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): It has truly been a long time since I've last updated. This has been the longest and most abrupt Hiatus I've ever been on, but as I have stated to those I've spoken too in private PM's over the last few months I've been struck with a severe case of depression brought on by the lost of a close family member and a combination of stress that this COVID-19 Pandemic has been causing the whole world. It's been a very difficult time for everyone I know in my social life and I can only imagine how hard it must be for others. I've struggled to find my muse and spark to keep writing and its been a very difficult journey as one bad situation after another crept up for me this year.

Despite the COVID-19 Pandemic still raging and effecting the lives of millions across the world I pray and hope everyone makes it out on the other end unharmed. I hope the following 2021 year will bring us all into an upswing and get things back on track. I myself hope it will be a better year for me as well. I desperately wish to be more productive and consistent again with my story and for things in my personal life to settle down and balance themselves out. I hope everyone is staying safe both health wise and mentally/emotionally wise and in the spirit of the holidays I thought it would be quite appropriate to upload this chapter to not only show that I'm still alive and kicking but I'm with everyone else supporting, hoping, and praying for a better new year and future.

But I have not, nor will I ever abandon my story which is proof of this chapter right here. Writers block brought on by this devastating depression I've been in has prevented me from churning out multiple chapters like I would have wanted but I'm still alive and kicking. This chapter is quite long to make up for my equally long absence and it contains vast amount of character interactions, drama, and even action leading into the next chapter. A stressful tension is brewing between Team 7 and Team 3 and with the two apposing countries sharing bad blood between them one wrong move would be all that it would take to potentially ignite a premature Fourth Shinobi World War. Emotions will flare and drama will unfold along with heart warming and comical character interactions and development from all parties involved as the chapter unfolds. Deep down in the back of my head I'm not sure if I conveyed everything I wanted to get across plot wise in this chapter, but it could just be my doubt talking to me. Nevertheless I've produced this chapter to the best of my current abilities and I hope everyone enjoys it. Come next year I hope to get back on the saddle and produce more chapters in a higher volume.

As The Wind God I just want to say stay safe and I love all of you and to my faithful and very supportive readers who I've been in PM's with over the last few months I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your kind words of support mean the world to me.


MERRY CHIRSTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS, AND HERE'S TO A HAPPIER NEW YEAR FOR US ALL!


Chapter 94

The Fox and Cat

"Be wary my kitten… this child is not to be trifled with. As I warned you earlier when we first entered the town this boy is a Jinchūriki and he's extremely powerful for his age. I'm sensing strange and conflicting energies mingling within his body. It is baffling and I do not quite understand this phenomenon." Matatabi purred in a confused tone of voice as the large blue flamed cat leaned down to be at eye level with her young female Jinchūriki. Matatabi was a massive flaming bakeneko styled cat with cobalt blue flames and black highlighted embers in the form of markings scattered across its entire body. Another interesting visual marker on it is its heterochromatic eyes with its right eye being yellow and its left one being green.

The monster cat was massive, at full height she would stand just slightly shorter and lither than her youngest sibling Shukaku who was quite bulky and bulbous in stature. Her twin flaming tails extended well past the entire length of her body as was the norm with all the Tailed Beasts. They were currently inside of Yugito's mindscape which took on the appearance of an interior to a house with the walls being Japanese themed in nature. The outer edges of their space were darkened due to a lack of light while the giant cat rested on a dais situated a level above the ground. A collar was situated around its neck with a golden bell tied at its base which had Fūinjutsu scriptures written on the bell itself with the kanji for seal written in larger bolder letters at the front of the bell for easy viewing.

This was the visual representation of Yugito Nii's mindscape as it presented a more inviting and less guarded atmosphere between the Jinchūriki and its resident Tailed Beast. Matatabi wasn't hard to control in the grand scheme of things as far as the Hidden Cloud's government was concerned and it wasn't particularly overpowering that they would have trouble subduing it in the event it escaped so the Sealing Jutsu used in its periodic sealings into its Jinchūriki have always been more lax and not as high level in comparison to Gyūki the Eight Tailed Giant Ox which was an incredibly powerful Tailed Beast and quite wild within the last few decades.

By this comparison Yugito has a very symbiotic and familial relationship with Matatabi who has been sealed within her since she was two years old. By that account, Yugito was made aware of the massive cat's existence when she turned five where she was then shipped away to a private base in the Land of Lightning where she underwent years of grueling torturous training to gain mastery over her Jinchūriki powers. It was hell and until Killer Bee eventually took over her training when she reached an older age the young child hated her life in its entirety as she had no peers her own age and never attended the Ninja Academy in the Cloud Village growing up. She only had tutors and not even a family to fall back on.

To counter this, she quickly developed a deep familial mother/daughter relationship with Matatabi who felt for the young child. The training Yugito underwent was far harsher than Matatabi's last two Jinchūriki combined and she was also much younger than her previous hosts as well since she could be transferred to children a little older due to not being as intensive as some of her stronger siblings. Because of this fact Yugito has made strides in her development as a Jinchūriki that hasn't been seen since Killer Bee himself which has pleased the higher brass of her village immensely which was one of the major reasons why she was placed under Darui's command as the Raikage wanted her close to his right hand man so that she could gain battlefield experience while being protected by one of the strongest and most resourceful shinobi to be produced in the village's current generation.

"I could smell his distinct scent ever since we got within a two-mile radius of the town. I've never sensed anything quite like him before Matatabi. I feel very wary of him for some reason… and that tall woman standing near him. My instincts are telling me to flee the city and get as far away from her as possible. Who is she?" The young teenager could instantly tell who happened to be the biggest threats in this large group of individuals. Her fellow Jinchūriki in the younger blond-haired boy currently boring a hole into her skull with his piercing blue eyes and the very tall purple long-haired woman who completely dwarfs her and even her sensei in height.

"That woman poses in even greater threat to us at the moment young kitten. Her name is Shoko and she is one of the Hidden Leaf Village's Legendary Titans. With the power she wields at her fingertips she could beat your entire squad by herself. If a fight breaks out immediately allow me to assume control if she comes after you first. I will create a distraction in order for us to flee as fighting her head on will be detrimental to our survival." Matatabi heavily advised in a serious tone Yugito has rarely ever heard from the flaming feline that has practically raised her ever since she became aware of her existence when she was five.

"She's one of the Legendary Titan's…? Like Lord Raikage?" Yugito whispered in disbelief as the full weight of the situation her team stumbled across processed itself within her mind. This was an extremely dangerous predicament to be in if the atmosphere turns hostile between the two groups. Of course, Yugito knew who the Legendary Titans are, especially considering the fact that the current Raikage was one of them. Everyone who grew up in the post Third Ninja War era knows of the exploits these eight ninjas have performed during the course of the war and just how powerful they grew to become. Being a child from the Hidden Cloud she was also taught about the four titans of the leaf who fought them during the war and so she knew many of Shoko's more famous exploits during battles in the last war.

Her power was undeniable, but it was a shocker for the teenager kunoichi to run into one of the most famous kunoichi to ever be born. She's never met another titan before besides her own Raikage so to see the stunningly beautiful woman standing before them exuding a calm but extraordinarily powerful aura of dominance was nerve racking to say the least… it felt different than the intimidating and very masculine aura that the beefy and ripped Raikage would give off in his office but nonetheless her very presence was domineering in much the same way.

"Do you think it would be possible to handle him let alone take on Lady Shoko?" Yugito questioned her maternal figure with a weary tone to her voice which was equally matched by the multiple story tall flaming blue colored cat who purred in mildly suppressed stress at the circumstances currently befalling them.

"I would say you are about even in comparison to your respective base skills, but we don't truly know what he's capable of and I still don't know what if wrong with his strange energy signature. Even if you were to fully transform into me, I still wouldn't know the exact outcome between the two of you. Especially if he holds who I suspect he holds. As to Shoko's presence… we stand no chance against that woman. She holds more chakra in her body than I do… she's far more of a beast that even I, as ironic as that statement is."

That statement alone put the final nail in the coffin for Yugito Nii who sighed as she looked up into the miss matched eyes of the only mother she's ever known. "What have we walked into Mama?" The female Jinchūriki asked affectionately yet wearily to the great feline beast as she could sense something would be different about this mission when they were assigned to it. She didn't think too much of it back when they were leaving their village, but now she knew what her gut feeling was trying to warn her about.

"I don't know kitten… I don't know."


Turquoise Cove – Sapphire Resort Private Beach

"Well. This is most definitely a surprise. Wasn't how I was expecting my time at a beach to go?" Shoko mused to herself while purposefully speaking aloud to draw the enemy teams' attention onto her and away from her children, much less the much younger children such as Naho and the others. If the princess's true identity were to be discovered, it could have grave consequences as they would not be able to safely stay in the town any longer. Every ninja, missing ninja, and mercenary would come crawling out of the woodworks at the potential chance of taking the crowned princess of the Land of Fire hostage while in a foreign country.

"Lady Shoko… it's been far too long. I haven't seen you since the end of the last great war. It's good to see you in good health." Darui conversed casually on the surface as he never once strayed his eyes away from hers. For one if he were to blatantly ogle her irresistible body not only would it be rather rude and inappropriate, but it would be the quickest way for him to lose his head before he could fight back. It was one of the dumbest reasons why younger shinobi died when fighting against an experienced enemy kunoichi. Female ninja typically become encouraged after they reach a certain age to change up their style to increase their sex appeal on the battlefield. Kunoichi tended to be incredibly attractive to begin with due to the lifestyle that they live but this added insurance made it rather difficult for younger male shinobi to concentrate to their fullest extent during combat. Their hormones would be firing on all cylinders making them vulnerable to counter attacks during their lapse in judgement.

Another reason was the fact there are a large number of females in the group. It's not like he could avert his eyes to any of the others when all of them were in swimsuits since they are on a beach. More than half of them were way underage so that certainly didn't help matters for Darui who happened to be a perfect gentleman all things considered. But the final reason was because despite being on opposite sides of the fence so to speak he held the utmost respect for the literal titan of their profession who was a legendary figure and far more powerful than he was despite being one of the strongest and most respected ninja in his country.

"It has… the last time we crossed paths you were the same age as your students, yet that certainly didn't stop you from being a Hellraiser back then and becoming a formidable young talent on the battlefield." Shoko neutrally threw out with a slightly cold and grey tone fluctuating itself into her voice towards the back half of her statement as she sent a peculiar look towards the infamous Black Panther who would have flinched or averted his eyes if he was a lesser man and shinobi, but internally the powerful Jōnin was sweating at the little hidden jab given out by the older woman. He knew what particular incident she was referring to… it was the spark that ignited the last war after all.

"It can't possibly be a coincidence that we'd run into you here in this town. I never thought I'd ever meet you again to be honest. You're quite the ways from home. Leaf ninja typically don't come out this way." The Jōnin probed subtlety or not so subtly in the eyes of the titan and the lead interrogation specialist like Anko who narrowed her eyes at her fellow Jōnin whose body language purposefully gave away the fact that he was being more transparent and self-aware of the situation than he was letting on.

"Mhmm… shinobi shouldn't believe in coincidences that's true, but it's also not every day that someone such as I can take a much-deserved vacation. You should enjoy these privileges when they come to you. Though if you intend to stay, we won't bother you. The beach is big enough for both our groups after all. Though, I must remind you that this is the private section that me and my group paid for. The public section is back down that way." Shoko bantered back coyly with a pleasant and disarmingly sweet smile on her face that belied her true nature and intentions if things suddenly took a turn for the worst.

'Damn her… she's just as sharp as I remembered her to be. She's not revealing any of her true motives or intentions for being here and she laced a few veiled threats throughout her statement. If I push the issue and things escalate, she can have the advantage of claiming self-defense on her part. They were already here first and have already established their presence here and since this is a neutral country between us it will only add to their advantage. I almost feel checkmated already… revealing our presence to them was our first huge mistake.' Darui mused to himself as his mind was running at a mile a minute trying to navigate himself out of the political minefield his team found themselves in.

"Of course, I wouldn't want to start any unnecessary trouble with your party. Our countries aren't enemies after all." Darui politely stated as he tried out the first courtesy strategy to come to mind to deescalate some of the nonverbal tension building in the atmosphere around them but apparently that was the wrong thing to say as he watched the older woman's eyes narrow slightly as he could detect the hidden depths of animosity and mistrust swimming in her suddenly much colder purple eyes.

"Yes… and we aren't allies either. Not after the many stunts your country has pulled over the last few decades against us. However, I'm not here to antagonize or pick fights on the scabs of old wounds. I'm only laying out the history between our two countries to let you know where I personally stand in our current situation. If you leave us in peace and conduct your business in this town without any harassment towards us, then from one veteran to another I promise you on my word that my group and I will take extra steps to stay out of your way and to not hinder you or your business in any way. Do we have an accord?" Shoko's tone was colder than Naruto's ever heard it in quite some time, but he could understand where his mother was coming from. He had pretty hard feelings regarding the faction standing before him… not necessarily the individuals themselves but their village wasn't exactly at the top of Naruto's nice list and that was obviously for what they did to Hinata when she was three. If only he knew what they tried to due to his mother when she was a child… Naruto might not be so quiet right now.

Anko made it a point to subtly step forward and closer to Shoko which had the effect of widening the defensive options she had as her body shielded the rest of the group more with this action. It was an extra emphasis and show of force that Darui as a veteran Jōnin understood all too well. While he knew he was much stronger than the interrogation specialist, as a veteran and far more humble shinobi than most who reach his station of power, he would never underestimate the Special Jōnin across from him. Anko had a well-deserved reputation and was a formidable opponent when the conditions were properly set up in her favor.

'I think it's time we pull back for now and regroup. I've said everything I can at this time, and I don't want to checkmate my team any more than we already have. Revealing our presence to them was our first big tactical mistake; but Yugito was acting like she was possessed or being pulled towards something coming from this group. She never acts that way. Now I'm starting to know why.' Darui mused to himself as he panned his eyes subtlety towards Naruto who he could sense had a large amount of chakra suppressed within his body. He was doing a good job at keeping it under wraps but as an Elite Jōnin Darui was able to pick up on the subtle signs that Naruto had way more chakra inside of his body than what was normal for a boy his age.

All would have been well as Darui didn't want to press the issue further and was going to withdraw with a few more curious words so that he could regroup and plan out how he wanted to operate in the city with the presence of a Legendary Titan in his area but that hope wasn't to be as one of his students decided now would be a great time to open his mouth without permission. There were several inquiries and mysteries Darui wanted to probe into regarding Shoko's presence in this town and who exactly was accompanying her, but he would rather gather his wits before trying to engage in any espionage against such a superior foe but today wasn't his day apparently.

"Sensei! Why the hell are you allowing this chick to talk down to you for? Who the hell do these leaf pigs think they are? Are they trying to muscle in on our mission with the criminals?" Atsui growled out while squaring his shoulders and entering an intimidating stance. His sensei maybe lazy and lackadaisical in most situations but he's never seen his leader back down or play any kind of cordial or submissive role to any kind of foreign ninja before. Especially not their biggest enemy the Hidden Leaf.

As far as Atsui could see he could tell at the very least that Shoko and Anko were enemy kunoichi… he wasn't the brightest shinobi in the world, but he also wasn't the dumbest. Civilian women, even models don't develop bodies like the ones he was looking at. Not just in the ridiculous curves they both possessed but by the hardline muscles he could see all across their bodies. That was muscles that was developed and sculped through countless years of chakra enhancements and ninja-based training. The way that musculature groups develop for shinobi and civilian born individuals are vastly different after all. A civilian who weight lifts and exercises rigorously all their lives will not develop the same kind of muscle definition that a trained shinobi who enhances their muscles and body with chakra daily will. This chakra enhancement stimulates parts of the musculature groups in the body that normal exercises no matter how intensive ever could.

As a growing boy in the early years of his teens Atsui couldn't necessarily be blamed for having his eyes roam over the two curvaceous forms of the adult kunoichi as it wasn't every day that he came across ones in swimsuits at a vacation beach. To see this much skin from one was a blessing upon his soul. Switching over to the other females more his age his eyes gained a more invested interest in the sights he was seeing. Aria was without a doubt one of the most attractive teenagers he's ever come across and no one from the Hidden Cloud Village had her exotic silver hair and sea green colored eyes that sparkled like jewels. Her D – Cup breasts, thin waist to wide hip ratio, and her very plump butt had the hotblooded boy from the cloud village swallowing on reflex.

Moving on Atsui scanned over Henrietta and briefly paused at her general beauty. She was a beautiful girl on principal but to his eyes she didn't scream 'kunoichi' to him which he would be correct in assuming but at the same time he couldn't shake off the bizarre feeling that she wasn't defenseless. Looking over his eyes glanced at Asagi as she was the oldest of her siblings but still younger than him by about three years or so, so his eyes didn't linger for long other than to note that she too was quite beautiful in her own right but for the most part just basically cute. Finally, his eyes landed on Hinata's and that's when things went downhill.

