Chapter Thirteen: The Month Long Trip (1)

(Author's Notes)

Hello everyone, Vermillion here again to make an apology for another mess up on my part. Woke up this morning and realized that I did fuck my own canon with a previous chapter. I wrote, I believe in chapter seven I did mention that Shadow Flicker is a Shinigami Art. That was not what I originally had for that technique, and I am not too sure how I let that slip up happen. I guess things like that happen when you don't have someone to help proofread the chapters before you post them haha. That being said, though it may annoy a bit of you, I am saying Shadow Flicker is a non-Shinigami Art jutsu, and will be going back to the chapter to remedy my mess up.

As for a reader who has left some reviews about why Naruto only uses the Clan Kekkei Genkais and not other jutsu, let me explain my reasoning a bit. In Naruto's head, the Gifts are all he needs along with the Shinigami Arts. He hasn't really seen a reason to learn outside of them till now after the last few tests of the Chunin Exam. He has arrogance, too much pride, which he has admitted to and caused him to start freaking out about it. And arrogance in a Clan's Kekkei Genkai has been seen before, since I can recall very few times the Hyuga incorporated anything outside of their family's Bakugan and its partner fighting style.

Lastly, why hasn't Naruto done Pure World Summoning yet and struggled with the genin. Well, in all honesty Pure World Summoning was attempted before, but I am saving that for later to be explained. And when I say "attempted" I don't mean "successfully done". Then there is the odd struggle with the genin, which is summarized to Naruto not being a complete ass and not giving them a chance. He isn't heartless, he wants to give the others a chance to compete. Not to mention, he isn't aiming to kill, he was aiming mostly to start showing off his own abilities to further his plan, but Shikamaru was a challenge for him since he was able to halt one of his more used jutsu. Also, want to point out Naruto had no issues taking out the other genin teams in the Forest of Death. So Shikamaru was the only person he truly struggled against since Orochimaru isn't a genin.

And that will be all, thank you all for reading and pointing out my mistakes. Some other writers may find it annoying or condescending to be corrected on their own works, but I am truly thankful for it. It helps me fix the mistakes and remind me that there are many of you who are enjoying this fanfic!

-Vermillion Clover

~~Main Gates of Konohagakure one day later~~

Naruto groaned as he leaned back against the wall outside the gate, looking at the entrance and waiting for Yuna. He had spent the night at a local hotel after they got back from the Forest of Death, not wanting to stay in the Namikaze Compound since she had been acting strange towards him since the day she came to Chikyugakure. He looked up to the sky, looking at the cloudless sea of blue overlooking the earth he stood on. In truth, he was truly in love with the beauty of the overworld. Don't get it wrong, he did love his cavernous home back in Chikyugakure, but something about the fresh air, the beautiful blue sky…it was intoxicating to Naruto.

He kept himself leaning against the gate til he felt a tapping on his shoulder, he turned not to see Yuna but Anko instead. He smiled, getting off of the wall and standing face to face with her. Though she was his senior by roughly four years, he was as tall as her if not a bit more so.

She smirked at him, pulling out a tray of dango from, yet again, seeming nowhere. She took a stick of the treat and offered Naruto one, which would have shocked anyone from the Leaf if they saw it. Anko with her dango is like Naruto and his ramen. Though the boy hasn't really eaten the broth of the gods in sometime when he thought about it.

He took a stick, taking the first bite of the treat before he spoke up. "Come to see me off?"

She sighed, eating at her food before looking at him with an annoyed glare. "Why are you going and trying to seduce me with all that sweet talk during the exams then go off? I have half a mind to take you with me to T&I for playing me up like that you know!"

Naruto blinked, letting his hands fall to the side before a smirk crossed his lips. "What, someone upset that i'm leaving for a few weeks? I'm touched, Anko, truly." He chuckled seeing her eye him with her patented psychotic grin. She pulled out a kunai from her trench coat, aiming to strike against his cheek but he caught her wrist in his hand a inch away from scratching into his skin. He held it for a second, a smile on his lips as he leaned down and gave her a peck on the cheek, causing the girl to blink and blush before taking her hand away. "You…you really just kissed me? Who do you think you are to even think about doing that?"

Though she tried to act annoyed, he could see the blush on her cheeks and the twitching lips trying to turn into a smile. He again acted boldly, pulling her in for a hug. He held her close, and she in turn hugged him back after a few seconds of hesitation. When he pulled away he looked down at her. "Listen, I am not up and leaving you. I do have to come back in a month, I am just leaving to explore and train. But, how about the day before the exams I come back and we go on that date to the dango shop we were talking about?"

