crew can only work so hard. If we're lucky, the sea will be calm and won't impede our progress any. If we're unlucky…"

Naruto slumped over comically and said, "It could take up to 5 or 6 days if the weather turns nasty on us. We'll just have to hope for the best, then. C'mon team, let's get going."

Chuckling softly, the team followed him into the Land of Waves and straight for the port. It took a little convincing and a hefty sum of coin to convince the captain to set out immediately, but now they were finally on their way. You asshats are sooo damn lucky I've got as much money as I do.

Konoha – Ichiraku Household

"Sooo, tell me about this mission Naruto and his friend went on. What was it like there?" Ayame questioned the girls, excitement clear in her voice.

Kurumu giggled and said, "Naruto-kun and Gaara were essentially to serve as the guardians of Yokai Academy. As I'm sure you've already guessed, we're all Yokai of some kind. Take me, for instance. I'm a succubus. Anyways, one of their primary goals was to protect us and the guy we liked: Tsukune Aono. We honestly thought we loved him at the time."

Sighing sadly, the beautiful succubus closed her eyes and continued. "This might seem like unnecessary information, but we succubae search for our Destined One. The man that is immune to our charms. Our Destined One is the one we're meant to be with for the rest of our lives. At first, I thought that man was Tsukune. But, I should've known better. He fell for my Charm magic easily and only broke out of it when I went to kiss him and make him my slave, essentially."

Yukari took over at this point. "Anyways, when Naruto and Gaara arrived, we did our best to make them feel welcome. Naruto-kun was so easy to get along with and we all enjoyed his company. Of course, Mizore and Tamao were far more interested in Gaara."

Mizore smirked and rolled her lollipop around in her mouth. "Damn right. Gaara-kun is wonderful."

Yukari giggled a bit and said, "I'm not saying he isn't. Anyways," turning back to Ayame and Teuchi, she continued with her tale. "Kurumu-chan tried to use her Charm magic on Naruto-kun occasionally, only for it to fail every time. Unlike with Tsukune, Naruto was completely immune."

"Needless to say, that caught me off guard. For so long I thought Tsukune was my destined one that the thought of someone being able to resist my magic never crossed my mind." Kurumu explained. "I was shaken by that revelation. But I still stood firm and believed wholeheartedly that I was in love with Tsukune."

Mizore hung her head and said, "So did I. Then…"

Tamao frowned and shook her head. "I heard about what happened later from Gaara-kun. Naruto and Moka grew close to one another. Moka was very much in love with Tsukune at the time, so the thought of those two getting together was impossible, to say the least. But, Tsukune easily grew jealous of Naruto for getting close to his Moka. It got to the point that Tsukune became so blinded by his jealousy and rage that he transformed and tried to kill Naruto."

Yukari's face darkened as she nodded her head. "Naruto-kun didn't want to do it, but he had no choice. He killed Tsukune to prevent him from harming anyone. Tsukune was too far gone to be saved."

Teuchi frowned at this and said, "I can only imagine how you girls must have taken his death. But, I assume there's more to the tale. After all, killing Tsukune would have ensured the mission went down as a failure on his spotless record. So what changed?"

Kurumu shook her head and said, "Naruto-kun and Gaara failed one aspect of their mission, but not the other. They were hired to protect the students of Yokai Academy and ensure nothing terrible like the incident with Kuyo would ever happen again. However…"

Yukari shook her head at this point and said, "Tsukune's death shook us all. Mizore and Kurumu took it the hardest. They blamed Naruto for everything and…well…" Looking at Mizore first and then at Kurumu, she took a deep breath before looking back into Teuchi's eyes. "They wanted to kill Naruto-kun."

Scowling at this, Teuchi looked between the two mentioned girls and asked, "I assume things changed? You didn't succeed in your goal, obviously."

Mizore nodded and said, "Of course we didn't. We were angry and upset, but…"

Kurumu took over at this point. "Some friends essentially knocked some sense into all of us. Moka never blamed Naruto-kun. Neither did Ruby or Yukari. After about a month or so, we talked with Naruto-kun and Gaara and figured some things out. I…um…I realized that Naruto-kun is my true Destined One." Here, she began blushing prettily and hoped the Ichiraku's got the message without her having to say anything.

Ayame noticed the blush and ended up blushing herself. "Oh. Um, good for you then." She said, somewhat embarrassedly. "What about Moka, though? You brought her with you, so I'm assuming something happened?"