Of course, the very first thing he noticed right from jump was the glaring fact her forehead was spotless and didn't possess the inhumane Cage Bird Seal that all branch members are marked with. That immediately indicated to any Hidden Cloud Shinobi that they were dealing with an unsealed main branch member of the Hyūga Clan. It was a goldmine to the dirtier hardline factions within the village that desired such a bloodline and even now the thought was buzzing within the back of Atsui's head for very personal reasons.

The next thing he noticed was her stunning eyes that were unlike any Byakugan he's ever seen before. They were supposed to be an almost clear slightly milky white coloration, unless you were up close you wouldn't be able to tell the condition of a Hyūga's eyes but in Hinata's case her eyes were the deepest most vibrant shade of lavender he's ever seen in his life. It didn't even need to be said that his eyes scanned over her appealing and attractive body with appreciative and lustful eyes as she was without a doubt one of the prettiest girls he's ever laid eyes on and that was a feat in and of itself since the Land of Lightning had a diverse ethnicity culture in comparison to most of the other countries due to them having both light and dark skinned ethnic groups. The exotic amount of beauties that could be found in their country was a talked about subject in other parts of the elemental continent.

It should go without being said that his lustful roaming eyes didn't go unnoticed by any of those mentioned before including Naruto himself who recognized these looks that he himself has given to the female percentage of his group. He could forgive the looks given to Shoko and Anko. You were either sadly defective in your hormones or acceptably gay if the sight of their bodies didn't even get you to look at them. Even being gay or into another sexuality wouldn't prevent a person from at least appreciating and respecting their stunning beauty.

The only thing Naruto felt was a strong protective annoyance at a kid his age checking out his surrogate mother and older sister. Anyone in his position would feel these protective instincts if their female family members were in the line of sights of such a rude individual but where Naruto drew the line in the sand at was pretty obvious.

Not only was he looking at Hinata who was his beloved girlfriend as well as Henrietta and Aria who were three of the four girls who were the most important in his romantic life but he even past his eyes over Asagi. As his daughter this was completely unacceptable and if he couldn't keep his eyes to himself then Naruto knew that he wouldn't be able to keep his mouth shut either based upon his explosive commentary a moment ago.

Apparently, Naruto's assumptions were right because Atsui wasn't finished with his 'observations' either as he was about to completely put his foot in his mouth more than he already has for he and his team. "Atsui!" Darui hissed in aggravation as the loudmouth hotheaded member of his team just revealed crucial classified information about the nature of their mission and why they were even there in the first place with a single sentence. Worst yet you do so in front of the lead interrogator of the Hidden Leaf's Interrogation Department. The department that is directly connected to their Intelligence and Spy department. This day was going from generally bad to worst.

"Oh…? So that's your mission? I've heard there's been some criminal activity stirring up in this country, but I paid it little mind. I just really wanted to enjoy my vacation, so I insisted on coming out here… but bandit and criminal elimination seems a little beneath a man of your stature Darui. This must be quite the mission." Shoko now had the Black Panther in checkmate as the unspoken hidden words and implications laced within her words reached the veteran Jōnin's ears loud and clear.

She now knew what his mission was and his true intentions of being there; she revealed that she knew of the current state of the country but didn't confirm if she was actually on duty or not to deal with criminals; insinuated that sending a powerful Jōnin like him out to handle what at most would be a high C – Rank mission or B – Rank mission is a bit overkill especially when you take into consideration the members comprising his team; and finally made correct assumptions that there was a larger hidden motive at play for the Raikage to assign his right hand man to such a mundane mission like this.

All of this information was extrapolated from Shoko's rebuttal by Darui's eyes and ears based upon the body language and syntax in her sentences that she willingly allowed him to pick up on by blatantly broadcasting her observations. It was staggering and showed just how much information could be exchanged and revealed between two experienced veteran shinobi from such a simple slip of the tongue. Darui knew it… and Shoko knew it. His mission was now compromised in a neutral country with foreign almost borderline hostile enemy forces standing across from him who now knew about his mission. He was beyond the point of being screwed and all of this from a simple conversation. Sometimes the most important victories and battles between two shinobi or factions didn't even include fighting and bloodshed. A verbal war of words could create advantages and disadvantages as well as victories out of thin air.

"Sensei come on! We need to do something. Look! They even have an unsealed Hyūga female with-" That was the furthest extent of the distance Atsui managed to get with fitting his whole entire foot and perhaps even his lower leg into his mouth before his hubris immediately caught up with him.

A truly massive and horrendously oppressive chakra pressure slammed into the shoulders of everyone on the beach with the pressure being lighter on the children standing behind Naruto, but not by much. Even they could still feel the crushing aura and it was coming from none other than Naruto himself who had a dark blue aura of chakra surrounding him. His eyes on the other hand were crimson red as the Nine Tail's chakra began to influence him. His own chakra and the foxes were showing their influences at the same time for everyone to feel.

Shoko honestly should have seen it coming but even she was shocked at the massive discharge of tainted cold chakra coming off of her son. What had her uncomfortable about this sensation other than the sudden explosiveness of it was the fact that she could sense that his chakra was also taking on the qualities of both his Yōki and Chaos's cold and oppressive aura as well. Her strange tainted aura had a very cold and terrifying quality to it, and it was starting to mix into Naruto's chakra signature. She's never felt this kind of presence from him before…

Hinata nearly jumped out of her skin from the sudden detonation and release of her boyfriend's aura and chakra but she tried her best to stand her ground next to him. It was difficult and so instead she released her own decently potent reserves of chakra and mixed it in with her divine grace to provide a proverbial blanket for the children behind her to hide under. Her aura was providing an extra layer of protection for the children and catching onto this fact Iris added to this invisible barrier with her own presence while gently signally to her fellow siblings to back away from their father a little more. She would better be able to protect her brothers and sisters if they weren't so close to their father in the event of a battle breaking out.

As far as Team 3 was concerned this just wasn't their day. Darui officially concluded that his day went from bad to worst. The release of the young boy's power was so startling and overwhelming that it actually made him bend the knee to the sheer weight of Naruto's chakra. Darui has stood before the Raikage, the Eight Tails and Two Tails, and many other powerful entities over the course of his career and never has he felt this level of power from a child that could be comparable to those he thought of. For a split second he had initially thought it was Shoko releasing her chakra at them which would have made perfect sense but the fact it wasn't her left a lasting impression on the powerful Elite Jōnin.

Atsui's body came crashing to the floor alongside his teammate Kiyoi whose strong jaw hit the golden sand beneath them while Yugito on primal instinct alone got onto all fours with a feline like hiss that showed more fear and animalistic submission than all out aggression. A blue flaming tail sprouted from her tail bone with a release of chakra that wasn't to substantial. There was no offensive power at work here so it was barely detectable but visually it was very noticeable to everyone on the beach which only further complicated the situation more but Naruto's eyes barely even flickered to his fellow Jinchūriki as he drilled a hole into Atsui's skull with his piercing gaze.

"Oh… why did you stop? I'm sorry, did I cut you off? No please finish that sentence…" Naruto's tone was colder that the Antarctic yet carried an extremely dangerous razor-sharp wire of sarcasm dripping with malice. It honestly sent a tingle of fear up the spines of everyone who heard it. Atsui's eyes showed nothing but genuine fear and awe at the amount of chakra rolling off of Naruto's body and the oppressive feeling of its aura. It was unlike anything he's ever experienced before.

"… It seems you can't. But don't worry. I'll finish that sentence for you at your funeral. I've been told by many that I make impactful speeches." Cold… it was truly a cold statement to make that implanted a seed within the minds of everyone present that day… what that seed was or felt like… it was honestly experienced differently for everyone present, but the one general consensus reached within everyone's minds was that despite his kind smiles and generally selfless heart to those he considers his family, Naruto had a very potent and toxic darker side to him that was truly terrifying.

Naruto's response was over the top and incredibly aggressive considering the fact that Atsui only spoke words instead of performed actions but in Naruto's experienced mind that was more than enough. He wouldn't dare let even the notion or idea implant itself into the psyches of the cloud ninja that Hinata was up for grabs or vulnerable. That one potential thought opened up Pandora's box as far as doors are concerned. With that single iota of a notion it could open up the possibility of them attacking their group for a chance at kidnapping Hinata. No matter how low the percentage of a chance something as foolish as that future coming to fruition, unfortunately the notion was now officially on the table the minute one of the cloud ninja verbalized this possibility and threw this option out onto the open table.

If Hinata could be targeted such a battle would quickly lead to the chances of any of his children being caught in the crossfire… let alone the fact of them having to witness such a brutal fight breakout. Any such scenario was completely and utterly unacceptable by Naruto. He would nip that notion in the bud immediately and without mercy or hesitation. He would allow no harm to come to his children and he was immediately starting to regret bringing them along now that Hidden Cloud Ninja were operating in the same town as them and apparently going after the same secret mission as them.

"You've tipped your hand don't you think kid… we now know who you are, or should I say what you are?" Kiyoi mumbled out a very strained groan from his immobile position on the floor while Yugito made no moves to advance forward from her position. They were at the tipping point of this standoff. If she acts first, then it would all be over. A battle would have to be fought when they couldn't afford to fight one. Their mission required stealth and subtlety for the nature of this assignment and most of that was thrown straight out the window from the top floor with this impromptu confrontation.

"Oh, don't do that kid… Don't presume to hold any shred of a tactical high ground anymore. It's pathetic. You're only here because Miss Two here led you directly to me. Isn't that right Miss Two?" Naruto reprimanded with a lazy pan of his eyes away from Kiyoi over to Yugito's whose entire body was pinned under Naruto's oppressive gaze. Her heart skipped a beat in her chest for more than one reason as with Naruto just in a pair of swimming trunks it left his entire body bare for her to see. The Shī-ō of the Uzumaki Clan was shredded for a recently turned 13-year-old. An entire lifetime of training and grueling street surviving would give you a body that even his fellow classmates besides Rock Lee didn't have. Even Kiba and Neji two of the most fit behind Rock Lee didn't have what Naruto was currently packing and Sasuke himself had a lither frame similar to Naruto's appearance a few short months prior.

Yugito was only sixteen… the same age as Aria and she could honestly say that she's never laid eyes on a more attractive male in her life. The fact that he was a fellow Jinchūriki and was incredibly powerful which appealed to a more primal feminine instinct within her only added icing to the cake despite the fact he was clearly a Leaf shinobi and she herself was a Cloud Kunoichi. On the other hand, Yugito couldn't move because of that powerful gaze that truly intimidated her in ways that even the Raikage and Killer Bee in the very few instances when he's actually serious could. There was something truly dangerous and terrifying about his look and for better or worst it was an instant fatal attraction for the teenage girl whose never felt any kind of feelings or sexual attraction for any peer in her age group before today. Living a heavily monitored, isolated, socially repressed, and antisocial lonely life as a Jinchūriki would do that to you. She was very sheltered and socially stunted in certain aspects of life.

"What number are you?" The extraordinarily strong tomboyish girl whispered out uncharacteristically with a submissive quality tainted in the tone of her voice. Yugito was a very strong girl… one of the brightest up and coming of her generation and living a very sheltered and isolated life as the Hidden Cloud's latest attack dog or in this case 'cat' pun very much intended left her woefully underdeveloped mentally as a growing person and as a teenage girl so she fell back on a very tough and guarded personality psyche to protect herself from the social pressures of her village. She was known as an unapproachable ice queen. So, this very shy and submissive behavior was completely out of character for the strong practically Jōnin level girl.

"Nine… I will have nine particularly important problems I will gladly share with you all if you don't leave right now. It's clear talking politely with you lot failed." Naruto hissed with his eyes staring straight into Yugito's soul. He never said it outright since he practically danced around the bush coyly with his answer, but Naruto saw no reason why he should hide his status as the Nine Tail's Jinchūriki. His stunning performance against Gaara during the invasion and just prior in his match against Neji pretty much announced to the world that the Hidden Leaf was back in possession of the Nine Tails and had a new Jinchūriki. So, it made no difference if this group of cloud ninja knew… in contrast it was even beneficial since now they knew which beast he was in possession of and just how such a battle could go if he and Yugito were to go all out against each other. Especially since she was the one who led them to his group… they already know who he really is without even having to ask.

Needless to say, Team 3 didn't stick around for much longer after Naruto's final statement as the entire group felt his oppressive chakra leave the area along with the team of cloud ninja. A truly tired and weary sigh escaped his lips that sounded sad and depressing to those who heard it which only sent a pang of pity and sadness into their hearts.

Unknown to the large Uzumaki extended family another presence was in silent attendance to this very tense meeting between two opposing factions. A small pitch-black mouse like creature with hollowed out white eyes and a liquid like body that quite honestly looked artificial and fake in every way was on the roof of the resort on the closest edge nearest to the beach overlooking the standoff. From beginning to end it had witnessed the entire confrontation and unknown to everyone else even more before that encounter.

With everything deescalating the tiny unknown creature retreated from the rooftop to places unknown.


Hours Later – Sapphire Resort

Needless to say, things were tense in the following minutes after the departure of the Hidden Cloud team. Fighting was an option no one wanted on the table and after regaining his bearings Darui quickly yet politely excused his team in a hasty manner as he knew what was profoundly important in this situation and his dignity or baseless pride wasn't one of them. He needed to regroup and plan out how he was going to conduct the next leg of his mission and what should he do regarding the presence of two extremely powerful and dangerous elements in the same town as his mission.

Naruto on the other hand was trying to decompress from his rather abrupt and aggressive actions. The iota of fear that he could detect in Princess Naho's eyes as well as the slivers that he could see in his children left him feeling hollow. At least Hinata wasn't looking at him with such looks but she was giving him one… one that had an entirely different emotion and meaning behind it.

Hinata's hand on his shoulder was a comfort that Naruto couldn't properly put into words as he felt his shoulders sag in both grief and sadness. While on one front he didn't regret his threatening actions towards their somewhat neutral enemy, nonetheless he was remorseful over the fact he had to display such hostile intent in front of his children and charge. He didn't want them to see such a side to him yet now that was unavoidable. "Are you okay now? I'm safe and they're not going to get to me I promise." Hinata cooed in a soft voice that the others still managed to hear, she wasn't trying to hide the comforting words she was speaking to her boyfriend but nonetheless these words were meant solely for the troubled Uzumaki who was trying to run through all of the possible ramifications of his rash actions.

"I think so… I'm sorry I overreacted like that. A million thoughts flooded my mind the second those words came out of that stupid guys mouth. I wasn't just thinking about you. I was thinking of our children. They could easily be targeted in the crossfire. I panicked on the inside a little bit, especially with Naho here with us." Naruto explained with a tremble being detectable within his voice which made a pang of sympathy and understanding ring out within Hinata's heart and unknowingly to him those around him who were listening in.

It went without saying that the good mood and cheer enjoyed by the group was practically evaporated with the recent confrontation they experienced. Returning to the hotel was the given option Naruto and Shoko agreed upon despite some of the complaints of the younger children as the ninja in the group began discussing their plans on how to adjust to having Cloud Ninja in the same town as them seemingly with the purpose of completing their mission.

The Titan herself was the first to bring up the suspicion that it couldn't possibly be a coincidence that the Hidden Cloud dispatched their own specialized team to deal with the same task their Daimyō had purposely assigned them. They arrived a day after them and were clearly drawn to them due to Naruto's and possibly Shoko's presence in the group. That could only mean that the Daimyō had a leak in his court or the even unthinkable second possibility of Saitou setting them up.

"Summoning Jutsu." It went without saying that Naruto immediately summoned his trusted messenger toad Gamaspeed once the group finished theorizing their theories and suspicions. The red and yellow toad was gifted with the task of sending a coded message back to Tsunade in the Leaf as the Hokage had to be made aware of this latest incident immediately. If she were kept in the dark about this and the two groups later came to blows while in the town it could accidentally kick off the next great ninja war.

Despite having the advantage in terms of overall firepower in their group and already having some of Naruto's clones out in the town scouting they still couldn't recklessly go after the team from the Hidden Cloud to spy on them. Yugito could clearly sense Naruto's location easily and trying espionage against a ninja of Darui's caliber was just asking for tensions to needlessly escalate between the two groups who were already off to a bad foot. With nothing left for them to do until they get an eventual response from the Hokage Shoko did her best to turn the large Uzumaki family's attention back inwards towards themselves.

Naruto wanted to apologize to his children for how the day was turning out and his actions that morning, so he summoned the rest of his toad familiars as well as Izō to play with the children in the hotel rooms. Dozens of games were played and invented up on the spot as Naruto and the others did everything in their power to take the children's minds off of the tense standoff that they witnessed that morning. To some extent it even helped Naruto decompress as well but a deep festering weariness and anger was still boiling beneath the surface of his skin. He knew that as long as the Hidden Cloud team were still in the town then the chances of them completing their mission first was increasing.

Creating a clone then immediately popping it Naruto updated the scattered force of recon shadow clones he had planted throughout the town and beyond to be on the lookout for the foreign team. Even with this extra precautionary measure Naruto himself still felt restless in the face of what recently transpired.

