Author's Notes: Well, time to get this story off the shelf. I don't know how many readers are glad that I'm finally continuing this story, but I know I am excited to return to it, considering the storylines I have yet to tell. Hopefully, the wait hasn't been too unbearably long... Even if it was a few months of a gap.
Review Responses
BoredAsUsual34: I'm glad you enjoyed how the chapter was written or presented! As for the fight, I wanted to toe the line between an overpowered character and a character with near-unlimited potential for Naruto in this fic, I hope this clears things up for those who have questions regarding Naruto's strength.
dingo-822: I mainly wanted to demonstrate Konoha's hypocrisy with Jiraiya and Kakashi stating those facts. As for the loyalty part and the non-belligerence, Naruto won't necessarily follow up on those agreements.
Nithi Velu: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, and I agree with what you said, Minato's plan wasn't very well thought-out in canon, but I suppose that's what fanfiction is for.
Dragon and Sword Master: Yep, not going to be too friendly to Jiraiya or Kakashi from here on. Also, I'm delighted you enjoyed that final scene!
Magus0096: Well... No spoilers, but... Potential foreshadowing? Anyways, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!
SPark681: Glad you enjoyed the chapter! But what the Ketsuryugan can do is a little complicated considering the limited canon depictions.
"Talking"
'Thinking'
"'Talking or thinking by a Bijuu or berserk Jinchuuriki'"
Well... After who knows how long, let's get back to this story!
-The Next Day-
Finding himself in the Hokage's office, Naruto yawned before Hiruzen, ignoring the old man's stare as he rearranged his shoddily tied cloth around his eyes, not wanting anyone around him to know about him regaining his vision and still wanting to keep up the false vulnerability he presented.
"Might I be so bold to assume you had a rough night?" Hiruzen asked, looking up from his paperwork.
"Well, not exactly..." Naruto replied, finally sitting down at the opposite end of Hiruzen's desk, "I had a good rest last night... It's just unfortunate that I couldn't enjoy it for so long, unlike Haku-chan..."
"My apologies, ronin," Hiruzen stated, letting Naruto know subtly that there were other individuals in the room, "But I have a commission for you."
"Don't tell me... You want me to chase a random cat?" Naruto asked jokingly.
"No, no... Such a mission would be an insult to your abilities, I've got a far more..." Hiruzen began to say, slowly piquing Naruto's interest in the conversation as the old man tried his best to find the right word, "... Dangerous, that's it, a far more dangerous mission for you... One far more befitting of your capabilities."
"Well, as long as the price is right, I don't see why not..." Naruto replied, trying to make his point clear as his mind wandered back to Haku, the ice user not being present due to her currently sleeping in their shared bed.
"To place an order for your... A few of us are willing to put 500,000 Ryo for this commission," Hiruzen asserted, placing a bag of Ryo on the desk, "You can check it if you'd like."
"No need, I know you have no reason to lie to me," Naruto replied, taking the bag of coins as he sat upright, "So... What does this mission entail?"
"Essentially, I'd like to report a missing person case," Hiruzen explained, pulling out a handguard, one that carried a chakra signature familiar to Naruto. "I believe you know who this belongs to...?"
"Did you assume that I'd be able to identify a person based on the residue chakra left on a piece of equipment?" Naruto asked jokingly, holding onto the handguard to further sense the chakra upon it, "Hayate Gekko... Interesting, where was he last seen?"
"He was sent-" Hiruzen began to say, before stopping upon seeing Naruto's raised hand.
"Could we continue in private?" Naruto requested, noting the presence of others in the room.
Hiruzen sighed, making a wave-like motion with his hand, prompting Yugao and another Anbu to appear next to Naruto as they knelt before Hiruzen.
"You called, Hokage-sama?" Yugao asked, acting per Anbu doctrine by pretending not to know about the earlier conversation she had listened in on.
"Leave us for a few moments, Dragon..." Hiruzen requested, "Neko, you may stay here, this mission involves you."
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Dragon replied, nodding as he vanished from sight.
"Neko, you are to work in conjunction with the Ronin here," Hiruzen replied, to which Naruto gave a small wave in response, "You two are to act as equal partners on this mission, neither of you shall outrank the other."
"Understood, Hokage-sama," Yugao stated, before turning towards Naruto, "My sincerest apologies for how I acted in our first encounter, that was completely uncalled for and unprofessional."
"Apology accepted, Neko-san," Naruto replied, offering a hand which Neko gratefully shook, "I hope we will be able to cooperate well on this task."
