DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything from the Naruto universe.
Thinking (+ flashbacks, "Naruto speaking to Kurama in her mindscape," etc.)
Emphasis
Bijuu, etc. speaking
Bijuu, etc. thinking
"You really think that he's good enough for her?" Kankuro asked his brother as they watched their sister walk along the streets of Suna from the roof of their home with the Konoha ambassador.
"Not necessarily," Gaara said with a sigh. Noting that Kankuro looked like he wanted to strangle him (or someone, anyway,) the redhead continued. "Nara Shikamaru is said to be a genius among geniuses. He comes from a powerful clan…"
"A Konoha clan made up of members that were vassals to the Akimichis…"
"Once upon a time, that was true, Kankuro," Gaara said, schooling his older brother. Frankly, he hadn't known very much about the Nara Clan other than the little that was in their history books until Shikamaru's presently extended visit to Suna in which he'd had several opportunities to meet with him. Shikamaru occasionally visited Gaara when he was monitoring for threats and Temari had other duties.
When he'd been the Kazekage a lifetime ago, he'd been far too busy to delve into Konoha clan history in the Suna archives. He hadn't even known of the relationship that Temari and Shikamaru had back then. Of course, he only remembered what had happened until Shukaku was removed… Considering what Shikamaru and Naruto claimed, perhaps he had really approved of his sister's quiet, romantic relationship back then.
Gaara had learned a lot from the Nara recently and most importantly, was sure that the Nara heir was serious about his sister. And he's unafraid of her, unlike nearly every shinobi in Suna. –Well, somewhat unafraid. Shikamaru does have a healthy respect for Temari's prowess. Watching them together over time, he also felt reasonably assured that Shikamaru had feelings for the woman Temari was today rather than the one Shikamaru remembered from their past life.
Or he really has fallen in love with her again; so through both lives… Regardless, Nara Shikamaru deeply cared for his sister's happiness. Shikamaru had also deeply cared for his first ever friend's life when few did in Konoha - or were allowed to: the Nara hadn't been completely open about dictates regarding Naruto and her status but that was understandable. Allied or not, Konoha and Suna were careful about their security, even from one another.
"Today the Yamanakas, Naras, and Akimichis consider themselves equals and inherent partners although the Akimichis is one of Konoha's 'Noble Clans.' As a single unit, not only are they more powerful shinobis on teams but quietly considered among the Konoha population to have more persuasion than any other group in Konoha. The Hyuuga may consider themselves the most physically powerful clan in Konoha since the fall of the Uchihas and the Senju's demise, but it is the 'Ino-Shika-Cho' alliance that is most consequential to Konoha - of all its clans."
Or that was Gaara's opinion. –Or Shikamaru's: perhaps he'd been unduly influenced?
"You can't exactly say 'the Senju's demise' as definitively as was once thought, eh, little brother?" Kankuro teased. He always enjoyed bantering with his younger brother. "You're little blonde friend is one, ne?"
Gaara hummed and followed Kankuro toward where Shikamaru and Temari were going to spar, hopping roofs along the way. "It's odd to think that Naruto and her father are, technically, Senjus." To think she's contracted to have little ones with Hatake - the man Gaara better remembered as Naruto's "Kakashi-sensei" - fairly soon… He believed that Naruto would one day be a very good mother if she'd just get over herself. She was such a bright, caring person.
Kankuro gave the couple a little space but was eager to see them spar again. "I think she's actually gotten quite a bit better," he said despite himself as the spar began. The Nara provided a good challenge to his strong, hot-headed, and sometimes (*cough, cough*) arrogant sister. Temari was an exceptionally good kunoichi but the Nara enjoyed drawing their battles out.
"Never tell either of them I said this, but I think some of his strategies are designed to help her improve," Gaara commented.
Kankuro groaned. "What a bastard. Aren't Naras supposed to be too lazy to do something so 'troublesome?!'" The Nara heir chose that moment to give up and flop down on the ground. For a moment, Kankuro worried that Temari would cause an international incident when she stomped up to where the Leaf ambassador lay on the ground with her folded fan held high above her head, but then she giggled and secured it in her brace. Giggled! "Ugh. This is really happening, isn't it?"