"Penny for your thoughts sweetie?" The soft voice of his mother figure crept up on Naruto as he was looking out the window of their expensive hotel room. The view of the crystal-clear ocean wasn't a view he's ever gotten a chance to appreciate before. The life of a ninja prevented such simplistic appreciations and luxuries. Blue eyes met purple as the two adoptive family members shared silent words with just a simple glance.

"I'm worried Shoko… not only about my abrupt actions but of the Hidden Cloud's intentions regardless. All it could take is just one bad spark to set off the next great World War. We aren't just dealing with two opposing teams passing by each other in the same town. They were clearly dispatched here to take our mission… a mission that no one should have ever known about since it was just given to us out of the blue by the Fire Daimyō himself. In both of our professions we can't believe in coincidences, you taught me that lesson when I was little." Naruto opened up in a soft voice since everyone else was distracted playing games.

Shoko's soft embrace enveloped Naruto as a tiny tint of pink flushed his cheeks when his head sunk into the massive bosom of his mother figure. A smirk glimmered on Shoko's face at this fact which Naruto could see as the both of them was well aware of the thoughts going through the young Uzumaki's mind. A mild pout formed on Naruto's lips as he purposefully sunk his head in further to get more comfortable in a bid to spite Shoko who chuckled at the childishness of her surrogate son.

"I feel the same… something doesn't feel right with this whole situation. The fact that out of all the possible teams that could have been sent that hotheaded Ā sent his right-hand man means that he has a personal vested interest in this mission. It's troubling but our earlier assumption that the Fire Daimyō might have a leak in his government might be right or it could be a possibility that the Hot Water Daimyō's private conversations were intercepted. Either way it goes this has put us in a precarious position. The fact that Lady Naho and our children are here with us as well makes it even worst. I bet that is your greatest concern of all." Shoko mused as the two continued to look out the window as they watched the sun set over the beach. It was stunning as the sky turned various shades or oranges and purples.

"I am… if I had known we would be dealing with potentially hostile Cloud Ninja then I would never have decided to bring them along. Worst yet Naho is caught up in the middle of all this. There isn't enough of us ninja here to protect everyone if serious reinforcements from the Hidden Cloud decides to come once they hear your name involved, not to mention mine. I don't want my children hurt mom." Naruto's voice tapered off further and further until the last words out of his mouth couldn't be heard by anyone potentially listening in but for Shoko her child may as well have been screaming.

Naruto was holding on to his fears of an incident breaking out and his children being caught in the crossfire. It was a legitimate concern and not something unfounded. While she could personally vouch for Darui not being the kind of ruthless individual to target children that are clearly not ninja and unable to protect themselves that doesn't mean anything in the face of his three charges or any other ninja that might come back them up. Besides, the Hidden Cloud has been known in the past for the practice of kidnapping to obtain rare bloodlines and just people of interest all together. Shoko wouldn't put it past the Raikage to have either Hinata, Naho, or one of the children kidnapped if he sees any value in them, or just as a general way to gain the upper hand against their group to force them into submission.

It was a precarious situation that Shoko didn't like one bit and she could tell Naruto was facing a raging inner turmoil about this whole ordeal as well. If it had just been them as ninja here then a lot of that pressure would be alleviated since they could watch each other's backs easily, but with the addition of their defenseless children and the princess of their country with them… it made things a hundred times more complicated than they needed to be.

"I understand your fears Naruto… but remember don't let them control you and as a ninja we must never act on them alone. I will never allow anything to happen to any of the children and they will never get their hands on Hinata if they want to try that stunt again. I will personally march to the Hidden Cloud if they try such a thing and confront the Raikage myself. We are strong and we will keep our family safe. In the meantime, what do you plan on doing about this situation? You can't keep the children cooped up in the hotel room forever. We still have an entire week at this place."

A look of contemplation crossed Naruto's face as he thought of what to do. As always Shoko raised good points for him to consider seeing as how she was the more experienced of the duo so taking these thoughts into consideration Naruto began thinking on what their next steps should be. For nearly a whole minute Naruto remained quiet as dozens upon dozens of well-planned out strategies flew passed his subconsciousness like a roulette table until finally his mind settled upon the most ideal stratagem that appealed to him.

"We should get more aggressive… we need to take trips around the town particularly during the morning and evening times while remaining at the hotel during the afternoon." Naruto began as Shoko's vast experience and intellect began to put puzzle pieces together in an instant. "We'll visit the most popular tourist attractions during this time while scoping out some potential hotspots for criminal activity, but we won't be actively doing so during the morning, we'll save that for the evening trips." Naruto further added as he watched a knowing grin begin to spread across his mother's lips. "Oh… and why is that? Won't it be better to blend in with the mid-afternoon rush when the crowds are the biggest?"

"Perhaps… but that will be what the Hidden Cloud team would do… they don't want to attract attention to themselves from us or any unwanted third parties, so they'll approach this much more cautiously, putting themselves further into a disadvantage." Naruto countered as Shoko came in once more with a rebuttal. "The same could easily be said for us… we'll be more exposed during these time periods as the crowds will be thinner."

"Yeah… but if the Hidden Cloud are here to investigate the same thing as us then they will never lure out the correct type of prey with their methods. If we're potentially dealing with an organized surge of crime like the Black Sun, then they'll only come out at night mostly. The evening rush of tourism for the nightlife of any tourist town like this is always the time when criminals come out to play. The hotspots light up and carry out during the night. We won't hit them during the middle of the night like our competition will most like do… no, we'll hit them right from the beginning when they start setting up. The most vigilant spotters for gangs and organized crime factions only come out when business is getting ready for their rush hour when security needs to be tightened up and prepared. We know the patterns like the back of our hand from years of doing this work. We'll strike hard and fast and leave no evidence of us being there."

A proud smile broke out across Shoko's face as she leaned down to plant a kiss onto Naruto's forehead who blushed in appreciation while sinking further into her embrace. A giddy feeling of elation and satisfaction enveloped him as Shoko complimented his work. "Excellent job sweetheart. You've learned so much after all these years… I'm proud of you." The titan was proud of her surrogate son, but her smirk was momentarily abated by the look on Naruto's face.

"Thanks mom… but who said I was quite finished just yet?" The gleam of mischievousness in Naruto's eyes that had replaced his earlier worry and stress was a welcomed sight for the legendary kunoichi as she inquired further into Naruto's plan. Instead of answering her question directly Naruto instead chose a different route to get his point across.

"Chaos." With the simple call of her name the unpredictable and chaotic force that was Naruto's daughter materialized in his lap with the use of Kayros as if it were a normal occurrence… and for a being such as her… it was. "Yes, dada?" The little Angeloid's psychotic purple eyes held nothing but adoration and love for her father and he had her undivided attention at this moment just like any other time he would summon her with just a simple call of her name which was exactly what Naruto wanted as he grabbed her into a hug while looking directly into her eyes.

"Sweetheart… how would you like to cause some trouble around town for a bunch of bad people?" It was a somewhat innocent question for a father to ask his daughter but the manic and disturbing facial expression that broke out onto Chaos's face was truly a disturbing sight that Shoko swore she wouldn't be able to get out of her mind for days to come. Despite being used to Chaos's unstable personality since the little girl was born, it did nothing to sooth Shoko's soul as the little girl wasn't normal by any stretch of the means… she was unhinged and terrifying.


The Next Day – Turquoise Cove

"Where are we going first Naruto?" Naho's little voice inquired to her guide and personal escort in the early morning air as the group could be seen travelling through the moderately crowded streets of the resort city. Many popular destinations were in mind for the young Shī-ō and he was eager to share these places with the rest of the group.

"Well princess I thought we'd start big by going to the sight of an old colosseum that existed in this town from ancient times… from what I read in the tourist brochure this colosseum has been around for nearly 700 years. A massive catastrophe that occurred around 300 years ago caused this entire region to be devastated and for the complex to crumble. But from what I hear that same accident gave this country its name." Naruto explained as the group could see the massive stone structure looming in the distance about four blocks away as it towered over the surrounding stone buildings by about two extra stories reaching higher into the sky as the sight was seven stories tall.

A low audible rumbled from the back of Naruto's mind sounded off at that exact key moment letting the Uzumaki know that the Nine Tails himself had feelings about this tidbit of information. It was curious to note this phenomenon, but Naruto couldn't figure out what that connection might be at this time.

Putting his curious probing inquiry to the back of his mind for the time being Naruto focused back on the princess walking next to him with Iris and Chaos accompanying her. Little Ai was wrapped up in Naruto's arms while drinking from a bottle that contained nutritious milk that was mixed in with other secret ingredients that would be more beneficial to her physiology as a mermaid. Her sea green eyes sparkled in unhidden childish awe and wonder at the massive ruins ahead of them with the rest of the children having similar expressions on their faces. Moegi was hitching a piggyback ride on Naruto's back which was fine by him even if the two girls combined were a tad bit heavy to carry.

Hinata, Henrietta, and Aria were walking a few paces behind with the other children chatting with each other while Shoko and Anko brought up the rear seemingly conversing with each other without a care in the world when in reality the two Jōnin kunoichi were on high alert and more than ready to deal with any unforeseen enemy if need be.

It only took a few minutes before the large pseudo family were in front of the massive marvel of ancient architecture. The ruins were impressive to look at as scores of tourist groups could be seen moving in and out of the complex by the minute. Joining the rest of the early morning crowd the group took a few minutes to genuinely appreciate the long-abandoned ancient wonder of this city that has stood for centuries. It was beautiful and oddly compelling to those who could appreciate the history that the place once held.

The peace was disturbed when a person bumped into Hinata from the crowd causing the younger girl to shift back in surprise. "I'm sorry miss. I wasn't looking where I was going." The kind older man in his twenties said as he bowed in apology towards the heiress who was quick to forgive the simple accident. As quick as this interaction began it ended within moments before the man disappeared into the crowd with Hinata pushing forward until she was closer to Naruto where she inconspicuously leaned in while engaging him in conversation.

"The team from the Hidden Cloud are monitoring us loosely and it would seem that some strange activity is happening at the docks." Hinata informed as she motionlessly passed Naruto a tiny note from her hand to his. The person she had bumped into was one of Naruto's many Shadow Clone scattered throughout the city and instead of just dispelling where the potential for it to be seen or sensed is increased they decided to physically pass on their messages and updates to the group.

"Good job… the closest tourist attraction to the industrial harbor section of the town is the aquarium. It's a nice place to take the kids and we'll be close enough to scope out the place. That's one of the main places Shoko and I wanted to check thoroughly anyway. This just gives us one more reason to do so." Naruto revealed with a smile as he then turned to his wayward daughter. 'Now to shake these eyes watching us.'

"Chaos… did you set everything up like I told you too?" Naruto cooed to his devious daughter whose facial expression changed to one of pure bliss. "Yes daddy… I had so much fun earlier this morning. Those thugs won't know who to blame." Chaos giggled in a disturbing way which unnerved Naho quite a bit and even Shoko had to look away momentarily. "And you'll be ready to do so again this evening, right?" Naruto reinforced just to confirm that Chaos was staying on tract with his machinations. The last thing he needed was for her to become bored of the current task at hand and refuse to help him further. Of course, he highly doubted she would lose interest in the assignment he had given her. After all, he practically gave her permission to cut loose with her powers.

A devious smile was the only reply Naruto needed to see from Chaos to know that his future plans were secure. Naruto's plan was starting to come together, and he couldn't be happier. Falling back on his more mischievous prankster like mentality that he's cultivated over the last few years alongside his daughters as well as his extensive street smarts and formal knowledge in the mafia Naruto had a tried and true strategy in play to smoke out the criminals that they were looking for.

Start a gang war.

If these new criminals who recently started to flock to this town and country as a whole have only been here for a short amount of time, then it would be easy to assume that they haven't set down any permanent roots with the locals yet. Spark mistrust within the already preexisting gangs and watch everyone become paranoid with each other. It wouldn't take long with how unstable things have become lately with the new arrivals to town and the general state of the world currently. Business as usual can't operate if the local underworld market is disrupted which would put a halt to what Naruto and the others knew to be a Black Sun operation.

One night was all someone like Chaos would need to begin spreading the seeds of distrust and disruption within the underworld of this town. Getting into places that she shouldn't even know exists the tiny terror alongside her father had sabotaged, raided, and pilfered already known gang hotspots from intelligence that the mafia already had on stock. Putting up evidence that would lead to competing gangs was literal child's play for the child and her father. The random kidnappings and muggings on mass in the few short hours of the night by a raid of Naruto's shadow clones and Chaos's extraordinarily powerful Illusion Magic had a lot of people on edge this morning which Naruto was able to spy from certain people scattered throughout the crowd who stuck out from the rest due to their gruff looks and paranoid filled eyes.

"Let's head to the aquarium now." Naruto noted as the group began traveling once more. A subtle glance down at Chaos was the only signal Naruto gave out to his daughter and right away he felt the tiniest miniscule tug on his combined chakra reserve. An illusion was casted without anyone's noticed that riled up a nearby thug who was within eyesight of a competitor. It took less than a full minute for a street brawl between those two thugs to break out. For a moment this escalated situation made his children nervous, but Naruto was quick to pull them away as this distraction allowed the large family to move away undetected from their tail who was trying to monitor them from afar. The brawl in the middle of the street brought in tens of dozens of extra civilians trying to see what the commotion was all about giving the spying member from the Hidden Cloud team the slip.

The time spent at the aquarium was beneficial for the family in more ways than one as Naruto really enjoyed seeing the star-struck looks on his children's faces as they admired all the marine life on exhibit for the public to see and especially Ai was beyond herself as seeing the aquatic species in front of her left her mystified. Even more so when many of the fish would congregate around the glass closest to her because they could sense her true aquatic nature.

On the other hand, the others used this opportunity to search the nearby harbor with a combination of Hinata's Byakugan, Naruto's transformed Shadow Clones, and Anko's superior infiltration skills. They discovered quite a bit as two cargo ships docked at the port belonged to the Black Sun who used the ships to smuggle in their illegal contraband. Judging by the size of the two ships it was easy to tell that the criminal group brought in quite a few personnel and drugs.

Luckily for the group they were also able to discover that the main concentration and base of operation for this detachment of the criminal organization was situated around the import dockyards. A taken over warehouse was the main base of operations for the criminals. They haven't had a chance to branch out too to many other locations within the town which was fortunate for the investigative family. A rough plan was coming together for the ninja in the group in relation to how they wished to tackle the eventual raid on the building and the routing of the criminals inside.

They had to discover the location of the rest of the other known spots that the black sun has set up in the town and any exporting locations to other towns they may have before attempting their raid. They also had to be extremely careful in this attack as they don't want Team 3 from the Hidden Cloud catching on to their movements.

Spending the rest of the day touring the large tourist town while secretly surveying the surroundings the Uzumaki family eventually returns to the resort to wind down their day. They detected the presence of a member of Team 3 two more times during the day after initially ditching them and Naruto was fairly sure it was Yugito based upon her larger than normal chakra reserves that the individual was masking down to a severe degree and the level of their stealth skills. She stalked them the same way a cat would stalk its own prey.

"We should still check out some of the nightlife in a few hours. That brawl this morning has had quite a lot of people stirred up within the town. We should take advantage of this chaos while we have the opportunity. I don't know what the Hidden Cloud are up too now that the town is in a stir from early." Anko was the one to suggest this option as the ninja of the group sat around the table to discuss their options. It was only a short time away from the nighttime rush and plans needed to be made. They needed to find the last few spread out hotspots that the black sun was operating out of besides the main base back in the shipyards. If they could find these mini hubs, they could swiftly put an end to the criminal element in the city.

"I agree. Thanks to our recon earlier we now know that they've been making inroads with quite a few local gangs in town, but nothing is quite concrete yet since they've only been here for about a month. It's often their main tactic to have their main hub be located nearby their distribution centers, in this case shipyards and industrial zones where they can watch over their shipments and quickly escape in the event of an emergency. It's a tactic that has served them well in the past, but it will be their downfall when coming up against competent ninja. We'll sink their ships just like we did in the Land of Snow. That will be the first strike which will trap them in the city and simultaneously we'll strike out at the rest of their rat nests and pick them off all at once."

This bolder statement was made by Naruto himself who was far more eager and simultaneously weary of Team 3's movements in the area. They had to ensure they were three steps ahead of their foreign competitors in this endeavor. It also went without saying that they were in a slight race against the clock. They had no way of knowing if their adversaries called in backup and with them basically forced to complete this assignment it certainly handicap's them in a way.

"I would agree as well… I don't want to drag out this conflict either especially with the children tagging along with us. If we're going to go through with this, we need to be swift and sure of our tactics. We don't want to get into any unnecessary conflict with the Hidden Cloud." Shoko advised as she did not want to be held responsible for potentially starting the next great war. She would steel her heart and kill off that team if push came to shove and they showed themselves to be a threat to the children… but deep-down Shoko was praying and hoping that such an event never occurred.

