Author's Note: I just wanted to apologize for the delays. I thought I would have more time since I'm on summer vacation, but the opposite is true. I'm really trying to incorporate writing into my schedule but at this point, I'm working and sleeping.

P.S.: The next few chapters of Opposites Attract were written back in like May so at least I have this story to keep you entertained. As always, don't forget to rate, review, subscribe, and favorite.

Last Time:

"Where's Kakashi? I thought he'd be here," Rin questioned as she sat between Obito and Anko at the bar of Yahiko's Place. The interior was filled mainly with Whirlwind people, all of them a little frustrated with the events from earlier that afternoon and in desperate need of discounted drinks.

"He's with Iruka-chan," Anko answered. "Iruka-chan seemed a bit more shaken up than the rest of us so I'm letting him borrow Kakashi-kun for the night."

Opposites Attract: Chapter 37 – "the enemy of my enemy is my friend"

Toneri could barely contain his excitement as he stood there in the baggage claim of the Oto City International Airport. He'd arrived just a little over an hour ago and even though he was aware of the wait, he couldn't sit down. Naoto on the other hand had found a comfortable spot on a bench and focused on playing on his Nintendo Switch.

He glanced down at his watch and his agitation was starting to get the best of him. Her plane landed about twenty minutes ago and he'd already retrieved their bags. He had thought to call but he didn't want to rush her. When he looked up from his watch though, he saw her coming off the escalator and heading towards them.

He hadn't seen her since he moved to Konoha with his Momoshiki and Kinshiki. She didn't look any different from when he last saw her, and he was relieved. It'd been a couple of months, but he worried she'd gone through some drastic changes though he knew it wasn't likely. Her hair was pinned back into a messy bun and she wore a pencil skirt with a blouse and heels. Unconventional airplane wear but she had most likely changed in the bathroom.

"Lady Kaguya," he greeted her with a polite bow.

"Toneri." Outsutsuki Kaguya smiled as she took his chin in her hand and lifted his face off the ground. She giggled, and he seemed to melt. "You don't have to be so formal every time you see me," she said before hugging him to her breast. She let out a sigh of relief. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," he responded.

To her right was Outsutsuki Urashiki. He was much more casual and wore jeans with a long and baggy shirt with his hoodie hanging off his shoulders. His hair looked as though he had just rolled out of bed and didn't bother attempting anything with it. And he wore his usual smug look on his face.

"It looks like Little Tonton went ahead and got our bags for us too. How thoughtful," Urashiki teased as he glanced over at the small pile of bags sitting beside Naoto.

"Where are Momoshiki and Kinshiki?" Kaguya questioned.

"They're waiting outside in the car," Toneri answered.

Kaguya smiled and patted Toneri's cheek. She walked over to Naoto and affectionately pinched his cheek before looking over her shoulder at Urashiki. "Urashiki, help Naoto and Toneri take these out to the car please."

"Yes ma'am," Urashiki answered with a smile but it faded when Kaguya was outside. He looked over at Toneri, a smirk coming onto his lips. "Tonton, why don't you calm down a bit, huh? She's practically your mother and it's a big unnatural for you to be getting excited by her, you know that, right?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Toneri argued as he picked up a few bags.

Urashiki snickered. "Of course, you don't. Honestly, why Kaguya felt pity for a Branch Family member like you still baffles me." Urashiki picked up the lightest bag there was and slung it over his shoulder. "Come on," he called, "we don't have all day."

Toneri and Naoto carried out the rest of the bags and loaded up the car themselves. Once the trunk was shut, Toneri and Naoto climbed into the last row of the van and Kinshiki pulled away from the curb. Momoshiki was in the front passenger seat in the middle of playing a game of solitaire on his tablet while Kaguya was staring out the window. Urashiki snatched Naoto's Switch and started playing in Naoto's place.

"Any update on Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina?" Kaguya asked a few minutes into their car ride.