Anko rested her head on his shoulder. She had to admit, this felt nice. She hasn't had someone to hold like this, at least not intimately like she was with him. Ever since she returned after the Snake Sanin's betrayal she had been sneered at and treated poorly by the populace of Konoha. They gave her hateful glares, calling her a traitor or the ever popular "Snake Whore". For the years that passed since her return, she had to build up the rough, uncaring personality that the others saw daily. But now, for the first time in all those years, she felt like she could be vulnerable. That she didn't have to keep the mask that she made. It truthfully warmed her heart.

She leaned out of the embrace, looking up at him with a smile before leaving a sweet little peck on his cheek. "Yeah, sounds good, Naruto. Just promise you won't make me worry while you're gone?"

Naruto nodded, smirking at how bashful the cocky Anko was now. "Of course, Anko. I'll be back and we will have a good date. Though, after the Chunin Exams ends I have a feeling things may be…difficult, if we wanted to do anything more than the date."

Her normal personality was returning now that she let the mask slip back on, grinning as she twirled the kunai she had in her hand around her fingers. "Well, nothing worth anything is ever easy. But we will see what happens, alright?"

He nodded, smiling as she waved him off once the two saw Yuna, and apparently Jiraiya, walking towards him. He raised an eyebrow, looking at the Toad Sage before Yuna spoke up for them both. "Sorry I'm late. Father and Mother thought it a good idea to have Uncle Jiraiya here watch out for us while he traveled. I hope you don't mind Naruto. I did try to convince them otherwise."

Naruto looked to Jiraiya, who put up his hands in defense of himself. "Don't look at me, this was not my idea. I would rather be home doing my research than babysitting you two."

Yuna turned to look at her uncle, a pist look on her face. "Your research? I thought Auntie Tsunade forbid you from doing that anymore after the last incident."

The Toad Sage gulped, looking away and whistling as he walked down the path. "Well, let's get a move on kids! Lots to see, lots to learn!"

Yuna chuckled, looking at Naruto who was smirking a bit at their antics. "Come on, we should start heading out."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, pointing to Jiraiya. "Uhm, he does know I already have a plan on where we are going, right?"

She shook her head, stifling a chuckle as the two of them went after Jiraiya. All in all, Naruto was a bit excited about this. Though the argument about who was in charge of where they were going to go got a bit annoying. Thankfully Yuna backed him up by telling Jiraiya she'd tell Tsunade about him researching again and got him to cave quickly afterwards. Seems his sister could be a bit ruthless when need be.

~~Kirigakure one week later~~

The traveling trio were walking through the dense fog of the Land of Water, where the hidden Mist Village was held. Naruto was excited for this, knowing full well he was going to see Haku again. He hasn't gotten a letter from her since he started the Chunin Exams, which made him worry a bit, but knew she was working hard with Zabuza and Mei on restoring the Mist. He was proud of her, knowing she was becoming stronger to protect the ones she cared for.

Eventually the mists finally lifted, showing the Hidden Village in all its glory. He smiled, Jiraiya and Yuna behind him. Jiraiya wasn't all that impressed, he had come here a few times before in his own years of traveling. Yuna, however, was excited. SHe had never been to another Hidden Village, let alone this far from her home in the Hidden Leaf. She loved the rising cliffs and hills that the village was nestled into, making it seem like the buildings were carved into the landscape. It was truly breathtaking for her.

The three of them walked up to the main gate of the village, where four chunin were standing guard. They were on alert at first, but when they saw the smiling blonde all their doubts of the visitors' intention melted.

"Lord Shingami!" One of the guards called out, the other three following him as they crowded around Naruto. Jiraiya and Yuna took a step back, watching the interaction with mild interest.

Naruto chuckled, trying to have them calm down as they bombarded him with answers. Mostly about where he has been, how Chikyugakure is doing, and when did he get so much taller. He answered them all in kind, keeping a smile on his face while he spoke to them. He turned and gestured to Yuna and Jiraiya, who were just smiling while watching Naruto.

"These two are my friends, and I personally vouch for them. Will you permit them into the village with me?"

A guard chuckled, nodding his head. "Of course! Any friend of the Hero of the Mists is welcome here. I hope you enjoy your time here, Naruto. How long will you be here?"

Naruto shrugged, waving for the two to start following him. "Probably two or three days. I still have to go out and visit some other lands too."