Gaara sat down on the roof they were observing from, letting his feet hang over the edge. "It won't be so bad if she lives here half the time."
"Half the time?" Kankuro asked before his eyes bugged out of his head. "You're talking like you think they'll get married one day," he screamed at his brother.
Gaara shrugged. "It would strengthen ties between the two villages," he commented but turned, panicking, as his sister's chakra spiked.
He was too late.
A red-faced Temari had obviously heard what his brother had shouted and her arms were already in motion. Blowing away them with her fan - and hopefully not the building we were sitting on - in a fierce wind jutsu, her brothers sailed into the sky. Gaara caught himself with the surrounding sand but he left Kankuro to his own devices.
Maybe that will teach him not to be such a loudmouth.
The redhead was a little put out when he saw Fu flying through the air so that she could catch Kankuro. Uh-oh: she looked upset about him hanging his brother out to dry. "I can explain!"
.
Kurama pretended to snooze, enjoying having seven of his siblings' chakra near him; not that he'd ever say that. They all missed Kokuo and had earlier spoken amongst themselves, hoping that their five-tailed sibling might have evaded that damnable husk of the ten-tails.
Because he and Naruto had been cut off from each other during her abominable kidnapping, they only had her word to go on regarding Han's death. And because the shinobi she thought she recognized was dead, Naruto could, of course, not feel Han or Kokuo's chakra to determine if what she was seeing was real. And that visual genjutsu had really done a number on her.
But that was months ago. Son and Roshi had not seen the missing jinchuuriki, however, so that probably meant the worst. Iwa, according to Naruto, was being painfully slow and "moronic" about agreeing to even send letters to "potentially" discuss peace between the villages, so Roshi's information was the most current they could hope for.
The Akatsuki would have an extremely difficult time getting any of the rest of them, Kurama thought. Danzo was gone, most of the Akatsuki members were dead, and all of the jinchuurikis had learned to live with their "demons." Some, like Fu or Yugito, had learned to love the beast they carried. Naruto, however, loved and cherished them all. Really, it was no wonder his siblings either called her "Mother" or "Imouto."
All of the tailed beasts, minus Kokuo and Isobu, lived in open seals now and had at least practiced using their chakra on demand in conjunction with their jinchuurikis.
Kokuo was missing, and Isobu seemed to be enjoying his time living with those repulsive toads.
Taking Isobu in like that: maybe the toads aren't so bad after all. Sage, he - the great Kurama - was really getting soft, wasn't he? Who was he kidding, though? The only reason that the toads allowed Isobu to stay was that Naruto asked them to.
Naruto was very much his father's legacy. Asura and his father had both been close to those damn amphibians, as well.
"Mother," Kurama groaned to himself, considering what Shukaku, especially, ALWAYS called Naruto. Lately, nearly all he heard from his father's legacy was how worried Naruto was that she wouldn't be able to have a "baby" by the time her contract said she was supposed to. Or at all, he guessed.
He knew the idiot well enough.
"Will my marriage be annulled or canceled if they realize it?"
Ugh: she could be such a drag.
Even if Dog-Boy fertilized her today - or had already done so recently while he wasn't paying attention - her undoubtedly noisy kit wouldn't be born in time to fulfill the conditions of that contract. But it's not like that pervert would let her go. …Not that Naruto seemed to realize that.
"Maybe his swimmers don't swim."
"Gah! I'm sure Kakashi's swimmers swim just fine!
…Oh my gosh, Kurama: why do I talk to you about these things?"
"My guess is because Deer Boy is gone?"
"Yeah, I really miss Shikamaru."
"Your communication devices do not work?"
"They work! They're just not supposed to be used outside of missions.
AND I've had some problems broadening the range to reach Suna."
"Since the rules don't apply to you."
"Well. Yeah. Hey, I'm the one that came up with the things!"
"Whatever you say. I'm just happy you haven't blown yourself up or been nabbed lately."
He'd meant that, too. Naruto was on a real tear: not being hauled off by some idiot in months. Of course, her sire and mate had been keeping her inside of the village - aside from her trips to the toad's mountain and fox's forest. Right now she was behind her dwelling, laying in the grass and being a dumbass.
"Your problem is psychological. –Which isn't surprising."
