This is not a yuri pairing. I'm going for either Gaara/Naruto/Kakuzu or Gaara/Naruto/Itachi. Review below which one you want! Oh, and everything relating to the revelation in the next chapter will be explained in the next ten chapters. Ish. Keep reading, please, and review.

PS: No, I have no idea how Kakuzu became a part of the pairing. I still don't. But I DO know where I'm going with this story. Needless to say, Gaara/Naruto will happen. Review on the third person! Just PLEASE don't put Sasuke into it. Or Neji. Like I said, that will be explained. :D

~:~

Uzumaki Kikion glared at the Kumo guards as the Kiri and Iwa guards converged.

"5-10, you're going to Kiri!"

Kikion shuddered as he was shoved to the white-faced Kiri guards.

Some of the Uzumaki staying with the Kiri guards had a hidden look of delight.

5-10 of Kiri Uzumakis went to Iwa, and 11-15 went to Kumo. 1-4 of the Kiri ones stayed, Lord Chiota of Uzumaki being one of them. His fingers were permanently bent.

But none of the Kiri guards had the thought to break the Uzumakis that had just arrives' fingers.

Kikion didn't think any of them were going to try anything, but even so.

He had doubts that they were ever going to be rescued.

They walked to Kiri, the guards speaking in hushed tones.

Reaching Kiri several days later, the Kiri guards shoved them in a cell and began talking among themselves and leaving.

Chiota stood, his bones cracking a bit.

"I am Uzumaki Chiota," he said, in a deep, gravely voice. "And we just got a message from the new Queen of Uzushio."

A dead silence.

Kikion spoke.

"We have little ink." But he had an idea. "But there is chakra in the blood."

The oldest Uzumaki that Kikion respected the most stared at him like he'd gone bonkers.

"Why didn't I ever think of that?" Chiota wondered aloud.

"Because you're old?" ventured another. "'You should be dead by now, so die already' old, sir."

"And you're 'holy crap, you're old', Kisapi," Chiota growled. "I won't make it out of Kiri alive, I don't think. I might die here. But our Queen is alive. We have to live long enough to see the young whippersnappers off."

Kikion took a deep breath, and reached into his shirt. He'd pretended to be one of the older Uzumaki that had to hunch a lot when he'd gone to Iwa, so they hadn't bothered patting him down. Their mistake.

He revealed the item that all Uzumaki coveted. An ink jar.

Putting their own special Uzumaki blood in it, they would augment the ink. But they had to be careful.

Otherwise the attempt would be over before it had even begun.

~:~

"I sent a message to the other Uzumaki out there," Naruto told every Uzumaki at the dinner table. "I hope they got it." Sasuke looked mildly out of place, but Naruto had pretty much bullied him into joining the home of random fools.

"How'd you send it?" Kiana wondered.

"A singing sunflower I made out of a Ketsueki bunshin," Naruto replied offhandedly.

"Nice. A singing sunflower will do the trick."

"I lied. It was a talking sunflower, not a singing one."

~:~

"Please, Jiji," she pleaded him. "Let me leave the village. I'll only be gone for a few months -"

"No." His voice was hard. "You cannot go to Kiri to rescue other Uzumaki."

Fury began building up. "It's not as if I'm going to join Kiri! Please." She was well aware that the other jounin in the room were concealed, but she needed to do this. "Why can't I go? I can easily be back in time for the Chuunin Exams if -"

"You are not the Uzumaki clan head, you are Konoha's weapon," the Sandaime growled at her.

Those two words made her stare at him.

Konoha's weapon.

"I see," her voice became chilly. "No doubt it's because of the part you helped play in the downfall of the Uzumaki. Well." A cruel smile flickered at Naruto's face. "You, Danzou, and Tobirama. The root of the issue is all right there, huh?"

Alarm flickered over the Sandaime's face, but Naruto straightened and bowed.

"Good day, Sandaime Hokage-sama. I shall see you after I am finished with my exams."

She held her head up and turned her head away, walking like the clan head of the Uzumaki.

If she, when the door closed behind her, let the emotions pass over her face, overwhelming her for a miniscule second... Well, that was between her and the ANBU guarding it, wasn't it?

She didn't care for any of their pity.

~:~

Her Sharingan eyes appeared. Practicing the Sharingan was easy. Mastering the Uchiha Katon was harder, possibly because she didn't have the natural affinity for it.

So far, she had wind, water, lightning, and fire affinities. Of course she liked her first affinity - but she was still a little leery of trying out the minds of the Aburame or the Nara or the Yamanaka, because she wanted to save it for another time.

And she didn't want to piss off anyone.

So she decided to approach the leader of the Yamanaka in a random setting to pose a hypothetical question to him.

While she was henge'd. But of course, she passed the Hyuuga compound, and she saw Hinata and another Hyuuga girl - no, a Hyuuga male (it was hard to tell who was who in that clan).

The Hyuuga male struck her, and Naruto saw her fly back and spit a little blood.

"You're weak," he scoffed. "You'll never amount to anything other than a branch clan member, pathetic weakling."

"Neji-nii-san -"

"If it wasn't for you, he would still be alive." Fury was in his voice. "If it wasn't for you -"

He stopped talking. Naruto met his eyes as she walked up quite calmly.

She punched him with the punch of two Uzumaki, one Uchiha, and three Senju brothers.

He flew back and a good amount of blood flew from his lips.

"Why the fuck would you strike her?" Naruto asked him. "What the hell is wrong with you?" She kept her voice low. For some reason, she didn't want the other Hyuuga to see her. "I claim the right of betrothed," she announced to him.

"Only clan members can do that, and only clan heads may take without asking," Neji hissed at her.

"Good thing I am the Uzumaki head, ne?" Naruto grinned. She turned to Hinata. "I mean, it's totally up to her if she wants to marry me. I am gender-twisted." It was a fact she regretted learning about in the way she learned it. Jenny and Nina had proved that 'gender didn't matter when you have a solid henge and can turn into a guy if you want'. Jenny and Nina usually liked staying as girls.

Naruto had thrown up. Violently.

Still, using the Right of Betrothed (Uzumaki Law 4, Section B, Amendment 3: Under dire circumstances may a possible bride/husband be taken into custody by the Uzumaki. Amendment 4: After a set period of time, after a series of explanations whether the bride/husband to be may stay in either clan, the one who claimed the Right may/may not release the bride/husband back into their clan), Naruto had taken Hinata for a grace period of ten days. Until then, nobody could contest the Right.

"The Right is acknowledged," Neji said painfully. He'd have to explain why he was injured - and the Right could not be used unless there was an abuse thing going on.

It was clear from Hinata's panicked expression that she was worried about what the clan would do to Neji, to.

"And I guess I use Amendment 2 and take you to deal with as I figure."

Neji paled as Naruto grabbed his collar.