Sorry I missed yesterday, one thing led to an other. Enjoy the rest of the vacation.
Naruto and the Pack spent nearly an hour on the beach, running around on the sand, and then splashing around in the waves. He and Sakura (who as promised only took fifteen minutes) managed to coax Tenten out into the sea, then hovered nearby reassuring her, while she got over her fear of the water. Jumping over the incoming waves had the ravenette laughing with delight, and they all had lots of fun, forgetting their cares and worries for a while.
Shikamaru the robot butler appeared a few minutes before seven, flanked by a couple of cleaning robots that were carrying freshly laundered towels. They rolled down to the beach via a carefully concealed ramp, and then waited nearby for their guests to come out of the water. Naruto strode over and gratefully took the towels, handing them out to the crew as they joined him.
"Breakfast is served, Sir," Shikamaru told him with an obsequious robotic bow, and then turned around with his automated companions to head back indoors.
Naruto glanced out at the sea, wondering if Fu was alright, and Hinata walked up and gently shoulder bumped him, making him look down at her.
"She's having the time of her life, don't worry," the bluenette girl told him happily.
He grinned, and then led the rest of their group back up to the glass doors. When they opened automatically, delightful smells wafted out to them, and rumbling stomachs reminded them of how hungry they were. Shikamaru guided them to the back of the lounge on his quiet treads, and they saw that there was a cleverly concealed passageway here that they had missed at first glance. It led out to a dining room, with a table overflowing with food.
The robotic staff had been extremely busy, preparing a wide variety of fruits for them to enjoy, as well as cooked sausages, eggs and lots of toast. After they had chosen their breakfast, they stood around in confusion for a moment, not seeing any chairs.
"This way, Sir," Shikamaru told Naruto, deeply in character, and then rolled silently up to the windows which slid open automatically for the automaton.
Following behind, they saw that there was a gentle ramp that led down to a sun terrace by the main beach. There were tables and chairs set up here, with cool shade provided by spotlessly clean, overhanging parasols. Naruto glanced up, and realised that they were now directly below their bedroom, which hung out from the cliff face, sixty feet above them. They settled in the chairs, sipping iced drinks brought to them by the butler and his staff, while tucking into their delicious breakfast.
"This place is unbelievable," Hana murmured as she sipped her drink, and lounged back in her reclining chair.
"I don't think I've ever felt this relaxed," Sasuke agreed, as he took dainty bites of a slice of pineapple.
"I've been on some exotic vacations before, but this tops them all," Sakura conceded. She had already had a big meal that morning, but the food prepared by the Oceanus robotic staff looked so good, she had assembled a small plate of things to try.
Naruto let out a big sigh, as he finished his cooked breakfast and then sagged back into his chair, making it recline like Hana had done. "I could get used to this," he said with a contented chuckle.
"You really get your money's worth when you come here," Hinata said with a grin.
"Though getting that surprise of sea water going up my nose, I could have done without," Gaara huffed.
The only one who hadn't said anything was Tenten, who was busy eating, but kept glancing back at the door longingly from time to time.
"What's up honey, not having a good time?" Naruto asked her when he noticed she had stayed quiet.
"Oh, sorry! I was a bit distracted," the ravenette apologised, flushing a little with embarrassment.
Hinata grinned at her old friend, and shook her head affectionately. "She can't keep her mind off her research projects. Playing with all the toys you've given her is basically a 24/7 vacation for our lovely Chief Engineer," she explained with a look of amusement.
Tenten looked sheepish, and when Naruto looked at her, she nodded. "I can't help it! There's so much awesome stuff I'm itching to research and build!" she said eagerly.
"Well it's your holiday, and I want you to do whatever makes you happy," he told her indulgently. "Just make sure you join us for mealtimes though, okay?"
"You're the best!" Tenten said with a grin, and then wolfed down the rest of her breakfast.
She got up, and walked over to kiss him affectionately before turning to leave. Sakura stood too, and walked over to join her friend.
"I'll keep you company, if that's okay? I'd like to start looking at the test results," the pinkette said with a smile.
Tenten nodded happily, and the two girls walked hand-in-hand back up to the building.
"Those two will be the first to Bond, I'll bet," Sasuke mused, watching them go.
"Probably. Now, we can go back to the beach, but I have to leave before ten. I have my first sword training session this morning," Naruto said apologetically.
"I don't know how we'll cope on our own!" Hinata said melodramatically, as she reclined in her chair and sipped a fruit cocktail.
The crew giggled and Naruto joined them with a big laugh too. He finished his iced drink and then stood and stretched, looking out over the sea.
"I'll tell her to be back for dinner," Hinata told him, picking up on his worry about the missing Nymph.
"Thanks, honey," Naruto said, as he glanced back at the bluenette and smiled.
Gaara and Sasuke, being more athletic, rejoined him in returning to the beach. Hinata and Hana, meanwhile, leaned back in their chairs and soaked up the sun.
Three hours later, Naruto walked into the training room and over to the console on the simulation device. He brought up the comm interface, and selected Rock Lee from the list of contacts, the call going through a moment later.
The stern faced man answered the call almost immediately. "Good. You have your equipment?" he asked curtly.
"Yes, Mr Rock, or should I call you Sensei?" John asked curiously.