"Nothing new from what we told you last," Momoshiki answered as he continued to play. "Our connection at the hospital says that they're expected to wake up any day now but then again, it could take days, weeks, months. It's a hit or miss type of game with them right now but nothing is life threatening."

"Of course not," Kaguya said with a disappointed sigh. "I didn't expect Uzumaki Kyosuke to react as quickly as he did though. I was sure he was going to be a bit harder to convince but here we are with Whirlwind's leaders in the hospital and now in the hands of Namikaze-san's parents."

Urashiki and Momoshiki shared a look before looking at Kaguya.

"Did no one tell you?" Urashiki paused the game and handed it back to Naoto. "It turns out that their son decided to pick up the mantle while his parents are incapacitated."

"Oh?" Kaguya had a bit of a smile on her lips. "Well, that certainly is unexpected yet interesting. Does he really think he's ready for such a big responsibility? Ah, who am I to tell the young man that he can't. He'll find out soon enough that he's not fit for the job. Of course, that'll be long after we've wiped out Whirlwind and the Eternal Flame."

"Do you mind telling us again why we're meeting up with Phoenix then?" Kinshiki questioned as he tapped the steering wheel. They were stuck in traffic annoyingly enough.

"Because Phoenix is in the business of illegal narcotics and have a pretty stable business elsewhere outside of Konoha," Kaguya answered. "Phoenix has been crumbling for years and we're going to be their solution. We already know how lucrative the business of drugs is, and we're well aware of how lucrative the business of people is too."

Momoshiki shrugged. "Why don't we let Phoenix crumble then and pick up where they left off afterward? It seems Whirlwind will be fighting a war on two fronts with Eternal Flame at one side and Phoenix at another. Well, really one front considering Eternal Flame isn't strong enough to take on Whirlwind as they are now. And Phoenix can certainly try, they may even make a dent, but they're not going to win. Whirlwind isn't just the City of Konoha, it's the entirety of Fire Country."

"Hm," Kaguya thought aloud, "I see what you mean. So, how do you recommend we handle Whirlwind then?"

"Everyone has dirt," Urashiki chimed in. "I'm sure it'll be difficult to dig up the necessary dirt to make Namikaze Minato bend and break under pressure but difficult doesn't mean impossible. And I would recommend we use the Sabaku Yakuza over in Suna since they specialize in datamining and digging up dirt on people."

"There's no way you're going to get the Sabaku Yakuza to sell any information to you," Toneri spoke up from the back as he leaned over into the second row of seats. "Uzumaki Naruto and the current leader of the Sabaku Yakuza, Sabaku no Gaara, are childhood friends. And digging up information on Namikaze Minato is going to next to impossible."

"What makes you say that?" Urashiki argued.

Toneri rolled his eyes. "Do you really believe that a yakuza that large doesn't have its own way of protecting its assets? You weren't following the news like I was when Watanabe Baji kidnapped Hyuuga Hanabi."

"Watanabe Baji?" Kaguya repeated. "They said the man who kidnapped Hyuuga Hanabi was someone named Takahiro Hibiki, didn't they?"

"Exactly, they did. They as in Whirlwind. They as in Minato and Kushina. Watanabe Baji was a general within Phoenix who had recently escaped from prison," Toneri explained. "He was attempting to blackmail Minato into outing himself and the entirety of Whirlwind so that he'd face scrutiny and ultimately cause the destruction of Whirlwind. After that, Baji was planning on taking Konoha, and quite possibly Fire Country, for himself but obviously, he failed."

"How did we not know this?" Kaguya questioned as he looked at Urashiki and Momoshiki.

Momoshiki shrugged. "I'm not sure."

"It's because they control the information," Toneri stated. "Minato and Kushina didn't build a yakuza that size without incorporating multiple layers of safety nets. Whirlwind spreads across Fire Country because that's how they continue to operate underneath the radar. They have the influence, the money, and the power. Whirlwind is on an entirely different tier compared to the others."

"You've certainly done your homework," Kaguya praised.

Toneri smiled innocently.

"So, what do you recommend?" Kaguya questioned.

