They reached Konoha around noon. They went to the Hokage's office to give their report. First, others shared their discoveries then Naruto handed in his discovery report along with the scrolls.
The Hokage reassured him that the items would be returned to him as soon as they were matched with his report, and it was ensured that there was nothing dangerous among them.
Naruto also informed Hokage about his gifts to his comrades and his summons. The Hokage reassured him that it was all alright. Finally, after some more questions, they were dismissed.
Kakashi gave Naruto a hair ruffle before shunshining away. Itachi said that he had to report to his father and shunshined as well. Naruto was ready to do the same when Shisui grabbed the back of his outfit.
"No, no, no, otouto, you are coming with me to the hospital," Shisui said as he threw Naruto over his shoulder.
"But Shisui-nii, there is a medical bay in the base," Naruto said as he struggled to get out of the boys' grip.
"No, I don't trust you to go to a medic on your own. I'm coming with you," Shisui said and shunshined them both with a fast speed, not letting Naruto protest.
Naruto knew he couldn't win an argument against his brother figure, so he decided to give in to his fate. Thankfully the hospital wasn't crowded, and they got to their visit soon.
The doctor was an undercover ROOT agent for situations like these. They didn't want the agents exposed, so they had some high-ranking staff in the hospital. The doctor gave Naruto a checkup.
It wasn't anything serious, but he had to keep himself from using chakra in his feet for a while. His feet were also bandaged, which made it hard to move comfortably. After getting out of the hospital, Shisui dragged Naruto to a dango shop to get him in a better mood.
"Come on, otouto, you can't be mad at me forever. I know you hate hospitals, but your health is important." Shisui told a pouting Naruto.
"It was just not necessary. You know I'm a medic too. I'm not an expert, but I told you that I only needed to rest." Naruto said, chewing on his dango.
"I know about your skills very well, but it never hurts to be sure," Shisui said and kept poking Naruto in the side until he finally gave in.
"Fine, I forgive you, but I won't make any mochi for two weeks," Naruto said.
"NOOOOO. That is so cruel. Please, I can't live without mochis." Shisui said, sounding hurt. He held his hands to his chest as if in pain.
"You brought this to yourself, nii-san," Naruto said with a slight chuckle.
Suddenly they heard someone calling to them. It was Itachi. He joined them and sat next to them. After asking about Naruto's health, he said." Naruto. My father invited you over for dinner tomorrow night. he wants to thank you for the gifts and also get to meet you." Itachi said.
"There is no need to thank me, Itachi. We are friends. But it would be rude to turn down an invitation from a clan head so that I would be there. At what time should I be there?" Naruto asked.
"Around 6. I will see you at the main gates. You are also coming, Shisui." Itachi said.
They talked for a while, and then it was time to go. Naruto had to take the long way to the base since he wasn't allowed to shunshin. Finally, he got to the base and went to Danzo's office.
He gave Danzo a few scrolls, he didn't provide the Hokage and his report. Danzo wasn't happy about Naruto giving out a summoning scroll, but after Naruto told him that the clan head had invited him for dinner, he thought of it as an opportunity.
"You are to discuss this kind of decision with me from now on. For now, you must use this opportunity to get closer to the Uchiha. You already spend much time with the heir so it wouldn't be suspicious."
"He is also older than you and an ANBU, so no one would suspect you for approaching him with other motives. Make sure to keep them close. Soon your political missions will begin, and it would give you the advantage to have them accompany you on some of these missions."
"Keep these scrolls for now. I have no need for them." Danzo said as he handed the scrolls back to Naruto. Naruto gave a deep bow and left the room.
He went to the training room to find all his agents. It was time for their next orders. They all gathered around for Naruto to talk.
"Here are your orders. Akio and Haruto. You two will be going to the land of winds. I need you to gather information about the daimyo and his opinion on the sand village. Fuu and Torune, you two will go to the sand village to gather information about them."
"Both groups should gather information about the general situation. I need to know their living situation, economy, people's opinion, etc. I will give you the full mission details in the morning. You will leave in two days."
"There is no time limit to the mission. I will decide the end based on your monthly reports. The estimated time is at least 4 to 6 months. You are dismissed." Naruto said.
He then took Sai and Shin's report on the academy and the students. There were a few things that Naruto needed to solve, but now was not the time. Naruto gave them their orders and then sparred with them to point out their flaws and things they needed to work on.
His team was doing well for now, and he was promised a new team after his next successful mission. Naruto trained for a little while longer, but soon it was time for him to sleep.
He woke up early in the morning. It was the first Saturday of the month, so he had to spar with Hinata. They would usually meet in training ground 27, which was close to the village and usually reserved for chunin.