"Call me Lee," the other man replied, then turned to a device out of shot of the viewscreen.
He pressed a few buttons, and the simulation system that had been set up in the room flashed with a blinking green light. Naruto walked over to it and pressed the button, and the device hummed happily to itself for a moment, establishing a real-time connection with the simulation machine owned by Lee. Affixed to the outside of the resort, a massively powerful and exceedingly expensive pulse generator kicked in, enabling an instantaneous relay of the signals between Naruto and his trainer.
The flashing green light turned a solid green, and then the room seemed to transform, the walls and floor changing before his eyes as a sophisticated holographic environment was created. Naruto turned to look out at the tranquil location that had sprung into being around him.
They were standing in an open air dojo in the middle of a carefully sculpted garden, the only sound coming from a small stream that gurgled and babbled to itself happily, where it wound its way through the glade. The sun shone brightly overhead, and cherry blossom trees cast a dappled shade over the pristine and carefully manicured lawn, which had not a blade of grass out of place. The dojo overlooked a square area set in the ground, that was surrounded on all sides by a tiny green fence, and contained thousands of identical, perfectly rounded white stones. The pale stones had been carefully positioned, and posed to look like the surging waves of the sea, with a single onyx stone at the crest of the wave.
The scene made him feel at peace, and he turned to face his trainer with a smile on his face. Lee was wearing a black hakama, that was belted at the waist, but left his chest bare, and revealed a finely chiselled torso. Naruto had to remind himself that the man wasn't physically there for him to flirt with, and it would be a bad idea. His research on the man hadn't revealed whether he was married or his sexuality.
"Choose your blade," he said to Naruto, gesturing with his hand towards the practice swords.
Naruto walked over to the weapons, and picked up the Odachi he had practiced with earlier.
"This is closest in size to the weapon I fight with," he explained as he walked back to face the other man.
"Attack me," Lee instructed him, as he stepped back and placed his hand on the hilt of the long katana that was sheathed at his waist.
Naruto nodded, lifted the Odachi over his head with both hands, and stepped forward with a sailing overhead chop. The Katana in Lee's hand flashed out of its sheath and harmlessly deflected the stroke, with the perfect ringing note of steel against steel. The swordmaster did not counter attack, and waited patiently while Naruto followed up with one overhead blow after another, the long blade moving in a figure of eight as John slashed down with it, with an over-the-shoulder blow from one side and then the other.
Finally Lee had seen enough, and he stepped back and sheathed his blade with a deep sigh.
"You're attacking with a sword, not a baseball bat! There's a hint of kendo to your movements, but you're the worst I've ever seen utilize it," he snorted in disgust. "How have you managed to kill anyone fighting like that?" he asked Naruto dubiously.
Figuring he should be totally honest with his instructor, Naruto revealed "You don't have to believe me, but I'm psychic. I can be much stronger and faster when I need to be." So saying, Naruto activated Psychic Speed and did the same overhead swipes as last time.
Lee's eyes widened before he recovered himself. "Be that as it may, strength counts for nothing in this simulation, only speed and skill. And I hereby order you not to use that trick you just used to cheat," replied dismissively. "Now pay attention. I will teach you the Kata."
Fu swam lazily through the currents, gliding along in the water. Being a shark had been lots of fun, and terrifying the reef fish had been extremely entertaining, but she was starting to feel a little lonely. Having been around Naruto and the Pack for the last several weeks, she realised she had become used to their constant presence, and she was missing their friendly chatter. She was just about to head back to the island, when a pod of dolphins swam by, circling her cautiously as if trying to fathom out exactly what she was.
She heard the clicks of sonar coming from the sleek aquatic mammals, and she realised that they were attempting to communicate with her. Unfortunately the shark form was not equipped with the specialised larynx and air sacs needed to respond, so she was about to turn around sadly and return home, when something stopped her.
"Go wild," Naruto's voice urged her, seeming to echo in her mind, and she studied the nearby dolphins with a much sharper eye.
She could feel that surging need to change welling up inside her, and she surrendered to it once again, her shark body shimmering in a green haze. Fu pushed her body into the new form she had in mind, that of a green bottlenose dolphin, and she grew smaller and more compact as she adopted that shape. Finally she was done, and with an effortless flick of her tail she surged towards the surface and flipped out of the water, before diving back down joyfully beneath the surface. The sonar clicks came through stronger now as the other dolphins swam closer, and Fu let her new body respond instinctively.
"Hello," she said tentatively, in what she hoped was a friendly tone.
The pod of dolphins surged around her, nudging her gently before racing away. Their clicks and sounds suddenly began to make sense, and Fu grinned with glee.
"You're so pretty! I've never seen a green dolphin before!"
"We're going to hunt some herring, come and play!"
"How fast can you swim? I bet I can swim faster!"
Letting out a delighted dolphin giggle, Fu surged along with her new podmates, racing away under the waves.
"You are dead," Lee told him coldly, and then stepped back, sheathing his sword.
Naruto groaned with frustration, and then walked back to his starting position on the wooden floor of the dojo. They had been training solidly for the last two hours now, and to say that he found Lee to be a difficult teacher was putting it mildly. The older man had gone through the initial kata that he wanted him to learn, which for someone with many years of martial arts experience like Naruto, came as no surprise at all. However Lee expected perfection in his student, and any slight deviation from the sword stroke was met with an angry flash of the man's blade. The simulation software would then gleefully inform Naruto how he had been decapitated or dismembered.