Urashiki groaned and rolled his eyes. "Are you seriously asking this brat about what we should do?"

"This 'brat' is already in Konoha and has more information on Whirlwind than you do, Urashiki," Kaguya argued. "I recommend you start showing a little more respect for Toneri in the near future; he's next in line after all and you'll be reporting to him before you know it."

Urashiki sucked his teeth.

"In all honesty, the position we're in isn't exactly suitable enough for us to take on Whirlwind in their world," Toneri admitted. "When comes to the World of the Shadows, we don't have much of a presence. However, in the World of the Light, we're Outsutsuki Pharmaceuticals, the leading company in health and wellness. Compared to Whirlwind, in the World of the Light, they're The Sannin Group, they're dozens of business across Fire Country and even beyond, they're police officers, lawyers, business owners. They're everywhere."

"So, you're saying we shouldn't bite off more than we can chew when it comes to Whirlwind?" Momoshiki questioned.

Toneri smiled.

later that night: Eastern Oto – Phoenix Complex

"My apologies for ask you to come here," Orochimaru apologized as he escorted Kaguya and her entourage into a lounge and gestured to a sectional. He snapped his fingers and watched as three young men came up off the wall and made their way over towards the bar, each of them beginning to craft some specialty drinks.

"It's quite all right," Kaguya said as she took a careful seat on the sectional. She wore a sweet smile on her face as she crossed her legs, her skirt rising a bit and causing Toneri to shift in his seat to her right. Urashiki sat on her left and didn't pay attention. "I understand that it's difficult to travel to Konoha and I don't mind taking the detour."

"Great." Orochimaru joined them on the sectional and watched as the young men who had gone over to the bar came over to the sectional and placed several drinks down onto the coffee table. "Thank you," he told them as he picked up a drink for himself. "You're all dismissed. And if you see Kabuto, tell him to hurry up."

"Sorry," Kabuto apologized as he hurried into his room. He cleared his throat and quickly made his way to the sectional and took a seat beside Orochimaru. He picked a drink of his own and took a sip before leaning over to Orochimaru and whispering in his ear.

Orochimaru listened for a moment before taking another sip of his own drink. "Go ahead and share. I take it Lady Kaguya and I are going to become very good friends by the end of the night."

Kabuto hesitated for a moment before sighing and taking another sip of his drink. He put his glass down onto a coaster and leaned back against the couch. "It seems that we may have underestimated little Naruto," he began. "He managed to convince A to cancel the weapon order that Kyosuke placed which means that Eternal Flame is now under armed."

"Well that's certainly inconvenient," Kaguya said as she took a drink of her own and took a sip. She wore a look of approval before placing it down onto a coaster. "Do you have any solutions?"

"Phoenix's movements are restricted enough with us against all the other yakuzas across this continent," Kabuto complained. "It was a miracle I was able to get into Konoha in the first place but of course they know I've been there by now which means I can't leave Oto for a while."

Urashiki looked to Kaguya for a moment and smirked when she nodded. He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. "We may have a readily available solution for your problem."

"Oh?" Orochimaru was intrigued. "How so?"

"We can provide you with the weapons you need," Urashiki informed. "To be quite honest, it was a bit idiotic of you to try and go to the Lightning Yakuza for your weapons considering that the five of them are in their own little interwoven group despite them not willing to admit they're friendly with one another. It's yakuzas like us who need to take their example and add it to our own lives."

Kabuto scoffed. "I would hardly call you a yakuza."

"That's fair," Kaguya admitted. "We're still fledglings compared to the rest of you but that doesn't mean we aren't willing to do what it takes to earn the respect necessary to get us recognized as such."

"If you don't mind my asking, why are you interested in crossing over into this line of business?" Orochimaru questioned. "The Outsutsuki have always been well-to-do and even more so since you were named Head of the Outsutsuki Clan and took charge of Outsutsuki Pharmaceuticals. If I'm being quite honest, I'm genuinely confused why you're interested in all of this."