Naruto got ready and went to their meeting place to find Hinata waiting for him. they greeted each other with a nod and started warming up. They did a series of dynamic stretches to help loosen their muscles.
After that, they reached the middle of the training ground and took their stances. Naruto fell into his style while Hinata took her own version of the gentle fist style. Naruto tossed a coin into the air, and as soon as it hit the ground, they attacked.
Naruto was faster and stronger, but Hinata could use her flexibility to dodge with little effort. While Naruto tried to use his kicks to keep her away, she would use them to her advantage and maneuver around his leg to try and hit his upper body.
It was an exciting battle for both of them. Neither could afford to make a single mistake. While Naruto had to drop his resistance and gravity seals by a level to keep up, it was a pure taijutsu match, so he was fighting with a handicap.
Hinata was great at reading his minuscule movements almost as accurately as a Sharingan. Their fights were always a thrill. Soon Naruto proved his advantage with higher stamina.
After 30 minutes of battle, Hinata was getting a little sloppy, so she had to switch to defense. But Naruto took advantage of it and increased his speed by enhancing his body with chakra.
Hinata took a few well-placed hits and had to yield. They both knew that Naruto was holding back on that hit and could seriously injure her if he hit her full force. They returned to the tree lines, where Naruto handed her a water bottle.
"You are getting better, Hinata-san. Your speed is increasing rapidly. You even managed to hit me a few times. You should still work on your defense." Naruto said.
"Thank you, Naruto-san. I am grateful for our training sessions. However, I am afraid that my weakness mostly comes from the fact that I spar mostly against my clan members, and gentle fist doesn't rely on heavy hits." Hinata said thoughtfully.
"I know you've been working on the chakra control exercises I told you about. I brought you a scroll about enhancing your body with chakra. It should be possible for you to enhance your body parts right before taking the hit so that you can minimize the damage."
"There is also a more advanced healing technique to heal the damage as soon as it's dealt with, but you don't have the reserves needed for it yet," Naruto said.
"Thank you, Naruto-san. As always, I'm grateful for your insights." Hinata said.
They spent a little while longer together. They worked on Hinata's other skills, such as throwing weapons and physical abilities. Finally, they were done for the day, so they sat by a tree to eat and rest before going their ways.
Naruto made a clone when he woke up to make them Bentos. It was a simple breakfast mostly based on protein to build muscles. They ate in silence. When it was time to go, Naruto also handed her a box full of fresh cinnamon rolls, along with the scrolls she needed to work on this month.
They were her favorite and easy for Naruto to make. She thanked him again and went on her way. Naruto went to the village to make preparations for the night. It was rude to go to Itachi's house empty-handed.
His first destination was the market, where he bought a few ingredients for baking. He knew a few vendors as he helped them regularly as D-ranks. He also got his monthly orders and went to his next destination.
Yamanaka's flower shop. Ino was at the counter today. "Good morning Ino-san. It's been a while." Naruto said.
"Oh, Naruto-kun, it's so nice to see you. Where have you been? How are the spider lilies you purchased last time? Did you manage to get them to bloom?" Ino asked.
"Well, not yet, but I think that your mother was right, and the problem was with the soil. The new fertilizer you gave me is doing wonders. They finally got growing again." Naruto said.
"That's so good to hear. So how can I help you today?" Ino asked.
"I'm here for my monthly order. I also need some new seeds for my poison collection. Are you busy today?" Naruto said as he wrote down a list of seeds he needed.
"No today is a slow day. Is there anything else you want?" Ino said, taking the order from Naruto and giving him his previous order.
"Well, I am invited for a formal dinner tonight. I would like to purchase a boutique. I don't know which arrangement would be the most suitable, so your input would be appreciated." Naruto then described the details of the dinner and what he was looking for.
After some talking, they finally settled on a design, but Ino said she would also confirm it with her mother. Naruto can pick up the order before going for dinner. Naruto thanked her, paid for the items, sealed his stuff, and left the store.
His next stop was the sealing devision. He delivered his orders and took the new ones he was going to work on. He then went to his favorite shinobi store to pick up another order.
It was Tenten's family shop. Naruto had always loved this shop since, in his previous life, it was one of the only stores he could buy his necessities from without being overcharged.
He would sometimes even get strange discounts on his items. He didn't think much of it when he was young, but during the war, when he talked with his father, he found out that the man was actually a close friend of his parents.
For that reason, Naruto made sure he would always get his stuff from this shop. He greeted the middle age owner sitting at the front desk.
"Good morning Kazashi-san. Do you have my order?" Naruto said as he also handed the owner a scroll with the seals the shop owner wanted.
"Good to see you, Naruto-kun. Yes, give me a second. It's in the back." Kazashi said as he went to get the parcel.