"Break for lunch, be back here in one hour," the man said curtly, and then disappeared from view as he exited the simulation at his end.
Naruto placed his Odachi next to the Katana on the weapons rack, and then with a sigh, he strolled out of the room to join the others. He found the crew waiting for him in the lounge, and they smiled at him warmly.
"Finding the training tough going?" Hinata asked him sympathetically, which was rhetorical, as they all already knew the answer, having listened in on Naruto's thoughts that morning.
"Let's just say he's a difficult man to interact with," Naruto replied with a smile.
"Don't worry, we're going to make you feel all better," she said soothingly, and took his hand and led him around to one of the chairs.
Sakura was kneeling there already, waiting patiently for him, and she flashed him an inviting smile when he sat down.
"Let me get rid of your tension," she purred, and after pulling out his cock from his training trousers, she enveloped the head, and began to blow him with gentle, teasing suction.
"Something to eat?" Hana asked, presenting him with a plate of sandwiches.
Naruto took one, and grinned up at her appreciatively, before his attention was drawn to Tenten approaching on his other side.
"Something to drink?" the ravenette asked him, bringing the straw of a chilled fruit cocktail to his lips, so that he could take a big drink.
Hinata stood behind him, and began to massage the tense muscles in his shoulders. "Just relax. We're going to look after you, while Sakura empties your balls," she whispered lovingly in his ear.
Sasuke and Gaara, not to be left out, started to make out and put on a show for Naruto's benefit.
Naruto sagged back in his chair and moaned happily as he munched on his sandwich, while the gorgeous pinkette between his legs began to step things up a gear.
With a heavy heart, Fu clicked and chattered to her new dolphin friends, explaining that she had to return to see her family that evening. They were sad to see her go, but very understanding. She flipped in the water and began to swim to the North, heading on a direct course back to the island where Naruto and the others were staying. The other dolphins turned and swam with her for a while, cavorting around in the water, as they kept pace with her. After much begging and pleading, she agreed to meet with them again tomorrow morning, and she grinned at their antics as they flashed alongside her in the water.
The pod leader, Bigfish, decided that they would accompany her all the way back home, and Jade chittered to him gratefully. He was named sarcastically, after his tall tales of the supposedly huge fish he'd managed to catch when out swimming on his own. Fu had been delighted to find that the dolphins had a great sense of humor, and were always making jokes at their own, or each other's expense. Her name was "Greengills", as the dolphins had said that with her mottled verdant colouring, she looked like a sickly fish.
"Come on, Greengills, I'll race you back," said one of the particularly energetic dolphins, called Seaslug.
"Maybe I'll just use one flipper, then you might have a chance, Seaslug!" she retorted, and they raced away under the waves.
The afternoon meant a long session of Kata practice for Naruto, with Lee chastising him with a fatal sword stroke for every misplaced foot, or incorrectly angled strike. Despite the simulator chirpily informing the Uzu that he was dead every few minutes, he was finding the instruction quite enlightening. He had no idea what sword fighting technique Lee was teaching him, but it certainly wasn't Kendo. The style emphasized control of the blade, with flickering strikes to maim and disable, then quickly returning to a state of readiness in preparation for the next attack, or to move quickly to the defensive.
On the whole, Naruto found the day extremely productive, and he grinned happily at the end of the session.
"Thanks for today's session Lee, I feel like I learned a huge amount," Naruto said gratefully.
Lee just grunted, and turned away. "Same time tomorrow," he said brusquely, and ended the simulation.
Naruto had to blink a couple of times to readjust as the dojo in the tranquil glade was instantly replaced with the smooth cream coloured walls of the resort's training room. He laughed, and shook his head, before returning his two-handed blade to the rack of swords and exiting the room.
The lounge was currently deserted, and he looked about with surprise, expecting a deluge of scantily clad girls and guys to descend on him.
*We must be spoiling you...* Hinata teased him mischievously as she read his thoughts.
*Okay, lunch was pretty incredible. I was hoping we had set a new precedent,* he joked back.
*We're introducing Gaara and Sakura to the Firing Range. Sakura's a surprisingly good shot, while Gaara is near hopeless even with the Knowledge Transference from yours truly. He might only be suiting up in an emergency, and even then he might rely on psychic powers. We'll be back in a minute,* Hinata reported faithfully.
Naruto ascended in the elevator, and turned on the lamp on the mezzanine, before he went into the bathroom to go and take a shower. His body ached from the intensive training today, using muscle groups that he had seldom used before, and never at this level of intensity. The warm water eased the twinges in his tired body, and he stood under the shower head for a long time, just relishing the stream that patterned over his skin.
He eventually roused himself, stepped out of the shower, and took a warm soft towel from the heated rails, which he used to get dry. He strolled out of the bathroom completely naked, and walked into the nearby wardrobe, to get changed. Picking out a white shirt and some light linen trousers, he got dressed, put on some summer shoes, and headed out onto the mezzanine to look for his Pack.
