Japanese: "Example"

Special Region language: "Example"

Flexing his hands, Naruto remained still as multiple engineers around him continued working on the green armor he wore. Various wires were attached to the armor system he was wearing as technicians kept running their tests. Two people carried his chest plate with the assistance of a crane. The chest piece was sat snug against the skin-tight black suit he wore as the armor was set in place.

"How does it feel, Naruto?" A blonde woman asked as she stepped in front of where he was standing.

Naruto just stared down at the woman as she shifted around. He definitely felt the added weight of the chest plate, but it was much lighter than he expected. The armor itself was nothing like he expected as he moved both of his arms cautiously.

"Feels tight, Doctor," Naruto said as he shifted around in the armor.

The voluptuous woman with blonde pigtails walked forward and began detaching all of the wires connected to him. All the technicians and engineers around her ceased what they were doing and allowed her to work. Hell, all of them worked for this womans' family.

Tsunade Senju was both a medical genius and an expert with technology. She was a pioneer in both fields, and the Senju Corporation had benefited from her genius. Her intellect had saved countless lives in both Japan and all over the world itself.

She was also the woman who was responsible for turning him into the warrior he was today, or rather her program was. The Doctor, along with her assistant Shizune and countless other members from the military, had been tasked with creating armor for a counter-terrorist program. The armor he wore was the latest prototype. However, the limitations of the human body prevented its use for nearly every human.

Her program had rendered the issue obsolete, at least for the surviving members. Out of the fifty children that had gone through that hell, only four survived the augmentations at fourteen. When he had gone under for the surgery, he had expected to wake up to all of his friends. Now only two remained.

The program was shut down immediately after the augmentations. The cost alone was insane, even with Senju Corporations' backing. Then there was the very morally gray area of his and the other's abduction.

That had created its own bundle of issues. The individuals in the military involved in the project were arrested, and the project was put under wraps. Tsunade herself was arrested, yet the Senju bailed her out. The people from the Ministry of Defense now had both he and two other... super soldiers for the lack of a better term.

Despite knowing his age, they still offered him a place in the military. Since having a "normal" life was out of the picture, simultaneously he knew that he could do good in the world, he accepted. For the last four years, he had been conducting counter-insurgency operations.

"Here," Shizune said as she stepped forward with a helmet in her hands. It was green like the rest of his armor with a gold visor.

Naruto leaned his head forward as she slipped the helmet on. The helmet snapped into place, and it was dark for a moment before everything lit up. The room around him was illuminated, and he could now move freely.

"Take it slow. The armor reacts a lot faster than you think," Tsunade advised as he took his first few steps forward.

Tsunade watched with anticipation and fear as Naruto took his first few steps forward. For the last four years, she'd lived with the guilt that she had sent forty-seven children to their deaths, all in the name of the greater good. Both her lover and younger brother had died years ago due to terrorist attacks. She wanted to prevent anyone else from feeling as she did then.

A smile graced her face as Naruto shifted around in the armor. The boy, no man she had watched for the last eleven years, began doing a series of tests instructed by Shizune. The man was everything she had raised him to be, a warrior and leader that would help usher peace to the world.

She barely managed to hide the scoff on her face as she looked down at the floor below. Why was she trying to justify what she did to Naruto? She had robbed him and forty-nine other children from their families and their future.

Hearing someone walking towards her from behind, Tsunade turned and watched as Tarou Kanou stepped beside her. The Minister of Defense was watching Naruto intently. Turning her gaze back to Naruto, she watched as the armored man completed every task he was given with ease.

"How was the talk with his mother?" Tsunade asked quietly, her eyes still locked on Naruto.

"She took the news much better than I expected someone like her to," Tarou said as he let out a sigh. He had done some reading on Lieutenant Kushina Uzumaki, and she was most definitely someone to watch out for.

"How much did you tell her?" Tsunade asked once more as she turned and looked at the black-haired man.

Tarou just turned and looked at her with wary eyes. Tsunade could see the gears turning in the man's head as he likely debated on telling her the truth or not. She may have been free now, but it took tons of resources to cover up what she, Hiruzen, and Danzo were doing. She knew that she was walking on thin ice, but Tsunade wanted to know just how she affected the mother of one of her candidates.

"I told her everything and left her a folder of everything related to him," Tarou admitted as he turned to look at Naruto. The soldier he had worked with had already been tall, but now clad in that green, almost sci-fi-like armor, he was a giant, easily at least seven feet tall.

Tsunade just stared at the man in shock before she composed herself. If he had told her everything, as well as leaving a folder with everything pertaining to Naruto. She could only imagine what was going through Kushina's mind as well as Kanou's.

The Uzumaki woman had everything she needed to bring the Senju Corporation and Japan's Government to its knees. If the people of Japan and the world found out about what they had done, there would be nothing protecting her.

She quickly calmed herself because if she came to that conclusion, so did the Minister of Defense. The man had likely organized agents to follow and track what Kushina was doing with the information. If that information got out, who knew what would happen.

"Do you regret what you've done?" Tarou asked, noticing the woman's change in mood.

"Aspects of it, yes, but it is an irrefutable fact that they've done good in the world," Tsunade said, referring to both Naruto and the two others.

Would she likely be remembered as a madwoman who committed atrocious acts to these children? Eventually, yes. Though, she wouldn't deny the simple fact that the soldiers she had created had saved hundreds if not thousands of lives.