Yukari giggled a bit and said, "Moka-chan's a vampire. She grew addicted to the taste of Naruto-kun's blood. On top of that, Naruto-kun is the only one that can remove the rosary from around her neck. We'll explain that later, if you want. Just know that she fell for Naruto HARD. Enough to the point that they, um…kinda…"

Blushing even worse, Ayame shook her hands in front of her and said, "Nope! Don't need to hear anymore about my little brother having s-s-sex like that!"

Ageha smirked and said, "They never said anything about sex. But it's true, they did have wonderful sex."

Ayame looked like she was about to faint from the image overload of her little brother figure having sex with vampires and succubae alike. However, Teuchi shook her and helped her snap out of it. Afterwards, he looked at the girls and asked, "So how did his mission end in failure? What exactly happened?"

Ageha frowned at this and shook her head. "Kyoko Aono happened. That's what. A villainous bitch known as Hitomi Ishigami helped Kyoko find and enter Yokai Academy. When Kyoko found out that Naruto-kun had killed her cousin, she flipped. In exchange for keeping silent about the existence of Yokai and the academy in general, she demanded that Naruto-kun and Moka be expelled from the school."

"Couldn't the headmaster have done something? After all, there was no way she could really manage to convince anyone that there was an academy full of Yokai out there." Ayame questioned.

Ageha nodded in agreement before saying, "While you're correct about that, there were circumstances here that required their attention. So, while he technically expelled the two of them, it is only a temporary thing. Naruto-kun and Gaara brought us with them here to the Elemental Nations and immediately went to work, taking care of things that required their full attention."

"And where is Naruto-kun now? I assume he's busy?" Teuchi pondered.

Shaking her head, Kurumu said, "Naruto-kun took Moka and Ririko-sensei on a mission. They won't be back for a while. I already miss him."

Ayame giggled a bit and patted Kurumu's hand gently. "He'll be back. Just need to be patient. Trust me, some of his missions keep him out of Konoha for weeks, sometimes even months, but he always comes back to all of us. It's just something you'll have to get used to, unfortunately."

Kurumu sighed aggravatedly and said, "It's not fair. But…I understand. Naruto-kun is important to the village. He also told us about the Akatsuki, so we know what to expect from them."

Teuchi nodded in understanding as he folded his arms across his chest. "They probably already know that Gaara and Naruto-kun have been transformed. It wasn't exactly kept secret. They can't be sealed like the previous bijuu were, but I doubt the Akatsuki have realized that yet. So, as much as I'd like to say otherwise, the two of them are still in very real danger. Bringing down the Akatsuki is going to be hard, no question about it. But if anyone can pull it off, it'd be those two."

Mizore grinned and said, "Of course. Gaara-kun would never let himself be killed by the likes of them. Not when he has us to come back to."

Ayame tapped a finger against her chin as she looked at Mizore and Tamao. "Speaking of Gaara, how come you two aren't with him? I figured you would have gone to Sunagakure with him."

Mizore and Tamao shook their heads negatively. "No. We wouldn't last in the desert. Gaara-kun is transferring here to Konoha so we can all be together."

"I see." Teuchi said. "I assume he'll be arriving here sometime in the next few days, then?"

"Probably." Tamao said. "We just have to be patient and hope he gets here sooner rather than later. He still needs to take me on a date, after all!"

Chuckling softly to himself, Teuchi just smiled. Ayame, on the other hand, looked at Naruto's lovers and asked, "So, do you know what this mission is that Naruto-kun's been given?"

Kurumu shook her head and said, "I'm afraid not. He told us that it was a very urgent mission and that they had to leave right away. I don't think it was the Akatsuki, though. I think it was something else."

Teuchi frowned at this and said, "I can't imagine what could be worse than dealing with the Akatsuki. Whatever's going on, it's big. I can guarantee that much, at the very least." Everyone nodded in agreement with that sentiment.

Sunagakure

Gaara scowled in distaste as he stared at the council and the Kazekage. In his absence, Baki had become the new Kazekage. While normally he'd be happy to see the man, the redhead was not experiencing joy at the moment.

"Gaara, please try to understand that we need you here. What will we do if you're not here to protect us?" one of the female council members asked.