"You're so mean," Naruto lamented out loud, groaning as the strings fell from her torso. Her chakra strings were really awesome now - well, she'd never be (or want to be) a puppetmaster - but she could definitely tie things up or yank them around with her cool strings. And SHE could sprout them from more than just her hands! So this morning, she'd been working on trying to braid the suckers and make them into something like a chain, just like her uncle had encouraged. Uncle Nawaki can't do that. Maybe I can't either. The non-chains she'd made looked more like hair, though. Pretty hair. "Why is my problem psychological?"
Kurama knew a loaded question when he heard it. "You tell me."
"I don't want to tie you down." Yeah, Naruto knew the answer! That didn't change anything about reality. And she would not ever be forced to tie him down. Or up. Depending on where his tails and legs are.
"Why do you fight?" Kurama asked after watching more of her pathetic, strange efforts.
"To protect! And that includes protecting you."
Kurama was glad he was lying down so that he could easily cover the satisfaction (and perhaps contentment or happiness: yech. I'm making myself sick) that he was sure colored his expression for a moment. He frowned, making himself glare at her - but his thoughts on the chains he was sure that she could one day manifest were, in fact, serious. "If you manifest them and anyone tries to take us, perhaps your chains could stop the perpetrators."
He'd thought about this a lot. After his other half FINALLY showed him what had happened in their past - showed him being ripped out of his vessel; his siblings who had somehow escaped being harnessed into that damn husk, being pulled into it again by chains that had manifested from the ten-tails - he'd wanted to fight back if ever in that situation again.
"How? I mean, other than fighting whoever would do such a thing with all my strength…"
"Use your imagination!" Why couldn't she imagine it when Naruto imagined all kinds of insane/inane bullshit in nearly every thought she had, every second of the day? She sat in front of him, her mouth pulled to the side, looking absolutely stupid.
"You need to show her," Isobu said distractedly. The rest of his body - outside of this tiny thread of his chakra - was watching the toads spar. They were very formidable.
"Show me what?" Naruto asked, looking between them. Isobu's avatar or whatever the hell he was/what she was seeing had just appeared out of nowhere again. It's so strange how they pop up whenever they feel like it. She was always glad to see the siblings, though. She sat up, getting into a meditative pose, watching as Kurama became more and more uncomfortable.
"I was the last of the nine of us dragged into that husk."
Suddenly, she saw it: clouded though it was. Each of them: Shukaku, Matatabi – Isobu was there on that desolate battlefield; Son Goku, Kokuo - poor Kokuo - Chomei, Gyuki, and Kurama but he wasn't inside of her. Kurama was yelling at Gaara to save her and… "This is not real." It didn't even quite look real. And it's too horrible to…
"Yes, it is!"
"You just fucking genjutsu-ed me," Naruto said furiously as she stood up in both her mindscape and in the backyard. Kakashi had just come out on the engawa but yelling at Kurama in her mind just wasn't enough! "Of ALL the fucked up things to do!" Her husband was instantly at her side. She wanted to tell him that everything was fine but it wasn't.
"I - MY half of my chakra… UGH! I didn't remember it earlier in THIS lifetime, Naruto: just like you! But my stolen other half knows what happened. After we briefly rejoined following the final battle, he absorbed my memories and I, his. Then that Uchiha must have finally killed you… And I have no doubt in my mind that the ONLY reason he was able to do so," Kurama fumed, getting really riled up, "was because you were battle-weary and exhausted, he was NOT, and you were only defending yourself and determined to perhaps at best, beat him: not kill him. HE showed me this! –My other half!"
"What's wrong?" Kakashi asked gravely, gripping her waist and hand.
"Kurama's just showing me stuff I… don't want to see." She looked up at her husband to smile and reassure him, but Kakashi had already raised his headband and had entered her mind. She slumped, unconscious, into his arms.
"What the fuck are you doing to my mate?"
Kurama rolled his eyes. He wanted to laugh at the way Dog Boy tried to look fierce and not startled at finding seven additional tailed beasts looking at him in curiosity. He only allowed the dog summoner to see them because it was amusing to him. And Kurama would give Hatake credit: he didn't run, urinate on himself, or pass out as he observed them all. As is fitting for my sentry. "Isobu convinced me to show Naruto some truths. Now give her back."
