Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.


Author's Note (A/N): Hey guys I'm back at it again with a new chapter. This is the long awaited conclusion to The Search for Tsunade Arc that culminates with the inauguration of Tsunade as the Fifth Hokage. Many heartwarming scenes are coming up as Naruto is reunited with his foster children and Hiashi gets to see Hinata's progress all the while Shoko sees Tsunade for the first time in well over a decade.

There is a lot that this chapter covers as it wraps up an Arc and lightly sets the stage for the future. This chapter will be a lengthy one as a very special surprise is in store for three of our characters and Naruto meets a very special family that results in a lengthy conversation where Naruto completely owns up to and demonstrates his feelings for Hinata which unknowingly enough for him earns him so serious brownie points from his girlfriend.

This chapter will be an important and lighthearted dialogue based chapter with a lot of character interaction and development. Prepare for multiple chapter uploads over the next few days leading up to Christmas.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy!


Chapter 77

Election: New Hokage – Tsunade the 5th Hokage

It was early in the morning and a small group could be seen eagerly awaiting the arrival of someone at the main gate to the village. Aria Indigo was standing by the gate guards booth holding a light conversation with both Izumo and Kotetsu who she's become acquainted with over the years due to their relative popularity in the village. They are very well known around the village due to their occupation, so it was inevitable that Aria would eventually meet them. With that being said Aria wasn't alone. Far from it in fact.

With her she brought along all six foster children of Naruto who were eager to see their father once again. It was almost another two weeks since they've seen him last and the children were extremely restless in their desires to see the blond haired Genin. Along with the six Uzumaki foster children were a few notable adults. Shoko, Hiashi, Shikaku, and Puma were waiting in anticipation of the return of Tsunade Senju so that she could assume the post as the Fifth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village. The group had received word from a messenger toad late the night before that Tsunade and her escorts would be returning in the early morning, so anticipation was high for everyone present.

"Are you excited to show your father what you've been working on guys?" Aria gently prodded with a smile on her face that shinned with shades of amusement seconds later once the group of children all started to speak over each other while shouting their answers. "I'm sure master will be very proud of you once he gets here guys. I know some of you weren't finished yet but in due time." Aria giggled after hearing the children clamored over one another in their excitement which only grew once a small group could be seen cresting the hill down the main road outside the village.

"Are they here yet? Are they here yet!?" Ai squealed in delight which brought a subconscious smile to Shoko's face from overhearing the young girls excitement. It was precious and quite infectious if she were being honest with herself as even she had a rising pit of excitement and anxiety welling up in her soul at seeing her old Sensei again after an entire decade.

It didn't take long before the group made it to the main gate where they were greeted by the waiting individuals who immediately made their pleasure known. "Daddy!" Ai squealed as she bum rushed Naruto before he could so much as take a single breath knocking him completely off his feet with a startled expression on his face. "Oww… Ai…? What's got you all excited?" Naruto groaned in dizziness as he had to shake the cobwebs from his mind. He hasn't been tackled like that since the time he was still attending the academy and he would leave the girls home with Aria. They would be so anxious to see him after being apart for so many hours that the second he would open the front door to the apartment Chaos would be the first one to nearly break him in half with one of her dangerous yet excitable tackles. This was something he'd have to get used to once again… especially if there were going to be more than just two children doing so from now on.

Looking down at the aquatic half demon girl nuzzled into his lap Naruto grinned when beautiful sea green eyes stared back at him with nothing but love, devotion, and childish innocence in them. "You're back! You're back!" Ai giggled as she looked over Naruto's shoulder to see her older foster sister Chaos staring back at her with her very large purple eyes in her spooky yet natural way. "I've taught you well my pupil." Chaos giggled with her skittish laugh as she patted her new younger sister on the head. Before leaving for the extended trip to find Tsunade, Chaos had made sure to teach or in this case corrupt her new siblings in the art of interacting with their new father. One of those lessons just so happened to be tackling their father as a sign of greeting.

Shaking his head at the absurdity of Chaos's schemes Naruto managed to get back to his feet while shedding the extra pounds of Chaos's mechanical body from his back who decided now would be a good time to haunt her siblings to absorb their energy. "I'm back guys… you were behaving yourselves right Ai?" Naruto cooed in delight while scratching the side of Ai's neck where her small gills were which elicited a skittish and frantic squeal of excitement from the 4-year-old as the sensitive skin around her gills are a ticklish spot for her. "Uh-huh! We had so much fun and Big Sis Aria showed us how to use our chakra and play card games." Ai exclaimed with a giggle that got louder as Naruto picked the girl up and held her to his chest.

"Is that right… so what can you guys do with your chakra now?" Naruto nuzzled as he would gladly admit that he missed his foster children. They were so diverse and different compared to most children and also very unique in comparison to Iris and Chaos. He was glad to see them all once again. "We can do this now." Asagi mentioned as she simply walked up next to the slightly taller boy and just stood there. It took Naruto a good few seconds to realize something about Asagi's appearance. Her pointed elf like ears were gone and any noticeable trace of her being non-human were gone as well. It was then that it clicked in Naruto's mind what his children had accomplished.

"You can use the Transformation Jutsu now!" Naruto exclaimed in excitement as he opened up his sensory abilities to wash over the group in front of him and with him now concentrating on them he could detect the subtle usage of chakra coming from Asagi, Roku and Dai, as well as from Shion. Moegi and Ai both still couldn't perform the chakra related technique as of yet and Naruto wasn't surprised in the slightest. Ai was far too young to get a grasp on her own powers and he suspected that Moegi was going to need an extra push in the right direction as she was going to be a problem child in terms of her past and how it's affected her personality now. She probably wanted one on one time with him so that he could complete her training. If that was the case, then that would be what he would do for the girl.

"You bet… it was a piece of cake." Roku snickered with his hands behind his head. His cockiness was prevalent as always and his twin had his own words to say. "I bet it took you like a month to get this down. We got this down in like a day." Dai lazy commented with an air of arrogance around him that was soon knocked away by their guardian who slammed his fist into both twins miss matched heads. "Oh, be quiet you two!" Naruto irritated snapped as the twins grumbled in the background with spiteful glares aimed at their father figure.

Feeling a smaller body press itself against his side Naruto looked over to see Moegi embracing his arm with her blank emotionless face staring up at him. "Hey Mo, I can already tell you missed me huh?" Naruto gently spoke with a softer cadence to his voice when interacting with the emotionally damaged child. He even had a cute nickname for her as a spark of life came to the girls eyes that culminated in the olive-green haired girl burying her face into the side of Naruto's chest to hide the bashful blush that came to life. Unfortunately for her, Naruto was able to catch the reaction the younger girl had as he used that as ammo to lightly tease the girl to get her to open up to him. While this very touching scene was happening, a startled scream brought Naruto's attention over to his last child which just so happened to be Shion who ran up to him frantically while dramatically pointing behind him.

"GHOSTS!" The young goat demon stuttered causing Naruto to look over to the Gate Guard station to see Izumo and Kotetsu cloaked in one of Chaos's complex illusions. They looked like real spirits or even ghouls as they had a terrifying appearance to them that sent a shiver down Naruto's back who tensed up in response to this. It was a closely guarded secret, but Naruto was afraid of ghosts and spirits. When he and Eva first moved into the apartment building so many years ago the duo couldn't get any sleep at night since they were so worried by the creaking and unexplainable sounds of the building. They blamed it on ghosts especially when their eyes would play tricks on them in the dark. The concept of not being able to touch or interact with an entity that was dead was terrifying to Naruto.

"Chaos! Stop scarring your brother!" Naruto reprimanded sternly but you could detect the very obvious hesitation and fear in his voice that made his declaration fall flat in it's effectiveness. The pleased laughter coming from the tiny terror was enough to let Naruto know that his attempts at reigning the girl in was ineffective. Happily absorbing the fear from both Shion and her father Chaos slipped into the background along with Iris who was content to just watch the interactions of her new siblings.

While this was happening with Naruto the adults were having a reunion of their own as Shoko while fighting the urge to immediately run up to Naruto to greet him managed to eventually calm herself down to focus on the more important task at hand and that was reuniting with her old sensei for the first time in over a decade.

"Sensei… it's been so long." Shoko whispered as she looked down to the shorter woman who had a gentle look in her eyes. "Shoko… it has been a long time… there is so much I want to say… but I don't really know where to begin and you know I'm not that great with words." Tsunade replied with a whisper of sorrow and guilt slipping into her words. Internally she wasn't quite sure how to interact with her former student. It's been so long, and she wasn't there for the younger woman when she needed her the most. Tsunade didn't feel like she had the right to be friendly to the purple haired woman who was trying to bridge the gap between them.

"We have so much to talk about Lady Tsunade… but we can take it slow. Right now, you're going to have a lot on your plate with your inauguration at the end of the week and you'll need the rest of the that time to settle in." Shoko graciously supported as there was so much that she wanted to catch up on with her teacher, but she also recognized how important the next few days were going to be for the future Hokage. There would be time for them to settle down and catch up.

"Hinata… I assume the trip was beneficial to your condition?" This was Hiashi's first statement to his daughter as the young heiress greeted her father with a bow. Of course, he would get straight down to business the second he saw his oldest child. A sideways glare was directed at Naruto as he asked this question since he could see a light blush on his daughters face. She knew she made a substantial amount of progress over the course of the very eventful trip but as per usual Hinata's mind immediately brought up the many moments she shared with Naruto during the trip. They've gotten a lot closer in the short span of time they were away from the village.

"Yes father… I've improved a lot with my powers. My Byakugan is causing me a lot less strain then it did before we left. I can also do this now as well." Hinata informed as she held out her hand after turning on her Byakugan and a golden pulsating glow rippled out from her finger tips mesmerizing her father who in turn also activated his own Byakugan in response. 'It's so unique, yet so similar to Yume's power. Those from the Maruno Clan had the uncanny ability to utilize Light Magic and contain that energy within their bodies alongside their chakra. The boost it gave them was quite substantial but nothing out of the ordinary. However, Yume was an anomaly even amongst the members of her own clan in the sheer potency of her power. Most of her clansmen were pacifist and religious individuals. Yume was one of the very few who pursued an active shinobi career and lifestyle.' Hiashi thought to himself as he reached forward in a trance and held his daughter's hand up to examine it further.

'But when I look at Hinata now I can feel and see the sheer amount of raw power contained within her body. One day she may even be stronger than her mother… no… with the forethought and preemptive measures Yume took when Hinata was born it's a guaranteed fact she'll grow more powerful than her mother. All this time I've been hard on her because I thought she wouldn't live up to her potential… and here she is now with such raw potential and power trapped inside of her. I can't even fathom what she'll do with this new-found power of hers.' Hiashi contemplated as he retreated from his inner thoughts to see his daughter with a healthy and dare he say happy blush on her face at the fact he was holding her hand. It wasn't often that he initiated physical contact with his two daughters. He was both emotionally and physically distant from his children which was something he was now trying to rectify.