They were waiting for him down in the lounge, having got ready for dinner aboard the Invictus. They rose together, and walked gracefully over to join him, bright smiles on their teenage faces. Each girl was wearing a long flowing summer dress for dinner, and they looked elegant as they glided over. The guys had followed Naruto's idea of a shirt and shorts. He could tell the girls were all wearing heels, as they were all nearly at his height, rather than being several inches shorter.
"You look beautiful," he said to them appreciatively, and the young women and men smiled all the wider.
"You look very handsome yourself," Hinata replied, running her hand around his waist and leaning in for a kiss when she reached him.
He looked from one beautiful crewmate to the next, before he asked, "Did you all have a good day?"
There were eager nods all round, and he was about to lead them off for dinner, when he noticed a green blur from the corner of his eye, at the water's edge in the cove. Fu appeared completely nude, and she sprinted up the steps to come in through the glass doors.
"You're back!" Naruto said with delight.
She ran up to him, with the broadest, happiest smile he had seen on her yet, and was practically bouncing up and down with excitement.
"Thank you so much!" she gasped, breathy with gratitude. "I've been having the best time ever!"
He was overjoyed to see her looking so happy, and he offered her his arm, to keep him company for dinner. "Tell me all about it," he told her enthusiastically, looking forward to hearing her tale.
"Ahem," Hinata said with a raised eyebrow as she cast a look at Fu's entirely naked green body.
"Oops! I better go and get ready," the Nymph said with a giggle.
The bluenette reached over the back of a nearby chair and handed Fu a long aquamarine dress, and a pair of matching high heeled shoes. "I brought these, just in case," she said, winking at the alien girl.
"I owe you one," Fu giggled with relief, and put the heels onto the floor and stepped into them.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Naruto asked in amusement, as Fu stood beside him entirely naked, the heels making her taut cheeks look even more rounded and enticing.
She winked at him, and then brought the dress over her head, so that it fell down and sheathed her body in one quick moment. "All done!" she exclaimed, hooking her arm through his once more.
They walked off to dinner, with the sound of excited chatter filling the air as they meandered out to the terrace.
Their evening meal was a leisurely, relaxed affair, full of excited talk of what everyone had been up to during the day. Naruto listened to them all avidly, and was pleased to hear that they were all having a good time. Fu's tales of undersea exploration and playing with the dolphins had everyone entranced, and they all wished they could experience the same thing, even Tenten, who smiled wistfully at the thought.
Tonight's dinner smelt mouth-watering, consisting of baked Tilapia, with large cut fries and an assortment of vegetables. The food was delicious, tasting every bit as good as the other meals so far.
"I wonder how they catch the fish and serve it here," Hana pondered, before taking a big bite.
"Maybe there was some robot fisherman somewhere, frenziedly catching fish for tonight's meal," Tenten said with a smile.
"Tilapia is a fresh-water fish, so they must ship them here from off-planet," Fu offered informatively. "I've been learning lots about fish this afternoon," she added with a grin.
Dinner was finally done, with Sakura enjoying a very filling desert. After she was nice and full, they sat out on some white canvas furniture to watch the sun set, and drink more cocktails, but this time with some kick to them. Shikamaru the butler was very attentive, and they sent him scurrying back and forth as they knocked back the drinks, getting progressively merrier. The conversation was playful and light-hearted, with plenty of laughter all round. By about midnight, Naruto's cheek muscles were aching from laughing so much, and by the giggling and beaming smiles from the crew, he knew that they had enjoyed the evening as much as he did. They called it a night, and retired to bed, tired but wonderfully happy after their first day on the island.
The next morning, the crew chattered away happily when they sat down for breakfast, discussing their plans for the day. Tenten had disappeared for a few minutes along with Sakura before rejoining them, and when she eventually returned, she announced that she had set up the ship's sensors to sweep the complex for bugs before they made any 'upgrades' to the Invictus. They finished off an enjoyable meal, with Shikamaru the butler providing them an endless supply of fruit cocktails on demand.
Predicting that it would take an hour or so at most for the in-depth scans to finish, they all decided to relax on the beach together before going their separate ways. They helped Tenten build a ridiculously elaborate and complex sand castle using the golden sands in the cove, and they had just about finished when her wrist alarm alerted her that the scans were complete. She checked the results on the holographic panel that appeared, and nodded with satisfaction that the scans had found no suspicious devices.
Fu spotted dorsal fins out in the deeper water beyond the cove, and looked up at Naruto eagerly. He nodded back at her with a grin, and she gave him a grateful kiss, and promised to be back for dinner, before she stripped off her bikini, and dove cleanly into the water. She bobbed up a few dozen meters out from shore, and waved them goodbye, before shimmering before their eyes and turning into a dolphin. She thrashed her tail and rose up out of the sea, seemingly hovering with just her tail submerged as it churned through the water, before she clicked at them excitedly and dove back beneath the waves.
"Time for me to start getting killed again," Naruto said wryly, as he glanced at his watch, and saw that it was nearly ten in the morning.
The girls and guys giggled and waved him goodbye, with promises to lift his spirits at lunchtime, and he laughed as he headed back to the complex to get ready for his training. The remaining crew headed back to the Invictus, so that they could re-plate the hull for the Invictus and Raptor, while Tenten and Sakura planned to continue their research. Working together, they believed they could pool resources to dodeca-shape the Invictium and thus render the ships immune to Laser weaponry and, at 13x the strength of Titanium, most kinetics.