"What would you have me do Naruto… do you want me to join you in scouting out these hotspots or do you want me to stay with the children?" Hinata's soft voice broke through the monotone seriousness of her fellow colleagues as she directed her question towards her boyfriend with a peculiar look in her eye that the blond has long since learned to read over the years of them knowing each other so well. There was definitely a hidden question within Hinata's statement. 'Do you want me to stay behind because you're worried about my safety and that of the children's or do you want me to come along?'

Naruto read this hidden message loud and clear and a huge part of his heart wanted to tell his girlfriend to stay behind at the resort to watch over the rest of the children. It would be safer than being out and about with the Hidden Cloud team occupying the same town as them. But at the same time, he wanted to respect her independence as his partner, teammate, and girlfriend. He trusted her to be able to watch her own back out in the field and to always have his, but his protective streak and paranoia for her as well as the children were waging a fierce war in his heart. The children would be in capable hands if Hinata were to stay behind to guard them along with Aria and Henrietta but even still that wasn't a guarantee that they would be safe even there.

"I don't know Hinata… I'm conflicted on what to do. I want to protect you but at the same time I want you by my side so that we can resolve this quickly." Naruto answered truthfully with a guilty look in his eyes as he watched a look of understanding and slight sparks of disappointment flash through Hinata's eyes. She understood where her boyfriend was coming from, but even then, she didn't mindlessly agree and support every single decision and feeling he had regarding her in particular, no matter how understanding and supportive she already was of him. Her old insecurities that even till this day aren't fully gone flared through her heart for a quick beat of a second. She felt inadequate and coddled with his response.

She was strong and powerful enough to stand by his side time and time again in difficult battles and stressful situations and other than Sasuke himself there was no shinobi in their age group that he fought well with and had perfect battle chemistry with that wasn't her. Their teamwork was picture perfect and even far superior to Sasuke's since they have known each other for far longer and have always enjoyed a more mutual and cooperative relationships.

It was a truly conflicting feeling to be shared between the young couple that was only exacerbated by the stressful situation that they find themselves in. Shoko and Anko shared a look between them as this scene happened to be an unfortunately common but tough conversation that young shinobi couples go through quite frequently when working close together. The conflicting desire to protect your significant other despite them being a competent shinobi or let them stand by your side in battles was nothing new for most. The will to protect or to fight side by side. It is a paradox that has plagued many in their positions for untold generations. Naruto and Hinata weren't the first to go through this dilemma and they wouldn't be the last.

Naruto could sense the conflict and frustration within Hinata with his last comment and knew that he screwed up. She wanted him to be honest and he always was with her. He knew she wasn't angry at him for being honest, she was really just swallowing a bitter pill with what he had to say. Regardless of that fact, he knew he had to say something to push forward.

"Naruto… if you say the word and want me to stay here and protect the children then I will. I wouldn't want to be an extra burden on your mind for the next few days… but I know I can fight and protect myself. I don't want to be afraid of the shinobi of the Hidden Cloud. What if I had encountered them when I was by myself or with another team? They've taken so much from my life and my family and I don't want them to take my confidence and sense of peace from me while we're here. If they want a conflict with us, then I will fight and protect our family. So please… let me fight with you."

Any words that were on the tip of Naruto's tongue died right then and there at his girlfriend's heartfelt plea as those around the table looked towards Hinata with shock written all over their faces. Shoko and Anko weren't expecting their shy protégé to blurt out such passion and determination with her feelings while Naruto felt a surge of emotions of such intensity that he felt his breath shorten in his chest.

A self-conscious blush worked its way onto Hinata's face but the fire in her eyes didn't diminish in the slightest. She was dead serious with her conviction to confront her past. She would not let the heavily militarized and aggressive village and their shinobi intimidate her and her life any longer. Through their actions they've caused her and her family a lifetime of grief and turned her childhood into a nightmare for years to come. If they could make it through the next few days without getting into conflict with their shinobi then she would be happy, but if they came looking for a fight she wouldn't cower or back down from them… especially not with her children in harm's way. She had all the more reason to be strong for them if not for herself.

All it took was one look into Hinata's eyes for Naruto to understand the full scope of the Hyūga princess's resolve and convictions. His heart swelled and constricted all at the same time. It was times like this that reinforced Naruto's ironclad love for the beautiful girl sitting before him. She has been his best friend and partner for the better part of six almost seven years and one of the most important loves of his life. Next to Eva being his other half and anchor in his life Hinata represented the constant in his life that he couldn't live without. He needed her… depended on her… and it was times like this that reinforced that notion.

It was silent in the room for a brief moment before Naruto grabbed everyone's attention by standing up at the table and taking confident strides towards his partner who wasn't prepared for his sudden action. Hinata wasn't even able to get a word out before her lips were claimed in a passionate kiss that matched the words she spoke. A warm smile bloomed on Shoko's face while Anko's mouth parted in shock at the bold move her surrogate little brother made. It went without saying that Henrietta and Aria felt slight jolts of jealously tingle up their spines for a brief moment since this was happening in plain view of everyone present. Eva on the other hand could tell exactly what Naruto was feeling in that moment since they are connected and so fully understood where this burst of emotions was coming from.

Because their emotions and thoughts sometimes overlap due to their bond increasing in strength as the years go by Eva could honestly say she was proud of her girlfriend for the steps she was taking in her own emotional maturity and their overall relationship. If she were confronted by these members of the hidden cloud all by herself or with a different team then Hinata knew for sure that her confidence wouldn't be nearly as high as it would need to be to stand up to those individuals but because of the fact she had so much on the line that she needed to protect it lit a raging inferno in her heart. Her children including the crowned princess of their country was under her protection right now. Hinata couldn't afford to give up or back down form any potential threat against them.

Naruto finally understood all of this and more while Hinata was left momentarily silenced by the surprising kiss from her boyfriend. She wasn't expecting for this to be his response to her heartfelt plea nor was she expecting him to carry it out in front of the entire family. It was shocking, embarrassing, and much to her inner chagrin at her raging teenage hormones very sexually arousing all at the same time. She wouldn't admit it out loud that him kissing her so passionately in front of everyone was transitioning into a major turn on for her. She secretly relished in the moments when Naruto would be very bold and dominant with her in public settings.

Pulling away from the kiss before Hinata could get completely lost in the experience Naruto looked into the pale lavender eyes of his girlfriend and flashed her his special grin reserved only for his loved ones and those he opens up to. "With a request like that how can I ever refuse you. I'd feel better if you were at my side Hinata." A warm smile growing across the heiress's face was the only answer Naruto needed to see before he backed off to return to his seat.

"Now let's talk strategy…"


Turquoise Cove Tourist Hotel (Hidden Cloud Team)

Tense.

The atmosphere in the small rented out hotel room of Team 3 was very tense following their encounter with the extended Uzumaki family and its members. Darui has been through hellish encounters that would shake lesser shinobi to their cores and fought in the outbreak of the Third Shinobi World War and managed to survive past it to see its conclusion. There wasn't much that fazed the aloof and chill right-hand man of the Fourth Raikage. But todays encounter with their longstanding rivals and enemies of the Hidden Leaf rattled Darui's nerves in ways that he's not felt since the last war itself.

He encountered one of the Legendary Titans in this small inconspicuous tourist town coincidentally at the same time his team is assigned a mission that one would think is far removed from their pedigree, especially with him in charge of the team. Not only does he meet Shoko of all people who he hasn't seen since the last war but she's in the company of the Hidden Leaf Village's Jinchūriki who blew his mind in terms of the expectations he had for the boy and his power, and last but not least the very same young Hyūga Heiress that their village tried to kidnap years ago when she was a toddler. Now she's far more grown and evidently quite powerful if the suppressed reserves of chakra he was sensing from her were accurate. Not to mention Anko who is a well-known Jōnin level kunoichi and a worthy adversary on the battlefield and an entire entourage of assorted children that he was extremely curious to know the significance of if they were deemed necessary enough to have the likes of Shoko acting as their guardian.

That strange ensemble of individuals belonging to that group deeply intrigued the shinobi part of Darui's brain who based upon his many years of experience could tell right from jump that there was more to that group than met the eye. There were secrets and interesting facts about all of them that he himself would like to know, but all of that potential was thrown clear out of the window all due to the rash and short-sighted actions of his youngest subordinate.

His team was currently a mess. Atsui was shaken from his recent encounter with the leaf ninja in more ways than just one. An odd twisted mixture of fear and anger was swirling around in the pits of the hotblooded boy's soul for a certain pair of individuals. Darui knew he was moments away from having the boy finally blow is lid. Kiyoi while far more composed than his teammate was no less frazzled by the blatant and casual dismissal Naruto had of his very presence in their earlier confrontation. The staggering amounts of killing intent and sheer pressure of chakra was more than what he's ever experienced from any shinobi before, especially one his age. The frosted cold malice he detected within Naruto's eye for him and his entire team chilled Kiyoi to his bone.

Darui turned to his final student and sighed the most for her as he gazed at Yugito who was perched on the dresser situated underneath the window to their room. The young teenage Jinchūriki was unnaturally quite ever since their encounter a short while ago. The girl by her own nature was incredibly quiet, withdrawn, and reclusive towards her team in general but she would at least make standard conversations with them in regular intervals. In this situation for a change, she wasn't saying a word. Her eyes stared out the window with a thousand-yard stare that would root a man to the spot if he were to accidentally meet eyes with her. From one glance alone Darui could tell his most obedient student had a lot on her mind, both figuratively and literally since there was a strong chance she could be talking to her inner resident at that very moment.

"Is something bothering you Yugito?" Darui decided in his head to address the female member of his team first. The last thing he needed on his conscience was for a teenage Jinchūriki to have any kind of violent stress induced emotional outburst while they were on a mission. If that were to happen the mission would have to immediately be scrapped as the Black Panther of the Hidden Cloud did not feel like tangoing with an irritable and raging Jinchūriki in the middle of a civilian town. That placed her as the priority on the top of his list even in comparison to her two teammates who he would be dealing with in a moment.

Once more Darui's luck just simply wasn't with him today. It was as if he was cursed for misfortune and unfavorable circumstances as once again, he was interrupted by his hot-headed student who chose this exact moment of all times to finally loose his temper. If his quiet and somewhat anti-social oldest student was going to reply to him or even take it a step further by opening up regarding his question then he may never know as now he had to redirect his attention to Atsui who flipped over an end table of all things near the couch he was sitting on.

"I can't believe this shit! Who the hell does that blond bastard think he is!? Huh? He can't just dismiss us like that as if he's better than us!" Atsui roared with anger and insecurity palpable in his voice. His body trembled in denial to the casual way he and his teammates were crushed under the weight of Naruto's chakra even though he was roughly the same age as them. It completely burned at his pride to the very depths of his soul, and to make matters worst he was in the close company of an unsealed main branch Hyūga girl of all people. That tidbit seared at his soul more than anything.

"That bastard thinks he's hot shit, but if I got my hands on him, he'd be dead by now!" Atsui growled as he went to swipe a decoration off of the coffee table situated in the center of the surrounding couches when Darui stepped in and grabbed his student's wrist in a vice like grip.

"That's enough Atsui! To be frank you'd lose if you were to fight that boy. So, this temper tantrum your throwing is unacceptable." Darui cut in as a frown appeared on the normally infallible laid-back man's face. The powerful Jōnin peered down at his student with disappointment in his eyes as for the last three years since taking on this team he's had to try unsuccessfully to curb Atsui's hotheaded nature to no avail. He's shot his mouth off in the past quite a few times that has gotten their team into sticky situations, but it was never anything they couldn't handle. Never has he done anything to this degree that has blatantly jeopardize their entire mission to such a strained degree. Tensions on the political stage where high for all the villages right now.

The Hidden Leaf were making big flexes and powerplays to sure up their defenses and ward off any potential acts of aggression from the other major villages. It was one of the biggest reasons why they didn't immediately declare all-out war against the Hidden Sound and seek retribution against the Hidden Sand for their involvement in the invasion several months ago during the Chūnin Exams despite being perfectly entitled and well within their rights to do so. The point was they couldn't right now even if they wanted to. They had more than enough manpower to take on the Hidden Sound and theoretically crush them but given how tricky and dangerous Orochimaru can be that venture might cost them more than what they bargained for… and on the other hand if they do start attacking their enemies it would leave them vulnerable to counter attacks and invasions from villages like their own and the Hidden Stone.

As an Elite Veteran Jōnin and the right-hand man of the Fourth Raikage himself, Darui understood these nuances within the political schemes of the Great Five Nations. He understood that his every action and that of his own squad could have unforeseen consequences should they be reckless while interacting with the Hidden Leaf right now. Any perceived act of unsolicited aggression against their members could easily lead to all-out war between the Hidden Leaf and Hidden Cloud all over again and that conflict could very easily escalate into a full blown World War once again… the Fourth Shinobi World War to be exact. Such a nightmare scared Darui even more than coming face to face with Shoko did. The lazy man of the Hidden Cloud hoped and prayed that this unforeseen Fourth War never happened in his lifetime. He didn't want to be a veteran of two World Wars.

To bad Darui didn't have the power of foresight to see into the future… because if he only knew the irony of his lamenting…

The hotheaded blond looked affronted by such a comment coming from none-other than his very own sensei while Yugito and Kiyoi were a little taken aback by their teachers' tone and statement. Darui rarely ever disciplines his students as it wasn't in his nature to take a firmer stance with them. His laid-back personality didn't really allow for such active engagement with his students in the form of marshal discipline, especially out in the field during missions. He expected you to always be on your best behavior. Your respect, cooperation, and self-discipline were expected by all of the higherups in the Hidden Cloud given how much more militaristic and stricter they are in comparison to the Hidden Leaf.

"You've got to be kidding me Sensei! How could you even say such a thing? I know I'm stronger than that blond asshole! I'd crush him and that Hyūga bi-!" Atsui had a fire in his eyes of burning anger but his tirade was cut short by his sensei once more who was quickly losing his well-known calm composure. "ENOUGH!"

The small motel room Team 3 of the Hidden Cloud Village quickly became as quiet as a graveyard as Darui's three students all looked to him in shock at his own outburst. He was an incredibly quiet and laid-back individual. He never raised his voice to them in such a manner in all the time they've been together. A stern glare was now etched onto the Elite Jōnin's face as he looked into the eyes of his Genin student.

"I'll say it one last time Atsui… ignoring the obvious fact that this kid is a Chūnin while you're still a Genin despite being roughly the same age it shouldn't take a genius to realize that this boy has skills and abilities beyond your current reach without even taking into account his status as a Jinchūriki. I've heard of that kid even before that Chūnin Exam's a few months back. He's already posted in the Bingo book for just under a year and he's listed as a high B – Rank threat. It wouldn't surprise me if within the next year or two he doesn't become a Jōnin and an A – Level threat. He was a major contributor to cleaning up that mess our spies heard about in the Land of Waves where he now has their national bridge named after him and he even went toe to toe with Orochimaru himself and his underlings on more than one occasion while being listed as the individual who brought down Gaara the One Tailed Jinchūriki in single combat. Not to mention some of his most recent accomplishments with the skirmishes he survived against the Hidden Stone and multiple skirmishes along the Land of Fire's borders and the most recent international incident up in the Land of Snow where he was the key factor in stopping the crisis that was unfolding. That boy is leagues ahead of all three of you combined in terms of combat experience and obvious raw power and if he and Yugito were to fight I'm not so sure even she would completely dominate the fight." Darui's words were like hot knifes through butter for all three members of Team 3 to feel especially Atsui as their teacher took a deep stress induced breath to try and calm his nerves.

"That boy is quickly shaping up to be another one of those generational prodigies the Hidden Leaf are famous for popping out every generation no matter how hard of a hit their country has taken over the years. He is the real deal and not an opponent to arrogantly look down on or take lightly and I've been hearing some similar things about that Hyūga heiress girl. While obviously not an overwhelmingly powerful Jinchūriki like her friend or Yugito here I've heard she's got some feats under her belt and that the two of them share a long mission history together with both of them gaining the same accolades combined between the two of them from those shared missions. They're both powerful Chūnin despite just being promoted a few months prior. I've had this team for three years already and you and Kiyoi are still Genin while Yugito is the only Chūnin. Atsui I do not need to spell out the horrible disadvantage that we as a team are in. If our spies are correct, then that boy and girl are only going to continue to get stronger and they're going to do so at a very impressive rate." Darui explained to his students who were paying rapped attention to their teacher since he was giving out an exceedingly rare lecture.

Sitting at the very top echelon of the Hidden Cloud's military and being the famous "Right Hand Man" to the Fourth Raikage made Darui a deeply knowledgeable man. This fact was only enhanced due to his very diligent and thorough nature despite being known for being very laid-back. He reads and rereads the latest Bingo Books and spy reports brought into the village almost daily to keep up to date with the international affairs of the other villages which is a habit only Elite Shinobi on his caliber are known to do. He's known about the hype around Naruto for months prior to ever meeting him for the first time. He was now starting to think that he was definitely the boy Balalaika was grooming and interested in. Especially if the very recent rumor was to be believed that she got into a skirmish with him a few weeks prior. Unfortunately, even their extensive spy network was unable to fully corroborate these claims which made sense to Darui since if Balalaika didn't want any information to leak about her movements and dealings than it was practically guaranteed that nothing would be known. It was her trade craft and primary business after all.