Coughing abruptly to break up the unfamiliar feeling he was experiencing Hiashi took his hand away from his daughter which he keenly noticed had a subtle disappointed look in her eyes. This was something he filed away for later as he addressed the young girl. "This is most excellent Hinata. You have done exceptionally well. When we return home, you'll give me a full debriefing of your trip." Hiashi praised with a noticeable lighter tone in his voice which surprised Hinata greatly who was now seeing a new side to her father. She was definitely not opposed to it considering the warm feeling that enveloped her heart. She was glad she could make her father proud as well as the fact their relationship was improving. She wanted to be able to interact with him more and behave like a normal girl when around her father.

All of this was good news for Hinata except for the questionable things she did back in Firebend Town. She didn't know how she was going to broach the subject of torturing and murdering a man in cold blood to her father. It was a very delicate and difficult situation to bring up to him. Hinata wisely chose to keep her mouth shut in this situation as she didn't want to let her discomfort show to much. Of course, being a master, her father instantly picked up on the subtle shift in his daughter's posture, but he decided to abstain from pressuring her any further.

It took a few minutes but eventually everyone dispersed from the main gate with Naruto returning home to his apartment while Tsunade was taken to the Hokage Tower with the rest of the high-ranking shinobi. As for Hiashi and Hinata they in turn returned to the Hyūga Clan compound.


Naruto's Apartment

'It's good to be back home finally.' Naruto sighed in relief as he leaned back as far as he could into the long couch situated in the family room. The fresh smell of the apartment was refreshing to Naruto who turned to his right to see Moegi latched onto his arm with her blank facial expression still in place. This was something he knew he would have to get used to. The girl was very clingy and emotionally dependent on him. He planned to coach her in the future and help her with her issues, but until that time came he was content to just let the girl seek out the comfort that she needed. It was for the best.

"Papa do you like my drawing?" Shion enthusiastically asked as he sat down on the couch on Naruto's other side. In his hand he had a hand drawn picture that depicted the entire Uzumaki family together the day before Naruto left for his trip. It was highly detailed for a drawing made by an 8-year-old. Shion had really good drawing abilities. Seeing the very detailed picture held in the young boy's hand Naruto smiled in pride as he looked it over. "I think it's fantastic Shion. If you want… now that I have time that is, I can show you my own collection of pictures. I haven't drawn anything in a long while but maybe you could draw inspiration from my old collection." Naruto suggested with an undertone of excitement in his voice as it's been quite a while since he's last drawn anything. Rubbing the top of the young boys head in a sign of affection Naruto watched as a bright light of childish excitement grew in Shion's eyes. The boy was beyond excited at this idea.

"I would love to! I'll go get my coloring book!" Shion exclaimed as he ran off into another room in the house with a pep in his step that warmed Naruto's heart. Sure, fighting and training to hone his shinobi skills was fun and rewarding to Naruto in most cases but there was something that he enjoyed even more than his professional life… and that was interacting with his kids. It brought a feeling to his heart that nothing else could quite match and he was happy to have 8 children now to take care of.

With the absences of Shion on the couch next to him the space was filled by Asagi who sat down with a happy smile on her face. "So… uhh… how was your trip dad?" Asagi nervously asked as she peaked at Naruto who chuckled at the shy tone the oldest girl was using. He could understand what was happening to the mature girl. She was so comfortable being the oldest in the family. She was unapproachable by the younger children in the fact that she was usually the one who worried about their day and their feelings. They usually couldn't ask her that question as she would just dismiss their own worries and act strong for them. Now was the first time she is interacting with someone more mature than her. She no longer had to carry the burden of the family. She could depend on and interact with someone older than her that she could lean on.

It was a heartwarming thought to Naruto who appreciated the changes the children were starting to go through. Grinning in mischief Naruto snaked his arm around Asagi's waist and pulled her into his side where he then planted a soft and gentle peck to the slightly younger girl's cheek who started to blush furiously in embarrassment. This was something she was going to need to get used to. "The trip was a lot more eventful than I originally thought it was going to be. I had a few run ins with some bad guys but nothing I couldn't handle. Overall, I was able to help Hinata with her training, met up with an old friend of mine that I helped as well with her town, and finally I was able to bring back Lady Tsunade to be our next Hokage. So, I think the trip was a success." Naruto mused in a light tone as he didn't want to bring up his injuries or some of the darker aspects of trip. It was best to keep things light hearted for the children. With their background the last thing he wanted to do was scare them with the knowledge he was severely hurt.

His forethought was right on the money as he could feel Moegi tighten her grip on his arm. "Were you hurt?" This was the only thing the girl wanted to know as Naruto nuzzled the side of her cheek in affection. "Yes, but only a little bit. It comes with the job Moegi but don't worry about it ok. I'm fine now." Naruto appeased with a soft tone that eased the heart of the olive-green girl. She didn't respond back but she did bury her face in his shoulder. 'I'm going to need to do a lot to help her in particular. I feel so bad for how badly the Four War Gods affected her life. To be honest, all of them are silently hurting. They're just trying to distract themselves with all the new discoveries they've been making since leaving Hōrai Island.' Naruto noted as he contemplated all the work he would need to do for his children.

"Did you kick their butts?" Dai asked in a laidback tone while playing catch with his twin brother. They had a softball that they were using to toss between each other and Ai was in the middle between the two older boys trying to catch the ball each time it was thrown. It was the classic childish game of monkey in the middle.

Smiling in amusement at the immature mindset the twin boys had Naruto responded in the way he knew would please the boys. "Just like with the Four War Gods I kicked their butts. They won't be hurting any innocent people anymore." Naruto said with a burning ember of confidence in his voice that caused the two tough boys the grin at their guardian. "Good… you're too awesome to lose to some punks." Dai puffed out his chest with his beloved twin copying his actions. "Yeah… you're like a superhero! Bad guys don't stand a chance." Roku cheered as the two boys began boasting about how strong Naruto was. Little Ai also cheered in response to this as well as she came in with her childish innocence.

A warmth overcame Naruto's heart at hearing the confidence and faith the two boys had in him. He knew that as boys they weren't going to be heavy when it comes to showing affection. They had a tough boy act to uphold and they still weren't used to having a dominant alpha male in their lives, so this was all new to them. But they had faith in him… that was something he would always keep in mind.

"I promise to always win and beat the bad guys and make you all proud of me." Naruto announced as all of the children turned to him with smiles on their face. "Listen up children… all of you." Naruto called out as everyone perked up to hear what Naruto had to say. "Do you all know the secret to true strength?" Naruto probed as he saw confused looks appear on the faces of the six children. Looking over to the kitchen Naruto could see Iris with a gentle yet knowing look on her face.

After voicing the confusion to his question Naruto stopped the children to give them his answer. "Listen closely guys because this is possibly the most important lesson I could ever teach you in life." Naruto closely spoke as the children all leaned in closely to hear what their father figure had to say. "When someone has something precious to them that they want to protect then they will truly become strong. My very first enemy taught me that lesson and now he is a valued ally. As long as you all hold love in your hearts for each other and are willing to protect each other than you will grow to be truly strong. The strength of this family will make us all strong." Naruto preached with a heartfelt smile in place that touched the foster children deeply.

"I'm as strong as I am now because you all give me your strength." Naruto spoke as he noticed tiny tears welling up in the eyes of the children. "Come on man… don't get all sappy on us." Dai groaned as he turned his head away to hide the tears that wanted to fall. His brother was of the same mindset as Roku deliberately looked down into his lap to avoid Naruto's knowing look. "This mushy stuff is so not cool. Just promise us not to lose and that'll be enough. You don't have to go overboard with the affection." Roku complained but the tough guy attitude that the boys were displaying came to an abrupt end when they heard the signature popping sound of a Shadow Clone coming into existence. Looking next to them they saw a clone of their foster father sitting there with its arms held wide open for them.

It took a moment of struggling on the boys end before they willingly allowed the clone to hug them which allowed the damn on their emotions to break. Silent tears of joy fell down the boy's face as they buried themselves deep into the clone's chest. Seeing the two boys letting their emotions out was all the reason needed for the others to do the same as they also embrace their own feelings which ended with Naruto being dog piled by Moegi, Asagi, Ai, and Shion who didn't want this moment to end anytime soon.

"Ahh… that's so cute." A very distinct and familiar voice rung out causing Naruto's skin to turn pale. Digging himself out of the pile of bodies laying on top of him Naruto looked behind the couch to see Anko standing there with a predatory like smirk on her face. "Oh no… Anko please don't start." Naruto groaned in exasperation as he totally zoned out on the fact that Anko might be in the apartment with them. "Why not… that speech was so cute and sappy. There is a lot I want to hear about concerning your trip. But seeing you being all fatherly got me all tingly inside." Anko purred as she snaked her arms around Naruto's neck where she purposefully pressed her large breasts into the back of his head.

'Oh, here we go.' Naruto thought with a resigned tone to his inner thoughts. "Anko… don't say such things in front of the children. Besides… I was including you in that speech as well." Naruto replied back as a more gentle smirk appeared on the snake mistresses face. "Oh… you really are getting good at complimenting girls you stud. Anko thinks Hinata must be a lucky girl right now." Anko cheekily announced as she watched the same embarrassed blush appear on Naruto's face as it did back before he left on his trip.

"Please don't start. Don't bring Hinata into this Anko. Besides the kids are watching." Naruto complained as he tried to worm his way out of his surrogate older sisters embrace but the young adult was far stronger and more determined than her younger brother, so Naruto's attempts were futile at best. "Speaking of Hinata… did anything juicy happen on the trip. I bet you two couldn't keep your hands off of each other. How far did you guys go? Did you get past second base yet? Did you make your girlfriend into a real woman yet?" Anko teased relentlessly as Naruto's face felt ready to explode with the amount of blood rushing to his head and much to his embarrassment and horror to another place as well. If this was any indication of how his body was going to react any time someone brought up Hinata to him then Naruto could already tell he was going to hate puberty when it really started to kick in for him.

"ANKO!" Naruto shouted in embarrassment and mortification that seeped deep into his skin once the vicarious woman began laughing at the younger boys plight. This was not what he wanted to hear right now especially considering the fact that he had several children on top of him while his body was reacting in such a teenage way. 'Think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts. Think about ramen.' Naruto chanted a mantra in his head as he didn't want to indulge his body any further in its reactions or Anko in her nefarious teasing. 'I can't get the image of waking up next to Hinata in that hotel room out of my head. It's killing me. I swear I'm going to take the coldest shower known to mankind if my body doesn't calm down!' Naruto bitterly thought to himself as he stealthily repositioned himself on the couch in such a way that his consciousness could rest easier despite the fact his children were crowded around him.

"Judging by your reaction I'd say you got pretty close their stud. If I were actually the responsible kind of role model in your life I'd advise you about your age and being so promiscuous and all that jazz, but who am I kidding. I'm a terrible influence on you. Just remind me to pick you up some protection the next time I swing by a convenience store. Just don't let Lord Hiashi catch you or else even Shoko couldn't help you." Anko teased in a deadpan and serious manner that grated on Naruto's patience as even after all of these years of knowing his surrogate older sister, Naruto still had to bitterly accept the fact that the sadistic woman had a masterful way of getting under his skin. She was bad for his mental health.