"Thank you so much, Kazashi-san. I also brought you the new seal I promised. It works just like the normal flash bang, but it takes 3 seconds to work when activated. Its weight will also increase to that of a kunai's, so there won't be a need for them to be tied to one." Naruto said.
"That's so good to hear. This way, it won't be necessary to waste a kunai with a tag. Do they need more chakra to activate?" He asked.
"No, I made a small chakra storage seal that feeds the weighting seal. It won't take any more chakra than the normal ones. I hope that I can also work on the form factor by the next versions, so throwing them would be just like the normal kunai. For now, I also made you a large batch of extra seals, which won't have the flash but just the weight factors."
"I think it would be best if you give them for free for now so the shinobi can get some practice before using them in battle," Naruto said.
"That's a great idea. And before I forget, these are my orders for next month." He handed Naruto a slip of paper.
Naruto looked at it for a few seconds to confirm everything, then gave in his order and moved on. Naruto only had the weekends for himself, so he had to use them to the fullest.
His next destination was the orphanage. He always made sure to visit at least once a month and spend time with the children. The orphanage was in a lot better shape since he first visited.
During his visits, he finally managed to fix the building to a livable state. There building was still old, but no more mold or broken walls or ceilings. Everything was in order.
Finally, the staff had some time to spare the children. Overall their health has improved a lot. Naruto would also donate as much money as possible to help with other necessities.
He became such a familiar figure that the staff didn't even budge when they saw him around. They would greet him and tell him about the things that were happening.
Naruto made his usual clones to go around in teams. One team was in charge of fixes if any were needed. The second team was in charge of kids, and the last team, which included Naruto, was in charge of cooking.
Naruto unsealed the groceries he had bought and filled the pantry. His clones got around to start the meal. He was planning on making meat buns since the orphanage couldn't afford meat regularly.
He also picked another scroll that contained dried meat and fish and put them in the pantry. He then went to the small vegetable garden in the back. It wasn't anything fancy.
Just a portion of the orphanage backyard that Naruto cleared up for vegetables. They had potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and a variety of greens. It wasn't enough to make the orphanage self-sufficient, but it got things going.
Naruto was planning on making a chicken coop for eggs and meat when he had enough money. For now, two of his clones were working on building the small coup.
Naruto went around some more to see his little projects. There wasn't much going on, but the children finally had some clear space to play. Some of his clones were also helping staff to fix the tears in old clothing.
Naruto wanted to do more, but his options were limited. He busied himself with helping his clones until lunchtime. All the children went to the dining room to sit around the big tables.
There were a total of 60 orphans, but 5 were toddlers who were still bottle-fed. 4 were also a bit older, so they were on one side of the table with the staff helping them eat mashed food.
Other children were enjoying the meatballs and some vegetables. It was a hassle for Naruto to get them to eat their greens at first, but he soon learned that a simple promise of the desert was all he needed.
The dessert was some chocolate pudding which was one of their favorites. Naruto couldn't help but smile. Seeing his clones going around and serving everyone food.
After lunch, he dispelled most of his clones. Three remained to help clean the dishes while the real Naruto went to the tiny nurse's room to help with any injury or sickness he could.
When he left the orphanage, it was 3 pm, so he returned to the base to prepare for the evening. He made clones to prepare some food and took a quick shower. He was contemplating what to wear.
He didn't want to look too casual or formal. Most of his clothing was kimonos. He finally settled on a dark blue kimono with a wave pattern on the bottom. He tied his hair, which reached just past his shoulders, in a high ponytail.
Soon it was time to go. Naruto double-checked his mental list to make sure everything was in order. Earlier, he sent a clone to bring back the boutique he ordered, which he now carries in one hand.
In his other hand was a neatly wrapped box full of dangos. He didn't know which kind he should settle on, so he just made Itachi's favorites. Naruto made his way to the Uchiha compound and saw Itachi waiting for him at the gate, talking with Shisui.
"Hello, Itachi-san, Shisui-nii. Did I make you wait a lot?" Naruto asked as he reached the gates.
"Not at all, otouto. This guy was just so excited he couldn't sit still, so Mikoto oba-chan kicked us out to get her work done in peace." Shisui said as he grabbed the big flower boutique from Naruto's hand.
Naruto chuckled as Itachi glared at Shisui as he took the box from Naruto. "Your feet are still recovering. You shouldn't carry anything heavy." Itachi said as Naruto protested and tried to grab it back.
They made their way to the main house. They got a few strange looks, but it was mostly toward Itachi and Shisui. Naruto thought that it might be because it wasn't every day that they would see those two bringing someone to the compound and acting so warm.