"Maa, Isobu is the one Naruto took away from that battle?"
Isobu waved a claw at Naruto's mate and Kurama's sentry. "Yeah! I'm on Mount Myoboku. Ohayo!"
Kakashi's lips twitched under his mask. He offered the three-tailed giant turtle a genuine grin, smiling more as he thought of how much Gai would like to be in his place right now (Gai loved and summoned turtles.) Another win for me!
"Yo!" More tailed beasts waved at him and said hello which only seemed to infuriate the big orange blowhard his wife has had to deal with every day of her life.
Kurama facepalmed and blew out hot air before scolding his brother. "The fewer people who know where you are the better, Isobu!" His other siblings nodded in agreement. That was good: otherwise, he might resort to sending a beast bomb their way to remind them exactly who was in charge here.
Isobu pouted. "But you trust him, Kurama, and I trust you!"
Kurama winced then lightly crushed Hatake with his foot, knocking him over, when the ningen chuckled at them. The idiot only smiled up at him after looking initially panicked. "Bah! Go away!"
"You should tell him your ideas, Kurama," Son Goku said, speaking up. "I have some ideas of my own."
They did talk to the masked brat after Kurama allowed him to stand up again.
After their discussion, Kakashi carried Naruto back into the house and decided, for his own well-being, to head to the office before she woke up. She was NOT going to be happy with what he'd done.
.
She's pissed at me and it's only going to get worse. …Maybe, Kakashi thought to himself. Naruto had brought him a bento for lunch but then had stormed out right afterward. He'd eaten it, although he did wonder what it might be laced with this time.
He liked when she brought him a delicious lunch. Sometimes, of course, he just lunched on her deliciousness in the confines of his office. Naturally, he "forgot" his bento every day, hoping for both.
"Maa," he began shortly, addressing his troops, "Fox should be here soon, and that's why I've called you all early. Today you'll be attacking Fox, solely. Every one of you," he clarified blankly. "After she stretches and is ready to spar, I want you to turn on her." That Neji-brat was the one who had the courage to raise his hand and question his orders, Kakashi noted. "Go on." Ask your question.
"How will Fox defend herself from this many of us?" Is this some kind of marital spat? –That's what Neji wondered.
"Fox will be allowed to use Sage mode and her summons," Kakashi said, enjoying their groans. "Do we have a problem?"
"No, sir," they barked in unison, straightening up. That's when Naruto showed up in uniform with her mask on. She was early this afternoon, they all noted.
You'd better be right about this, Kurama, Kakashi thought. "Fox."
"Commander," she replied sourly and then stuck out her tongue at him - only for it to hit her mask - before prancing toward her normal position of their formation, between Sai and Root, right behind Tenzo. "Hi, guys!" Naruto pouted so hard it was ridiculous underneath her mask when no one responded to her today. "You guys are being quiet and weird." She began stretching anyway.
Naruto much preferred to be with her ANBU buddies, sparring and pranking, than in the Barrier Division's HQ or even worse: the Hokage Tower. She brought her father(s) a lunch and dinner bento every day that her biological father didn't eat with them or someone else… and usually one for breakfast, too. Namikaze Minato didn't really take very good care of himself, in Naruto's humble opinion.
"Today you can use all the tools at your disposal, Foxy-chan," Kakashi said cheekily.
"Don't call me that," she growled back. Jazu joined her from her side: the pup was ready to train with her again (and always a huge distraction for her comrades.) "Wait. –ALL of them? I can use… Sage mode?!" Can I bring out Kurama?! …Oh, that would be awesome. I am going to kick their asses!
Kakashi nodded at her! "Hooray!" Naruto swore that she heard someone whimper, and another person definitely let out a demented, dark laugh. "Hmm."
She popped out three clones who ran away and hid before sitting down to gather nature's energy, herself. Jazu chased after her clones when she signaled her. Her big puppy was really coming along!
Naruto's sage mode was also getting better and better the more she sparred with her father and Jiraiya when he was around. Before she did the same thing they were doing, she summoned Gamakichi and a very excited Gamatatsu, then grimaced and hoped for the best as she summoned Lei. This would be the big vixen's first time sparring with them. "No killing my comrades," she reminded the two-tailed fox who just huffed at her request.