A scathing rebuttal was on the very tip of Naruto's tongue as he was about to engage in yet another one of the famous and well-known arguments in the Uzumaki household but whatever comeback he had in store for the snake summoner was washed away by the coldest water when little Ai chose to interject at that exact moment.

"Papa, what does Aunty Anko mean by making your girlfriend into a real woman?" The question was as innocent as the feeling of guilt coursing through Naruto's veins now that the floodgates were wide open. He didn't even have time to send a sun melting glare at Anko before the other children took it upon themselves to interject on the conversation as well. "Papa what is a girlfriend anyways, Aunty Anko has used that term a few times throughout the week you were gone with Hinata." Shion asked with a curious tilted of his head as he watched comical amounts of sweat start to pour down Naruto's face.

"Dad who is Hinata to you anyways? You guys seem pretty close?" Asagi simply questioned from her position near Naruto who now had a face that was glowing red in embarrassment. "Yeah, what does that word promiscuous mean? It's a pretty big word?" Dai asked in a laidback tone after removing himself from the embrace of the shadow clone that popped once it saw the predicament it's creator was in. The clone knew not to stick around with the monumentally embarrassing situation its creator found himself in.

Ready to explode Naruto felt his energy be drained from his body as he looked over into the kitchen to see Chaos passed out on the hardwood floor with a dopey smile on her face. The amount of energy she just absorbed from the torment her father was going through would probably keep her sustained for an entire month. But then again knowing the tiny terror she would sooner overdose herself on the negative energy she consumes than be simply satisfied with whatever quantity she currently had at her disposal. Once she woke up Naruto was sure the blond haired Angeloid would continue to try and provoke more incidents around the house to absorb more energy despite the fact she's already reached her desired maximum capacity. Her gluttony often knew no boundaries.

With a somewhat calmer head in place Naruto turned to the children who had expectant looks on their faces. He knew he couldn't worm his way out of giving a proper answer if the smug look on Anko's face was anything to go by and he could feel the amusement coming from both Iris and Eva who was sitting on the blond-haired princesses shoulder to spectate the comedic scene unfolding before her.

"Uh… Ai, sweetheart. Anko was just being silly about that comment. Don't worry about it." Naruto began as he went down the line of children who all asked him a question. Snow would have a better chance of surviving in hell before he ever entertained the thought of answering that question truthfully to an incredibly innocent and highly impressionable 4-year-old girl. That was out of the question and as always Anko knew just how to push the boundaries in social etiquette around the house. She was going to be the death of him and he knew the cause of his death would be due to him dying of embarrassment.

"Shion… now a girlfriend is a really special girl that a boy really likes and stuff… they usually hang out and enjoy each other's company. That girl is usually a close friend of yours who you trust and can rely upon." Naruto answers truthfully but with a mind full of embarrassment as this wasn't the talk he wanted to have with his impressionable son. He thought he'd be quite a few years off before this topic got brought up. Be that as it may Naruto thought it best to steer the children in the right direction with an honest and truthful description to the questions they were asking him. He wanted to make sure they had a firm grasp and good guidance given to them on the answers they were being given.

"Now Asagi sweetie… Hinata is actually my first girlfriend. We've known each other since we were six. She even helped me raise Iris and Chaos soon after they were born so she's actually the closest friend I have. Over time I grew to really like her, and the feeling was mutual so we're now a couple." Naruto explained in a very slow and concise manner as this was very important to him. His feelings for Hinata were growing by the day and he knew that it wouldn't be long before he would eventually grow to fall in love with the girl. Their bond was already incredibly strong before becoming a couple, that strength would only carry on into their relationship if they were mature and sensible in managing it.

As far as the last question was concerned Naruto sent a frigid glare at Anko who was grinning from ear to ear at the uncomfortable position her brother was in. Teasing him to the point of insanity was a favorite pastime of the sadistic woman who couldn't get enough of her tendencies.

"Boys… that word is not something Aunty Anko should have said so forget about it ok." Naruto abruptly glazed over as he couldn't properly keep his own composure with the thoughts of the word's meaning swirling around in his head. Many stand out memories were surfacing to Naruto's mind from the trip he just got back from and several of those moments could easily fall under the category of promiscuous. Even now he was still pretty miffed about not getting his hands on the scandalous photo Jiraiya had taken against their will. If that dangerous photo ever fell into the wrong hands or god forbid Hiashi's hands then Naruto could kiss his life goodbye. Not even Sōkyoku or the Nine Tailed Fox inside of him could protect him from the earth-shattering rage Hiashi would be sure to rain down upon him. He'd be dead before he could get a breath off to try and explain himself. That was not the fate he wanted.

The twins pouted at the frosty dismissal of their question while the other children crowded Naruto will follow ups. "So Hinata is your girlfriend huh… well she is super nice, so I guess everything is ok." Asagi answered in an unsure manner that Naruto picked up on. He would have to question her later about it. "Papa… does that make Hinata our mother?" Ai asked with a dazzling smile so bright that it nearly blinded Naruto who choked on the air flowing into his lungs. "I… Uh… I'm… what makes you say that Ai?" Naruto stuttered out horribly as a megawatt blush was radiating light off of Naruto's face causing Iris and Eva to bust out laughing with Anko herself already on the floor holding her sides in pain from the amount of laughter coursing through her.

"If you're our papa and Hinata is together with you then doesn't that make her our Mama?" The innocence and logic of a child was not to be underestimated as Naruto was finding out once more. He couldn't deny the fact that Ai was very intelligent for her age which was probably a byproduct of the life she's had to live. Despite knowing this fact, it didn't make the young father feel any better about his plight as this topic was very embarrassing for the boy who was new to the game of love.

"I guess you're right about that Ai… how about we go make lunch now." Naruto quickly stuttered out as he untangled himself from the pile of children and grabbed onto Ai's tiny hand. He really just wanted this conversation to be over. It was far too embarrassing for him to even want to think about.


1 Week Later - Tsunade's Inauguration Ceremony

Time flew by quickly in the village as decorations and festivities were in the air as Tsunade Senju just finished her inauguration speech to a roaring crowd of civilians and shinobi alike who all bowed once to the Fifth Hokage. For the event Tsunade was dressed in the ceremonial robes of the Hokage with the large red prestigious hat hanging heavy on her head bearing with it the full weight of the office she was now tasked with upholding. It was a sight for Naruto to see as he's never attended an inauguration before. The last one was nearly 14 years ago when Minato Namikaze the Fourth Hokage was sworn in. He only served about a year in office before the Nine Tailed Fox attacked.

Naruto wasn't alone in the crowd however. His teammates Sasuke and Sakura were standing with his group along with Kakashi who was getting used to the new children of his student. Naruto was actually very worried for both his teammate and sensei. The same day Tsunade got back to the village she immediately healed the two downed shinobi by relieving the stress on their minds caused by Itachi's vaunted Tsukuyomi ability. They were left on bed rest for a few days and Naruto was brought in for consultation by Tsunade who warned Naruto about Sasuke's mental state. It took a big hit by encountering Itachi in such a traumatizing way. He was advised by Tsunade to keep a close eye on Sasuke from now on. It was a task Naruto took seriously, he promised Sasuke he'd stand with him and he meant it. The other rookie teams plus Team Guy were standing close by as everyone listened to the rehearsed speech given by Tsunade while her entourage of high-ranking officials flanked her.

Standing behind the podium on each of Tsunade's flanks were the highest-ranking members of the village. Shikaku Nara the Jōnin Commander along with Puma the ANBU Commander where in plain view as an act of strength for the newest Hokage to take office. Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and Danzō Shimura the elders on the Shinobi Council stood close by keeping their personal feelings about Tsunade's coronation to themselves. At least two of the councilors were fully against the Slug Sannin's new post and it didn't take a genius to figure out who. Of course, their reasoning might differ between the two, but the notion was the same that they didn't support Tsunade in the slightest. The rest of the shinobi clan heads to all of the prestigious clans in the village were flanking the podium in a crisp line with such faces as Shibi Aburame, Chōza Akimichi, Inoichi Yamanaka, Asuma Sarutobi who was stepping in for his elder brother Puma, Hiashi Hyūga, Murakumo Kurama of the Kurama Clan, and Tsume Inuzuka from the Inuzuka Clan to name a few individuals who stood in line with her colleagues.

Special guest positions were set up for a few more individuals which were occupied by Jiraiya, Shoko, Shizune, and Dino who came to watch the newest Hokage of the village. He's had to privilege of being alive long enough to see his best friend Hiruzen Sarutobi become the Third Hokage and Minato Namikaze become the Fourth. The last to be in attendance came as a shock to Naruto as he saw the Fire Daimyō himself along with his family in person presiding over the important event with his relaxed and aloof demeanor on display. Naruto was sure without a shadow of a doubt that every single ANBU both in active service and retired where out and patrolling the village and event itself to ensure the safety of both the new Hokage and the Fire Daimyō since they were all in the same place. It also didn't help that Naruto could see the legendary Guardian Shinobi Twelve standing close to their lord with stoic gazes in place. They wouldn't let a single hair be harmed on the head of either the Daimyō himself or his family. No one could get past all of those Kage level and near Kage level shinobi. No one.

"So many sounds… it's really noisy here." Moegi mumbled as she buried her face into Naruto's chest. The loud and boisterous crowd was getting to the young girl who wasn't used to such a large group of people. She was feeling claustrophobic with the thousands of civilians and shinobi alike around them. Naruto himself couldn't fully blame the young girl either. He was generally unused to this many people all crammed together in one area. Sure, he often walked through the crowded streets during the day time whenever he had errands to run but at no point in time was the entire population of the village gathered together in one spot.

"It's fine Moegi… the actual event is now over so I can take you back home if you want. I know this is a lot for you guys to take in." Naruto spoke with a gentle understanding as he felt a tug on his other hand. It was Ai and she had a look of discomfort on her face. "Papa… It's really hot out here." The aquatic girl squeaked out with her breathes coming in at higher intervals. The unbearable heat of the summer was beating down on the little mermaid who needed a constant supply of hydration to stay healthy.

Looking at the tiny girl holding onto his hand Naruto could see that Ai's skin was starting to dry out causing it to look very pale and tough looking in comparison to its natural complexion. It was a sign that the little girl needed a lot of water and cooler temperatures to restore her health.

"Hey, it's totally fine Ai. It looks like you could go for a nice bath once we get home." Naruto said softly as he streamed his cold Yōki into the girl's body which had an immediate positive affect for the youngest Uzumaki child who perked up a bit at the cooler temperature. Truth be told Naruto wanted to get out of the grueling summer heat and now that the inauguration was over Naruto had no obligation to stick around the town square. He also didn't want to risk his adoptive children being discovered by the hundreds of civilians bumping into them. Seeing his teammates standing close by Naruto thought it might be a good idea to invite them over once more.