Sakura stuck around to see the display of psychic powers. Her jaw dropped as she saw the plates on the Invictus float off, melt into white blobs, and be shaped another five times before settling on an armor plate once again. The Pack all had focused expressions on their faces, as their minds unified to tackle the colossal task of molding an increasingly resistant metallic crystal.
*Kind of blows your mind, seeing magic, and knowing you'll be capable of the same one day, doesn't it?* Naruto asked her mentally, taking a small break after his latest death at the hands of Rock Lee.
*It's one thing to hear you guys say you're psychic, it's another to see it. It's amazing,* Sakura whispered mentally in awe.
Sakura wound up watching the whole process of replating the Invictus and Raptor, marveling at the might of psionic energy and wishing she could study it like the scientist she was. "That was incredible! While I have all of you, can I get some blood samples and a full body scan? That way I can compare results with mine when I'm done!"
"Sure," Hinata said, wishing she had a fruit cocktail that moment. While purely exercising her brain, dodeca-shaping Invictium was thirsty work.
Back with Naruto, things weren't nearly so successful.
"You are dead!" Lee snarled, as his blade flashed back into its sheath. "Again!"
Naruto ground his teeth with frustration, but did as he was ordered. The older man was apparently satisfied with his learning of the new Kata, and they had begun to spar. Well, if you could call it that, as it was nothing like any kind of sparring sessions Naruto had been involved with before. He would cautiously attack, before being brutally murdered time and time again by Lee, which the simulator would then announce gleefully, along with a replay showing his hand, or head, or leg, sailing across the dojo.
He controlled his temper, and breathed deeply to achieve a state of focus once more. As much as Lee's remorseless executions were annoying him, he instinctively knew he was learning a huge amount from the dour man. Lee's attacks were lightning fast and incredibly precise, but he never overextended himself for some massive killing blow, instead seeking to use the incredibly sharp cutting power of his blade to sever Naruto's simulated unarmored flesh.
Naruto knew that he might not be able to use his colossal strength now in the simulator, but as and when he did this for real, these quick controlled slashes with his incredibly sharp Invictium blade would cut his opponents to pieces. He stepped forward again, and took a cautious right to left slash at Lee's arms. The man sidestepped gracefully, parried, then counterattacked so quickly, Naruto struggled to see where he went.
"You are dead!" Lee announced, as his blade flashed across John's throat, and then back into its sheath. "Again!"
Naruto watched the simulator replay intently, carefully observing Lee's impressive footwork, and smiled as he filed that away to practice and use. He nodded respectfully to the man and moved back across the wooden floor of the dojo to begin again.
As promised, Naruto was treated like a king at lunch time, leaving him refreshed and energized for his afternoon session. Hinata took a rounded Sakura and Gaara back to the Firing Range, determined to make expert marksman out of them. Hana went onto the dining terrace and spent the afternoon sunbathing. Sasuke practiced his psychic powers on the beach, taking advantage of the nearby ocean to hone his Water Manipulation; he figured he could one-two punch someone by wetting them before electrocuting them. Fu was still having fun with her dolphin pod. And Tenten set off another round on the Mass Fabricators to make the miniaturized Shield Generators and retrothrusters for the Armors, while she spent the afternoon replacing the Oxygen filters with her new design.
Naruto rejoined them in the evening, looking much happier at the end of this training session, as he explained how much he was learning. Fu joined them shortly afterwards, having spent the day swimming wild with her new dolphin friends. They got dressed up for dinner, and had an enjoyable meal sitting together and chatting. He had asked Sakura to wait for her main evening meal from him, and she had nodded obediently, eating lightly with them instead.
At one point Naruto looked around at each of the crew, and it was like he could almost see their worries lifting away as they embraced life here at the island, relaxing and having fun together. It was wonderful to see them all looking so happy, and when he finally looked over at Hinata, she returned his gaze fondly.
He had added Ichiraku Ayame to his list of people that were allowed to contact him through the communications blackout surrounding the planet Oceanus, and she had sent him a message that afternoon. She had grinned excitedly, her dark brown eyes flashing with glee, when she told him that the Konoha Federation had authorized almost everything in the interview he had given with her after the award ceremony. The broadcast would be going out at eight that evening, so he was looking forward to seeing the crew's reaction to it, as he had blocked them from his thoughts while giving the interview.
They finished the rest of their dinner, then sipped some alcoholic drinks as they stood on the sun terrace, and watched another spectacular Oceanus sunset.
"If you all would care to join me in the lounge, we should be in perfect timing for the KFNN interview," he announced, drawing all their attention.
They began to chatter excitedly, speculating on what Naruto might have said in the interview, and he laughed when he heard some of the more raunchy comments. Tenten bounced ahead, eager to set up the view-screen for them, and when they caught up with her in the lounge, a twenty foot tall section of the glass windows had turned opaque. She pressed a button on the remote, and with a brief crackle of static, the image transformed into the familiar face of Armstrong Bill, lead anchor for Konoha Federation Network News.
The smartly dressed and immaculately groomed man was talking about escalating tensions with the Kumo Empire, and how the Konoha Federation had been urging for peace, whilst robustly defending its territory against such unwarranted aggression. Naruto rolled his eyes at the blatantly biased reporting, but remained silent while he waited for the interview. They didn't have to wait long before the attractive pale skinned reporter they had met at Olympus appeared on the screen.