Kakashi cleared his throat. "Begin." He closed his eyes when he saw the present members of this division all go for his little wife and her summons before they went flying backward as Kurama emerged in all of his golden, enormous glory for the first time on a training field. Then the fight really began.
"You bastards! What the hell?" Naruto shouted from Kurama's head before making a clone that jumped down and began beating the hell out of Sai and then Root. Tenzo's Mokuton grabbed Kurama's legs but now he was pissed and so was Naruto, who had escaped from Kurama's cloak - and then it happened: Neji had gone for the tenketsu in her back when she jumped down and chakra arms flew out, surprising the Hyuuga brat.
Kakashi grinned, watching his wife proudly as she parried swords, tantos, and hits with SIX rather weird, extra arms as well as her own. The golden fire around her was streaking around the training field, shoving Rasengans into his troops (never long enough to kill or do lasting damage to anything but their armor) with a gorgeous and broad smile on her face. She'd lost her mask at some point: he'd have to work with her on that. "My golden goddess."
Then he was hit HARD with a genjutsu. He hadn't even realized and wouldn't have realized that the big vixen, Lei, had conjured the thing that distorted all of his senses had he not had the Sharingan.
…And had Naruto not suddenly tripped and fallen down on her face. Gods: she really was a little hopeless with genjutsus. Then again, his remaining troops had either begun running around in different directions or were just sitting on the ground, staring at the sun. He grabbed his whistle and gave it a quick, sharp blow. "That's enough. Lei-sama… Please end the jutsu."
"Tch." Lei let up. She had enjoyed that. She decided that she might even come again. It was easy enough to stand and cast genjutsus, watching moronic humans pathetically fall to her incredible prowess. Even Naruto's toads had fallen into her genjutsu, which was the icing on the cake!
Perhaps she'd bring Ai along with her next time so that he could eat them.
Naruto jumped up, having thought she was in limbo for a second. God had been an angry fox, vowing to turn me into a frog… "Oops." Now that she realized what had happened, she was embarrassed, and in her mindscape, Kurama looked absolutely humiliated. Poor guy! I'm so sorry. "Is it over? And what the fuck, by the way?"
"You were all under the vixen's genjutsu," Kakashi explained, gesturing toward the horse-sized vixen - who was somehow looking even cockier now.
Sai climbed out of the tree he'd climbed into (with no chakra) during the genjutsu, like a child. Was I trying to catch a squirrel? He was fairly sure that there were no squirrels on the training ground. They all ran away whenever the ANBU gathered to spar… "Commander ordered us to attack you."
"Oh, he did now, did he?" Naruto asked darkly as she put her fox mask back on. Kakashi looked like he was wilting although he did ask Tenzo to throttle Sai for him.
Tenzo had no problem with that order and finally had to be called off of the ink-user.
"Congratulations on activating your chakra arms, Fox." Polite applause followed Kakashi's words and he was relieved to see that Naruto seemed surprised, but was now excited and beaming. Her eyes always give her away, he thought dreamily. "Ahem." Get it together, Hatake. Naru-chan was always such a huge distraction for him. "Maa, that was… something everyone. Return to your team captains but expect genjutsu drills tomorrow. That means I'll be bringing in Shisui and Itachi to aid me. He felt an anticipatory shiver of sadistic glee fill his bones.
Had Kurenai not just had her baby, Kakashi would've brought her in to drill them, too. He stepped down to have a word with Tenzo. On the way over, he reached down to pet and praise Jazu who had run up to him, wagging her tail. Normally this is when he either left to go back to his dreaded office or attacked his soldiers mercilessly but he needed to speak to Tenzo.
"You need to get more serious with your squad, Cat," he whispered to his kohai. "Fox is… No. THE fox is particularly weak to your jutsu and I want Naru to be able to break free from your strongest Mokuton attacks." Obito had somehow managed to acquire the same ability, after all.
Tenzo bobbed his head but even through his mask, Kakashi could see how uncomfortable the man was with his request. Tenzo's greatest fear was the possibility of failing to subdue an out-of-control Kyuubi. "Maa, the fox is, for lack of a better word, tame, Tenzo. Things have changed since that terrible night."
Tenzo gave Kakashi a quick nod. "If you say so, senpai."