Before Naruto could even open his mouth to call either Sasuke's or Sakura's name, an ANBU agent appeared in front of him in the blink of an eye. The shinobi's appearance was so sudden and abrupt that Naruto's heart skipped a painful beat in surprise. Flinching back in surprise Naruto watched as his children squeaked in fear at the sight of the intimidating ninja. "Naruto Uzumaki… the Hokage request your presence immediately." The man's voice was both muffled and distorted due to his mask while his tone was extremely monotone just as many would expect from the special forces.

Naruto wondered what Tsunade wanted with him so soon after her inauguration. He could see that the roof of the Hokage Administration Building was being cleared of the high-ranking shinobi that were ceremoniously escorting the new Hokage to her office and so Naruto had a burning curiosity to know exactly what he was being summoned for. He hoped it wasn't for anything bad. He's only been back for a week now.

Naruto took keen notice of the fact that the same ANBU then walked over to address the same message to both Shikamaru and Hinata which only served to pique Naruto's interest even more. Why were they in specific being summoned and not anyone else? This was something Naruto now wanted to find out. "Sasuke… can you do me a favor and take the children home for me. It looks like Lady Tsunade needs to have a word with me. Aria can you get lunch started when you guys get back?" Naruto issued out requests in a simplistic manner that immediately caught Aria's attention. "Of course, master. I'll make everyone's favorite." The indigo themed girl chirped with a pleasant aura around her that helped to bring the children into her embrace. The foster children were really warming up to Aria's presence, especially since she was their primary caretaker while Naruto was away.

"I guess I can do that… just don't take to long." Sasuke grunted with an air of indifference in his voice that masked his inner emotions. Of course, since Sasuke was going Sakura decided to tag along as Naruto parted ways with both his children and teammates. He wanted to include Sasuke in his life a lot more now and this was the best way for him to keep an eye on him like he was ordered to. After this meeting he would be able to come home and spend some of that time with his teammate who Naruto already planned to have him over for dinner. Perhaps they could even have a conversation and get Sasuke to open up a bit. It was all baby steps in this delicate process, but Naruto was willing to work at it if it meant he could look out for his teammate. It was ironic on Naruto's end as this protective and supportive line of thinking was vastly different form when Team 7 first formed. Back then he didn't want anything to do with either Sasuke or Sakura and he certainly didn't care that deeply about their mental well-being. Times have changed… and they've changed Naruto for the better.

It didn't take long for Naruto to enter the admin building where he met up with Shikamaru and Hinata who had an air of curiosity around them. "Do you guys have any idea what this is all about?" Shikamaru mumbled with an air of indifference mixed in with the thin veil of curiosity dragging him through the building.

"Not a clue… I just wanted to go home for the day." Naruto shrugged in confusion while watching Hinata approach him with her usual gentle smile in place. "Hey Naruto, how have you been?" Hinata spent the entire week with her father demonstrating and training her new Light Base powers. So far, Hiashi was highly impressed with the progress his daughter had demonstrated to him. "I've been fine, although I wish I could have seen you a bit sooner." Naruto pouted a bit as he felt a warm sensation overtake him when Hinata shyly but with her unique flare of boldness grab the blond haired Uzumaki's hand and intertwine their fingers together.

This blatant gesture didn't go unnoticed by Shikamaru who raised a single eyebrow in interest. "I know… I think my father is being overprotective and jealous towards you. Kind of like how you were with Iris when Inari was crushing on her." Hinata giggled out cutely causing the pout on Naruto's face to grow into a full-blown jealous scowl. He didn't forget about that incident with the ship builders grandson. They started off on really bad terms, but the little boys bravery was able to shine through in the end earning him Naruto's respect. The only downside to the whole event was the fact the young boy developed a crush on Iris. That was one thing Naruto could have done without. He threatened the poor boy to within in inch of his life as he felt his overprotective nature kick in. If this was the same phenomena going on with Hiashi, then Naruto knew his life was going to be a lot harder when it comes to spending time with Hinata.

"Please don't bring that up… the girls don't need a bunch of boys fawning over them." Naruto grumbled in annoyance causing his companion to giggle in mirth. "You and my father are two sides to the same coin… now do you understand the predicament the three of us are in?" Hinata joked as Naruto scratched the back of his head in exasperation. "I guess so… man this is going to be a drag." Naruto groaned while stealing Shikamaru's favorite catchphrase causing the shadow user to raise his eyebrow one more in interest.

"Oh… and since when did the two of you become a couple?" Shikamaru inquired with a keen look to his close friend causing the Uzumaki to blush in embarrassment. "Uh, it kind of happened right before we left on our trip to find Lady Tsunade. Since then it's been slowly developing." Naruto admitted honestly as Shikamaru shook his head in understanding. Inside his mind he had far more thoughts swirling around but he was content to just remain neutral in his response as he congratulated the new couple on their status. His two friends eagerly responded in kind to his words as the three friends quickly found themselves in front of the doors to a large meeting room. Entering it after being granted permission the three Genin found themselves in a room with Tsunade the new Hokage along with an assortment of very powerful individuals.


Hokage Administration Building – Council Meeting Room 1

In the room with them was the Fire Daimyō and his family along with Shizune, Jiraiya, Shoko, Dino, Shikaku Nara, Puma, and the three advisors. The air felt far thicker in this room than anywhere else as the children felt their backs straighten at being in the presence of so many powerful people.

Bowing before the Fire Daimyō and his family the three Genin felt a wave of nervousness over take them. None of them have ever seen the man before in their life. He was the sovereign supreme leader of their entire country and land. His word was law and his will was above that of even the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village. On a single whim he could force the village to disband and strip it of its title as a Hidden Village and Great Five Power. His will gave their village the right to exist and prosper. To be in the presence of such a man… even if he was a simple civilian was nerve racking for the three Genin who weren't prepared for this scenario in the slightest. This was to much of a surprise.

Naruto took the time to take in the man's appearance. It wasn't everyday one got to meet the Daimyō of the country unless they were a very high-ranking shinobi or a rich noble. The man was wearing the ceremonial headdress of the Daimyō that was a giant half opened fan shaped head piece with a long strip of gold colored tassels hanging low from it. The hat was a two-tone color with the white section having the insignia of fire displayed proudly on the hat. The ruler's clothing was of a more simpler design with tan and green stripe haori with a long sleeve white shirt. A grey sash tied his clothes together which led into a matching white pair of pants. The Daimyō was fairly old at 50 years of age and it showed in his face which was long with his skin developing many wrinkles and heavy bags underneath his small beady black eyes. Sitting next to him was his corpulent wife who Naruto remembered seeing quite a few times months back when they were taking the dreaded D – Rank missions that included the hated Tora Retrieval mission that was a right of passage in the Hidden Leaf. That careless woman let her poor cat go every time.

A chuckle escaped the Fire Daimyō's mouth as he waved a fan in front of his face with an aloof air of tranquility around him. "Such spry young children… rise young ones. I wish to look at you." The Fire Daimyō spoke in a soft if not slightly skittish cadence that caught the attention of the three young shinobi. They weren't expecting this. "You must be the daughter of Lord Hiashi Hyūga am I correct?" The ruler asked gaining a mouse like squeak out of Hinata who perked up ever so slightly at being addressed. A lot of her more terrible timid habits were coming back to the surface now that she was under such nervous pressure.

"Yes, my lord… it's an honor to meet you." Hinata graciously greeted while keeping her gaze lowered out of submissive loyalty to her nations ruler. Hearing her reply the Fire Daimyō chuckled at the whisper like voice that answered him. "The honor is mine young one… now you must be the son of this village's Jōnin Commander." The regal looking man panned his gaze over to Shikamaru who to his credit handled the scrutiny better than his friend. "Yes, sir that is me. My name is Shikamaru Nara." The heir to the Nara clan managed to keep the slight build up of nerves from entering his voice but he would admit that being in the presence of the Daimyō was nerve racking. "Your father is a very wise and intelligent man. I hope you live up to his reputation as these reports have shown me." The sovereign mused in a whimsical manner before panning his eyes onto the last of the three Genin not giving Shikamaru any time to come up with a response.

"As for the last one… you must be Naruto Uzumaki am I correct?" As to be expected the great leader of the Land of Fire panned his gaze down to Naruto who felt like a spot light was on him. He's never been in the presence of royalty to his knowledge and to be standing in front of the ruler of their own country was stress inducing to say the least. "Yes sir…" Naruto softly stated while trying not to stutter. He didn't want his inner feelings to show in front of this many people.

"Humm… I've heard a great deal about you in particular young man. To think another Uzumaki was alive all this time. I've heard you've had quite the adventure this past month in particular. You saved the village from destruction at the hands of a Tailed Beast, fought against these terrible demons and freed your homeland, and recently you took on a voyage that has granted this village it's new Hokage. Quite the resume for one so young don't you think?" The Fire Daimyō mused in curiosity while fanning himself placidly. His son who was sitting near him perked up once he heard his father announce Naruto's accomplishments. The same could be said about his young daughter.

Naruto couldn't help but blush at the praise and attention the lord of their land was lavishing him with. It wasn't every day he was praised like this. He could see Danzō out of the corner of his eye blatantly staring at him which wasn't helping matters. He still remembered the conversation he had with the old man who wanted to place his children in the foster care system. After the conversation he had with Dino about this man's more shady operations. He wanted to stay as far away from Danzō as he possibly could. Nothing good could come from him interacting closely with that man. Not for him… or his family.

"I only did what I had to do sir… this village is my home and I would do anything to protect it and my family." Naruto said while bowing lower to the entertained man who fanned himself once more. "Oh my… how humble of you for a shinobi. You interest me young man… especially considering who your parents are." The Fire Daimyō mused as he leaned forward in his seat to get a better look at Naruto who perked up upon hearing the very interesting statement the rich man stated.

"Lord Saitou… the young boy's heritage is classified information. It can't be talked about so carelessly." Danzō immediately interjected without warning causing the others in the room against him to frown. "Oh… silly me I guess. It's a shame really. They saved my life many years ago on one of their missions." Saitou mentioned as Naruto looked to the older man in curiosity. 'My parents saved the life of the Fire Daimyō? That must have been some mission then.' Naruto speculated as he wanted so desperately to ask about his parents but knew that now wasn't the time when Danzō was in the room.

"Anyways… I wish to speak to you more young man about some very interesting matters but our new Hokage has a special announcement for you three." Saitou preened as he blatantly made it obvious that he was interested in Naruto. While this peaked the curiosity of all three Genin for various reasons it didn't stop them from turning their attention to Tsunade who was seated at the head of one side of the desk. She had a serious yet warm and inviting expression on her face.

Seeing that she had the preteens attention Tsunade cleared her throat and spoke up in a clear and concise manner. "Genin Shikamaru Nara of Team 10 lead by Jōnin Asuma Sarutobi, you have demonstrated unparallel intelligence and aptitude in the shinobi arts in the form of battlefield strategies and leadership. You performed with above marks in your preliminary match against Kin Tsuchi and later went on to perform exemplary against Temari of the Sand in the Chūnin Exam Finals. You then participated in the rapidly assembled strike team during the invasion and selflessly opted to stay behind to slow down a superior force of Ten Jōnin level enemy combatants. Your contributions to the village have not gone unnoticed and as such it is my honor to give you a ceremonial promotion to the rank of Chūnin." Tsunade spoke in a commanding yet prideful tone as she watched the looks of shock appear on Shikamaru's face followed by Naruto and Hinata who were now getting an inkling as to what was happening.