The guard nodded, bowing his head as they made their way through the gate. Naruto stopped, turned to the guards and asked them a question. "Hey, do you know if Mei is busy? Could one of you maybe go and tell her I'm coming to see her?"

The guards nodded, one of them now running out and towards the Mizukage Tower to tell their leader that Naruto has returned and is looking for an audience. With that taken care of, Naruto went about showing Yuna most of the sights, while Jiraiya was walking a bit slower behind them. Yuna turned around, seeing her pervy uncle have a perverted grin as he scribbled something into a notepad.

"Uncle Jiraiya, I know you're not going to embarrass Naruto and his village by doing more 'research' while we are guests in their name, right?"

Jiraiya stopped mid step, looking down in defeat. He sighed, putting the notepad back in his pocket before going on his own to look around. Naruto looked at Yuna, raising an eyebrow. "Research?"

She sighed, taking his arm in her own as they walked down the busy streets. "Yeah, have you ever seen those Icha Icha novels? The adult themed books? Yeah, he writes them. And he gets his 'research material' from peeping on girls when they are in the bath houses or hot springs."

Naruto nodded, letting out a chuckle. He knew about those books, Madoka seemed to have the entire collection after they came back from the Mists. Maybe he can get her a signed copy for her birthday coming up in a few months.

The two eventually got to the Mizukage Tower and entered, not a single guard stopping or asking questions as they smiled and waved at the two. Yuna looked at him, their arms no longer together after Naruto questioned why she was clinging onto him. "So, the people really see you as a hero, huh?"

He chuckled, nodding as they made their way up the stairs. "Yeah, I don't mind it but like I told you before I don't like being the center of attention. The real heroes are the ones that laid their lives down to fight for what they thought was right. I'm just nobody that wants to help."

Before Yuna could speak up, a deep gruff voice spoke up. "A nobody that killed hundreds, revived just as much, and sealed the three tailed turtle. Then after being blown up, came back to life."

Naruto turned his head down the hall leading towards Mei's office, seeing none other than Zabuza Momochi. He still wore his typical attire, though his headband seemed to be clean and polished now. Naruto smiled, walking up to the Ninja Swordsman and giving him a smirk. "Looks like you are doing well here Zabuza. Keeping out of trouble?"

Zabuza shuddered, looking down to the ground, making Naruto deadpan while the usually calm and deadly Zabuza seemed to be stricken down in grief. "Naruto, do you have any idea how much she makes me work? I barely get time to eat let alone sleep!"

Naruto chuckled, shrugging his shoulders as he looked around and behind Zabuza. "I'm sorry to hear that Zabuza, but uhm, where is Haku? Isn't she usually with you?"

"Uhm, yeah…she's in the office with Mei. Listen kid, I know about the letters you two sent, and I got to say I'm glad you two seem to be hitting it off. But don't do anything stupid. She is really excited to see you again, not to mention lonely. It was getting to her."

Naruto nodded, smiling as he turned to Yuna, who seemed to put a bit of hearing about Haku again. She was well aware the two wrote to each other often. She hated to admit it, but it was rather romantic. "What?"

Naruto snickered, grabbing her wrist and pulling her past Zabuza who just shrugged and walked behind them as they entered the Mizukage's office. Naruto smiled brightly at seeing not just Mei again, but Ao, Chojuro, and Haku in there as well. The four of them looked to see who came into the office without so much as a knock, but all were beyond happy to see Naruto standing there.

"Well well, it's about time you came back you little bastard." Ao smirked, getting up and offering Naruto a hand to shake. Naruto did so, giving the older man a firm grip before turning to Chojuro.

"I-it's good to see you, Lord Shinigami." He offered his hand as well, shaking it when Naruto gripped it. Naruto did find it kind of funny how Chojuro, while outside of combat, was often seen muttering. The next person to be greeted was Mei, who walked up and gave him a hug. Naruto had to hold back a nosebleed as her large breasts pushed into his chest, making Yuna and Haku get jealous at the chest the kage had.

"I am happy to see you again, Naruto. On behalf of the Hidden Mist, I welcome you to our home with open arms. You must tell us where you've been." She said after letting him go. Naruto chuckled, about to say something but felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned, seeing Haku smiling at him before pulling him into a tight embrace, her arms wrapped around his neck like he would slip from her grip. Naruto smiled, closing his eyes and holding her back just as tightly. He took a deep, quiet breath, taking in her scent. The scent of mint, cool and refreshing. They held onto each other for a few minutes, the others talking with each other til the two pulled apart. Haku didn't hesitate, reaching up and leaving a kiss on his cheek before pulling away with a deep blush tainting her pale skin. Everyone in the room thought it was a cute scene, everyone except Zabuza and Yuna. Both were trying hard to contain themselves as they wanted to strangle both Naruto and Haku.