"Good to see that you two are getting along, but allow me some time to explain the mission," Hiruzen requested, turning the two participants back towards the old Hokage. "This mission is to be carried out gradually, ideally over five days."
"Understood, Hokage-sama," Naruto replied, nodding his head whilst twiddling his fingers, "Are there any specific tasks we are to achieve? As well as the specific rules of engagement within the realms of this mission?"
"You two are not allowed to act against any civilian or shinobi that are not directly implicated within this mission," Hiruzen instructed, "And especially not the contestants for the Chunin Exam finals," He continued before passing Naruto a name list, "Here's a list."
"Well... I'm sure it's got some beautiful handwriting on it," Naruto joked, wanting to keep his restored eyesight a secret. "It's just quite a shame that... You know... I can't see?"
"My apologies, Naruto," Hiruzen replied as the blond passed the list to Yugao, "On that note, this meeting is dismissed, the mission begins tomorrow, good luck, you two."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Naruto replied, nodding his head as he walked out of the room.
"You're dismissed for today, Neko," Hiruzen stated, standing up and taking a puff from his pipe, before turning to look out of his window, "Get some rest, you'll have a busy few days ahead of you."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Yugao replied, bowing slightly before she headed for the door.
"Another thing, Neko..." Hiruzen began to say, "Do keep an eye on our ronin friend, alright?"
"Understood, Hokage-sama," Yugao assured, before walking out of the room.
-Hiruzen's House(Ten Minutes Later)-
Naruto slowly walked up to the front door, reaching into his pocket and retrieving his copy of the key, before unlocking the door and opening it, walking in soon after, and locking the door shut immediately after.
"Tch, damn it..." Yugao grumbled as she looked out of her hiding spot. "Sneaky bastard..."
'Hmmm... Why did it feel like someone was following me...?' Naruto thought to himself, before disregarding it and dashing upstairs to his and Haku's room, only to find the ice-user still fast asleep in their bed. "Is she still asleep...?"
Sighing softly at Haku's antics, Naruto walked towards the one window in the room, before closing the curtains, much to Yugao's ire as she watched from the rooftop of a building opposite the one Naruto was in.
'Does... Does he perhaps know that I'm watching him...?' Yugao asked herself, 'No... It can't be... I haven't made a single sound since I've left Hokage-sama's office... And the girl... Did he do something to his partner? Why is she asleep...?'
Deciding to investigate further, Yugao swiftly changed into her civilian apparel, before walking up to the front door of Hiruzen's home, knocking on it after a minute or so of preparation.
"Oh, for fuck's sake..." Naruto mumbled as he dashed back downstairs, opening the door before turning towards the outside. "Yes? Do I know you? That's a rhetorical question, who are you?"
"Oh, umm... Please help me... My cat climbed up a tree..." Yugao made up in a fake voice, intent on tricking Naruto and sneaking into the house.
"Sorry, I don't help with these..." Naruto began to say, narrowing his eyes under his blindfold, "... Mundane tasks, my apologies..."
"I... I'm willing to offer compensation for the inconvenience caused..." Yugao offered, bowing slightly, "Please... This cat means a lot to me..."
"Alright, alright, I'll give it a try..." Naruto assured, slowly walking out of the house and towards where the tree was, allowing Yugao to sneak in as the door slowly shut.
"Whew... That was a close one..." Yugao whispered to herself in her usual voice, slowly creeping around Hiruzen's house as she looked around. "Now... To check on the girl-"
"Nice to see you, Neko-san," Naruto stated jokingly, appearing before Yugao whilst holding Muramasa to her neck, "Now... What are you intending to do with Haku-chan...? You did mention her, after all."
"I... Look, ronin-san... What have you done to your partner?" Yugao questioned, making sure to be completely still, knowing that Naruto would be very willing to follow up on his threat of murdering her right there and then. "I highly doubt she'd be so tired in the afternoon."
"Simple, we went to bed at about five in the morning," Naruto explained, "The only reason I was up and running by nine was mainly due to Hokage-sama waking me up."
"I see... My mistake, ronin-san," Yugao apologized, "But would I be allowed to check?"
"Go ahead," Naruto replied, consenting as he led the way up to his and Haku's room, "As you can see, she's asleep."
"Hmmm... Fair enough," Yugao stated, having checked on Haku moments before coming to her conclusion, "My deepest apologies, ronin-san. I seem to have misjudged you for the second time... Things just haven't been the same around here..."
"That's fine, Neko-san, and I fully understand," Naruto assured, patting Yugao on the back as he walked out of the room after her, "That's to be expected with my reputation."
"Well... I'll be taking my leave now, again, I'm so sorry," Yugao apologized, before walking out of the house again.