'I made Chūnin? Oh man… this is going to be such a drag.' Shikamaru groaned in his mind as his visible distress was easily picked up on by his father who smirked at him in a smug manner. He was enjoying the fact his son was squirming. It only meant that when they got home the poor boy was going to get a long-winded lecture from his overbearing mother. This was too good of an opportunity to pass up. The Jōnin Commander was going to enjoy this.

'Shikamaru made Chūnin… then that means Hinata and I are also getting a promotion?! Holy crap…! Holy Crap! Holy Crap!' Naruto exclaimed within the confines of his mind as this was a bombshell being dropped on them. This was not what he was expecting in his wildest dreams. They weren't even Genin for a full year yet.

'We're being promoted… will father be pleased by this? I wonder how Naruto is taking this?' Hinata inquired to herself as she panned her eyes over to her boyfriend to see him with a terribly constructed poker face that was trying to contain the excitement and shock that wanted to spill out. She could only imagine just how powerful the emotions he was feeling were right now. She couldn't help but sweat drop at the boy's attempts at containing himself. It was honestly comical and Hinata wanted nothing more than to start laughing but she knew now was the worst possible time to lose her composure. She would tease him about this later on in private.

Smiling a small curt smile Tsunade moved on to address Hinata who perked up once she saw the new Hokage's gaze settle on her meek and small form. "Genin Hinata Hyūga of Team 8 lead by Jōnin Kurenai Yūhi, you have demonstrated unparalleled aptitude and skill in the shinobi arts in the form of your innovations of the Hyūga Clans Gentle Fist Taijutsu Style. You have broken the mold of your clan by expanding your horizons in your shinobi training and have flourished greatly because of it which was marked by your outstanding performance against your cousin in the preliminaries. However, your selfless courage and will; not to mention your willingness to undertake an S – Rank Rescue Mission to Hōrai Island to save Naruto Uzumaki and his family has been credited, as has your recent retrieval mission to locate me and the battles that you participated in during that time. Your courage has impressed all that have reviewed your records. For that reason, among many others, it is my honor to give you a ceremonial promotion to the rank of Chūnin." Tsunade spoke once more in her commanding tone as she let a warm smile cross her face at the expression of shock and joy that printed itself on the young girls face.

'My hard work is paying off! They think so highly of me… My father, Hanabi, Neji, and Naruto must all be so proud of me!' Hinata squealed in her mind as a watery smile appeared on her face as she tried and somewhat failed at keeping her composure in front of the high brass of the village's government. She wanted to remember her etiquette and manners in such situations but her 12-year-old mind was winning out as she was finding herself acting more of her age instead of that like of a shinobi.

Naruto on the other hand had far less restraint in his happiness for the special girl in his life. He was ecstatic at the fact Hinata was getting a promotion… in his unbiased opinion he thought it was a good choice as she was definitely already Chūnin Level since the Land of Wave's mission where she took out a highly advanced Chūnin all on her own and then went further to prove herself in the months to follow where she managed to subdue him with the help of their classmates when he briefly lost control back in the Forest of Death. When she faced off against Neji not to long afterwards she demonstrated advanced abilities that nearly allowed her to overpower the prodigy who was clearly Chūnin level from the very beginning. Her continued drive to prove herself was demonstrated during the raid on Hōrai Island and afterwards where she teamed up with him to fight Itachi and Kisame. For a man like Kisame, who is so far above what even a strong Jōnin could handle it only spoke volumes to her courage and integrity to even attempt to fight him. She culminates her achievements by fighting off Kabuto for a brief time who is clearly Jōnin level.

Hinata was more than deserving of this rank. Her vast improvements over the months are astounding in their own rights as she is far more powerful than any of the female Kunoichi in her year and even could potentially with a high probability beat Tenten if the battlefield situations favored her. In his more biased opinion he just felt that Hinata was an amazing shinobi with boundless potential. He always knew she was strong and was happy that she was finally getting the recognition that she deserved.

Shikamaru's promotion spoke for itself as Naruto couldn't see the higher brass not giving the lazy boy a promotion. There were many qualifications to be a Chūnin, and one of the most important, especially in terms of military applications was intelligence and no one had that more in spades than the heir to the Nara Clan who would grow up to one day surpass his father as both a shinobi and tactician. Shikamaru was already recorded to have one of the highest IQ's in his entire clan. He deserved his rank as he would be a great asset to the village moving forward.

Grinning from ear to ear Naruto couldn't contain himself as he grabbed Hinata around the waist causing the distracted girl to squeak in surprise before spinning her around in happiness. "YEAH! Hinata you got a promotion! I'm so proud of you!" Naruto praised as the dark indigo haired girl blushed furiously in her boyfriend's arms. It would be one thing if they did this on their own private time away from anyone's prying eyes but in this case, Naruto was doing this in front of the entirety of the village's governing body including the Fire Daimyō himself. She was mortified at the actions of the boy she spent half of her very young life growing up with.

"I knew he couldn't keep his hands off her… you owe me 100 Ryō for making that bet with me Tsunade." Jiraiya giggled with a triumphant grin as he saw the scowl forming on his old teammates face. 'Damn that old perv.' Tsunade growled in her mind as even now that she's turned over a new leaf in life with becoming the Hokage she still has terrible luck. To put it bluntly… it sucked.

'This boy… Hiruzen what did you see in him? His growing shinobi prowess aside, what drove you to such lengths in your heart for him?' Danzō contemplated deeply within his mind as he watched the blissful and elated expression on Naruto's face as he twirled around his best friend in the world. He didn't care who else was around him right now as he and Hinata were the only two people to exist inside of their tiny bubble. 'Disgraceful… a shinobi shouldn't show their emotions so easily, let alone at all and in such a setting. Emotions are what have led to these conflicts and wars in the past. This boy can't be the future of our village as he is now.' Danzō sneered as he glared at Naruto with his one lone visible eye. Clearing his throat to gain the attention of the young adolescent couple Danzō spoke with a hard tone.

"Control yourself boy! You are in the presence of your superiors and the lord of your country. Show some discipline and respect for this ceremony." Danzō punctuated by slamming his walking cane down on the wooden floor below him. This action immediately brought the bright emotions swirling around Naruto's heart to a dull glimmer as he placed Hinata back down on the ground who now looked concerned for Naruto who was staring at Danzō who was glaring back in contempt. 'This guy… my old man warned me about him. He was the rival of the late Third Hokage.' Shikamaru thought to himself with a subtle frown as he made eye contact with his own father who was seated near the current Hokage.

Before Naruto could open his mouth to either defend or apologize a familiar voice spoke up causing a wave of surprise to wash over the room. "Now, now, everything is quite alright councilor Shimura. The young lad is simply very excited for his friend. It's okay to cut him a break." Saitou the Fire Daimyō himself spoke up with a cheerful tone to his voice as both Naruto and Danzō turned to the regal man who was fanning himself. "Lord Saitou it is unbecoming for a shinobi to act in such a way… especially within your presence." Danzō refuted as the whimsical man waved the older mans complaints off with an easy smile.

"I understand your plight councilor, but it is quite alright. This boy has already caught my interest… besides, his bright personality is quite refreshing." The Daimyō mused as he once again blatantly panned his gaze over to Naruto who bowed simply out of respect to the man who just defended him. "Lady Hokage, please proceed." The regal man ordered as he waved his expensive ceremonial fan towards Tsunade who quickly complied.

"Genin Naruto Uzumaki of Team 7 lead by Jōnin Kakashi Hatake, you have demonstrated unparalleled aptitude and skills in the shinobi arts. Your vast Ninjutsu library and impressive Bukijutsu skills alongside your rare Ice Style Kekkei Genkai and unique and mysterious High-End Skills are innovations in the shinobi arts that can't be overlooked. Your advanced knowledge and usage of the supernatural and archaic energies in this world alongside your heritage as the new Shī-ō of the Uzumaki Clan are all proof of your growing prowess as a shinobi. You have demonstrated an aptitude in using the powers granted to you as a Jinchūriki and as a result all of this is enough reason to grant you the rank of Chūnin if not higher due to circumstances." Tsunade announced as she watched to emotions play out across Naruto's face. It wasn't as subtle as you would expect from him, but the much older woman could see hints of pride and self-respect swimming in Naruto's eyes. He was proud of his hard-earned skills and Tsunade was very much inclined to agree. She's seen the boy in action and he has more than earned the unique abilities he demonstrated.

"Be that as it may you have time and time again thrown yourself at challenges way above your rank and age. From a very young age you have been faced with the harsh world of the shinobi and have flourished as a result of it. Not counting your side job or the accomplishments you've achieved before in your early years you have accumulated a very impressive and rich resume of accomplishments that no other Genin in this generation can boast too. You took down the traitorous Chūnin Mizuki on the night of your graduation with the help of Chūnin Instructor Iruka Umino, you and your team have exceeded the quota of D – Rank Missions necessary to advance to C – Rank Missions. Your first C – Rank Mission turned into a high A – Rank mission when you ran into A – Rank Missing Ninja Zabuza Momochi and B – Rank Missing Ninja Haku Yuki. You performed exceedingly well by facing off against both of them and single handedly defeating Haku in combat. You then managed to turn the both of them into allies of the village before facing off against S – Rank Demon Jūra of the Four War Gods." It was at this point that Naruto frowned at having that reminder brought up again. He could feel the eyes of everyone in the room on him with the Fire Daimyō in particular gleaming at him with a gaze of curiosity.

"In addition to this your accomplishments continue to increase as Team 7 solved the case of the missing children down in Firebend Town as well as many other C and a few B – Rank missions before participating in the Chūnin Exams. You scored very well on the Written Exams before facing an unprecedented challenge in the Forest of Death. You and your teammates faced off against my former teammate Orochimaru of the Sannin and managed to not only stand against him but hold him off to the point where he was forced into retreat less he be caught by our forces. You then held off two Angeloids during the one month break and went on to face Neji Hyūga in the preliminaries and defeat him against all of the odds stacked against you. You then went on to save the village from destruction at the hands of the One Tailed Jinchūriki. You survived and rescued yourself from the hands of the Four War Gods and even defeated one of them in single combat while ascending to your inherited rank as the Shī-ō of the Uzumaki Clan. Finally, you have recently participated in the retrieval mission to bring me back to the village where yet again you faced off against Orochimaru and his assistant Kabuto. You have proven yourself time and time again and it is for that reason that I have the very privileged honor of ceremoniously promoting you to Chūnin with full honors and recommendations to higher positions in the future." Tsunade announced with pride as she watched the very potent emotions playing out across Naruto's face. They were going a mile a minute but what caused a gentle smile to place itself on her face was the sight of Naruto tearing up with gratitude shining in his eyes.