"I'm interested in the power," Kaguya admitted. "I see a man like Namikaze Minato and on the surface, you see a successful business man with a family. He has influence but that's simply because of the money and let's face it, money is a nice influencer, but it can only do so much. Now, when you learn who Namikaze Minato truly is, then you see just how influential and how powerful he really is. Plus, you and I both know that if Namikaze Minato walked in here with a group of armed men, you'd fold like a piece of paper."

Orochimaru didn't respond.

"At the beginning of the day, we all want money and power but at the end of the day, we crave longevity. You know that going head to head with Whirlwind yourself, or any of the others for that matter, is going to land you in your grave. That's why you're going around through the Eternal Flame, right? You know the other four won't get involved because when it comes to Whirlwind fighting with the Eternal Flame, it's personal. But if you were to rear your head anywhere outside of Oto, then you could expect a bullet through the brain any minute. That's why you hide here, isn't it?" Kaguya questioned as she picked up her drink again. She took another sip.

Orochimaru's jaw was clenched. Kaguya smiled.

"Let us help you," Kaguya requested. "You're lacking the resources, right? You can only operate out of Oto and a city this size can provide a profit but it's nowhere near what you used to make. Phoenix is a nice name, truly it is, but it seems to me that you've used up the rest of your many lives. Put your trust in us, and you'll go back to being comfortable in no time at all."

"What makes you think I should put my faith in you and your family?" Orochimaru finally spoke, the agitation clear in his voice. "You said so yourself, you're a fledgling yakuza compared to the rest of us. You lack influence, you certainly don't have the respect, and you barely know how our world works."

"It's all a learning experience, isn't it?" Kaguya questioned. "And I suggest you put your faith in my family and I because we have the money and the resources to get you want you want. And you really wouldn't want to be left out once we've established ourselves more because I can guarantee this now: I will mow you down without even breaking a sweat."

Kabuto sucked his teeth.

"So, what do you say?" Kaguya questioned. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend and it's just like you said, you and I are going to be very good friends by the end of tonight. Of course, that's only if you accept the facts and put your faith in me."

The City of Konoha's Seventh Ward: Whirlwind Yakuza Estate – Naruto's Room

Naruto let out a heavy sigh as he walked out of his bathroom with his towel around his waist and a towel around his neck. He sat on the edge of his bed and dried the rest of his hair before Kurama came over and rest his head in his lap. Naruto chuckled and scratched behind his dog's ears. "You sleepy, buddy?"

Naruto's door opened and when he looked over his shoulder, he saw Hinata in the doorway. He saw the frantic expression on her face and he quickly stood to his feet. "Hinata, what's wrong?" He came around his bed and before he could even cross the room, Hinata was in his arms. "Hinata?"

"Young Master?" Iruka was in the doorway soon after Hinata hugged Naruto.

"It's fine," Naruto told Iruka. "Can you take Kurama out for me?"

Iruka nodded and snapped his fingers. Kurama walked out of the room and once he was in the hall, Iruka shut the door on his way out. Once the door clicked shut, Hinata let go of Naruto and put her hand on his cheek.

"What is it?" Naruto questioned.

Hinata pursed her lips together before pulling her hand away from his face. "I'm sorry for not coming over sooner. I just got back into town and found out about your parents' accident. How are they?"

"They're good," Naruto answered. "Stable. And congratulations on winning your competition. It took a while, but I was able to find the channel that was broadcasting your competition. I'm sorry for not being able to be there in person and cheer you on."

Hinata shook her head. "No, it's fine. You don't need to apologize." Hinata finally noticed that Naruto was in nothing but a towel. She turned red and looked away. "I'm sorry! I barged in here without knocking."

And Naruto remembered he wasn't in anything except a towel. "Sorry! I'll get dressed. Uh, give me a second, okay?" He quickly slipped into his closet and quickly pulled on boxers, orange sweatpants, and a white shirt. He walked back in the bedroom and cleared his throat.

Hinata looked at him. "Are you okay?"