Shaking his head, Baki said, "I'm in agreement with her. You're needed here, Gaara. You are our deterrent for war, as much as I'm loathe to admit it. If you aren't here…"

Gaara scowled and unleashed his massive killing intent on everyone in the room. The only one unaffected by it was the girl standing behind him: Ruby Tojo. Glaring into Baki's eyes, ignoring everyone else around him, the redhead said, "This isn't a request. It's not a question. I am giving you no choice to refuse me. Whether you like it or not, I'm transferring to Konohagakure. My loved ones are there and I won't be kept from them. If you're so worried about war, then perhaps you would have learned by now not to rely on one person to handle all your problems. Maybe you should begin training your shinobi more seriously. Now, I'm going to walk out of this room with Ruby-chan and we're going to pack up my things. Then, we're going to leave the village and journey to Konohagakure. You will NOT try to stop us. You won't send anyone after us. You WILL let us go peacefully. If you cross me, I'll destroy you. Is that understood?"

Before Baki could agree to Gaara's terms, one of the idiots on the council spoke up, despite the fact he could barely keep himself upright. "You can't leave, Gaara! You're our weapon! We won't-!"

Gaara, having enough of the man's ranting, used his sand to crush the man into paste. Glaring around at the others, Gaara threw the dead man's body onto the table and said, "Would anyone else care to say something smart? I'm waiting."

Baki shook his head and said, "Y-You can go, G-Gaara. We're sorry."

Scoffing at this, the redhead turned around and walked out of the room, Ruby's hand in his. "Well, that went well." Ruby teased.

Gaara sighed and shook his head. "I was hoping they'd simply agree to the transfer without throwing a fit. Seems that was just wishful thinking on my part. Oh well."

Giggling a bit, Ruby wrapped herself around one of her boyfriend's arms and walked in step with him. "You know, it's kind of sexy when you take charge like that. I know I wouldn't mind getting you alone for a while."

Blushing slightly, Gaara allowed a small smile to form on his face as he glanced into his girlfriend's eyes. "Maybe later, sweetheart. We have to pack up my things and get moving before they decide to renege on their end of the deal."

Ruby pouted cutely for a while before releasing an agitated sigh. "You're right. Of course. Doesn't mean I have to like it."

Gaara chuckled softly and placed a kiss on her cheek. "We'll have plenty of time to be alone together once we're in Konoha. I promise."

"Good." Ruby said before she began to gently tug him along. "Come on, let's go! I want to get to Konoha as soon as possible. I'm definitely looking forward to some special 'alone time' together."

All Gaara could do was smile and think to himself, I have a good life.

Two Days Later – Naruto

Lee and Neji stood staring out over the water. There really wasn't much else for them to do while aboard a ship. However, they both took notice of something that left them feeling somewhat irritated. "Is it just me, or do those three look as if they're glowing? Every time they go belowdecks, they come back hours later looking like that."

Neji sighed and said, "I don't even want to imagine what they're doing, Lee. Just as I don't like to imagine you and Tenten being together intimately."

Lee chuckled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "Fair point. Though, I've noticed that Moka seems hesitant to go near the edge of the ship. She seems to prefer staying belowdecks then coming outside for some fresh air."

The Hyuga nodded as he glanced over at the happy trio. "You're right. I've noticed that as well. I wonder why that is. Perhaps we should ask?"

Lee shrugged and said, "Not much else to do besides talk to one another. Sure, let's go ask."

Together, the duo approached Naruto and his girlfriends. Coughing once to get their attention, Lee decided to just be blunt. "We've noticed that you don't like to go near the water, Moka-san. We were concerned and wanted to make sure you were okay. Is there something wrong?"

The pink-haired vampire quickly shook her head and said, "It's okay. You see, I'm a vampire. Water hurts me really badly. I can't even take a bath without using certain herbs. It's a real pain, but you get used to it after a while."

Neji frowned and asked, "Are you okay, coming along with us on this mission? If water is so dangerous to you, wouldn't it have been better to stay in Konoha for a while?"

Moka smiled kindly at him and said, "It's okay. I promise I'll be just fine. Once we're on land again, I'll be good to go. I just have to be really careful while we're on the ship. Even tiny splashes can cause me immense pain wherever I'm hit."

"I see. Very well. If you say you're fine, then I'll trust in your judgment." Looking at Naruto at this point, Neji asked, "These girlfriends of yours, what can you tell us about them?"