Thankfully they didn't act, and let their anger die down as Mei cleared her throat. "Anyways, cuteness aside, we have much to talk about. I hear that your a big man in Chikyugakure now, Naruto."

The boy groaned, sitting down on a chair in front of the desk. Mei waved for the others to leave, but Haku and Yuna seemed to refuse to do so. Naruto looked at them, Haku pleading to stay close to him, Yuna asking not to be left alone with people she didn't know. Naruto sighed, looking at Mei.

"Let them stay, I don't mind."

Mei gave a look to the two, seeing the emotions in her eyes before smirking. She silently thanked Kami that Naruto was a bit too young for her or else she would be putting the two kinouchi before her in their place. "As you wish, Kuraikage."

Naruto rolled his eyes, groaning in annoyance as he brought his elbows to knees, cupping his face as he spoke up. "Does news travel that fast?"

Mei chuckled, nodding her head as she brought out a few papers on her desk. "Indeed, though the name of the Kuraikage is unknown to the population. I, however, knew it would be you. And you just cemented my suspicions."

The sigh that left Naruto's lips felt like it came from his very soul. He looked at Mei, trying to see where she was getting at. The Mizukage snickered, bringing out a paper and handing it to Naruto.

He took the paper, looking it over. It took him a minute to read over all of its contents, but when he finished he looked up and smirked. "You would like a full terms alliance? Trade, Military, and so on?"

Mei nodded, crossing her hands on her desk as she looked at Naruto. "Indeed. I believe my village owes yours a deep debt, a debt we will repay with utter loyalty through this alliance. Ironically, not a single one of the council or my advisors spoke against this. We, the Hidden Mist, wish to be the allies of Chikyugakure."

Naruto looked over the document, smiling softly before asking for a pen to write with. Mei obliged, handing her pen to him and he started to sign the paper. "Now, please do me a favor and make sure you send this treaty to the Clan Council in Chikyugakure. They will be looking over the finer details."

Mei nodded, rolling up the parchment and giving it to a messenger ninja to send out. For the next hour the two of them talked, talking about how things have been in the few months since Naruto left. Haku chimed in, talking about her training under Mei and Zabuza, who were thinking of preparing her to be a Ninja Swordsman like her adoptive father. Naruto approved of it, telling Haku that she will become the greatest that the Ninja Swordsmen would ever have. This made Haku blush, smiling at him as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek. Then Naruto officially introduced Yuna to Mei, who was at first hesitant about having the daughter of the Hokage in her office, let alone her village. She still held a grudge against the Leaf for not helping when they asked several times, but thanks to Naruto vouching for the Leaf her resentment went down enough to tolerate the Namikaze before her.

The hours went on as they talked, and soon enough night had come for the village. Naruto stood up, stretching a bit. He looked at Mei. "So, any decent hotel around here? I will only be here for another day at most."

Mei thought about it for a minute, smirking as she shook her head. "You will be welcomed at the Black Turtle. It's the more leisurely hotels we have to offer. Tell them that I sent you, and I will worry about any expenses that you may rack up."

Naruto raised his hands up, shaking about trying to deny the offer. "Come now Mei, that isn't needed at all. I can pay for myself and my guests no problem."

Mei snickered, looking at Haku. The girl blushed, but a smile was on her lips as she nodded and understood. Her Mizukage was giving her a chance to get to know Naruto more, alone and able to talk freely.

"Uhm, Naruto, I must agree with my lady. Please, let us take care of you. It's the least this village can do for you."

Naruto looked at Haku, seeing the blush on her face. She looked so beautiful when she blushed, and that fact alone made Naruto give in. "Alright, alright. If you two insist. We just need three rooms."

Yuna looked at him, but was upset when he said three. "Why three? Wouldn't it be cheaper for me and you to share a room?"

Naruto shook his head, smiling at Yuna. "Sorry sis, but I do like to have my own room. Why do you think I kept using my own tent when we were camping on the way here?"

She pouted, mummering something about him being selfish before the two of them, with Haku escorting them to the Black Turtle. Mei looked out the window, seeing them walking towards the northern district to the hotel. A smirk on her face grew, seeing Haku holding Naruto's hand as they walked while the other girl, Yuna, was left to the side. She snickered, thinking her soon to be daughter in law was going to get her wish of being with Naruto.