Naruto was going to answer immediately but couldn't think of what to say. He pursed his lips together and thought for a moment before managing a bit of a smile. "I'm managing." He sat on the edge of his bed and rubbed the back of his neck. He sighed and watched as Hinata took a seat beside him. "It's good to see you."

"You too," Hinata admitted with a smile.

For an hour, they talked about anything but Naruto's situation with Whirlwind, his parents, and Phoenix. And it was nice. Naruto hadn't realized how much time had passed between now and the last time he talked to Hinata. Her voice was something he needed to hear because he had calmed down and felt like he could breathe for the first time in what felt like forever.

"It's late, isn't it?" Naruto questioned. He was lying on his side while Hinata sat up on his bed with her legs crossed in front of her.

Hinata looked over her shoulder at Naruto's alarm clock and saw it was nearing one in the morning. She picked up her phone and woke up the screen. She flashed it to Naruto and he saw that there weren't any missed calls or text messages.

"You told them you were coming here?" Naruto asked.

Hinata nodded, "Yeah. Father was against it at first, but Mother managed to convince him."

"Well, if that's the case, let me show you the guest's room," Naruto suggested before beginning to sit up.

Hinata placed her hand over Naruto's, a slight blush coming onto her cheeks. She squeezed his hand and Naruto looked at her. He'd been trying to ignore his own urges ever since he saw Hinata in his doorway but considering the situation they were in now, there was no way he'd be able to continue to do so. He saw the silent request in her eyes and he saw the way she bit her bottom lip.

He swallowed hard before leaning in towards her. Their foreheads touched, the two of them trying to restrain themselves but Naruto broke first. He pressed his lips against hers and without missing a beat, she responded to the kiss.

It didn't take long for their kiss to start pushing them towards familiar territory. Their breathing became labored and their hands began familiarizing themselves with the other person's body. The kiss intensified to the point where their tongues brushed against the other's lip. Hinata climbed into his lap and laced her fingers through Naruto's hair on the back of his head.

He groaned in the back of his throat and broke the kiss. He rested his head against her shoulder and held his hands at her waist. He squeezed to the point where Hinata whimpered. He immediately let go and raised his head.

"I'm sorry," he breathed.

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata slid her hands to his shoulders.

Naruto shook his head and moved Hinata out of his lap. He sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed his face. He let out another groan of frustration. He tensed up a bit when he felt Hinata's hand on his back; he looked at her as she took a seat beside him on the edge of the bed.

"What's wrong?" Hinata asked.

Naruto pursed his lips together. He looked down towards the ground and laced his fingers together. "I've been thinking about this for a while and we…we can't do this anymore."

"What're you talking about?" Hinata stopped rubbing Naruto's back.

"I asked for the impossible when I asked you to be my girlfriend," Naruto confessed. "Grandpa Jiraiya had warned me about the difficulties that would come if you and I were to date but I didn't listen. I love you Hinata, I do. I really do. But I can't keep sitting around thinking that you'll come around some day."

Hinata didn't say anything.

"I killed someone, Hinata," Naruto reminded her. "I know it's something that's hard to even think about, but it happened. It's an occupational hazard when operating in the Shadows. I'm in no position to ask you to accept that or even ask you to become a part of this life, Hinata. I can't do that to you. I can't drag you down here with me."

Hinata sighed and messed with the edge of her skirt. "Do you remember when your mother and I spoke in private after my competition in Kumo?"

Naruto nodded. "I remember."

"She told me about what it meant to be with you," Hinata said.

Naruto clenched his jaw and held his hand.

"It'll take some time for me to adjust," Hinata began as she placed her hand on Naruto's, "but I want to be with you."

"You might not think that way soon," Naruto scoffed. He held her hand and looked at him. "I…I need you to think about this. Really think about it because I don't know if you'll have the same answer after…after…"

"After what?" Hinata asked.

Naruto shook his head. He patted her hand and managed a strained smile. "Just…take some more time to think about it, okay? I'll drive you home in the morning."

To Be Continued…