"Well, Ririko-chan here is a lamia. Her abilities are pretty unique, but I guarantee she'll be useful in a fight. As Moka-chan just explained, she's a vampire. Her strength and speed are insane and she gets far stronger when she unleashes her true form. As for the girls back home, Kurumu-chan and Ageha-chan are both succubae. Yukari-chan is a witch. I'm sure you're already aware that succubae have powerful illusion magic, as well as the ability to charm men into becoming their willing slaves. As for Yukari-chan, she has powerful magic at her disposal, though she's still young and has a lot to learn. Thankfully, she's brought her spell books and should have no problem becoming an even more impressive witch. I trust each of them with my life." Naruto explained.

"I see. What exactly are you two in particular capable of?" Neji questioned Moka and Ririko.

Moka smiled somewhat awkwardly and said, "Well, I'm not much of a fighter myself, but my inner self is. She's incredible! She's so fast and strong that she usually ends battles in a single attack. If she wanted to, she could easily kill someone. Plus, we have the ability to drain our victims of all their blood, slowly turning them into withered husks. I, erm…I try not to do that if I can help it, though."

As Moka giggled awkwardly, Ririko giggled to herself before she decided to explain her abilities. "In this form, I possess a great deal of strength. I can break bones and deliver quick, concise attacks to my opponents. In my true form, however, I'm much faster. My tail alone is strong enough to level buildings and severely cripple anyone struck by it. On top of that, I can use my powers to implant thoughts and desires in my victims. I can essentially brainwash people into thinking only what I tell them to. They do everything I say without question. If I ordered them to kill themselves for me, they'd gladly do it. Of course, I need to ensnare them with my tail first. Not always the easiest thing to do with moving opponents."

Neji and Lee both blinked a couple of times before nodding in acceptance. "Very well then. I can see why Naruto brought you along. It will be our pleasure to work with you, Ririko-san and Moka-san."

"Ditto. I'm looking forward to seeing your flames of youth burn brightly!" Lee exclaimed, giving them a thumbs-up.

Ririko giggled to herself and said, "The pleasure is all ours. We're eager to see what you shinobi can really do. Don't let us down now, boys."

When Ririko winked at them, both Neji and Lee found themselves blushing slightly. When they shook it off and bid them goodbye, the lamia giggled demurely into her hand. "Oh, they are such innocent young men. So fun to tease."

Naruto chuckled softly and said, "You enjoyed that, didn't you?"

"Very much so." Ririko said with a grin aimed at her lover.

"Thought so." Naruto said, chuckling again afterwards. "It'll still be a while yet before we arrive. Want to play some card games or something? We can't just keep having sex all the time. I mean, as much fun as it is, we're going to end up wearing ourselves out at the rate we've been going."

Moka blushed prettily and began poking her fingers together shyly. "It is wonderful, though. I enjoy it very, very much."

Ririko smirked as she threw an arm around Moka's shoulders. Smiling at her boyfriend, she said, "We both do. You are an AMAZING lover, Naruto Uzumaki."

"Thanks girls. Seriously though, let's just relax for a while and play games or something. Little Naruto could use some rest." Naruto said somewhat nervously.

Ririko smirked at her lover as she poked Naruto's crotch lightly. "'Little' Naruto? There's nothing little about that beast."

Blushing fiercely, Naruto sat down and covered his crotch. "I get it. No touchie right now. I want to relax and just spend time with you two. My lovely little vixens." The girls just giggled as they began to chat with one another again. They brought out a deck of cards and began to play some card games for a while as well.

So far the journey had been a peaceful one with no surprises. Still, it would take at least 2 – 3 more days before they finally arrived in the Land of Demons. They could only do so much to alleviate their boredom during the trip.

Konohagakure

It was around 3:00 in the afternoon when Gaara and Ruby finally arrived in Konoha. Breathing a sigh of relief that the council and Baki had kept their word, the two of them signed in at the check-in station before walking towards the Hokage tower.

As they walked, they couldn't help but take notice of the Hokage Monument. They had added Tsunade's head to the mountain during their absence from the Elemental Nations. Shrugging it off, the happy couple continued on their way. "Sooo, are you looking forward to seeing Mizore-chan again, Gaara-kun?" Ruby teased.

The redhead chuckled a bit and said, "I am. I'm also looking forward to seeing Tamao-chan again. I just hope Naruto and the others are here to greet us."