She sighed, turning around when she heard a knock on the door. "Come in."

The door opened, an annoyed Zabuza coming in and closing the door behind him. "Mei, we have a problem."

Mei smiled, getting up from behind her desk. She stood in front of him, cupping her hands to his cheeks and pulling his head down to kiss his lips through the bandages that covered his face. After a moment she pulled away, leaving a goody smirked Zabuza and a giggling Mei. "Now, what is the problem? And can't my fiance handle it?"

Zabuza cleared his throat, getting his bearings back after the kiss. "Yes, apparently one of Naruto's guests was beaten senseless by a group of kunoichi."

"And why did they attack him?"

He let out an amused chuckle, looking at Mei with a smirk under his face wraps. "They caught him peeking on them in the hot springs."

~~Black Turtle Hotel - Kirigakure~~

Naruto let out a low groan as he sunk into the hot waters of the bath he made. He relaxed, letting the heat of the water soak and soothe his muscles. He had to admit, this hotel was rather fancy. They had twenty four hour room service, an indoor pool that was heated, and a fully stocked minibar in the room they gave him. Honestly, if he was a drinker, he'd be having a field day right about now.

But sadly, he was not. He let his thoughts wonder as he relaxed, eyes closed and at peace with the warmth around him. His thoughts were mostly about what to do about the Chunin Exams finals. Since he left Konoha, he has calmed down his worries greatly. He needed to get his emotions under control again, he couldn't afford a slip up like he did with the Nara kid. His opponent would be that Choji kid, and from what he saw was a living, human rolling boulder. It shouldn't be that difficult to counter, all he really needed to do was lay a hand on him, burn and decay his body with the Death Chakra, or sever his spirit from his body using the Spirit Chakra. He looked down at his hands, the said chakras flickering back and forth on his hands. He wasn't sure he wanted to risk that though. What if he touched the guy's throat with the Death Chakra, if he didn't act fast enough the chakra could eat away the flesh quicker then he could revert it and kill him. And for the Spirit Chakra, he knew removing a soul and placing it back injures the soul, and in doing so can lead to numerous problems later on in the person's life, or earlier. It truly all depended on how attuned one was with themselves.

His thoughts kept thinking about the worst case scenarios with his match, the fact that he could easily kill when he sat and thought about it. Then he thought about all those he killed in the civil war, did he really have to end them all? Couldn't he have done something different? Why didn't he try to learn jutsu that didn't exclusively kill or make killing easier? He curled his legs to his chest, the thoughts of what he had done and what he could do now was haunting him. But he had to wonder why it all mattered to him now? What changed? What made him feel this way now and not back when he committed those acts?

He kept letting his mind wander free, lost in thought as he sat in the warm water. The knocking of his door brought him out of this, though, and he got up and wrapped a towel around himself as he went to see who was at the door. When he opened it, he blushed heavily. Before him was Haku, now wearing a stunning charming dress. It was black and white, like the colors he typically wore, with slits up the sides to show her soft, smooth thighs.

"H-Haku?"

She had a blush so deep it almost matched the red of her blood that trickled down her nose seeing Naruto only in a towel before her. She didn't say anything, only reaching up and bringing her lips to his own. Naruto stumbled back, Haku taking on a role of dominance as she closed the door behind her, just as quickly returning to her kiss.

The two ended up on his bed, the two looking to one another with a mix of emotions in their eyes. Naruto saw the love, the care, and the lust in her eyes. She had fallen in love with him awhile ago, the love letters she sent to him only cementing those feelings. She was faithful in working on them, but stopped when she heard he went to the Chunin Exams. When Mei and Zabuza explained to her about what could happen in those exams, she was lost in a panic. She feared for him, her heart constantly straining with worry about what could happen to him. When she talked to Mei about what she was feeling, the older woman didn't hesitate to explain to her what she was feeling. She was feeling love, the same love Mei felt with her father Zabuza.

Now that Naruto was here, alive and well with her again, she had to act. She wanted to show him how much he meant to her, and how she knew what she felt. She wanted to be with him, to be with someone to care for those around him.

Naruto blushed, his eyes showing care and affection for her just like her own. He held her close, the towel escaping his body before her clothes joined in on the floor. On this night, Naruto found the first of his many lovers to come, and indirectly, caused his future to come to change as the two young lovers shared in their embrace for the night. Neither leaving the other's embrace.