"... And now we have a KFNN exclusive with our very own Ichiraku Ayame!" Armstrong Bill said with a warm smile. "Ayame, I'm sure our viewers can't wait to find out what you have for them."
"Thanks, Bill!" Ayame replied gratefully. "As you might remember, nearly a month ago I brought you a special report on the heroic actions of Commander Uzumaki Naruto, and his valiant crew aboard their ship, the Invictus!"
The crew cheered enthusiastically when they heard themselves being mentioned on the news.
"I certainly do, Ayame," Bill beamed at the young woman. "It's always heart-warming to hear tales of heroism against enemies of the Konoha Federation!"
"Well you should enjoy this special report then, Bill," Ayame told him with a wide grin. "I had the privilege of being invited to a special award ceremony in honour of 'Commodore' Uzumaki Naruto and his crew," she said, emphasising his new rank.
"A promotion to Commodore!" Bill exclaimed. "He must have done something incredible to earn that..."
Ayame nodded, her face turning serious. "A rampaging Kumo warband attacked the Iota Leonis system, heavily outnumbering the stoic Konoha forces stationed there. All could have been lost if not for Commodore Uzumaki and his stalwart crew, who defended the starport and protected our ships, rescuing well over a thousand brave and loyal Konoha Federation personnel. Not only that, our bold hero managed to capture all but one of the warband except for the flagship which they destroyed, along with several hundred Kumo warriors," she said, her face filled with wonder.
"Absolutely incredible!" Bill exclaimed. "I believe you had the exclusive honor to interview this bold hero?"
"It was the highlight of my career, Bill," Ayame told him, nodding emphatically.
Naruto grinned at the screen. "They're laying it on pretty thick," he said self-effacingly.
"Everything she's saying is true," Sasuke pointed out, they all now aware of their inherent lie detection power. "We were rather heroic, and as our leader the credit goes to you."
The image had changed from the reporters in their studio, to the room in the Olympus Shipyard where he had given the interview to Ayame. They were sitting opposite each other with their chairs slightly angled towards the screen, the cameraman holding them both in the shot.
"... Commodore Uzumaki Naruto, it's wonderful to be able to interview you in person this time. Thank you so much for agreeing to speak to me," the pretty young woman said, as she flirtatiously brushed her long black hair away from her eyes.
*She wants you so bad,* Hinata told him with amusement.
*Shh, you naughty girl,* he chastised the bluenette with a chuckle.
"Thank you, Ayame. I'm always pleased to speak to the hardworking journalists at TFNN," John replied with a warm smile.
*Oh! You want her too,* Hinata teased him.
Naruto stifled a laugh. *She's hot, I can't help it,* he replied, and the two of them shared a smile.
The twenty foot tall image of Ayame smiled gratefully at Naruto before she continued, "Firstly let me congratulate you on your recent promotion! When we last spoke you held the rank of Commander, and had retired some years ago. Are you back in full-time service now?"
"Thanks. It was a pleasant surprise, but I'm always honored to serve the Konoha Federation in whatever capacity I can," Naruto said gratefully, neatly evading the question.
"You and your brave crew were also awarded the Lion Defender medal, I believe?" she asked him leadingly. "Would it be alright to show it to our viewers?"
Naruto nodded and turned slightly towards the camera, so that it could zoom in on his chest, focused on the golden image of the lion roaring defiantly at the dragon.
"I believe Admiral Senju awarded you a new title to go along with the medal as well?" Jehanna asked him with raised eyebrow and a smile.
"That's correct, Jehanna. I believe she called us the 'Wolves of the Federation'," Naruto replied with a smile. "With regard to my crew, it's a very appropriate nickname, as we work and fight together much like a pack of wolves. We even nicknamed ourselves the Uzumaki Pack even before Admiral Senju gave us this appellation. They are amongst the bravest people I've ever served with," he added earnestly.
The crew looked up at him adoringly, and he smiled back at them affectionately.
The pale skinned reporter grinned at him, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "We actually have a picture of you with these Wolves," she said eagerly, and a moment later the feed of Naruto and the reporter was replaced by the holo-image they had had taken of the four girls in uniform draped over Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara.
"They are breathtakingly gorgeous girls and devilishly handsome men," Ayame exclaimed, admiringly. "They must be breaking hearts wherever you lead them."
"You have no argument from me there. They're as capable as they are beautiful, and our success at Iota Leonis is in large part due to their incredible skill and dedication," he said proudly.
"Well thank you for taking the time to give this interview, Commodore. Congratulations again on your well-earned promotion, and to all of you for the medals," she gushed effusively.
Naruto smiled back at her warmly, "It was a pleasure as always, Ayame."
The image cut away, and returned to Armstrong Bill and Ichiraku Ayame in the KFNN newsroom. "And there we have it, the Wolves of the Federation and their Alpha," the attractive young reporter said with a huge smile.
"It sounds like we owe them a huge debt of gratitude, Ayame," Bill said sincerely.
Ayame nodded emphatically. "We certainly do, and I'm sure this isn't the last we've heard from Commodore Uzumaki, either!"
The camera cut away as the KFNN moved on to the next news story about the increase of piracy around the galaxy.