"Not the encounter I expected, but oh well, I would've invited her to lunch, but it seems she's left before I could even contemplate it," Naruto mumbled to himself, before walking into the kitchen, checking on the cooked rice in the rice cooker and the marinated chicken. "Well... Best cook something before Konohamaru returns, or he may throw a temper tantrum... Right... Now..." Naruto contemplated to himself, heating a pan at the stove before pouring in some oil, allowing it to emit tiny amounts of smoke, "Hmmm... Do I put in the garlic and onions first...? Or should the chicken go in first?"
"Maybe I can help..." Haku yawned as she walked into the kitchen, half-awake as she stumbled up to Naruto, "You seem to need it... Also, were you touching me just then...? Something felt strange earlier..."
"Well... Not really..." Naruto replied, before explaining the situation with Yugao earlier.
"I... Well, that wasn't what I was expecting to hear after brushing my teeth..." Haku joked as she gently pushed Naruto out of the way and placed the onions and garlic into the pan, "I guess she's just doing her job?"
"Maybe... But I still see fit to suspect she had some ulterior motive," Naruto replied, walking towards the kettle of water he had prepared earlier. "Tea?"
"That would be lovely..." Haku replied with a soft smile, as she placed the chicken into the pan after the garlic had browned and after the onions turned slightly translucent.
"So... It's onions and garlic that go in first?" Naruto asked, brewing the tea in a pot before setting it on the counter.
"Well, generally, yes," Haku replied, pouring in some cornstarch and water, placing other vegetables in before using another pan as a lid, "That normally brings out the flavor, or well, adds flavor to the dish."
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind..." Naruto replied, walking closer to Haku, only to lift her and hug her close to him,
"Ok, let me guess... Next, you're gonna tell me how much you've missed me?" Haku asked jokingly, resting her chin on Naruto's shoulder. "Or are you here to ask me for permission to do something stupid?"
"Aww... And here I thought you loved me..." Naruto replied in a similarly joking tone, "What's the harm in me hugging you once in a while?"
"Well... I don't imagine hugging to involve lifting me too, but this is nice..." Haku murmured.
"Yeah... I bet you'd want me to let you down before the chicken burns?" Naruto asked, pointing towards the stove.
"Shit, wait! Let me down for a bit!" Haku requested.
"Hmmm... Well, I'll give it a quick think..." Naruto replied jokingly, before walking a few inches away from the stove. "This is the best I can do..."
"Ah, damn it... Just let me go!" Haku exclaimed, wiggling her arms and legs around in an attempt to get out of Naruto's hug.
"Don't worry... I got this," Naruto replied, turning it down to the lowest possible heat and opening up a small hole by moving the top pan to allow the dish to simmer. "See? Told you I got it..."
"Yeah... I suppose so..." Haku mumbled, looking around as Naruto pressed her against the wall. "So... What's this about?"
"Well... I suppose I'd try something new..." Naruto joked as he leaned in, before claiming her lips with his, kissing her sensually as she was pinned to the wall, pulling away a good minute or so later. "Mmm... That wasn't too bad now, was it?"
"I... Heh... Didn't think you'd be such a smooth-talker... Or such an... Innovate kisser," Haku joked, licking her lips as she tried her best to lean in closer to Naruto, her feet finally touching the ground as Naruto loosened his grip slightly, "Now get over here..."
As Haku placed her right hand on Naruto's chin, the kitchen doors slid open as Konohamaru walked in.
"There you are!" Konohamaru exclaimed.
"Hold on a second, honorable grandson!" Ebisu requested, running after Konohamaru and entering the kitchen as well, eventually noticing Naruto and Haku's awkward position in the room. "How dare you?! How dare you two act so disrespectfully in the Hokage's home?!"
"Well, that's our problem, isn't it?" Naruto questioned, slowly releasing Haku from his grasp and turning towards Ebisu, only for Haku to hug him from behind.
"Calm down, Naruto-Kun," Haku whispered, "He's just jealous, don't worry..."
"You little-" Ebisu began to yell, before immediately cutting himself off upon feeling a cold piece of metal poking the tip of his throat.
"Yeah? Come on now, continue," Naruto taunted, pointing Muramasa against Ebisu's neck as Haku let go of the blond and went to set up the dish she had cooked earlier, "That's what I thought." Naruto stated, before withdrawing Muramasa, sheathing it again, and walking out of the kitchen with Haku, "Come on, Konohamaru, get your bowl of rice!"
"Huh, alright, Nii-san!" Konohamaru replied before retrieving his bowl of rice and walking out, the stunned Ebisu waiting for Konohamaru to be seated before leaving the house.