Darui knew how powerful Naruto was quickly becoming and even the small whispers Hinata was beginning to generate, especially for having a track record of consistently being by Naruto's side during many such important skirmishes and conflicts. They were far more powerful Chūnin despite being rookies for their age range. He had no doubt in his mind that if either Atsui or Kiyoi were to fight the two young Chūnin that they would lose hands down and hypothetically one on one or even two on one they would have the best chance at taking on Yugito together if she were to get serious which honestly scared the renowned "Black Panther" quite a bit since having the skills, teamwork, and power necessary to contend with a trained Jinchūriki was a very rare thing in their world.

Darui had full faith in his students as any good sensei would… but he was also a war veteran and highly experienced Elite Jōnin. He knew exactly how a battle between his students and the two young leaf Chūnin would go. They would lose at the very least 7 times out of 10 and that number drastically plummets further and further when you stack on the likes of Shoko in the mix. Adding Anko on at the end would just make the situation even more unfair for them.

Atsui's face throughout his sensei's lecture progressively grew more contrite as time passed. He looked as if he swallowed the worlds most sour lemon as he had no idea of the accolades and accomplishments his fellow blond adversary has accumulated within just one years' time. It was mind boggling and if Hinata was to be shown as quite capable in her own right to even be able to stand besides Naruto then that was just an even more bitter pill to swallow. "It's not fair… how can they be so powerful? Never mind that bastard. How can she be just as strong? That strength should belong to our village. My father didn't die just so that stupid little girl can grow up to be another major enemy for our village!" Atsui yelled with rage clear in his eyes as he nearly jumped to his feet in frustration but the withering glare his sensei immediately sent his way pinned him to the couch he was sitting on.

Atsui had a truly clear and justified reason for hating the Hidden Leaf with such passion and even more so the Hyūga Clan to be exact… at least it was a justified reason in his brain. His father was the Diplomatic Emissary Ninja sent by the Hidden Cloud to sign the peace treaty between the two villages around the time of Hinata's Third Birthday. The Third Shinobi World War was still technically active and raging but all major large scale battles and sieges had come to an end nearly four years prior at that point ever since Minato was appointed the Fourth Hokage and Ōnoki the Third Tsuchikage pulled his forces out of the war shortly following the decisive battle at Kannabi Bridge, one of the wars most famous conflicts.

The Hyūga Incident and the death of the diplomat threatened to turn what was now considered a Cold War back into an active World Conflict once again as the Fourth Raikage and his council were itching to reignite the battle. Atsui and Samui's father was the Envoi who Hiashi Hyūga killed the night he tried to kidnap Hinata out of the main mansion in the Hyūga Compound. His death and the events to follow would shape politics for both villages for years to come since then and growing up with the loss of their father was a bitter pill for the hot and cold siblings to swallow. With Samui being to older of the two and more pragmatic, she was able to recover as best she could and move forward to being a better shinobi for it. Atsui on the other hand couldn't accept the loss of his father and the constant praise and sympathy from the villagers around him growing up as a young child has imprinted on him and toxically shaped his mind into his adolescence.

He bought into the dogmatic rivalry for the Leaf Village that the propaganda of their village displays as well as his personal hate for the illustrious Hyūga Clan. It was enough to poison his mind and while his sister has never held any prejudice or hate for the Leaf Village that she just took her Chūnin Exam in, her younger brother was a different story. The whole plan was for the Hidden Cloud to start their own Hyūga Clan within their village with children born with the Byakugan raised and indoctrinated into their own ranks. Three clans that belong to their village who have many numbers throughout their military today share identical backstories of this practice. The process of going about gaining this loyal Hyūga raised clan would be inhumane and frowned upon in the context of kidnapping a 3-year-old girl to do so. However, unfortunately these thoughts never crossed Atsui's mind.

A harsher glare formed on Darui's face at his student's latest outburst. It would seem he wasn't fully paying attention to the words he just spoke. It was quite typical of Atsui to hear only what he wanted to hear in situations like these, which in this case made things problematic for the master swordsmen.

"Atsui… your father died as a shinobi of this village and nothing more. He wasn't a hero or some celebrity as the mindless sheep in our village have made you out to believe. He was a shinobi who performed his mission and died while doing so. However, his death almost led to the resurgence of the Third World War. The mission of kidnapping offspring and rare candidates of powerful bloodline families has gotten our village into many very questionable and harsh times in the past. Frankly, I've never condoned some of the foolish actions our village has taken in the past regarding our military practices and his death was the most recent and problematic of them all. He was not a failure for failing and dying in the pursuit of his mission; neither was he a hero or martyr for being associated with that incident. He was simply a shinobi who if I had my way would have never been sent on that mission in the first place and that is the lesson you need to learn."

Darui's voice was very firm but not overly cruel or condescending. He was conscientious of his students feelings regarding his own father and the powerful Jōnin himself held respect for his fellow shinobi but he knew that it was now time to put this dead man's wayward son in his place for his own good and development as a person.

Never have any of Team 3 been spoken to this way by their sensei. This was a truly novel experience for the three students and the impact showed. None of them had an immediate come back for their teacher's words. Particularly Atsui who had a furious yet constrained expression on his face. He had a maelstrom of conflicting thoughts circulating within his head at the moment and it wouldn't be going away anytime soon. Yugito herself had a troubled expression on her face as she grabbed the attention of her sensei.

"Is he really that powerful sensei… is this the type of situation we're in? Can we even continue the mission now that we've been completely compromised and with Atsui clearly emotionally compromised as well?" The young twin tailed Jinchūriki asked in a small voice that caused a small unnoticeable frown to cross Darui's face. He didn't like seeing Yugito so emotionally off balanced and stirred up. She was usually very calm, cool, collected, and stoic in all but the harshest of situations. She was the emotional rock that held the three teammates together even if she didn't completely open up to the two boys on her team due to her upbringing and socially stunted development.

"Why don't you answer that yourself Yugito. As a fellow Jinchūriki you'd have the best judgment in assessing his true power… and as far as our mission is concerned that is up in the air at the moment. As things stand now anything can go wrong from here which is why I need all of your attention. We need to all sit down and asked the big questions now. Do we want to continue with the mission; and if so, let's talk strategy?" Darui answered in his completely serious voice that is only ever heard on their very tough missions or battles. He was going to do everything in his power to ensure the safety of his team at all costs as well as find a way to somehow salvage what's left of their severely botched mission.


Two Days Later – Turquoise Cove: Sapphire Resort Private Beach

Naruto was currently having a hard time…

It wasn't that he was having a tough battle or struggle… well perhaps so, but in a much different metaphorical sense. The entire group was back on the beach once more with the children all playing in the sand or in the shallow water further down. Most of them were being accompanied by a clone of Naruto's who was giving individual attention to as many of his children as possible. They were playing many games together such as building sandcastles, playing tag, swimming, playing catch, throwing frisbees, tug of war matches between all of the children, hopscotch, flying kites, and Ai was developing her powers by blowing bubbles for the rest of her older siblings.

Personally, it was a lot of fun for each of the children to be spending time with their father and Naruto mutually felt the same as he learned quite a bit about each of them as individuals in this sense. Naho out of everyone else really came out of her shell due to the positive interactions with children her own age for the first time in her life. The number of smiles and laughter coming from the royal princess over the last two days were infectious to say the least. She acted like a fish out of water as she wasn't used to the childish games and relaxed nature of the large family. Every moment was filled with excitement, awe, wonder, and self-new discovery for the princess who's never experienced most of the average everyday things that most people would consider apart of their normalcy and therefore take for granted.

No, none of these things were causing Naruto his great struggle. That blame falls solely on the shoulders of the great visage of being surrounded by multiple copies of Hinata in her breathtaking beach bikini. It wasn't a trick of his eyes that he was seeing more than one visage of his beloved girlfriend in front of him. The sight was very much real for the lovestruck young Chūnin.

What Naruto was looking at was 4 distinct and very much real life Shadow Clones of his faithful girlfriend lined up next to their progenitor who was panting in exertion but with a proud and accomplished smile on her face that was only matched by the face splitting grin on Naruto's face who's eyes misted over with prideful moisture for a brief moment.

"HINATA YOU DID IT!" Naruto screamed out in happiness as he tackled the real girl and swallowed her up into his bone crushing embrace. Laughter escaped both young adolescent teenagers as Naruto swung his precious partner around in his arms who squealed in delight with her exceptionally soft silky voice that only sounded like a pleasant instrument in his ears at the moment.

"You've successfully performed the Shadow Clone Jutsu! I'm so proud of you!" It went without saying that Hinata was over the moon with her accomplishment and the feeling of pride that comes along with it and to share in this feeling with her loved one was especially memorable. In her haze of excitement Hinata hooked her legs around her boyfriend's waist in both delight and skittish nerves as he was spinning her around multiple times. Feeling just as giddy Naruto blindly smashed his lips into his girlfriend's who draped her arms around his neck closing the distance between them as they shared in this passionate and very intimate kiss.

The hard part for Naruto came when the four brand-new clones of Hinata randomly decided to join in on the celebratory action by latching onto Naruto's preoccupied form sandwiching in their creator and their mutual boyfriend tighter than almost any other time they've been together. Feeling four extra pairs of arms and warms bodies pushing into him brought the two love birds out of their reverie to realize the compromising position they now found themselves in. The four extra bodies were pressing Hinata flush against Naruto's body who was holding her up in his arms with hers wrapped tightly around his neck as she reciprocated the kiss between them.

The problem was the other clones were wrapping their arms around Naruto's shoulders and arms in return while unintentionally pressing their very prominent busts into his shoulders with the other two clones pressing into Hinata while wrapping their arms around the shoulders of their fellow clones effectively encircling the actual couple in the middle. This entrapment made things rather hard for Naruto and Hinata was feeling just how 'hard' the situation was as it not so innocently pressed itself against her inner thigh less than an inch away from her most sacred area.

An atomic blush of massive proportions broke out onto Hinata's face as she let out a breathless squeak that much to her mortification held twinges of burning desire and arousal mixed into her response. Gazing into the deep blue eyes of her beloved partner she could see he was having a similar reaction to her. A million words looked like they wanted to spill out of Naruto's mouth, but they wouldn't form and Hinata could understand the sentiment. Behind the embarrassment and shock of it all she could see a burning desire awakening within the very depths of his eyes as well. The way he was starting to look at her with the same familiar gaze that they've shared several times in the past when they've gotten swept up in a moment was once again getting to her… which inevitably caused her to impulsively smash her lips back into Naruto's causing her boyfriend to lose his balance in shock from the suddenness of her actions.

In one swift motion the two teens fell to the sand below them with Hinata slamming into Naruto's chest while the durable Uzumaki took the brunt of the fall with a mild grunt of slight discomfort which very quickly turned into a very prominent moan of pleasure when he felt exactly where Hinata landed. This was a close call… if not for his swimming trunks and her bikini bottoms the two lifelong best friends turned romantic partners would be taking their relationship to its highest physical level.

Their privates were pressed together with Hinata siting down directly over Naruto's crotch where his ever-growing sword which was now at full mast was attempting to impale her straight through. The rush of blood and hormones that each of them could feel traveling to certain parts of their bodies was down right intoxicating and the friction and weighted pressure of their bodies pressed together was a new experience that they couldn't put into words but here in lay the problem that the young couple now faced which came in the form of a very loud and purposefully distinct coughing sound that caused the two teens to look up into the very amused eyes of their mutual mother figure in Shoko who's smirk immediately told the duo that the grinning Titan wasn't going to let the couple live this memory down anytime soon.

"What do we have here? Is this a part of your new training routine? Are you mastering your Jutsu faster this way?" The cheshire grin that was on Shoko's face right now would haunt the young couples embarrassing dreams for years to come as this was without a doubt one of the most embarrassing moments that they've ever been caught in.

A new groan… this time of mortification instead of pleasure escaped Naruto's mouth as he refused to look his mother in the eyes after this latest incident. He was definitely going to hear about this later in private from the overprotective yet well meaning Titan. She would embarrass him to the pits of hell first, but then she would sit him down and actually talk to him about his behavior. He honestly wasn't looking forward to either parts of this inevitable conversation that he just knew was coming over the horizon.

"Just don't Shoko… just don't." Naruto groaned as he placed his hands over his face to hide every emotion currently trying to break out at that exact moment. "You two should separate now before you draw even more attention from the others. Its only a matter of moments before the others come over including the kids." Shoko pointed out playfully before raising an eyebrow when both teens reluctantly refused to move. Obviously, the woman would ask why the two children were hesitating but never was she expecting the response that she got.

If Hinata moved away from Naruto, his very prominent and above average erection would become visible to the approaching children which was obviously a worst case scenario yet at the same time staying in the compromising position they were in would raise some very uncomfortable questions for the inquisitive children. The two teen's brains were short circuiting due to the blood being redirected for other uses in their bodies instead of towards their thinking capacities.

"Oh, good grief… Naruto make a barrier with your ice to cover the view of the others." Shoko advised with a roll of her eyes as she could easily tell that her beloved surrogate son and soon to be daughter-in-law with the rate things were progressing between the two that they weren't thinking straight at the moment. They were far too embarrassed and flustered to really solve their current problem.

Five minutes later after following his mother's advice Naruto who was just only now calming down from the very flustered state that he was in earlier was sitting with Shoko, Hinata, Anko, and Henrietta underneath a cabana situated on the beach for their use. The shade was a welcome addition for the young Uzumaki who was sweltering underneath the blazing sun. Despite being late January for them the climate of the Land of Hot Water was deceptively warm despite the time of the year.

"So, I take it that earlier celebration means that you've finally mastered the Shadow Clone Jutsu then Hinata?" Shoko mused as she kept her eyes ever vigilant on the many children playing around them with clones of Naruto not far behind them. Day and night Shoko's senses were sharpened and focused on the entire surrounding area of the town to sense out any potential threats. Other than the noticeable presences of the now revealed Hidden Cloud Team Shoko couldn't really detect any other possible threats yet an exceedingly small nagging feeling was in the back of her mind telling her that they were still under surveillance somehow.

Shoko couldn't put her finger on it, and it seemed quite farfetched to her in the first place but there was the possibility of them being watched by another faction. The chances of this being possible was slim to none and the experienced war veteran didn't even want to entertain that thought but the possibility existed and the small hair raising prickle of a feeling she was getting in the back of her neck was very much real. The cautious woman made it a silent point to be more vigilant in the days moving forward. With so much at stake concerning her family and the protecting of the crown princess she had to be on her A-game at all times.

"Yes, my lady. I've successfully performed the Shadow Clone Jutsu now. Although currently I'm only limited to around four clones at the moment. That is how far I can safely divide my chakra without severely limiting or harming myself." Hinata explained carefully, yet with a refined air of pride layered within her voice as it was always a novel experience to mater a new technique in your career as a shinobi, but for Hinata it held an even deeper meaning for her in particular since this has been the signature technique of her boyfriend for well into a year now and he's mastered it in ways no one else ever has as he's able to bring out the technique's full potential thanks to his status as a Jinchūriki.

As a Taijutsu specialist Hinata could see the vast applications learning this technique could grant her which was another reason why she was so overjoyed with herself. "Excellent news Hinata… this technique will prove to be invaluable for you in the future. It will definitely support you as both a Taijutsu and Tracking Specialist as this technique was created by the Second Hokage for the sole purpose of reconnaissance. I'm sure you'll use this new tool in your arsenal wisely Hinata."

Shoko could see the potential Hinata would unlock with this technique as well as the head start she already has since she's long since understood the memory feedback side effect of the technique and how beneficial it would be to accelerating her training and growth of strength. She couldn't wait to see what new heights of power the young heiress would achieve in just a few short years. Her growth rate as a shinobi was already astonishing to begin with but due to her lineage and many years associating with Naruto has done wonders for her.

"And I assume you've done the same sweetheart?" Shoko inquired turning her head to Naruto who smirked with the usual fire of confidence burning in his eyes. The birthday gift Hinata had given him which was an authentic Wind Country training scroll filled with a list of 10 Wind Nature Chakra techniques and practice exercises. Currently he had 100 clones spawned onto the beach split into groups of 25 with each group tackling one of the techniques. He decided that he was only going to practice four out of the ten moves in the training scroll due to time constraints and the fact they were in the middle of a high stress situation.

Each group was taking on one of these four techniques with Naruto joining in on the fourth group which was working on a low-level technique that he had missed out on learning in his youth. He acquired the knowledge of the only 4 Wind Style Jutsu's that he's known for years through scavenging and stealing training scrolls and other unsavory methods. It took a lot of trial and error to even get the techniques to a workable state which often involved Naruto brute forcing the Jutsu to work by pumping extra chakra into the attacks.