'Naruto I'm so proud of you baby boy. Minato, Kushina… look at your son now. He's advanced so much and now he is getting the recognition that he deserves.' Shoko emotionally thought to herself as nothing, but pride and happiness could be seen swimming around in her eyes. 'I hope you are proud of me, mom and dad. Hope you're proud too Shoko.' Naruto thought as he felt tears start to well up in his eyes. He actually had to resist the urge to run over to Shoko to embrace the lovable woman. He wanted to share in his enthusiasm with his mother figure and he knew based on the expression on Shoko's face she felt the exact same way.

"Thank you, Lady Hokage!" Naruto said with a deep bow to his superior as he couldn't stop a few droplets of tears from falling from his face. This was a very important moment in his life for him. He would remember this moment next to two of his closest friends as they were all promoted together and for such monumental reasons at that. They all proved themselves and earned their promotion. It was undisputed and rightfully deserved and for that reason and reason alone Naruto would remember this moment for the rest of his life. If nothing more, it only encouraged him to continue to do his best in the future.

Naruto's special moment would get even better as in a change of pace Hinata reached over and embraced the blond-haired boy in a tight hug the was brimming with the pride she held for him. Hinata didn't need to say any words for Naruto to understand the feelings she was trying to convey to him as she didn't even blush despite how bold her actions were. She didn't even care about the many eyes watching her right now. They were once again the only to exist in each other's tiny little bubble.

"Ahem… now that the formalities are out of the way I have a few things to discuss with you young man." Saitou spoke up once he allowed the two friend a moment to themselves. He had a bemused smile on his face as the two newly minted Chūnin turned to give him their full attention.

"I wish to know of your intentions involving the newly re-discovered Land of Whirlpools and Hōrai Island?" The Fire Daimyō politely asked as Naruto's eyes widened a bit in response to this. It wasn't something Naruto was expecting to have a conversation about so soon. Though in retrospect he should have expected to have such an important conversation concerning the relations to the Land of Fire. It is the responsibility of the Fire Daimyō to look after all affairs conserving his country after all.

It took Naruto a few moments to gather his thoughts as this was incredibly important for not only Naruto's future but for the Fire Daimyō and the country as well. He didn't want to say the wrong thing and handle this political conversation poorly. It was important that he handle himself properly in this.

"I plan to revive not only my clan but the entirety of the Land of Whirlpools sir. I plan to do this on my own terms, but I want to give the survivors… my people a place to live freely after everything they've had to endure. I want Hōrai Island to be a safe haven for the misfortunate, the poor, the forgotten, and the mistreated. Hōrai Island will be a place that everyone can call home and feel safe. One of my greatest dreams is to make sure that there are no more forgotten and neglected victims and orphans left behind by wars and crimes. I was born an orphan and I had to suffer through the darkness and pain that it brings with it. I want to save others from that same pain with the power in my own to hands." Naruto spoke with a passion in his voice that honestly moved many in the room who were listening.

It was more than what half of them were expecting out of Naruto who looked directly into the Fire Daimyō's eyes who had a keen look in his whimsical eyes. 'That's my boy…' Shoko subconsciously puffed out her chest in pride as this kind of response was exactly what the Titan was expecting from Naruto. She knew he had a big heart and now he was putting it on full display. 'He may very well be the individual the Great Elder Toad Sage spoke of in his prophecy. The Child of Prophecy.' Jiraiya grinned a sly grin at hearing Naruto's dreams and convictions. He always had a strong will and now he was seeing it in full force. He couldn't say anything but that he was proud of his latest pupil. He was becoming an honorable shinobi and that was all Jiraiya could ask for.

'This boy… Hōrai Island would be a treasure trove of wealth and information regarding the old Uzumaki Clan. I must find a way to get my hands on it to strengthen ROOT and the village. If left in his hands with his pacifistic views all of that potential will go to waste.' Danzō schemed within his mind as the thought of the sheer amount of resources and untapped potential stored away on Hōrai Island was far too much for Danzō to simply let go to waste under Naruto's care. Measures would need to be taken to get what he wanted, of that he was sure of.

"Magnificent… simply astonishing my boy. You have such grandiose plans and visions I'm sure. The resurrection of the Land of Whirlpools would be a major boost to the Land of Fire. The Land of Whirlpools existed even before the Hidden Village System. They were the Land of Fire and the Hidden Leaf Village's very first ally following the end of the Warring States Era. To have our oldest ally return from the dead would make me a very pleased man." Lord Saitou preened as this was a chance he would not let go to waste so easily. It was impossible to revive the old ways of the Uzumaki Clan without an heir but with the fact that Naruto was not only alive and well but a competent shinobi with great skills under his belt was enough to make the Fire Daimyō extraordinarily pleased with these turn of events. He planned to capitalize on this opportunity without delay.

"What are your plans for resurrecting your clan young man?" Saitou followed up with his next question which caused a healthy blush to paint itself on Naruto's face. Unlike Sasuke who Naruto was sure hadn't put much forethought into this particular aspect of his future, Naruto understood the full weight of what the Fire Daimyō was asking him.

Who was he going to marry to restart his clan, how many women would he join with in order to start repopulating and increasing the number of Uzumaki in the world? At one point they were a clan of hundreds almost well into the thousand range with an entire country to themselves. Naruto would have a lot of "work" ahead of him if he were to go down that particular road with that ever so specific mindset in place. That was a territory the young adolescent shinobi didn't want to even entertain as it was far too embarrassing for him to even think about, especially since he already had two very particular names in his mind when that question was posed to him; and they were in the room right in his proximity.

"I… uh… uhm… you see sir I wasn't really thinking along those lines just yet. I'm still very young after all. That's something I would rather wait quite a few years on." Naruto stammered as he sent subtle or not so subtle from the view of the shinobi glances towards Hinata who turned an illuminating shade of red. She was seconds from passing out right then and there as this was not the type of conversation she wanted to be apart of so soon. Of course, she loved Naruto very much, he was her very best friend in the entire world and he would always be seen that way regardless of their elevated relationship status. She loved him, and he loved her of that they were both content in even if they haven't said those magical words to each other yet with all of the sincerity and emotional weight that should accompany it. Their relationship was a special one in the fact they already shared an unusually powerful bond since before they got together. It only made itself ever so more prevalent now that they were in an official relationship but they both knew that they held a deep seeded "love" for each other for a long time. The trust and bond that they shared needed no words as they were integral anchors in each other's lives…

But even without having to verbally say anything to each other in that moment the two life long friends could both agree on the fact that they weren't ready to discuss having children yet. That was a fateful decision that was about a decade away at the very least and that was assuming if they were still together by then… and honestly enough if under their own power and decisions the two of them would stay together for the rest of their lives. There was no better feeling than falling in love with your best friend who you knew would always have your back and have the strength to overcome any challenges their relationship would bring. The two friends knew each other on the deepest level as it stood already, but the topic of children or serious matters such as restarting the Uzumaki Clan were out of the question for a long time to come.

Naruto already had his hands full with raising eight children. If he could have his way Hinata knew deep down that Naruto would try to take in all of the orphans in the orphanage and spoil them with all of the love and attention that he was denied growing up. That was just the kind of boy he was, and the type of man he would continue to grow into.

'Oh boy… those two will never catch a break. I wonder if Anko has been keeping up with her teasing of these two. That heartwarming scene between Naruto and the kids that she told me about on the day they got back was priceless.' Shoko chuckled in her mind as she saw the awkward atmosphere come to life around the two best friends who held a silent conversation with just their eyes. They didn't need verbal words to communicate their desires and inner thoughts. The purple haired woman thought that it was a very sweet notion to know.

"Oh, that's slightly disappointing yet I can understand why. You are young right now yes but that is of no consequence. In order to secure your future quickly and most efficiently I would propose that you court my daughter Naho here as your bride to be married in the future once you reach the rank of Jōnin whenever that may be. You would have a wife and be fully ready to begin right away. It would also secure you and your clan legitimacy and protection from any opposition in the future who may not like the return of the Uzumaki Clan." Lord Saitou plainly stated in a decisive tone that had Naruto choking on the very air that he was breathing. Hinata felt her heart stop painfully in her chest at the notion of being ousted from her romantic position in Naruto's life and having to watch as he was married off to another girl. That was a scenario she couldn't even begin to imagine. It was more of a worst-case nightmare than anything else.

Sure, the topic of kids were way off the table for years to come between the young couple, but marriage was surprisingly enough something a little more feasible to talk about. The legal age to marry was actually 12 for shinobi in the shinobi world believe it or not due to the very low life expectancy of shinobi, especially during war time which sadly enough has occurred far too much in their history. This was the law back during the Warring States Era when it was every shinobi clan for themselves. With the establishment of the Hidden Village System the legal age was raised all the way up to 18 to match that of the civilians in the world as Hashirama Senju envisioned that no more child shinobi would have to needlessly die young with the advent of his new system. Sadly, his vision would be trampled on as the World Wars were soon waged bringing the limit back down from 18 to 16 and then to 14. It was finally brought down to 12 during the Third Shinobi World War due to the sheer number of casualties on all sides of the conflict with thousands of children between the ranks of Genin and Chūnin dying brutal deaths with even horrifyingly enough academy students sometimes not being spared from that fate.

The mortality rate of shinobi was a very tragic and scary concept to even bring up in conversation and despite the fact the war has been over for more than a decade the laws haven't been changed in terms of the actual age limit as a pointed reminder of the horrors of the previous war. Of course, if you wanted to marry at such a young age in these peaceful times you would have to jump through quite a few legal hoops as a shinobi to get it finalized but since at this age the vast majority of children aren't mentally mature enough to understand the sheer magnitude of the importance of marriage it was a situation that rarely if ever happened with only a literal handful of documented cases ever being recorded in the last 10 years that you could count on your fingers and still have some left over to use. They could pretend to be married to one of their friends but that was all in fantasy. Marriage was a very heavy burden that only those who truly love one another and who were mature enough could appreciate and live through as you were now sharing your very life with your partner who you have sworn to love and protect.

This was a concept that Naruto and Hinata have demonstrated on multiple occasions towards each other. They have risked each other's lives for the sake of each other on multiple occasions in the past and the level of trust and commitment that they have placed in each other is something only a married couple would be capable of. Hinata had stepped in to help Naruto and Eva raise Iris and Chaos when they were first born after all and raising children was a typical hallmark of marriage. Due to their age with this background in mind they could technically get married if they so desired but both friends could happily wait a long while from now to even contemplate that big commitment as they are still trying to get used to the fact that they only recently confessed to each other and became a couple.

It also went without saying that due to how close Naruto and Eva were as well as the fact they are bound together with a blood contract you could easily consider them married already which was a concept both halves have bashfully joked about in the pass. Human laws didn't apply to supernatural species like Eva and since she's spent the vast majority of her entire life with Naruto she could be considered his spouse since they already acted as such. They've seen each other naked everyday since they've met as they've taken baths together every day, and they sleep right next to each other in bed every night. They've discovered and inhabited a house together as well as raise the newly born Iris and Chaos at the time. Even more so than Hinata, Naruto and Eva have more weight in this concept than anyone else. That was a thought Naruto knew both he and Eva were sharing together in conjunction with Hinata as the three of them held a special bond that was unique and all onto their own.