"So... How was your day today?" Naruto asked, placing the pot of tea in the middle of the table after pouring Konohamaru a cup, "I hope it was pleasant enough."
"Yep! I learned a bunch of new stuff today, even if Ebisu-sensei brought me to the hot springs to learn those things..." Konohamaru stated, earning a soft scoff from Naruto, "Are we going to be able to train later, Nii-san?!"
"Of course, we can, Konohamaru," Naruto assured, watching as Haku finished her food before Konohamaru had even begun to eat from his bowl, "Just not tomorrow, I'll be rather busy."
"Aww... But... Alright, Nii-san," Konohamaru began to protest, only to accept the situation.
"Where are you going tomorrow...?" Haku whispered after walking up next to Naruto.
"I'll be on a five-day long mission," Naruto whispered back, gently kissing Haku on the forehead after turning towards her, causing a blush from the ice-user. "Don't worry... I'll be just fine..."
"Y-you'd better be..." Haku whispered back, flustered by Naruto's prior act as she slowly walked back upstairs.
"Well... Fair enough," Naruto mumbled to himself, before turning to Konohamaru, "Meet me at Training Ground 3 later, alright?"
Without waiting for a response from Konohamaru, Naruto stood up, before seemingly walking out of the house, only to climb into his and Haku's room through the window, where a towel was thrown onto his face.
"Hey! I'm changing!" Haku exclaimed, walking up to Naruto and shaking him gently by the collar.
"Oh, my apologies... It's not like I'm blind or anything..." Naruto joked with a soft smirk.
"Oh please, your tricks don't work on me," Haku replied, taking the towel off of Naruto's face, "You think I'd take that blindfold off to prove you wrong?"
"Well, no need for that..." Naruto started to say, before slowly unraveling the blindfold, allowing him to gaze upon her beautiful half-naked form, "Heh, I sure don't mind coming in on you more often..."
"Very funny..." Haku replied with a giggle as she quickly got dressed in a simple kimono, before being pushed against the wall. "Seriously? This again?"
"Aww... And here I thought you enjoyed it..." Naruto joked again, pushing his face an inch away from hers.
"Just... Well, I can't argue against that one..." Haku admitted, staring into the blood-red pupils that composed Naruto's Ketsuryugan. "So... What do you wanna-"
Unable to finish her sentence, Haku slowly wrapped her arms around Naruto, even if the blond had pinned the ice-user against the wall to kiss her, his tongue exploring her mouth as he deepened the kiss. Before too long had passed, Naruto pulled away from the sensual kiss, the two of them still staring into each other's eyes as the blond slowly released Haku. With the two of them now invested and committed to the situation, Naruto and Haku slowly moved onto the bed, each still staring deeply into the other's eyes as the blond pushed the ice-user onto her back.
"I... Haku-chan... Are you sure about this...?" Naruto asked, sweating slightly from the rare nervousness he felt.
"P-please, Naruto-Kun... I... You got me like this..." Haku murmured, her face red as she began to exhale condensed breaths, "Please... Please continue..."
The blond nodded, slowly readjusting his position and beginning to pull down the sides of Haku's kimono, revealing her shoulders before he removed the top part of her clothing entirely, leaving her in bandages that the ice-user had fashioned into a bra. Naruto gulped softly, before leaning down and placing his hand on the bandages and beginning to unravel them, only for him to immediately take his hands off upon hearing a knock at the door.
"Ah, for fuck's sake..." Naruto mumbled as Haku sat upright.
"Must this always happen whenever we try and engage in something intimate...?" Haku questioned rhetorically, fixing her kimono before standing up.
"That's Konohamaru... Just let him know that I'm at Training Ground 3," Naruto requested, placing his blindfold back and kissing Haku once again, before climbing out of the window and leaping towards Training Ground 3.
'And to think... We were this close...' Haku thought to herself, watching as Naruto leaped away.
-Training Ground 3, Five Minutes Later-
As the leaves slowly fell from the trees above him, an irritated Naruto paced around the training ground, waiting for Konohamaru whilst still thinking about the experience that he almost had with Haku.
"Why are you late?" Naruto questioned, peering over at Konohamaru, the young boy panting heavily for air.
"I... That's not fair, Nii-san!" Konohamaru protested, walking up to Naruto, "You weren't here earlier!"
"No excuses! Give me ten laps, now!" Naruto demanded.
"B-but-" Konohamaru stammered, only to be cut off halfway.