Now however, he's finally got his hands-on proper techniques and training exercises, so Naruto was determined to master the basics to refine his mastery over his Wind Nature Chakra. His progress was coming along nicely, especially with him taking full advantage over his Shadow Clone technique and the exponential learning curve it has granted him. He's already mastered two out of the four techniques in just a matter of the two days they've been practicing on the beach. The other two techniques were also remarkably close to being completed; they were just more offensively based so Naruto was being careful in how much damage he was causing to the beach.

"Of course, I'm close to being done with all four techniques already. I'd say by the end of the day I'll have the other two battle ready. This basic one here is also so easy to use… I finally feel like I can replicate Iris's fighting style now." Naruto bragged good naturedly as he held out his hand and rapidly condensing wind currents began to swirl around the palm of his hand. The fabric of the cabana hanging over their heads began to sway as Naruto waved his hand around and blasted out condensed concentrated blasts of wind strong enough that they whipped the hair of the girls sitting next to him into a frenzy. "Wind Style: Gale Palm Jutsu!"

Hinata's eyes lit up in elation as expected as she fixed her hair before giving Naruto a congratulatory kiss to the cheek while Shoko herself raised an eyebrow in proud interest as she pointed out a fact she noticed. "You performed the technique flawlessly and it had a lot of force behind it well done. But I noticed you didn't even perform any hand seals. I'm impressed you decided to master the technique to that extent in such a short amount of time honey." A familiar foxy grin came to Naruto's face at the praise his mother rained on him. He explained to his companions sitting with him that he purposely put in extensive training to fully master this technique as it would give him an immediate offensive technique in battle that didn't require prep time and would be just as effective as his High End Skills and Rasengan techniques.

It would also allow him more options for dynamic close range Taijutsu combos that would mirror the fighting style he had developed for Iris over the past two years. The conversation dwindled down past this point as the group of shinobi finalized their plans for their attack on the Black Sun's base in the harbor which was scheduled to happen tonight. They couldn't stay in the town for much longer with the Hidden Cloud also occupying the same area as them.

The rest of the day was spent prepping for the swift raid on the harbor of Turquoise Cove that was unknowingly hosting a drug den being run by the Black Sun. Naruto took measures to scout out the docks one final time by having a squad of stealthy Dive Toads infiltrate the industrial area of the harbor who scoured the entire complex noting down the locations and identities of all of the thugs, mercenaries, and mafia members in the warehouse that the were occupying.

An hour after dusk the lead Dive Toad returned to Naruto's side with its final report putting the final nail in the coffin for this outpost of the notorious criminal organization. Placing the last of his combat suit on Naruto shared the final piece of intel with his partners in crime who just so happened to be his family. The raid was going to be swift and silent. Stealth was imperative for this operation as the last thing they wanted was for the Hidden Cloud to catch wind of their op and interfere.

They finally received an update from Tsunade who approved the mission on the account that they leave the same night that it was finished. It was no longer safe for them to stay in the town with the amount of international attention they were receiving. It was for the best that they returned Naho to the capital where she would be safe, and Naruto couldn't agree more who would love nothing more to get his charge out of this now dangerous town. He didn't want anything to happen to the little princess who over the last few days was worming her way into his heart as a precious friend.

The innocent childlike awe that she had for him while watching his training sessions and the way her eyes would light up whenever he would either spawn in more clones or practice his ninjutsu warmed his heart. She took to everything with such enthusiasm that it was virtually impossible for him to not show off for her and his other children on the occasions when they would join in spectating. But what really surprised him once again was her intelligence as she asked very intuitive and engaging questions about the nature of his training that a normal child her age would never have the insight to ask.


Turquoise Cove – Sapphire Resort

Naruto found himself on the balcony of their expensive resort room alone as everyone else was taking care of their own individual preparations for the raid set to take place in a few minutes. The sliding glass door opened, and, in a moment, Naruto was joined by the very person he was just thinking about. The gentle presence of Naho walked up until she stood by Naruto' side at the railing of the balcony. "Am I interrupting you Naruto?" Naho inquired with a soft unsure voice that immediately caught the experienced ninja's attention.

"No of course not princess. Is everything ok?" The moment this question was asked Naruto immediately zeroed in on the younger girl's posture, facial expression, and body language and he was treated to the sight of her very being radiating anxiety in waves. "No… I… I don't want you to leave." The insecurity and fear in the young princess's voice tore at Naruto's heart as he could immediately understand what was worrying the girl. He's been in this position before and it's never been easy.

"I see. I understand what's bothering you Naho and I want you to understand that I'll be fine." Naruto said as he turned to the younger girl and placed his hands on her shoulders. "But what if you get hurt and doesn't this mean you'll have to kill those men? I don't want this for you." Naho trembling voice was a sound Naruto never wanted to hear as crystalized tears began to pool in the young princess's eyes. While their time was relatively fun and peaceful at the vacation resort it has in reality been filled with an air of underline tension from the very beginning.

From the argument Naruto and Hinata had at the beginning of their trip, to the very tense confrontation between their group and the Hidden Cloud, to then learning of Naruto's real mission. For the young sheltered princess, it was a lot to take in and she was trying to arrange exactly where her emotions lay in regards to the whirlwind of events happening one after another… not to mention the greatest amount of stress placed on her very intelligent mind being the fact she feel like a pawn of her father since he allowed her to come with Naruto at the very last second without her legion of attendants and servants. This was something he's never done in the entirety of her life before, Saitou was usually extremely overprotective of her an she's never left the castle, much less the capitol with nothing less than her full personal battalion of soldiers and the full staff of her attendants.

A gentle but sad smile graced Naruto's face as he picked the younger girl up by her waist getting a squeak of surprise and embarrassment and placed her on the railing of the balcony while still holding onto her to give her a sense of security. "I promise you Naho that yes this is a serious and scary situation, but I will not let anything keep me from completing my mission and coming back to you and my family. I've done this many times before and even though it was scary I've always succeeded and so I'll continue to do so to keep our country safe from bad people like them." Naruto softly explained while holding onto the distraught princess who while blushing up a storm from embarrassment at being held in such a gentle and somewhat intimate manner by someone that wasn't her family was still very upset and so buried her face into Naruto's chest in an effort to suppress her erratic emotions.

Naruto had deliberately decided not to address Naho's mentioning of him possibly killing these men as that wasn't a conversation, he wanted to have with the crowned princess so close to the start of the mission. Despite her current emotional state Naho still picked up on this fact but before she could address this Naruto change the subject bringing her attention elsewhere.

"That isn't everything that is bothering you is it?" Naruto's intuition was spot on and he knew it based on Naho's following reaction. Being a father to 8 emotionally charged children allowed him to keenly be aware of the emotions and inner feelings of children younger than him and Naho as a sheltered and slightly socially awkward princess was a complete open book to him. She couldn't hide her inner thoughts and emotions from a long-standing veteran ninja like him who has had to grow up on the streets developing his ability to read people in an effort to stay safe.

"Do you think my father knew how dangerous this place could be when he sent me along with you? Did he know bad people were here?" It took a lot out of the young girl to get this sentence out as the very thought was understandably hard to conceive being a royal princess and seemingly beloved by her father. Naruto on the other hand was far less naïve regarding these kinds of situations. He was literally born into an irreversible one at the hands and decisions of his hero and father Minato Namikaze.

Naruto never held any delusion that the Fire Daimyō was an innocent or non-corruptible man, but he showed a rather big glimpse at his true colors a few days prior in the meeting between them. His manipulative and calculative side came out to play in full force and now with recent events unfolding before his eyes Naruto was 100% sure that the Fire Daimyō had some hand in the situation. He couldn't see the full picture obviously but he knew that the leader of his country had his hand somewhere deep within this mess and to knowingly put his daughter into harm's way for whatever unknown end goal he had in mind sickened the fatherly instincts of Naruto.

"I'll be honest with you Naho? I'm sure your father is aware of the situation and while I'm not completely sure about his full motives for making you come with me I do know that he's testing me for any number of reasons including watching over your safety and probably as a way to manipulate making me grow closer to you in order to marry you in the future." Naruto admitted truthfully to a shocked but not overtly so Naho whose high IQ already had her processing much of what was said to her. She was forming the right correlations in her head already and it caused a pain to well up in her heart at the darker side her father could possibly have.

"But… I don't want to be forced to marry you if it would only cause you pain Naruto… I want us to be friends, not as an extra burden to worry about." A sniffle escaped the younger girl's mouth as Naruto brought her into his embrace with a compassionate aura of comfort emanating from his very being. It had an immediate effect on his companion who snuggled further into his arms on instinct alone. "I know you don't and like I said before I'll always be your friend and whatever relationship we may have in the future will be one that we define and build together. We will decide our own future together and it won't be one forced on us by your father. You're still young Naho and you should be enjoying your childhood instead of complicating things like marriage." Naruto comforted in a soft tone which melted all of the fear and anxiety swelling up in the younger girl's heart.

Tapping into both Iris's and Chaos's energies for a brief moment Naruto could feel the change in Naho's emotions happening in real time and a smile formed on his face at the little victory he was able to achieve with his recent new friend. "Naho I know you are scared about me possibly being hurt or not coming back from this mission but don't worry about a thing. I will come back, and you won't be alone. Iris, Chaos, and everyone else will be with you and I'll know where you are at all times and you want to know how?" Naruto grinned as he egged the younger girl on who was leaning into every word he has been saying since the conversation started.

"Like this. Fūinjutsu: Resonance Beacon." With a simple tap of the palm of his hand Naruto laid down the very same tracking beacon that had contributed to Itachi coming to his rescue many months ago back when he was kidnapped and taken to Hōrai Island for the first time. Looking at the back of her wrist Naho gasped in childish wonder at the small ink tattoo that magically appeared on her skin. "With this I'll be able to keep track of you constantly and I'll come back in case you need me."

That last bit of reassurance meant more to the little princess than Naruto realized as she through herself back into his arms where she squeezed her arms around his larger frame as hard as she could. Naruto now knew his companion would be ok with his departure as time quickly flew past with him making similar endeavors for his other children while instructing Iris and Chaos to stay behind to watch over everyone.

Taking extra precaution Naruto set up a double layered defense around the hotel building consisting of the Barrier Fūinjutsu: Four Point Detection Barrier Jutsu technique to act as a trip wire mechanism to sense incoming dangers and the more sturdier Barrier Fūinjutsu: Five Seal Barrier Jutsu to protect the actual hotel suite from external damage. Naruto wasn't taking any chances with his children and VIP companion inhabiting the hotel room in a city that had near hostile enemies in it. Joining them was Aria, Izō, and Naruto's familiar Toads to act as both sentries and enjoyable companions to distract the young children from the absence of their adult protectors. Gamakichi, Gamatatsu, Gamasoap, and Gamaspeed were more than happy to lend their presence and support to their summoner's children since playing with children while they were young themselves was a fun experience.


Turquoise Cove: Salt Stone Harbor

The stage was set and the small five man team consisting of Naruto, Hinata, Henrietta, Anko, and Shoko were already making short work of the previously scouted out and confirmed look outs stationed around the entire harbor who were trying to blend in as workers but in reality they were doing patrol routes around the commandeered warehouse that the Black Sun took over to serve as their main base of operations. It was a sizeable operation that was being carried out as their work suggested that they were attempting to expand outwards into the rest of the country using this location as their main hub.

In total there were 15 disguised thugs who were hired mercenaries of the Black Sun who were all simultaneously taken out by a stealthy combination of Anko's many poisonous snakes and a liberal usage of Naruto's Shadow Clones that resulted in death by venomous bite or a more brutal ending of having their neck snapped and now dead corpse encased in a block of ice out of the open areas of the docks.

It only took 45 seconds for all the external guards to be dead before the highly overly qualified team of Ninja moved on to the main warehouse itself where they began to decide their next course of action. Communicating in silence using special sign language code used by ninja villages and taught in their academies the extended family members of this ninja team called upon the expertise of Hinata next who used her Byakugan to scan the entire interior of the building to plan out their entry point.

As expected, the main entry and exit points had the most static concentration of guards in the building while the only other space that had the largest concentration of people was the main cargo bay of the warehouse. Other than that, Hinata's Byakugan only detected the occasional thug moving about the large marine warehouse on one of its floors. There was an office complex towards the back of the building in a separate wing from the main cargo bay. In it Hinata could see a few individuals huddled together in what looked to be the main administrative office of the building while the surrounding rooms had very sparse few individuals of any note in them.

As far as the main floor where the cargo bay was concerned Hinata spied awfully familiar packaged crates of contraband and other illegal substances sealed away awaiting shipping to who knows where. The Spice as Hinata now knew it to be thanks to her exposure to the subject in her previous off the books mission with Naruto were packaged in large plastic wrapped crates that had dozens of individually condensed solid bricks of various types of spice all bundled together to form a loaded crate that was at least six feet tall. It was an egregious number of plastic packaged drugs stacked high in the warehouse. Just like with the last storehouse that she raided with Naruto back in Firebend Town half a year ago their had to be at least 20 full crates in the warehouse with just spice alone.

Panning her eyes over to another stack of wooden crates that were different in design Hinata's eyes rose as she zoomed in with her telescopic all-seeing eyes to discover that these nailed shut crates were filled with packaged weapons in bulk. Long Spears, Swords, Maces & Clubs, Sickles, Knifes, and much to her shock bundled stacks of off brand Paper Bombs placed neatly into the crates that had filling inside to make sure the product wasn't damaged in transport.

'While the normal weapons are concerning enough on their own the real question is who gave these people real explosive tags and who are they going to sell it too?' Hinata mused to herself in concern before scanning the rest of the warehouse before noticing an anomaly. 'Wait…! We did a pre-count check on all of the confirmed Black Sun affiliated members tied to this base. We're missing at least five members if I exclude the ones that we just disposed of outside. Something isn't quite right here.' Hinata noticed before a frown crossed her face which her close friends picked up on.

"What's wrong Hinata? Is there a problem?" Naruto was the first to notice the immediate change in his girlfriend's demeanor while the others zeroed in on the heiress who filled them in on her findings. It was troubling that at least five of the confirmed members that they had vetted from their scouted weren't currently inside the base but they really didn't have much of a choice in the matter as this was their only chance to hit their warehouse while they held the advantage. It wouldn't take the Hidden Cloud Team long before they eventually tracked their end goal to this location.

Shoko could already tell that Darui's Genin team was a Heavy Assualt Squad built team just like Kakashi's Team 7. They didn't necessarily specialize in tracking and reconnaissance like Kurenai's Team 8 or Infiltration, Capture, and Interrogation like Asuma's Team 10. So, she expected them to be just an edge slower in tracking what was basically civilian targets instead of a fellow shinobi related target. However, with Darui leading the team and his extensive experience and intelligence underneath his belt Shoko had no doubt that the Black Panther of the Hidden Cloud would eventually find his way to their target which was why she was hopping that they would have completed their objective by then and skipped town to avoid any further confrontation.

"We really don't have much of a choice in the matter. We'll have to track those missing members down after we've finished our raid as we're on a tight timetable. We can't afford to give up our advantage and get drawn into a potential confrontation with the Hidden Cloud. Once we get inside Hinata I want you to keep an eye on the outside of the building with your Byakugan. Be on the lookout for those members. If they were just out and are coming back to discover the outside guards are missing, they'll try to sound the alarm." Shoko advised as she received a positive nod from the young heiress.

Going back on track Naruto summoned one of his Dive Toads from Mt. Myōboku to aid them in entering the building with a 100% assurance guarantee of not being sensed thanks to the unique stealth related biology of this subspecies of summoning toad. Gamabean the same familiar that helped Naruto back in the Land of Snow emerged from the smoke of the summoning only for Naruto to immediately begin handing out his instructions. In seconds, the team was stored away in the naturally camouflaged toad who quickly infiltrated the building with no one being any the wiser.

At the same time as this was unfolding a more sinister plot was underway as five hooded individuals approached the Sapphire Private Resort from the shadows of the alleyways of the nearby buildings. These men carried swords and knifes with them as well as the most basic of light mesh armor that they've scavenged off of their dead adversaries in the past. These men had received a mysterious and untraceable anonymous tip that Mafia agents were in town and were investigating their affairs at the harbor. The intel only specified that they were staying at the resort as their cover and the room number in which they resided in. They were told that it was a team of two who were scoping them out for nearly a week and so now was the time to strike as it was 'reported' that they would leave early in the morning to turn in a report on them.

This tip came to them earlier that day and while extremely suspicious and hair raising the boss of the instillation of Black Sun agents approved of a raid on the resort. However, he wanted it done quietly so he only sent five of his men to get the job done since it was to their knowledge that their enemy was leaving the following morning it made tonight to perfect time to strike when their guard would conceivably be at its lowest. They also received photos of a large group of young children who were reported to be staying with the supposed mafia agents as well. They would make excellent hostages and bargaining chips against their enemy.