"Well, now everyone knows our nickname," Naruto said lightly.
Fu leaned over and kissed him heatedly. "This she-wolf is in heat from seeing her Alpha be so honored. Will he please mount her?"
Naruto grinned and turned to Sakura. "What do you say, Sakura? Feel like having dinner from Fu?"
Sakura blushed as she realized what he meant, but she gave a tentative nod.
They woke late the next morning, everyone still tired from the frenzied orgy the previous night. After they had seen Naruto roughly take Fu from behind, with her begging him to ride her harder, they had all wanted to be ravaged by the Alpha male in charge of the Pack. He had very nearly succumbed to temptation with Sakura too, the look she had given, letting him know she was more than up for it. He managed to resist though, and she settled for filling her stomach while Fu writhed under her eager tongue.
When Naruto checked the call log, he saw that Hana's father, Inuzuka Jack, had called them in the middle of the night, their time-zones being several hours apart. Hana nodded and smiled when he told her, and said that she would call her father back that evening. They went about their day training, researching or having fun, and after they had eaten dinner, Hana went through to the lounge to try contacting her family home on Jericho.
It only took a few rings before her father's face appeared on the screen, and his attractive features broke into a huge smile when he saw his daughter, along with the rest of the crew.
"Hana-banana! It's wonderful to see you," Jack gasped with delight.
"Sorry I couldn't take your call last night, Dad," Hana apologised with a self-conscious smile. "We're on Oceanus, and there's a thirteen hour time difference for us here."
"There's no need to apologize, I understand. You get used to it having your family scattered around off-world, and besides, Oceanus! That must be costing Naruto a fortune!" he said with a grin, before he remembered why he had called in the first place. "Oh! I saw the broadcast last night! You won a special-issue medal?!" he asked his daughter, his face shining with pride.
"We all did," Hana said, glancing around at her friends with a smile. "Well apart from our newest recruit, Doctor Haruno Sakura," she added by way of introduction.
"I was the damsel in distress they were rescuing," Sakura said in a self-deprecating manner.
Jack smiled at her warmly, and said, "I thought I spotted another stunningly beautiful young woman. You certainly fit right in with the rest of the crew!"
The rose haired pinkette blushed, and smiled in gratitude at the compliment.
"Did Mom and the boys see the interview too?" Hana asked her father, rescuing Sakura from further scrutiny.
"I haven't heard from Kuromaru, but Akamaru and Kiba were very impressed and both say congratulations. I spoke to your mother last night. She sends her love, and said how proud she was of you, his little Wolf of the Federation," Jack replied, looking at his daughter affectionately.
Hana blushed, but looked blissfully happy at her father's words.
"Hello to you as well, Naruto," Jack said with a smile. "Congratulations on your promotion, Commodore," he added with a playful smile.
"It's lovely to see you again, Jack, and thank you," Naruto said, smiling at the charming man he had got on so well with before.
"Tsume sent a message to you as well. She said, and I quote, 'Thanks for keeping her safe, and congratulations, but I'm not going to salute the man who's dating my daughter'," Jack said, then rolled her eyes.
Naruto chuckled in amusement before he replied, "It's alright, that would be weird, I agree."
"Well I better let you go, but thanks so much for calling, it was lovely to see you all again! I'm very proud of all of you, so keep doing what you're doing," he said, his eyes shining brightly.
"I love you Dad," Hana called out to him.
"I love you too," Jack replied, before he glanced at Naruto, then winked at his daughter. "And remember my advice!"
"I haven't forgotten," she grinned, and waved goodbye.
When the call ended, Sakura turned to the Lieutenant and said, "Your father is absolutely lovely."
"Thanks, we're very close," Hana replied with a happy sigh.
"What was his advice? If you don't mind me asking," Sakura asked curiously.
Hana laughed, and glanced at Naruto as she said, "To hang on to him."
"Handsome, friendly, and wise... Your mother's a lucky woman," Sakura said graciously. "And he seems to have passed it on to his daughter as well," she added flatteringly.
The Inuzuka got up and hugged the smaller pinkette, and they smiled at each other happily. The two girls separated and walked over to join the rest of the group, and they all spent the rest of the evening chatting and enjoying each others' company.
The next several days seemed to fly by, with everyone well settled in the luxurious resort complex, and getting used to living with a team of robotic servers catering for all their meals. Tenten offered to look into constructing their own set of automated chefs and waiters, but Naruto declined, preferring the camaraderie they shared when preparing meals together.
Naruto was still getting executed dozens of times a day in the simulator training sessions with Lee. He was beginning to be able to apply what he had learned more effectively, and even managing some parries and ripostes, before the inevitable dismemberment. The man was still just as taciturn as ever, and pointedly ignored all of Naruto's attempts to get to know him in more detail. Rock Lee was proving to be an enigma, and Naruto decided to research more about the man to see what had made him this way.
By which he meant have Shikamaru do it. The AI had a biography of the man within 30 seconds, and it was a tragic read. Abusive alcoholic father, bipolar mother, no siblings or cousins to aid him growing up. He'd found his niche in martial arts and kendo, and soon won enough money from tournaments to leave home and live by his own means. He eventually got married and had a daughter, but both died in a grisly murder. The killer was never caught, and evidence suggested it had happened in front of Lee. Afterwards, he had gone into isolation, until Naruto had managed to coax him into lessons.