"I do! Just now, when the fox appeared, did he attack you? Or anyone?"
"Yes," Tenzo wanted to shout, vividly recalling being stepped on and glared at as he wrapped the fox's leg up in his jutsu.
"Was his aim to kill? Or was the fox training with Naruto, Tenzo?"
Tenzo nodded in a degree of understanding after several moments, then let out a relieved chuckle. "I guess you're right. …The village, though, senpai. I'm sure the beast was seen in the village." The ANBU training fields might be secluded in a way that protected the village (and kept their training hidden) but the fox was just too large - towering well over the highest trees - not to have been seen from far and wide.
"They'll have to get used to him then, won't they?" Kakashi asked, a dark glint in his eye as he watched his wife pull water out of the soil surrounding her to whip at her squadmates. Jiraiya's team members were in and out of circulation but all still trained with the rest of ANBU at least four days a week when in the village. His eyebrows rose when Jazu FINALLY used chakra with a headbutt that made Leaf tumble to the ground. "I'll be damned." Kakashi had begun to think that Jazu was just a normal but very overpriced dog.
"I wonder if an old dog can learn new tricks?" Tenzo asked before trying to pull Kakashi into the ground. His senpai, naturally, dodged him - seemingly effortlessly.
"Who you calling old, Minion?"
"I WAS JUST KIDDING, SENPAI," Tenzo wailed as he parried blow after blow after blow.
Later that night -
Naruto couldn't wait to show what she'd made of this place to Kakashi!
In a very secluded area of their land/compound - whatever it was: Naru never felt comfortable calling it more than their home - there was a secluded but incredibly picturesque body of water. She didn't know where the water ultimately came from, but after finding this place and testing it (and maybe romping around inside of it a bit just to be sure everything was fine,) Naruto had made it into something more… She sat down in what was now hot, bubbling water and wondered how long it would take for her husband to arrive.
Maybe she should go get some snacks for him or something?
Over the past few days, Naru had managed to put up some fairy and other lights that ran at night thanks to seals that gathered solar energy during the day. –Just like the ones did that heated what was now much like a hot spring (and made some of the bubbles.) She was pretty proud of herself and KNEW that Kakashi would love it. Naruto never knew when he'd be able to finally get home from work but he did always make his way back to her… A branch cracked behind her and Naru stilled - her heartbeat quickening.
"I saved you, I want to ensure you know."
Nauto immediately sank deeper into the heated water so that she was better covered before she turned around. Why was Jiji - no: the Sandaime Hokage - here? Damn: she had forgotten all about him being able to get into the property's seals. …It had been so long!
"Are you listening, Naruto?"
"Yes, sir," she replied in just over a whisper. Fuck. "May I ask what…"
"No, no, no: the answers will be revealed soon enough! …My dear."
Naruto narrowed her eyes at him but he only seemed to be gazing into the evening sky. "You were saying that you saved me." He's "off." I need to keep him talking until Kakashi gets here. She remembered the warning that Konohamaru had given her about his grandfather.
"Ah, yes. I was first on the scene, you see. –That terrible night: the night that took away so much from Konoha. From me."
Naruto ever-so-slightly bobbed her head and although he wasn't looking at her, he began to stroll closer. "Stay back," she warned in what came out as more of a slow, menacing growl than what she'd intended. The previous Hokage stilled and brought his hands up in front of him, causing her hands, still underwater, to prepare a water jutsu to down his ass if need be but he only chuckled - his hands now up in a semblance of surrender.
Almost surprising herself, two of Naru's clones popped right out of her, sinking down into the depths of the water but their damn hair had floated as they did so, making him let out another bark of laughter. Which means that he really can see me… "It's not nice to stick around when a lady is in what could be a compromising position. I'm a faithfully married woman." Watch or perve on me and I'll use wind chakra to cut your junk off. "I ask you to leave, sir."
"Ha! –Naruto! So polite! …Where in the world did that come from, I wonder."
Naruto took a deep breath. Although he was purposely looking away, all of this felt and WAS so wrong. "I haven't seen you in quite some time, but I guess I'd have to say that the Naras managed to instill some type of decorum in me."