They had no clue as to who sent them this information, but they did have photographic proof of the room number and of the faces of their enemy. The opportunity was too good to be true and since they also received pictures of their own hideout and other assets in the package that they received, it ultimately left them no choice but to act on situation.

Simultaneously as this was happening the Hidden Cloud Team also received an untraceable package at the doorsteps of their rented-out hotel room across town. In the note left to them it gave out the information that Shoko, Anko, Naruto, Hinata, and Henrietta had left the resort and went down to the harbor at a specific warehouse. The address for the warehouse was left in the note as well as the intel that all of the children that they had seen accompanying the ninja were left all alone within the resort.

This note was untraceable as well and Darui was extremely cautious and weary of who could have possibly snuck up to the building he and his team were in to drop off this note while evading both his and Yugito's more superhuman detection and senses. Whoever had done so were masters at stealth and it was something only highly experienced ANBU have been known to do, and even then Darui had reached such a level that the average ANBU couldn't even avoid his detection.

The knowledge that his contemporaries from the Hidden Leaf would suddenly be departing early in the morning was also added to the note which tipped off the intuition in the great mind of Darui. The harbor was one area that his team hasn't checked yet, to be fair they had only checked half of the city so far. Unlike Naruto who not only had unlimited Shadow Clones to spam but deep intimate knowledge on where to find his criminal prey it was taking his team far longer to flush out the location of their targets as his team does not specialize in reconnaissance or tracking of hidden civilian assets, they were a front line heavy assualt team first and foremost. They weren't necessarily on a time crunch or anything but with Leaf Ninja also present in the same town as them it made them want to rush since they already suspected them of being there for the same reasons.

Darui now knew that Shoko had played him like a fiddle the other day which was to be expected and he wasn't necessarily surprised or even remotely offended in the slightest. She was his senior and a far more experienced opponent and far shrewder than he was in delicate matters such as this. It was no coincidence that she alongside her group was in the same city as them. It was confirmed to him without a doubt that they are after the criminal bandits that were inhabiting the town. Their mission was completely in jeopardy now and the only options he could do now was either retreat and return to the Raikage and inform him of the situation or try to race ahead of his opponents and take out the warehouse before them.

Before he could make an informed team decision on what to do Atsui was already through the door before Darui could finish reading off the note to his gathered team. The hot-blooded teen smelled blood in the water as far as he was concerned as this was his chance to get back at the leaf ninja for what transpired in the confrontation the other day. Not only did Atsui want to get even with Naruto for completely subjugating him and embarrassing him so thoroughly, but he also wanted to confront Hinata.

If she truly happened to be the little girl that his father failed to kidnap all those years ago that resulted in his death, then Atsui wasn't entirely sure what he would do with himself. He would probably be torn halfway between flying into a rage and trying to kill Hinata on the spot or by a long shot try to convince his sensei to help him kidnap her and take her back to the Hidden Cloud Village. Both options were ridiculous, outlandish, and entirely impractical and impossible to pull off given the context of the situation that they were currently in but no one has ever praised Atsui for his superior intelligence in comparison to his comrades around him and right now his normally hotheaded nature was being amped to its maximum degree by an all-encompassing rage that he truly wasn't thinking clearly at this point.

The stage was set for a confrontation… one that Naruto and the others were about to walk into. Back at the warehouse the Hidden Leaf Team were now successfully inside the warehouse undetected thanks to Gamabean's useful natural ability. Depositing the team in the administrative wing of the warehouse the little toad returned to his home with a silent plume of smoke.

The surrogate family of ninja didn't need to communicate with words at this point anymore. Now that they were on the inside, they all knew where they were going. They had already gone over their strategies and plans before the raid, so words were no longer needed. Naruto, Henrietta, and Hinata began making their way to the offices up ahead while Anko disappeared into the shadows to begin picking off the interior guards patrolling the area. Shoko herself was heading to the main cargo bay of the warehouse from the service stairwell to surprise the workers inside who were moving the illegal crates of contraband into neat piles to be picked up and transported at a later date.

Every guard that the three teenagers came across were all killed before they could make a sound. If it wasn't from a Gentle Fist strike to the heart or head from Hinata, or a decisive buck shot from Henrietta's wrist mounted assualt launcher then the thug would find himself instantly frozen over by a simple gaze from Naruto who at his point perfected the shared technique he inherited from Eva who had a smug look of pride at her beloved other half and the progress he's made in her powers.

In under two minutes they were standing in front of the main office of the building and with a simple look from Hinata she confirmed that there were two high level chakra signatures inside along with three normal civilian ones. While Hinata never liked killing and was put off by actions they had to take tonight she also wasn't planning on hesitating. She understood what was at stake and she also knew just how much this meant to Naruto in general. He took his assignments from the mafia very seriously as he saw himself as someone who was doing a lot of good in the world. The more bandits, mercenaries, and criminal thugs they took out now the more people in all corners of the world could sleep easily at night as well as the less bandit camps ninja needed to eliminate in the future.

He took this particular aspect of his job in dealing with organized criminal groups who dealt with drugs with the utmost seriousness. Especially after learning about the things that now he knew months ago from Dino when he took the mission in Firebend Town with her. Hinata understood all of this and more and would gladly support her beloved in his endeavors whenever she could. So, she wouldn't hesitate… just like she wouldn't hesitate in finishing off what was clearly the bosses in the room in front of them.

They breached the door before anyone on the inside could blink like true ninja would. The three normal thugs that Hinata scanned moments prior were all dead before the now flung open door could slam into the wall behind it. A Flashbang Paper Tag with a delay fuse set to one second was used to disorient all five occupants of the room. Each one was taken out by the three teens leaving just the two leading members of the Black Sun in the room. Their names were already known to Naruto and Henrietta who with a combination of the reconnaissance that the group did in the previous days and of Dino's previous intelligence the teens knew exactly who their targets were supposed to be.

This sect of the Black Sun was placed under the command of Ota Hidemichi a trusted and high-ranking Lieutenant in the Black Sun organization. He is a Missing Ninja from this country's very own Hidden Steam Village. A former Special Jōnin of his village he became disillusioned by the severe budget cutbacks and the rapid disarmament of his village. Their home became just like the rest of the country it was created to protect, a tourist trap that was only famous for their hot springs and picturesque vacation spots instead of for its Shinobi Village and the brave ninja that defend it. Abandoning his village years ago he instead sold his talents to criminals and other underground elements who would accept his services.

When he left his struggling and dwindling village behind, he brought along his two close allies with him. These two were both Chūnin who served in the same military branch as him and were his former subordinates of the time and their names were Kugo Takafumi and Kitagawa Mashiro. Together they've become responsible for many heinous crimes within the boarders of their own country until they eventually fell under the banner of the Black Sun.

"Ota Hidemichi… your time has come. You and everyone in this building will be disposed of permanently." Naruto's voice was as dead as a graveyard as his chakra hummed beneath the surface of his skin ready to burst out at a moments notice. He was already preparing his first ninjutsu in the seconds that was ticking by and knowing him as well as she knew him to be Hinata was doing the same as they've adopted many of the same fighting mannerisms as each other.

The defected ninja was quick to spot Naruto's mafia tattoo on his shoulder confirming to the man everything he needed to know in that moment. His three dead subordinates' bodies were as fresh and warm as they were five seconds ago when they were still alive, but he didn't even bat an eyelash at their deaths as he quickly prepared himself. Just looking at Hinata he could tell he was dealing with a Hyūga which meant the Hidden Leaf was involved with this attack on his person, so it was logical to conclude that he was dealing with a team of ninja.

"The Mafia sent children to silence me. I admit that I've been making daring moves as of late so I'm not surprise that someone from the opposition would come to try and silence me eventually but I never expected they'd send children… shinobi children at that." Ota mused to himself as his partner Kugo stood next to him in a defensive posture. He was ready to move in a moment's notice while Ota scanned Naruto up and down until a light of recognition shined in his eyes.

"Well I'll be damned… you seem to know who I am kid and I'm getting the feeling I know of you as well. I've read the latest Bingo Books and your little face is in it. You're new to the scene but they're calling you the Frozen Spectre of the Hidden Leaf due to rumors saying you have a powerful Ice Style Kekkei Genkai and your combination of Shadow Clones and some unknown high-speed technique. They say you can dominate and overwhelm battlefields with your clones and raw speed. Your work in the Land of Waves, for your own village during its invasion, against those chumps from the Hidden Stone and most recently all the way up in the Land of Snow is becoming widely known and recognized in the international shinobi intelligence community. You're already a powerful rookie Chūnin and a High B – Rank threat in the Bingo Books."

Naruto's eyes widened a fraction of an inch but otherwise he tried to remain focused on the task at hand. He hasn't had a chance to look at the latest bingo books lately, so he was unaware of his updated status. The last time anyone mentioned him being in the Bingo Books was many months ago all the way back in the very beginning of the Chūnin Exam's when Kabuto started spouting off his illegally obtained information about him and the other participants. He was stated as a B – Rank Shinobi even back then but mostly due to his performance in the Land of Waves mission and how he conducted himself against the increasing threats that emerged. The Demon Brothers, Zabuza & Haku, as well as the large mercenary army under the control of Gatō all faced off against him and he survived those encounters while massacring most of that army and defeating both Haku as well as one of the Demon Brothers in combat. No mere Genin could be capable of such feats and as such he was elevated above even a C – Rank threat which is usually the highest a Genin could ever get to before naturally being promoted to Chūnin.

Mulling it over in his mind Naruto didn't mind the new moniker attached to his name that the editors of the national Bingo Book have given him. It summarized him quite well for a first title and he was hoping to gain more monikers in the future to add to his resume.

But all of that was irrelevant to Naruto now as he was about to make his move when he saw Ota drop the basic cloak around his body to reveal chakra armor which caused gasps to escape both his and Henrietta's mouths. A smirk crossed Ota's face as he quickly began to gloat about being present in the Land of Snow a month prior during the incident of Naruto's mission and how the Black Sun managed to sneak away a few shipments of the prototype chakra armors. They were in a very limited supply since their docks and shipments were all attacked and destroyed by the insurgents being aided by Naruto's clones during the mission but a few small shipments managed to escape the country during the chaos of that day and found their way into being distributed to high ranking members of the criminal organization to further aid them in their tasks.

A dangerous growl escaped Naruto's throat as he took a few seconds to explain the basic gist of the situation to Hinata so that she wouldn't be caught of guard by the suit's defensive capabilities. Naruto was only able to take solace in the fact that the models Ota and his partner had on were the basic versions that Nadare, Fubuki, and Mizore were wearing during the Land of Snow mission instead of the Advanced Prototype Model that Dotō had stolen from an earlier shipment months prior to Team 7's mission and their subsequent arrival in the Land of Snow.

The time for thought and inner musings ended as the brief commotion that they caused in the office room could be seen from the rest of the warehouse as the main admin office they were in had a panoramic window that viewed out into the main cargo bay of the warehouse below them on the first floor. The other thugs and mercenaries were alerted now and making their way to them and that was all the warning Naruto needed as he moved the very second that he saw Ota twitch his leg.

In under a second the criminal administrator kicked his expensive desk into the air at his younger opponents in the opening act of this conflict and in return the entire office instantly froze over in the blink of an eye as the back window to his office shattered under the force of icicle spears smashing through the entire office. "Ice Style: Ice Ground Spears Jutsu!" One of Naruto's signature and most used original techniques that he's been perfecting since he was a younger child roared to life destroying most of the office forcing the two former Hidden Steam shinobi to jump out the window with the trail of ice inches away from them.

Ota and his partner Kugo were already going through hand seals using the power of their suits to boost the power of their upcoming attacks. In sync the two released their techniques in unison back into the destroyed office from midair. "Water Style: Orca Bullet Jutsu!" A condensed pressurized bullet of water launched out of Ota's mouth at high speed boosted by his suit while Kugo backed him up in unison with his own attack. "Water Style: Archerfish Raid Jutsu!" A large spout of water was spat out of his mouth as well, but his flow of water took on the appearance of a fish's head.

The two attacks only had a small distance to cross but once more feeling the adrenaline and flow of battle consuming them Hinata and Naruto synced up their instincts and battle experiences fighting together to counter this assualt. Speed was their ultimate goal tonight as they didn't want this raid to take too long or attract the attention of the Hidden Cloud ninja. They wanted to be in and out as soon as possible which was why they needed to defeat their enemies as soon as possible and with as little massive scale damage at all.

In the blink of an eye Hinata had switched places with Naruto who was still channeling chakra into his first technique since he already intimately knew what his beloved partner was going to do. He felt it long before his saw it as Hinata released her seals restraining her chakra as Yōki enhanced water spouts surged out the palms of her hands forming beautiful cerulean colored water bands that swirled around her body reflecting the light bouncing off of it giving it a glittery rainbow like shine to it. "Eight Trigrams Gentle Step: Water Covalence!" With a simple touch from both her palms Hinata caught the two different spouts of water in her hands stunning her enemies watching before they both felt a jolt reverberate through their throats as Hinata sent a pulse of her own chakra that followed the trail of water back to its source in their mouths were she temporarily shut off the primary Tenketsu point located in the back of all shinobi's throats that allow them to spit out ninjutsu from their mouths.

In a mesmerizing move Hinata started to flow and move her arms around in flowing and circular motions which caused the now deformed masses of water to follow her bodies movements. With a twist and swing of her hips and arms Hinata rearranged the surge of water to swing behind her body before launching it right back at their stunned and vulnerable opponents who were still stuck in brief flight in mid air two stories above the ground below. They barely had any time to react as their suits would no longer protect them due to the fact that their chakra was no longer flowing into the water coming at them. It was only made worst by Naruto who sped up the incoming attack by freezing over the air around it causing the freezing waters to latch onto Kugo's legs who immediately pushed Ota with a shove of his free hands across the room just as Naruto followed up immediately without mercy. "Ice Style: Icicle Shard Blast Jutsu!"

The mass of quickly freezing over water turned into deadly shards of stalagmite sized icicle shards that slammed into Kugo's body sending him to the ground below with dozens of tears, gashes, and scratches littered across his body. He slammed into the ground below where Henrietta who was the first to jump out the office window ahead of her two closest friends was already upon the stunned man giving him no time to react as she landed on the ground mere feet from him.

This entire sequence took place in under ten seconds and was witnessed firsthand by Shoko who had already made her presence known to the thugs in the main staging area who were rushing to their boss's aid once they saw the flashbang go off in his office. Already a few dead bodies with fatal sword strikes inflicted onto their corpses could be seen at Shoko's feet as she looked up to see Naruto and Hinata jumping out of the office window while lazily decapitating another incoming thug with a subconscious and errant twitch of her arm.

"Water Style: Water Shockwave Jutsu!" With one hand sign and a masterful control over her Water Nature Affinity Shoko forcibly dragged water molecules out of the atmosphere around them to create a billowing surge of water that slammed into the two dozen other criminal thugs who were swept off their feet in seconds. Ota seeing the wave incoming jumped up to the top shelf of a nearby row of shelves to avoid the destructive surge which his subordinates were unfortunate not able to. Their troubles didn't end there as Naruto and Hinata were next who upon the very moment of touching the ground already had their attacks launched one after the other.

"Ice Style: Ice Prison Jutsu!" The billowing surge of water Shoko created was automatically frozen over in a flash freezing shockwave that trapped everyone splashed with water in layers of frost. Jumping directly into the air once more after completing his task Naruto watched as Shoko followed suit sticking their feet to nearby equipment and shelving far away from the floor itself just as Hinata slammed her palm into the sheet of ice that covered the floors around them.

"Overdrive!" Switching from her overabundant stores of Yōki in her body to the fledgling native source of holy grace that naturally exists within her a pulsating ripple of pure white energy shot out of the palm of her hand and using the ice on the floor as its medium channeled itself into the nearby frozen bodies causing the trapped thugs to silently scream out in excruciating pain that instantly knocked them unconscious while additionally paralyzing their already frozen over bodies.

In seconds, the three ninjas had reduced the numbers of their opposition from nearly three dozen to just two as Ota and Kugo were the only ones left standing after this masterfully coordinated combined assault on their men. The former Special Jōnin couldn't believe his eyes at the total washout he just witnessed to his forces as he understood that no ordinary bandit or mercenary could stand up to the might of a fully training shinobi. Even Genin could take on a small force of 5 to 10 bandits as long as they were professionally trained and handed themselves accordingly in the fight, but this was completely different.

Looking at the destruction left before him the crime boss started to see the bigger picture of what he was truly dealing with. Recognizing Hinata as well from the most recent addition of the Bingo Book that he found Naruto's entry in he realized that she was his partner that was talked about so much in their combined entries. She was dubbed the Aqua Maiden of the Hidden Leaf as her first moniker due to her very prominent usage of Water Style Ninjutsu and the grace she carries with her family's usage of the Gentle Fist Taijutsu. Her work in the Land of Wind, her match against her cousin Neji, her encounters with both the Akatsuki and Orochimaru, as well as her missions with Naruto and encountering the Hidden Waterfall Kunoichi as well as the rumored and unconfirmed fight with Balalaika were all noted in bios being made about her by foreign countries.