"Did I fucking stutter?!" Naruto asked with a growl, causing Konohamaru's skin to turn pale and prompting him to run off, leaving Naruto standing under the tree. 'That's what you get for not choosing your timing properly... Calm down, Naruto...' He thought to himself.
"Oh? Greetings, ronin..." Kakashi greeted, followed by Sasuke who also arrived on the scene, "Didn't expect to see you here..."
"Yeah? How glad I am to see the most spoilt child in shinobi history and the fucking one-eyed pirate," Naruto scoffed, watching as Konohamaru finished his first lap.
"Watch your mouth, peasant scum," Sasuke stated, pointing a finger at Naruto, "Put down your sword, and then we'll see who the weakling is."
"Is that so?" Naruto asked again, plunging Muramasa into the ground before turning towards Sasuke and Kakashi, the latter seeming to place the least amount of effort possible to dissuade Sasuke. "You sure you want this to happen, Hatake?"
"Well... It'd be a good training session, wouldn't it?" Kakashi reasoned, "Sasuke is going to be fighting that Gaara kid for the Chunin Exam finals next week, so he could do with some new tricks... That is if you have any you're willing to teach?"
"Oh please... I'd teach him a valuable lesson for free..." Naruto asserted, cracking his knuckles before turning towards Sasuke. "Turn on those Sharingan of yours, and come at me."
"Why? Looking to lose a fight?" Sasuke asked back, smirking to himself as he activated his Sharingan and slipped into his stance. "I wouldn't even need to use my regular vision to beat you."
"I'd rather be blind than to see the world through your eyes," Naruto retorted, slipping into a lazy stance as he sensed Sasuke's chakra, making sure to lock on and not unravel the blindfold, even if the temptation of using his eyes was there.
Growling for a second from the remark, Sasuke dashed towards Naruto, holding a fist and attempting to land a hit on the chin, only for the blond to catch him by the wrist and completely stop him in his tracks.
"Lesson One, always assume you're slower than your opponent," Naruto stated, letting go of Sasuke and deciding to have more fun with the fight. "Surely that's not all you have to offer?"
More irritated than before, Sasuke whipped out two kunai from his holster, arming himself with them before dashing towards Naruto, intending to dig the blades straight into Naruto's flesh. Dashing right up to the blond, Sasuke slashed diagonally into opposing directions, only to find his attack unsuccessful as the blond swiftly stopped the two slashes in their tracks by grabbing onto both of his wrists. Undeterred, Sasuke attempted to sweep Naruto off his feet with a low kick, only for Naruto to let go of him and plant a foot on his chest with a spinning kick, sending him back a few steps.
"Lesson Two, never let your confidence in regards to being armed overtake your rational thinking," Naruto stated, cracking his neck and turning towards Sasuke again, "If you had any to begin with, that is."
Now completely infuriated by Naruto's taunts and remarks, Sasuke flipped through his hand seals, holding his left wrist in a downwards position. Before long, lightning chakra began to gather in the palm of the Uchiha's left hand, as the chirping of a thousand birds could be heard across the training grounds.
'This might be interesting...' Naruto thought to himself, preparing himself for the expected attack.
"Try this... Chidori!" Sasuke screamed, running towards Naruto as the blade of lightning in his hand cackled loudly as it followed him.
The blond grinned softly, waiting for Sasuke to get an inch within from striking him, only for him to grab onto the raven-haired boy's wrist, dispelling the Chidori as he had done to Kakashi prior to this fight.
"What the...?" Sasuke asked in confusion, a sense of confusion that quickly turned into fear as he looked up at Naruto.
"You certainly impressed me today..." Naruto joked, before knocking Sasuke out with a swift strike to the back of his neck, tossing the boy to Kakashi after that. "Yeah... From what I saw... Sasuke's fucked."
"How can you be so sure?" Kakashi asked, picking the unconscious Sasuke up over his shoulders.
"That raises the question, is that Gaara... He's the One-Tailed Jinchuuriki, right?" Naruto asked.
"He is," Kakashi replied, beginning to walk away.
"Then Sasuke's chances have dropped by another ten percent," Naruto stated, causing Kakashi to gulp as he walked off. "Now... Where the hell is Konohamaru...? Oh right, he's running..." Naruto mumbled as he watched Konohamaru finish his fifth lap.
Author's Notes 2: And that was the chapter! For all those waiting for an update, I hope it comes to you in good health, I'll be attempting to update The Kitsune Breathes next. I've roughly cleared up my schedule, so hopefully it doesn't take as long as this chapter took to write.
Regardless, feel free to tell me what you guys think of this chapter in the reviews below, I'm really curious regarding your feedback.