That very heavy topic could wait however, but the notion of being separated from each other because Naruto would have to marry a girl he's never met before didn't sit right with the young couple. That was something they couldn't allow to happen.

Looking over to the young daughter of the Fire Daimyō Naruto cringed internally at the proposition the Lord of his land was brazenly proposing. To begin with Naho was a young girl that was about the age of either the twins Roku and Dai or slightly younger to match Moegi's age at 9 years old. The twins Iris and Chaos would soon turn 7 in the next few months as it's almost been a year since their last birthday. Konohamaru would be starting the academy very shortly once the new semester began and Hanabi was already 7 years old to begin with. Naho's younger age was already a concern for Naruto since all of his children were obviously younger than him and just the notion of getting together with her was awkward at best and downright creepy at the worst.

Taking in a deep shuttered breath, Naruto took in her appearance. Naho has long brown hair that she keeps in two big circular shaped buns on the top of her head along with her bangs that hang down the sides of her face; in addition to this she has matching beautiful light-brown eyes. To finish off her facial features as the typical tradition or royalty and those of noble birth she also has polka-dot shaped eyebrows that are purposefully cut into that shape. As expected of the sovereign princess of the entire country, Naho wore a small gold-colored crown on her head that was accentuated with a red cloth tied into ribbon like ties that hangs down the sides of her head. For clothing Naho wears a light green and white haori with a light green sash, a white puffy long-sleeved shirt with pink wristbands beneath, and a pink skirt with tannish brown shinobi sandals with circular bands around her ankles.

All in all, Naruto with complete sincerity and a clear conscience could easily say that Naho was an extremely cute and pretty young girl who looked every part of what he imagined a real-life princess would look like. He would even dare say that she was beautiful and once she grew up to that age where boys her age would become interested in her Naruto could confidently say that her father would have to send his armies out to kill off all of the boys who would be coming after her as he had no doubt that she would be a man killer with her looks. If not her father, then Naruto could say her tough and strong-willed looking older brother would have no qualms with protecting the virtue of his beloved younger sister.

Speaking of her older brother Naruto took in the appearance of her older brother and he couldn't help but feel a crawl of intimidation snake its way up his spine but at the same time a sense of familiarity and kinship burned in Naruto's stomach as he looked at the older boy who looked to be around 18 years old if he had to throw out a number. The boy who was actually named Ikkyū Madoka was the heir and oldest child to Saitou Madoka the sovereign ruling family of the Land of Fire for well over 1000 years. The Land of Fire belonged to this family for countless years and it was their dominion. They were the oldest Daimyō bloodline in the history of their world and it came as no surprise why Hashirama Senju would seek them out for protection and as a way to secure the backing and funding needed to initiate his Hidden Village System plan. Without the support of such easily swayed yet influential and very cunning people the legendary First Hokage might have never gotten to see his lifelong dream become a reality. The world as a whole owed a lot to the Madoka bloodline and everyone knew it. They were the richest and most influential family in the history of the world at all points of their family history even up until now with that fact not changing in the slightest as their family was far more richer than any of the four other great Daimyō put together.

Ikkyū Madoka was a tall young boy with light brown hair with a slightly lavender or lilac tint to it which was the same as his father whose hair was fully greyed with age, but it had a peculiar sheen to it that spoke of a unique colored hair that wasn't simply an average brown. The young man had a small goatee starting to form on his face with his hair maintained into cleanly shaven sideburns near his hair while his hair on top of his head was wavy and unkept yet retained a certain level of neatness to it with a thick cowlick of hair swirling up over his forehead. The young man seemed to prefer reds and blacks in his dress attire as he had on a pitch black haori with a dark red undershirt beneath it that was tied together with a white sash that seemed to hold a pouch to his waist that seemed to contain some hidden items in them that Naruto was unable to discern. Along with this he had black hakama pants that had white pinstripes running along its length with his haori also having this same motif. All in all, Ikkyū was an incredibly handsome young man who in Naruto's young mind looked badass and for one decisive reason. Ikkyū looked like a mobster, like he belonged to the Mafia.

If only Naruto knew just how close to the truth, he actually was. Breaking his concentration away from Ikkyū Naruto frowned as he allowed the gravity of the situation to wash over him again. Saitou was asking him to marry his young daughter who was slightly younger than him. If it weren't for the fact that Naruto was deeply committed to Hinata and Eva in his relationship with those two special girls in his life and the awkward fact that Naho was the age of most of his children, then he would be far less opposed to this idea. In a few short years their age gap wouldn't cause Naruto so much distress, but the previously mentioned factors left him very reluctant to accept such an offer. Of course, he knew refusing the Daimyō was incredibly rude and suicidal as this man's word was supreme and absolute. Every breath he took was written into law such was the power of the Five Great Daimyō, especially the most influential, and wealthiest of them all.

Even still Naruto knew deep down that he would stand by his convictions and loyalties to his partner. He would have to refuse to stay true to his morals and peace of mind. Clearing his throat nervously as this was nerve racking for Naruto to even contemplate the newly promoted Chūnin spoke up to the Fire Daimyō who was waiting patiently for Naruto to engage in the conversation with him. It went without saying that the others in the room also were heavily invested in this topic with their various opinions. Shoko was deeply shocked by what the Daimyō proposed and very concerned for the young boy's feelings. She knows just how deeply Naruto cares about Hinata and to be put in this situation when she knows his moral and ethical stance on certain subjects must have been unimaginable for the Uzumaki. Jiraiya was simply thinking of how lucky his apprentice was to be offered to chance to marry a real princess while Tsunade had similar looks of concern on her carefully crafted poker face as she's had to privilege of witnessing Naruto's budding but very strong relationship with Hinata. She silently prayed for his own happiness in this outcome.

"I'm very honored sir that you are so invested in my future but I'm terribly sorry. I have to decline your offer to marry your daughter." Naruto began as he bowed before the sovereign ruler of their nation with his eyes remained closed. He already knew that he was in deep trouble for refusing anything the Daimyō had to say. The Daimyō's will was above everyone else's in the entire country. When he said jump you don't even ask how high, you are expected to know off the top of your head. But even so, Naruto knew he had to stick to his beliefs.

"Oh… and why might that be young man?" Saitou asked curiously as he leaned forward in his chair. It wasn't everyday that he was refused a single thing in life. Of course, he hasn't let this notion go completely to his head. He wasn't an arrogant man. A spoiled and whimsical man who changed his wants and needs on a whim yes; but he was not arrogant or intolerable. He could accept being told no in life, he would just like an explanation as to why since it was such an extremely rare occasion that he was ever refused or denied a desire.

"Chūnin Uzumaki… do you have any idea the magnitude of your disrespect to your ruler? How dare you refuse his will in anything. You shinobi are simply tools for his will." Koharu spoke up with a sneer on her face as she glared a hole into Naruto's skull and it was taking every ounce of Naruto's will power not to go off on the elderly council member who he's clashed with on multiple occasions in life. He hated her with a passion and he's never failed to gain her ire in the past. "I agree. The Daimyō's will is absolute and none can refute it young man. Hiruzen was far to soft with you in his life. Such insolence cannot exist in shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. We are the greatest of the Five Nations and our individual shinobi and citizens should reflect that standard in accordance with our Daimyō's will." Danzō added in his two cents with a tap of his cane as Naruto tried his hardest not to grit his teeth in anger. He wasn't even allowed the chance to answer for himself before he was ganged up upon by his opposition who clearly didn't favor him. It also didn't help that Danzō so clearly brought up Hiruzen once more. Naruto was still very much mourning the lost of his beloved grandfather figure. He'd appreciated it if people didn't bring up his name in such a negative light.

Tsunade, Shoko, and Jiraiya were going to speak up in Naruto's defense but once more the Fire Daimyō himself spoke up but with a noticeably higher base in his voice. "Wouldn't you councilors also agree that interrupting me without permission is disrespectful no?" Saitou grumbled with a subtle frown on his face that immediately got both elders to clam up in a hurry. The animosity rolling off of them in waves would be enough to suffocate Naruto where he stood if given the chance but instead they held themselves back while bowing to the Daimyō while apologizing profusely.

"Good… you are forgiven but my interest lie with this young man. No one interrupt me again." Saitou said curtly as he could get away with talking to his subjects in anyway he wished. He didn't have to be polite with them or even treat them with respect. They were his subjects… his pawns… he just chose to be polite and live a life filled with respect for others. With this declaration everyone knew not to say a word with Koharu clamming up completely while turning her head away from Naruto so that she wouldn't involuntarily glare at Naruto. She was restraining herself. Danzō on the other hand simply nodded his head while pulling back from the conversation. He would bide his time.

Turning back to Naruto who was trying and somewhat failing to hide the shock on his face at the authority displayed by the Daimyō, Saitou smiled down at Naruto and motioned for him to continue. Gathering his thoughts Naruto quickly answered the man to not incur his annoyance either.

"I'm sorry Lord Daimyō but as things stand I'm… I'm in a relationship with my best friend here, Hinata Hyūga. I love her very much and I can't betray her or break her heart, especially so soon after we finally got together not to long ago. I couldn't enter a relationship with someone else, especially a girl that I do not know. I will never abandon or betray Hinata's confidence in me. Never." Naruto said concisely with a tone of finality in his tone that continued to raise Saitou's interest in him.

"How fascinating… so you are courting the heiress to the illustrious and famous Hyūga Clan? My word. Does Lord Hiashi know and approve of this union?" Saitou asked while fanning himself with his ornate fan. Quickly nodding his head in the positive to this Naruto watched Hinata subconsciously do the same while Shikamaru was gazing at him with a look of annoyance on his face as this whole conversation was far to troublesome for the boy to even be a witness to. If not for the situation they were in right now Naruto would sweat drop at the boys total lack of apathy for his close friends struggling plight. This wasn't a conversation Naruto wanted to be a part of either.

"Interesting… so very interesting… what do you think Ikkyū?" Saitou mused while panning his gaze over to his older child. The young man in question rubbed his hair covered chin in silent appraisal as he assessed and judged Naruto with his own critical eyes that reminded Naruto of how Dino would sometimes look at this subordinates. The sensations and vibes he was getting from the prince of the Land of Fire were far too familiar to the dual Shinobi/Mafia boy.

A small amused smile came to Ikkyū's face as he gave his own opinion. "I like him father… he is a very interesting young boy and taking into account his impressive pedigree, resume, lineage, and from what he's demonstrated in his morals and ethics I would have no qualms handing over little Naho's hand in marriage to him. You know how extremely picky and overprotective I am of her. But this boy has my blessings and approval. He would make an excellent first-class groom for her. It's a shame he seems to not want to budge on this matter." Ikkyū spoke with a deeper voice that aligned with his age. He had a very warm and inviting demeanor to him even taking into account his appearance and the vibes be gave off.