Hiruzen wandered to the other side of the large pond, admiring the waterfall. He wondered if the two young lovers spent time in it. Holding each other, writhing desperately against one another as they made love or…
He let out a long and heavy sigh. "You killed Biwako."
And there it is, Naruto breathed to herself. Her old Jiji's mind was gone and now he'd lost his wife who had been in a coma for nearly two decades. "Konohamaru told me that…"
"DON'T. Say his name. You have no right!"
"Alright," Naruto agreed quietly. "I really am very sorry for your loss."
How did she get herself into these situations?! She'd at least had on a bikini earlier, but NO… Leaving Kakashi a note, she'd hoped that when he got home from work he'd meet her out here for a nice, sexy surprise. Being a total perv, apparently, she'd flicked off her husband's favorite blue bikini so that she could see whether or not the water was clear enough to see through before activating the seals that would further warm it.
I could've fucking figured that out with a bikini on! But no! Here I am: naked and afraid. Naruto: you dumbass!
"I was going to slay you the night of your birth, of course," Hiruzen mentioned conversationally.
Well, that got her attention. "I… thought you said you saved me."
"In some regards I did! Danzo, though –ah, ah, ah, Naru-chan," he scolded as he'd done a hundred times before. "Danzo was the one to convince me to let you live. Konoha, as your father very well knew, needed a weapon. Without a jinchuuriki, the village would've succumbed to our enemies."
"Right. A baby jinchuuriki," Naruto's mouth snarked before her brain caught up. Then the damn thing kept running! "That makes sense. Nothing says 'strong village' like an infant wearing a diaper since babies are incapable of controlling their bowels." WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!
Your too-big boobs keep floating in front of you and this man's the God of Shinobi, you dumbass!
Hiruzen threw his head back and laughed. "So true! But, as you know, Naruto, one must look underneath the underneath."
Naruto nodded, making sure to keep every movement slow. "I don't mean to sound disrespectful at all…"
"That's a first," the unwelcome man mumbled somewhat under his breath. Naruto heard him.
"But really: I thought that Danzo had backed you into a corner with everything that… went on later, ya know."
"I suppose our dance was always in motion, Naruto. Danzo reminded me when I was at my lowest that Konoha came first. …Isn't it interesting that the man you hated the most was the one who allowed you to live beyond that night?"
If his smile was meant to warm her heart, it certainly didn't. She wanted to believe that he was simply bonkers from having been a victim of Danzo-via-Shisui's eyeball manipulations but she had a feeling that his words were more true than that. "He was never the one I hated the most."
"So Obito has said."
Naruto felt her heart sink and ice fill her veins before absolute rage filled both her and Kurama's entire beings. "Did he now? And how long have you been in contact with ol' Obito? – How long have you known that he was alive?"
"I had my suspicions," he said airily before glaring at her. "I owe him. And now? Now you know too much."
Naruto didn't even think or care about being exposed when she stepped up from the water she was soaking in like a goddess bent on vengeance. "I think you've said too much, too," she whispered as he stared, looking shocked, at her body. Fucking pervert. The wind whipped around her, coming to her automatically and tearing up the ground and manmade springs around her and as he briefly averted his eyes - maybe something within Hiruzen Sarutobi remembered that what he was doing was wrong - Naruto was all over him.
"URRRGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH," she groaned as blazing mud threw her back: her own wind chakra only making the fire worse. Fortunately, it sent Naruto skidding across and then a few meters into the water. She and her clones flew out of it in Sage Mode, a Rasengan whipping the water into a lashing tornado of water and wind as the three of them drove it at the Third Hokage who responded with his own clones throwing all five elements at her enormous jutsu. Seeing that she was at a standstill with him and finally realizing that because of the seals around the property, help wasn't coming, she sent out an enormous series of chakra pulses through her feet. She felt the seals all around her break - and cried out when she heard the sound of a thousand birds.
And then it was over. She was back in the water, her eyes full of horror as her father was on one side, having planted a seal on the Sandaime, while Kakashi's fist was through his torso. "Oh… Kami!" She sank to the bottom of what remained of the little paradise she'd built for herself and Kakashi and wondered how it had come to this.
Kakashi brought her her bathing suit and fished her sometime later.
"This is not good, Kash," she whispered shakily as her father sealed up the Third Hokage's body. "This is not good at all!"