Ruby frowned thoughtfully at that before asking, "What if he's already been sent on a mission? It did take us a few days to take care of things in Suna and then get here, after all."

Gaara frowned for a moment before saying, "You might be right. I suppose we'll just have to see, then."

When they reached the Hokage's office, Gaara looked at Shizune and asked, "May we go in?"

Shizune nodded and motioned for them to enter the room. "She's not busy right now, so you can talk with her. Don't take too long, though. She does have a meeting to get to later."

"Very well. Thank you, Shizune." Gaara said before he and Ruby entered Tsunade's office. Looking into her eyes, he said, "Hokage-sama, we've arrived. Suna has approved of the transfer and I am looking forward to serving under you."

When Gaara bowed to her, Tsunade chuckled a bit before saying, "Welcome back to Konohagakure, Gaara. And you must be Ruby. It's nice to meet you."

Ruby smiled at the Hokage and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Hokage-sama. Can you perhaps tell us where Naruto and the others are? We'd like to get settled into our new home and catch up with everyone."

The blonde Hokage frowned and shook her head. "I'm afraid I had to send Naruto-kun out on an urgent mission the other day. He has taken both Moka Akashiya and Ririko Kagome with him. However, if you're willing to wait a moment, I can send someone to fetch Ageha for you. She can guide you to your new home in the Uzumaki compound."

"We would appreciate that very much, Hokage-sama. And I want you to know that if you need me for any reason, don't be afraid to get in touch. No matter the mission, no matter how hard or easy it may sound, I'll gladly take it if it means I can lighten some of the load on Naruto." Gaara said.

Tsunade smiled and said, "Thank you, Gaara. I'm sure he'll appreciate that. The girls would as well, I'm sure."

Chuckling softly to themselves, they waited for the Anbu to fetch Ageha for them. In the meanwhile, while they waited for her, Gaara decided to ask something. "Hokage-sama, what has become of Jiraiya-sama? Last I recall, he was upset, for lack of a better term, at the fact he couldn't take Naruto with him on a supposed training excursion. I can't imagine he got over that so easily."

The Fifth scoffed and said, "He still runs our spy network and provides us with valuable information on the other nations and the Akatsuki, but he rarely returns to the village anymore. In fact, he's pretty much written Naruto off as a lost cause. If he could just pull his head out of his ass and try to be a decent godfather and sensei to Naruto-kun, that'd be wonderful. It's a damn shame, too."

"I see. He's like a grown man-child. Throwing a fit when he can't get his way." Gaara said, sounding genuinely disappointed in the man.

Before anymore could be said, the Anbu returned with Ageha Kurono. Looking into her eyes, Tsunade said, "Hello again Ageha-san. As you can see, Gaara and his girlfriend have just arrived. Can you please take them home? If I remember correctly, Naruto had a few other houses built in the compound so that his friends could move in if need be."

Ageha nodded in confirmation. "There are a few empty houses in the compound. Gaara and his girlfriends can easily live in one of them. If that is all, I'll guide them home."

Tsunade nodded and said, "Of course. Do take care of yourselves. And Gaara?" Seeing she had his attention, the busty blonde said, "I may call on you soon to take on a mission of your own. There is a lot to do and very little time in which to do it."

"Of course, Hokage-sama. Farewell for now." Gaara said before leaving the room with his girlfriend and Mrs. Kurono.

Once they were gone, Tsunade began to rifle through all the files in her drawers and on her desk. She was searching for one file in particular, something that she knew would fit Gaara and his teammates perfectly.

After rifling around for a while, she finally found what she was looking for. Opening the file, she began to read over the mission parameters. Grotesque monsters spotted roaming the countryside in the Land of Sound? Could these be Yokai? Or are they more of Orochimaru's abominations? I can't leave them alone, lest they suddenly attack a village or something. Gaara would be a good fit for this mission, as would Mizore. But who else to send with them? Perhaps Ageha? That's three. Hmmm…who should be the fourth member of the team, I wonder?

Gaara

Upon arrival at the compound, Gaara was tempted to pick a house right away so he could get some sleep. However, he knew Tamao and Mizore were likely waiting for him inside Naruto's home, so he decided to pay a visit to them first. After all, he needed to let his girlfriends know that he was finally home. Heh, home. To think I'd come to call Konoha my home. I never would have dreamed of such a thing.