"Hahahahaha… yes, yes my boy. As always, I can count on your wisdom and consultation in these matters. You are so bright and intelligent my son. Little Naho my beloved daughter… what are your feelings on the matter? This concerns you after all." Saitou chuckled as this was the response he was expecting to get out of his son. The young man was aggressively overprotective of his younger sister who he spoiled rotten and caved into on a whim. He loved her dearly and in return Naho adored him greatly. It was a running joke between the family that Naho would always proclaimed the fact she wanted to marry Ikkyū when she came of age. Taking this in stride since he knew his sister wasn't completely serious as this was a simple phase she was going through to express her adoration for him, the older brother often indulged his younger sibling by taking her on pseudo dates to expensive venues and scenic locations in the capital city to make her day. In reality Ikkyū was using these times to teach his younger sister how to raise her standards in the expectations of her suitors. They are to treat her with the utmost respect at all times and that was the behavior Ikkyū displayed for his sister. To him he was simply going above and beyond the line of duty for his beloved sister. Only the best for her in the end.

Blushing softly at the attention brought onto her the young girl pushed her hands together in embarrassment and self-consciousness as she peaked over to Naruto who paled considerably since her actions were an exact carbon copy of how Hinata used to act before they got together. This was a bad omen for Naruto who over the last year in particular has noticed that females around his age have become easily attracted to him. It reminded him of Sasuke's plight back in the academy with all of those fangirls who would hound him day and night. He didn't want that curse on his plate. 'Oh, universe don't screw me on this. This crap is totally not funny.' Naruto deadpanned in his mind as it was like looking into a mirror while watching the young princess who was showing all of the tale tell signs of at least acknowledging him with a simple attraction or infatuation. It wasn't a full-blown crush or even love which was a relief to Naruto but the mere fact that he managed to get the young princess flustered without even doing anything was annoying to him.

'Lucky bastard… where was all of this when I was his age? Yeah, Tsunade is a princess in her own right but you didn't see her fawning all over me. Oh, universe you've really screwed me on this. This crap is totally not funny.' Jiraiya scorned in his mind as he let a pout come to his face in response to the situation his young pupil was in. He was envious right now and wished he had the kind of luck his student had. Unknowingly both master and apprentice were having very similar thought processes right now which made them want to start another one of their signature arguments even though they didn't know why.

"I think he is a wonderful suitor father… I think he's pretty cute. Although I'm sad he's rejected me like this. I usually have to be the one to turn away the suitors that either you send for me or the ones that seek me out on their own. I guess I feel sad now." Naho said in a soft voice while never noticing the subtle twitch that Hinata gave off when she called Naruto cute. Hinata knew she wouldn't dare open her mouth to say a word to the princess of her country, but she couldn't help the feelings of annoyance and jealousy from seeping into her mind. She knew the girl was young and was in no way competition to her, especially since her and Naruto were already going out but Hinata just chalked this up to her experiencing her first bout in jealousy for her boyfriend. To think her first challenge would come from the princess of her own country was a novel experience Hinata could at least look back fondly on. Being optimistic and positive would be the heiress's best option in this situation.

"Oh, my dear daughter… young Uzumaki. Can't you see you have broken my beloved daughters heart? Can't you reconsider my dear boy? Does my daughter not catch your eye? Is there no way for me to change your mind peacefully?" Lord Saitou wailed dramatically with an exaggerated flourish as Koharu in the background wanted to open her mouth so desperately but knew doing so would earn the wrath of the Daimyō. Feeling the same pressure Naruto gathered his will power to keep his composure. He could visibly see that the man was acting in a flamboyant manner, but he couldn't actually tell if there was an underlying current of seriousness to the ruler. To look underneath the underneath. It was a lifelong lesson that Kakashi taught his students and now it was ringing in Naruto's mind at this time.

"I'm sorry my lord but I have to insist on refusing. Hinata means to world to me and even if I could take multiple wives as I am now in my heart I couldn't bare the thought of betraying my best friend in such a way. Your daughter is a very beautiful young girl and I can freely admit that fact, but her looks aren't why I'm refusing her. Even though we're in a relationship and we've been through a lot since we were six years old to this day I still think of Hinata as my best friend first and foremost and friends don't betray each other no matter what. I live by my shinobi way and that means I don't go back on my word and I never give up. Believe it." Naruto spoke with the utmost conviction in his voice that caused a smile to grow on the faces of everyone in his corner who supported him. A look of pure love and devotion was on Hinata's face as she sent him a look that sent a pleasurable tingle down his spine. Naruto unknowingly just scored himself major brownie points from Hinata. He just didn't know it yet. Jiraiya knew as was expected of him based on the look of jealousy on his face but no one was paying attention to the perverted Sannin.

Saitou and Ikkyū seeing the sheer look of conviction on Naruto's face as well as the look Hinata was sending him was enough to impress both men. A flamboyant pout came to Saitou's face as he responded to Naruto's pointed statement that was punctuated by his signature catchphrase.

"Such a shame my boy. I must commend you for your convictions and the loyalty you show to you partner despite your tender age. It would seem like you know what it truly means to love someone, I'm very impressed. However, I won't give up so easily. Perhaps I can sway your mind and heart with my beautiful Naho in the future. Wherever the chips may fall, the two of us will develop a close relationship in the future. I would like to invest in your future, of that I won't allow you to contend me on." Saitou punctuated with a small smile as Naruto bowed low to show his loyalty and submission.

"You can try and change my mind sir but I'm the immovable object to your unstoppable force and as for your support in the future I'm deeply honored, and I greatly appreciate it and your wish is final." Naruto spoke in gratitude as he was truly thankful that the Fire Daimyō would lend his aid to him in the future. It meant a lot to him. But he wouldn't let the sly old man sway his loyalty away from Hinata. He belonged to her and those that have captured his heart.

Chuckling in good will to Naruto's eloquent metaphor Lord Saitou waved his hand as a gesture for the others in the room to leave. "We will get along just nicely young Uzumaki. The councilors and other officials may leave. Lady Hokage if you wish to stay that is fine but I wish to speak to young Uzumaki further. I haven't had an entertaining conversation like this with a stranger in quite some time and I'd like to indulge myself further. Young Hyūga you may stay as well. Young Nara I bid you a fair day young man and I have things I wish to discuss with you on a different day so expect a summons from me." Saitou commanded as those mentions got up to leave as ordered. Saitou's wife Shijimi got up as well as she quickly sauntered over to Jiraiya who perked up in curiosity. That curiosity would escalate when the woman blatantly demanded his company so that he could show her his newest additions to the Icha-Icha franchise. She was a blatant follower of Jiraiya's raunchy book series and she had no reservations about displaying it in front of everyone present.

Naruto wanted so badly to react to this revelation but knew not to do anything to insult the wife of the man who he was in good graces with. He didn't want that status to change so soon after it just begun. With everyone filing out of the room Naruto internally sighed at the anticipated length of the following conversation he was going to have with the Fire Daimyō. He could already tell parts of it was going to be embarrassing while others would be trying of his sanity since nobles are known to talk for hours on end about the most trivial of things. They were truly spoiled individuals, but Naruto couldn't help but think otherwise of the Madoka family. Sure, Saitou was whimsical and flamboyant, but the man had a cunning intelligence in him that Naruto knew not to underestimate. As for his son Ikkyū, Naruto was eager to learn more about the young man who would one day be the next Fire Daimyō and his sovereign ruler. Might as well get a head start to forging good relations with his leaders. It would certainly help him on his journey to becoming Hokage in the future. He still wanted to make not only his parents proud but Hiruzen as well by becoming the Hokage of the village one day. As for Naho… Naruto didn't feel comfortable in the young girls presence. He didn't want to send a bad impression to her or give her mixed signals if he were to smile and act friendly to the impressionable girl. He just wondered how Hinata would hold up in all of this. He knew Eva was the jealous type, but he hasn't quite pegged down Hinata's demeanor when it comes to her claims of him.

'Oh well… who cares how this goes now. I got promoted to Chūnin with Hinata and Shikamaru. That's reason enough to keep my spirits up.' Naruto thought to himself happily as he got comfortable alongside Hinata with the others still left in the room. He actually didn't mind talking to the Fire Daimyō and his family. He couldn't place his finger on it, but he had a feeling he would build a relationship with this family that would serve him well long into the future. Who knows… maybe his future children would be friends with the Madoka bloodline… no one would know for certain… except for Lady Sōkyoku of course… but only time would tell.


To be continued...

[End of The Search for Tsunade Arc]


Author's Note (A/N): Hey guys how was that?

This is a very important chapter in terms of character interactions and development with Naruto reuniting with his children in a heartwarming scene where most of them demonstrate that they've mastered the Transformation Jutsu. Now they can go out into public without their more non-human traits completely covered up. Chaos demonstrates her playful nature by scaring Shion and Naruto with her ghost like illusions. The other kids show more of their colorful personality to Naruto with each other their own unique ways of interacting with him which gets expanded upon further in the next scene. Hiashi reunites with Hinata who does a small demonstration of her new powers which impresses her father greatly who name drops the Maruno Clan in his inner thoughts. Who are the Maruno Clan? Shoko also meets with Tsunade for the first time in over a decade and the conversation is particularly tense on Tsunade's part as she feels remorse for her actions.

The next scene we see Naruto acting as a father to the foster children in a heartwarming and touching scene that allows for all of their personalities to shine through. As we can see Naruto bonds greatly with Shion who he's going to share his drawings with as Moegi hangs off his other shoulder. Her emotional attachment to Naruto will be a strong connection for her as a character. Naruto then teachers his children the secrets to True Strength which truly touches the children who can't hold in their emotions. Of course, Anko comes in and everything goes straight to hell as she teases Naruto mercilessly.

Tsunade's coronation concludes in which Naruto, Hinata, and Shikamaru are summoned to the Hokage Tower. When they get there they are greeted by the Fire Daimyo himself along with his family. The three friends receive a promotion to Chunin for their individual accomplishments. Danzō himself doesn't approve of Naruto's more emotional and enthusiastic response which he makes sure to verbalize with his typical strict tone. Naruto is surprisingly defended by the Fire Daimyo himself who expresses his interest in Naruto.

The Daimyo who is named Saitou asks Naruto what his intentions were regarding the Land of Whirlpools. It was a question that startled Naruto a bit but he responds by telling the Fire Daimyo he wishes to revive his clan and restore the Land of Whirlpools as a whole which excites the ruler as this deeply intrigues him. Saitou then drops the bomb on Naruto by asking him to marry his daughter Naho. This comes as a great shock to Naruto and Hinata as it brings up information about marriage and their feelings for each other. Naruto is then introduced to Ikkyū Madoka and Naho Madoka who both express an interest in him. Ikkyū Madoka is the future Daimyo in the Manga when Naruto is Hokage and Boruto saves Ikkyū's son Tento.

Naruto declines Saitou's offer much to Danzō and Koharu's anger which is completely negated by Saitou who reprimands them. He then gets Naruto to explain to him his reasoning for this which prompts Naruto to give a heartfelt speech pertaining to his relationship with Hinata. This unknowingly scores him major points with his girlfriend.

The chapter ends with the Fire Daimyo wishing to speak to Naruto further as they begin to build a relationship which will serve Naruto long into the future.


Next Chapter: Chapter 78 (Rekindling an Ember)


That's the end of Chapter 77 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it.

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Published: 12/17/2018