He knew that he was dealing with a competent and near prodigy level kunoichi who reached Chūnin level at such a young age and on her first try. The two of them combined who were also noted in the Bingo Books to be in a deep romantic relationship were a force to be reckoned with and many who drown themselves in the information world suspected that they would grow to be a powerful duo team of shinobi in the future. Looking over to Shoko it took Ota less than one full second for his mind to register who exactly he was looking at and when it did it took even less time before all the color drained from his entire face.

He knew exactly who he was looking at now and Shoko needed no introduction. If you didn't know who she was you were most likely living underneath a rock. Everyone old enough knew who the Legendary Titans of the Third Great Shinobi World War's were. They are legendary shinobi with high Kage level power after all. With his chakra suit on and his years of experience under his belt he was feeling foolishly confident that he could take on Naruto, Hinata, and Henrietta and win even though he didn't realize he was looking at he person who helped design the blueprints for the original prototypes years ago when he was a small child. Although he didn't know it that fight wouldn't have gone the way he thought it would, but what he did know beyond a shadow of a doubt was that if he even thought to challenge Shoko the way he was now he would be slaughtered without effort, even if he gathered his two teammates with him it would mean nothing in the end.

All of these faces combined meant that he was absolutely screwed and with the death or permanent incapacitation of all of his mercenaries around him it meant that he was at a severe disadvantage. It was for that very reason why he knew he was going to have to take very drastic measures to escape the country alive. He held no delusions that he could beat Shoko or her associates at this point now that he knew exactly who he was dealing with and now that his warehouse and all of its inventory was compromised it was almost impossible for him to salvage or take any of it with him.

This would be a crippling blow to the Black Sun to lose this much stock and investments, but he had to escape this town alive to report back his intelligence to the rest of his organization and its leadership. Just as he was thinking more on this matter Ota along with everyone else felt the brief surge of foreign chakra that did not belong to any of them before a figure smashed through the skylight of the roof above them. The invasion of this unknown variable was quickly revealed to be Atsui who had his sword out coated in a wreathe of flames that had shattered the glass above him. Landing on one of the top shelving units closer to the ceiling the reckless and rage driven Genin landed his eyes on everyone below him while they quickly turned their attention towards him in shock.

Moments later they all felt three more chakra signatures jump in through the skylight to reveal the rest of Team 3 from the Hidden Cloud who were glaring at their reckless teammate with utter disbelief and contention. The moment Atsui's eyes landed on Naruto's and Hinata's forms his rage doubled while his adversaries quickly gathered themselves together again in solidarity now that a new dynamic threat has entered the scene. Naruto's eyes traced over Atsui's flustered form and dismissed him with a single look as he instantly knew what this was about before he trailed his eyes over Yugito's and immediately he could feel the Nine Tails begin to stir within the back of his mind.

A low growling rumbled pummeled the back of his mind as Kurama woke up from his ever-frequent naps. Now in the presence once more of one of his sibling's things were about to get violent. Naruto felt that negative energy in his own soul as before he or anyone else could make a single move a cold feeling washed over Naruto's mind that caused him to gasp in terror.

The others were quick to notice this before a distant explosion off in the distance was heard that brought the attention of the entire town to bare. "Someone's breached the barrier at the hotel!" Naruto's voice was ladened with terror as one thing after another was happening too fast for even his brain to keep up. From one moment he went from being in control of the situation alongside his family to having interruption after interruption pilling on faster than a person could blink. A soul freezing feeling was in the pit of his stomach that was quickly turning to a cauldron of white-hot anger and rage as his priorities quickly began to change.

"The children!" Hinata's gasp of realization struck a cord within Naruto as he turned his attention back to everyone that opposed them before an ungodly killing intent slammed down onto the shoulders of everyone in the building, even those outside in the surrounding harbor working the late night shifts unaware of the battle currently taking place all felt this oppressive presence slam into their souls sending many innocent people crashing to their knees in pain and terror, but none felt it more than the ones it was directed at as Naruto glared up at his opposition with scarlet red eyes.

"It's apparent that you foolishly decided not to heed my warnings from the other day. I see now that all of my enemies have chosen death tonight." Naruto's voice was of a far deeper baritone and it sent shivers down even Hinata's spine who for so long has supported and accepted her boyfriend's darker attributes but even still it didn't faze her for long as she quickly got into her combat stance. Naruto's voice sent ice into the veins of everyone else but the Hyūga heiress was resolute and steady besides Shoko and Henrietta who now knew that things were quickly spiraling out of their control.

There was now a lot of uncertainty and unknowns floating around in the tense atmosphere of the warehouse, but one thing was intimately clear for everyone currently present. Someone wasn't walking away from this conflict alive and for a select few who were more in tuned with nature and their senses like Yugito was it was a message received loud and clear. As Yugito stared down her fellow Jinchūriki a dreadful chill went down her spine that she's never felt before as her maternal mother figure Matatabi warned her from within her mind that she should immediately retreat now.

It was woefully and unmistakably clear that it wasn't safe to be around Naruto Uzumaki right now… not now that apparently his family could be in danger.


To be continued...


Jutsu Library

1.) Summoning Jutsu - The Summoning Technique is a space–time ninjutsu that allows the summoner to transport animals or people across long distances instantly and uses blood as a sacrifice. Before an animal summoning can be performed, a prospective summoner must first sign a contract with a given species. The contract comes in the form of a scroll, on which the contractor uses their own blood to sign their name and place their fingerprints and once signed it is valid even after the contractor's death as long as the contract itself remains intact. After this, they need only offer an additional donation of blood on the hand they signed the contract with, mold their chakra with hand seals and then plant the hand they signed the contract with at the location they wish to summon the creature. The amount of chakra used during the summoning determines how powerful the summoned creature can be. It is possible for a summoner to summon a group of the same contracted animal, as opposed to a single individual.

2.) Shadow Clone Jutsu - A Jutsu invented by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. The technique was created to be used to spy on an enemy without fear of going in person. The Jutsu works by splitting the chakra of the user evenly in two which makes the clone have half of the user's chakra. By creating multiple clones, the fraction in which you have to split your chakra becomes larger. The clones can think independently of one another and can use any technique that the original can use as long as they have enough chakra to use it. A clone can feel pain and can even bleed, but it will be dispelled if it is hit hard enough. The unique ability of the Jutsu is that during the clones' entire life span it is recording everything that its five senses experiences and upon dispelling all of that information is transferred back to the caster of the Jutsu. Because of this training or learning something new that would take an extended amount of time can be cut down to a fraction of the time depending on the number of clones you use. Because you have multiple people learning the same thing at the same time and having all of that knowledge compiled into one person it can speed up the time it takes to learn something.

3.) Wind Style: Gale Palm Jutsu - A low level C – Rank Wind Style technique where the user either increases their own velocity or that over others; or by the user clasping their hands together, wind is compressed and transformed into a powerful gale, which has enough force to knock over a person. When used in conjunction with shuriken or kunai, the tools become more lethal as their speed is increased.

4.) Fūinjutsu: Resonance Beacon - A special technique that allows the user to place down a seal that acts as a beacon that the user can always sense and locate no matter the distance. The seal gives off a very distinct but undetectable chakra frequency that transmits itself over the distance of its location to its user. The seal itself is extremely small and virtually unnoticeable especially on certain surfaces were its black ink can blend in perfectly with its background. Unknown to many but this is one of many seals that make of the vast sealing array formula that creates the Legendary Flying Thunder God Jutsu.

5.) Barrier Fūinjutsu: Four Point Detection Barrier Jutsu - A simple and effective C – Rank Barrier Ninjutsu that a user can set up that will allow them to sense when chakra signatures at Genin level and above pass over its threshold. To set up the technique four specialized seal tags need to be placed in the cardinal directions on the outside perimeter of the area you are trying to protect, and an invisible dome shaped barrier will erect itself spawned from those four predefined seal tags.

6.) Barrier Fūinjutsu: Five Seal Barrier Jutsu - This technique creates a barrier around a place by placing four {forbidden} tags in different locations surrounding the place to be protected, a fifth tag on the location to be protected. The tags are placed on flat surfaces and are connected with the user's chakra. This technique turns the entire range surrounded by the tags into a barrier space, and inside the space, the material's destruction is {forbidden}. Using any kind of physical attack to try and destroy something in the barrier is folly, as it will only lead to injury. To cancel this, it is necessary to search for the four tags and tear them off simultaneously. Meaning there must be at least five people on a team to cancel it.

7.) Ice Style: Ice Ground Spears Jutsu - A move that Naruto uses. The user must be connected to the ground for this to work (Preferably by the feet) the user sends a surge of chakra through the ground that will travel to the intended target. The ground should freeze over in a thin sheet of ice. Once the user has his chakra spread out in his desired area, he or she will send a pulse of chakra out into the area which will cause ice spikes to shoot out of the thin icy patch that their chakra created earlier. The technique is good for taking down enemies by impaling them in their legs.

8.) Water Style: Orca Bullet Jutsu - The user sends a huge surge of water crashing down onto the enemy, which with the intensity of the waves produced, restricts their movements.

9.) Water Style: Archerfish Raid Jutsu - The user creates a jet of highly pressurized water that takes the shape of a large carnivorous fish's head and can be used to extinguish fires as a supplementary use.

10.) Eight Trigrams Gentle Step: Water Covalence - A special technique developed by Hinata combining the Water Nature Ninjutsu applications of her special Gentle Step variation of her family's Gentle Fist Art with her own unique Yōjutsu skills to produce a special technique that allows her to subvert and convert the control a ninja has over their Water Nature Chakra to bend it to her will. When she comes into physical contact with a Water Style technique, she can channel her Yōki into the water allowing her to surge a probing burst of her own chakra back to the caster of the technique. This burst targets the closest Tenketsu points on the enemy user allowing Hinata to paralyze them remotely from afar while stealing the technique they are using at the same time.

11.) Ice Style: Icicle Shard Blast Jutsu - A Jutsu that Naruto can use that allows him to mold his chakra into thin shards of ice that he can telekinetically control for a short period of time. Usually they form the ice shards above the targets head and then impale the opponent with them.

12.) Water Style: Water Shockwave Jutsu - The user creates a massive vortex of water that protects the user from attacks. It explodes from the top of it in the form of a wave, covering the entire battlefield. By using hand gestures, the user can manipulate the water to move in any direction. Having changed the battlefield in this way enables the user to follow up with additional Water Release techniques. The user can also evaporate the water at will.

13.) Ice Style: Ice Prison Jutsu - This technique allows the user to infuse their chakra with ice on the ground and bring it to the surface. The user can then trap their opponent within the ice by controlling its movements and completely surrounding them in the ice. It is strong enough to withstand basic Fire Style techniques because the ice has already been infused with the user's chakra. The user can also surround themselves with the ice prison to act as a shield. Additionally, any piece of ice that Naruto is controlling can be used to immobilize a target. If he hits you with ice from any Ice Style Jutsu then he can freeze you in place.

14.) Overdrive - Hinata fuels her fist with her holy magic that is stored inside of her body causing the palms of her hand to glow a purifying and tranquil white color. To utilize the full capabilities of her Light-Based Powers Hinata has to come in physical contact with an object through which she can transfer her Holy Magic into the target in the form of a rippling wave like energy. Once she connects with a target Hinata releases a massive burst of light that shoots off in an omnidirectional rippling and pulsating wave. This wave can purify anything it touches with darks beings such as Demons, Yōkai, Devils, and even Fallen Angel's being the most susceptible to feeling the absolute brunt on this devastating attack. Unlike her normal Gentle Fist attacks an Overdrive pulse will diffuse itself across the entire surface of a person's body sending a rippling wave of energy throughout the person's chakra network that will temporarily block the body's ability to produce chakra from any point in their body. However, if Hinata were to infuse her Holy Grace with her Gentle Fist techniques then she could shut down an entire persons Chakra Network in one strike. Once she connects with her strike the person is launched away from Hinata in a disorienting spin much like how Naruto's Rasengan affects a target.


Author's Note (A/N): Well... that was the chapter everyone. It was definitely a long one and so will the next few chapters and we draw closer to the end of this volume in the greater storyline. Part 2 which covers the original Naruto Manga/Series is coming to a close as this segment of the story is only going up to chapter 100 and stopping after an Epilogue chapter of course. After that their will be no more updates for this story as I begin working on the next great volume of the storyline.

This chapter had a lot to cover and a lot to offer primarily of which is the tension between the factions representing the Hidden Leaf and the Hidden Cloud. As we learn from Atsui of Team 3 his father is the Ambassador that Hiashi kills in order to save Hinata from being kidnapped. Of course, this is new additions to his character created by me to add to the story and because of this Atsui has quite the grudge and fixation on Hinata and by threatened associating Naruto as well. Making a bold and idiotic statement of pointing out Hinata's status as a main branch member was not the best move to make with her boyfriend and family surrounding her, especially with the implied sub-context of what your intentions are towards her. One failed extraction/kidnapping attempt is enough to stain the Hidden Cloud's reputation for one life time.

We also get some insight and background into Yugito Nii's character and her relationship with Matatabi. An interesting yet strange bond of one sided attraction has formed between her and Naruto and only the future will tell where that goes as the tension and animosity between their respective groups is a tangible hurdled to overcome.

Naruto and the rest of the group take the next day to do some tourist sight seeing as a guise to scout the town and do information recon on the Black Sun operation. The town is in a tense state of fear and paranoia thanks to the machinations of Naruto and Chaos who have stirred up trouble with the local gangs and the Black Sun new comers to town. As a tactic meant to disrupt the normal operational rhythm of the underworld of the town and as a suitable way to flush out hidden hotspots of Black Sun operatives who would try at all costs to avoid any open conflict the plan goes off without a hitch as Naruto and the others have a better idea and understanding of the true scale of their enemy. Naruto and Hinata also have a bonding moment for their relationship brought on by Naruto's desire to protect her from the implied potential threat of the Hidden Cloud.

In the same vein Naruto also spends some time with Naho and reassures her of her worried feelings she harbors for him and his safety. They share a heartwarming scene where he allays all of her fears and even gives her courage and reassurance by placing one of his Resonance Beacon seals down on her skin so that he can always know where she is and track her down in case of emergency.

Naruto and Hinata also share quite the heartwarming yet equally embarrassing moment charged by their hormones as Hinata masters the Shadow Clone Jutsu and can perform up to a maximum of 4 clones for her use that then proceed to make things especially hard for Naruto to handle who to his own credit has been actively working on 4 out of the 10 techniques written down in the Wind Nature Chakra Scroll Hinata gave to him as a late birthday present.

Things all come to a head as the team infiltrates the Black Sun's base and faces off with the leaders of the sect operating out of the town whose names are Oda Hidemichi and Kugo Takafumi. Oddly enough there is supposed to be a third member to this team of shinobi who have in their possession stolen prototype chakra armors from the Land of Snow incident who is not present upon their entry. In a brutal yet masterful display of teamwork Naruto, Hinata, and Henrietta manage to completely overpower their opponents in record time while Shoko and Anko are doing the same to the horde of thugs and mercenaries around the warehouse.

Just as the Hidden Leaf gain the upper hand against their Black Sun opponents an unexpected interruption in the form of Atsui dragging his reluctant team behind him crashes into the middle of the battle after they'd received an unknown anonymous tip from an unknown source telling them of Naruto's groups whereabouts and true intentions. This same source has also sent intruders to the resort where Naruto and his family have been staying in placing his children in grave danger.

Before any move can be made Naruto can sense the seals on the barrier he placed around the resort being broken alongside the emergency signal Naho's beacon is giving off. This sensation comes at the exact same time as Hinata takes notice of this with her Byakugan as an explosion at the resort can be heard by everyone in the town. This explicit danger quickly places things into perspective for Naruto who unleashes an immense killing intent that paralyzes everyone present. His family is in danger and Atsui's rash decisions have added an additional obstacle in his path that wasn't there before. Naruto's threat to kill everyone standing in his way is something to definitely heed as his intent to kill is more potent than its ever been before.

What's going to occur next chapter regarding the opposing factions squaring off in the warehouse? Will Naruto act upon his threats and loose control of himself in his focused efforts to return to his children's side? Will Atsui act upon his lust for revenge against Hinata and Naruto? Will Ota Hidemichi take the opportunity the chaos unfolding before him causes to escape? Will Naruto's children be okay in the face of the unknown threat attacking them? Most importantly of all who are these mysterious interlopers monitoring the unfolding interactions of the Hidden Leaf and Cloud that are blatantly interfering and instigating the escalating situations Naruto and his family are now faced with. Who are they and what are their goals in this conflict.

Stay tuned and find out! New chapters coming in the new year with hopefully better upload consistency.


Next Chapter: Chapter 95 (Hero's of Turquoise Cove)


That's the end of Chapter 94 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it.

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Published: 12/25/2020