Upon entering Naruto's abode, he immediately spotted his Ice Princess and the lovely mermaid playing some kind of board game together. Before he could say anything to them, Ageha spoke up, getting everyone's attention. "Hey girls, look who's here!"

Mizore lifted her head up to see, not even noticing as Tamao started to cheat, moving certain pieces around on the board. Upon seeing her beloved Gaara, the yuki-onna hurried over to her boyfriend and glomped him, knocking the both of them to the floor. "I missed you so much! How did it go? Did they accept the transfer?"

"Might want to let him breathe, Mizore." Tamao said as she walked up to the group. Smiling down at Gaara, she said, "It's good to see you again, Gaara-kun. We missed you."

Gaara chuckled softly and gently rubbed his girlfriend's back. "I missed you as well. And we had some trouble at first, but the transfer went through. From this moment on, we are now shinobi of Konohagakure."

Mizore smiled before pulling the lollipop out of her mouth and kissed Gaara tenderly on the lips. "I'm so glad. Have you already picked one of the houses for us?"

Gaara shook his head as he helped himself and Mizore onto their feet again. "Not yet. I wanted to do that together with you and Tamao-chan. Why don't we go and pick one out right now?"

Tamao smiled mischievously and said, "Sounds good to me. Mizore was losing our game anyways."

Mizore raised a brow before she walked back to the game board. "No I wasn't. I was…wait, what?!" Shooting a nasty glare at the mermaid, Mizore exclaimed, "You cheated! Why'd you move the pieces all over the place? That's not fair!"

Tamao giggled demurely before turning and sticking her tongue out at Mizore. "You were so distracted; I just couldn't help myself."

Before they could get into a fight, Gaara said, "We can all play the game together later. Let's get moved into our new home first, shall we?"

"Of course Gaara-kun." they both said, quickly joining him at his side and exiting Naruto's rather large house.

As soon as they were gone, Ageha giggled to herself and said, "I hope he likes them feisty. They've certainly got some spunk in them."

Four Days Later

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as they finally reached a port on the southern edge of the Land of Demons. Shooting a quick glare at Neji, he said, "You jinxed us; I hope you know that."

The Hyuga chuckled somewhat sheepishly. "It wasn't intentional, I assure you. We do have some lost time to make up, so we should probably be on our way."

The blonde nodded in agreement before he began to lead his team of five (himself included) towards their destination. He was setting a brisk pace again, but they managed to keep up with him. Sadly, about an hour into their journey, they began to hear the sound of fighting up ahead. They could see smoke rising into the air and heard lots of screaming and shouting going on. "Shit. We need to hurry guys! Neji, activate your Byakugan and scan for potential threats both within the village and the surrounding area. I don't want any surprises."

Neji nodded and quickly activated his Byakugan. As they approached the village, continuing to move at a fevered pace, his eyes soon widened and he shouted, "Stop! There's four strong people wreaking havoc in the village itself, but there's another one heading for the temple. I think I can see the priestess inside. Her chakra is radiant, but it's fluctuating. I think she's frightened." As he said this, he pointed in five separate directions. "The four I mentioned are in those locations. The temple is over there."

Naruto nodded and said, "Neji, I'm trusting you to rescue Shion. Try to slip in behind your opponent and disable him. We could use him alive for questioning. If you aren't given any other choice, end him." Seeing him nod, Naruto said, "Go!"

As Neji hurried away to rescue the priestess, Naruto decided to give out his orders. "Moka, I'm trusting you to tackle the one in the north section. Ririko, take the one in the southwest. Lee, take the one in the middle. I'm going after the one in the northeast. Go!" After a moment, Naruto nearly facepalmed himself. Reaching over, he grabbed Moka's rosary and yanked it off, unleashing her true form. "There you go sweetie. Enjoy!" And with that, they hurried on their way. If only we had arrived sooner, we could have prepared for this! Now we're running in blind. Be careful everyone!

A/N - And that's the chapter! Woohoo! lol. Hope you enjoyed it and are looking forward to what comes next.

As you can no doubt see, I hinted at a mission coming up soon for Gaara. We'll see how that goes soonish, I'm sure. :P

I also left a little hint regarding Shion and a potential pairing for her. We'll see how many of you pick up on it. I'm pretty sure you'll figure it out easily enough. :P lol

Anywho, I really don't have much to say. I've worked all dang night on this chapter and I do believe I need some sleep soon. I have no idea what I'll work on next, sooo...blah? lol. See ya!