Sakura's conversion completed, and she happily started joining in on the sex parties they had every other night. She finished her report on the DNA changes and what she'd found out about the Uzu from Naruto's blood and sperm samples, but she said she wanted to wait until they had left Oceanus before she made her report.
The rest of the holiday at this amazing location went by in a blur of good food, fantastic company and phenomenal sex. When they weren't relaxing, they were training, and Hinata assured Naruto that Gaara and Sakura were making excellent progress with their marksmanship in the firing range. Gaara hit the threshold for Astral Bonding with the rest of the crew, and they spent an afternoon doing that on the beach under the glowing sun. Finally, like all good things, it came to an end as dawn rose on their final day.
Leaving the crew to their last full day on the beautiful resort island, Naruto made for the training room, finding Lee waiting for him with the dojo simulation loaded and prepared. He went over to the rack and retrieved the Odachi, which now felt comfortable and familiar in his two-handed grip, and then walked over to stand in readiness.
"Attack," Lee commanded.
Naruto hesitated, and decided to take a chance. "I know why you quit the championships, Lee, and why you spent years developing this sword style. You're training to kill the one who killed your family,"
Lee went puce with anger and almost reached to end the simulation but stopped himself at the last second. "How dare you breach my privacy like that? How did you even figure that out?"
"I have a VERY good private investigator. I just wanted to know more about the man teaching me how to kill," Naruto said calmly, refusing to be ashamed. "And as a thank you for your lessons, I make you this offer: let me help you. I've got money, I've got a capable crew, I've got a badass ship, and I've got magical powers. We could help you track down the murderer."
Lee got a hungry, desperate look on his face, before closing off. "No. This pain is mine to vanquish. But I'll make you a deal: ever defeat me in combat, WITHOUT cheating with your powers, and I will allow you to join forces with me in my quest."
Naruto readied himself, reaching for a state of total focus and body wisdom. "What are we waiting for then?"
Their exchanges began to last for minutes at a time, but Naruto still kept 'dying'. Lee had a look of slight smugness in his eye, along with lingering resentment. Naruto was aware that he'd lost a lot of points with the man, and he hadn't had many to start with. One exchange went for a full twenty before, with a skillful feint, Lee decapitated him.
"You are dead," Lee told him with satisfaction, but Naruto was sure he saw the smallest glimmer of respect in the older man's eyes, before he ordered him to attack once more.
When the training session was done, Lee agreed to more sparring matches with Naruto, which they would continue once he had moved the simulation equipment to the Invictus. Naruto thanked the man, and they cancelled the afternoon's training, so that Naruto could enjoy the rest of the remaining day with the Pack.
He strolled out of the training room in a buoyant mood, and found the crew, Fu included, waiting for him in the lounge. With Sakura having completed her full week, there was no need to maintain the relentless stomach filling routine, so they all settled around the table and enjoyed a lovely lunch together, watching Fu's aquatic friends leaping around in the sea off the coast of their island.
The pod of dolphins turned out to be Fu's afternoon surprise. She'd convinced her friends to let her family ride each of them as they went through the water. The crew eagerly accepted, even Tenten, each of them swimming out to grab a fin before activating Psychic Oxygen, an ability that purified the lungs and bloodstream so one could survive on a single breath for hours. They had oodles of fun touring the reefs and seeing the schools of colorful fish.
It was a novel experience for all of them, and when Naruto and the crew finally came back to shore, they were all chattering away about the incredible sights they had seen under the waves. Fu had a final play around with the dolphins she had befriended, before she swam back to shore and changed form to her Nymph shape once more. The others thanked her profusely for sharing this with them, and she beamed at them with delight, when she saw how much they had all enjoyed it.
The evening meal was surprising, in a dramatic change to the perfect cloudless skies they had experienced on every other night on Oceanus. Dark storm clouds had started to gather on the horizon, casting an ominous shadow over the island, as they blotted out the sun. The wind started to pick up a little, and it didn't take a meteorologist to realise that a storm was on the way. They watched the sunset, which cast angry red shades over the roiling storm clouds in the distance, before the night seemed to suddenly descend on them.
"Red sky at night, sailor's delight," Sakura quoted an old naval adage. "It means it should blow out by morning."
"Lucky our bedroom isn't actually outdoors," Tenten joked.
"I always loved thunderstorms," Sasuke said wistfully.
Hinata rolled her eyes. "You loved the lightning. Seriously, dude, you're obsessed. I've seen you play with Psychic Lightning when you think no one's looking. You're giddy that you're a human taser."
Sasuke blushed but didn't deny it.
That night, under the light of the arching lightning, they acted out a fantasy that Naruto had for a while. They formed a daisy chain, each of them penetrating the one that came after them in seniority. Naruto fucked Hinata fucked Sasuke fucked Hana fucked Tenten fucked Fu fucked Gaara fucked Sakura. They could barely move from the psychic feedback, but they managed to last about ten minutes before Naruto exploded and set them all off. Hinata getting pride of place with a full belly, they all piled into bed and fell asleep, the sound of the rain and thunder a harsh lullaby.
Heading for the Oto next chapter. Please fave, follow, or review.