Kushina let out a sigh as her new squad bickered around her. The Privates were excited that they were finally on the other side of the Gate, as people referred to it. The structure that transported them here from the Ginza district was now under total military control.

Leaning back in her chair, Kushina herself was glad she was on this side of the Gate. Not only because she experienced a new world with fresh, clean air and bright blue skies. No, she was happy primarily because she was finally away from all of the damn media.

It had been nearly a month since she came through the Gate after the Ginza incident. Before her arrival here, she was under the spotlight of the news for her heroic actions during the chaos. Said heroic actions had gotten her a promotion as well, and now she was a First Lieutenant.

Besides them practically drowning her in compliments and losing some of her privacy because of the limelight, she had only one issue with it. They didn't mention a single thing about Naruto, and while it bugged her a ton. She understood why they hadn't.

After all, if the mere mention of a genetically augmented human helped repel the initial attack along with potentially saving hundreds of lives. There would be questions asked. And if people started asking questions, they started digging for information.

That was something the Japanese Government didn't want either, with all things considered.

Just thinking about what they did to Naruto could make her see red. She balled her hands up into fists as she crossed her arms. It had been an entire month, and she still hadn't heard from Naruto either.

"Lieutenant?" A Private that went by Daisuke said as he looked at her.

"Yes?" Kushina said, probably a bit more sternly than she needed to, she realized when the man straightened up immediately.

"Well, some of us were wondering why we needed to get a security clearance to be here?" Do you have any idea why?" Daisuke asked as a bead of sweat traveled down his forehead.

"That's probably because the higher-ups don't want a lot of information about anything regarding the special region getting out," Kushina answered as she stared at the man with glasses.

"She's right about that. Who knows what we might see or discover here? Of course, we'd want to keep it to ourselves," Souchirou, her Sergeant Major, answered from beside her.

Hearing a door open and close garnered her attention as Kushina turned to look at the noise. Seeing the Commander in charge of the entirety of the Special Region come through the door with his aid. Kushina stood up in attention as the man strolled towards them.

"Attention!" Kushina shouted, getting everyone to shut up and stand up and salute.

"At ease," Kouichirou said as he held up a hand, causing all of them to sit back down. The aged man walked up behind a podium as he began flipping through his folder.

Kushina and the remainder of her squad remained silent as the man gave them their briefing. She'd been through briefings like this constantly, though she made sure to be attentive and listen to each and every one of them. She was responsible for getting these men and women in her squad home at the end of the day.

She'd already been briefed earlier and had met her team earlier in the day. They had been called here by the Commander himself for some odd reason. Nevertheless, her new squad listened to the man.

"We're in an area that is practically alien to us, and we need information on everything. Third Recon Team. Your job is to gather intel on both the people, creatures, and political stability of the Special Region," The Lieutenant General said as he closed his folder. "Are there any questions?" He added as he looked at her squad.

"What're the rules of engagement?" Kushina asked as she looked over the folder the aide provided her. It contained information on some of the creatures they had experienced in the battle to take this Gate.

"Only engage if you've been fired upon," Kouichirou said as he looked at her.

Kushina merely nodded as the remainder of her squad remained silent. Their orders were simple enough, though she doubted it'd be easy. They were likely to run into all sorts of issues throughout the job.

The Commander cleared his throat once more, getting their attention as his aide went to the door.

"Lieutenant, you'll be having an attachment to your team as well. They have their sets of orders already, but you'll be in charge of them," Kouichirou said, causing her to nod once more.

Kushina nodded as she noticed half of her squad seemed excited at having more people tag along. The other half, mainly her NCO's didn't really show an outward expression.

She merely held her tongue. Having thirteen people to deal with was a job in itself. Three more was just adding to that burden. When the door opened, it got the attention of her entire squad and Kushina as they turned to look at their new members. Her eyes widened in surprise, and the hairs on the back of her neck went up on edge at what she saw.

The muffled sound of hydraulics moving, followed by the surprisingly quiet thumps of the three giant, green metal-clad, individuals resounded through the room as they walked towards them. Despite the muted tone of their footsteps, Kushina could feel the weight behind each step. They had to weigh an absolute ton.

All three of the armored giants were absolutely herculean in both size and height. The tallest of the three had to be at least seven feet with broad shoulders and thick arms. It was definitely a man considering she could still see the boobs on the other two.

His armor was much bulkier than the other two. Thick shoulder plates sat on his arms, and on the right shoulder piece, Japan's flag was proudly emblazoned. She immediately recognized the White eagle with three arrows and a lightning bolt, causing her to narrow her eyes.

"These three are your new squadmates. They're specialists in every field, don't be afraid to rely on them," Kouichirou said as he gestured toward the three individuals. "As I said earlier, they have their own orders, but they will only answer to Lieutenant Uzumaki and her alone," he added.

Kushina did her best to keep her face calm as she stared at the three soldiers. The folder she was given had told her of the number of survivors of the Ryoushi Project. When she saw the emblem associated with the project. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that Naruto was standing in front of her.

The sound of someone taking a picture and the flash got everyone's look towards the person responsible. Kouichirou's aide went to work as the man walked up and snatched the phone from the Private before throwing it on the ground. The man proceeded to quite literally destroy the cellular device as he stomped on it.

"What the fuck are you doing?" The Private asked as he stood up and glared at the man.

"Private," Kushina said with a stern tone. Getting the man's attention, she continued. "Remember that security clearance? What did you expect when you took a picture of something here?"

"But," Private Sasagawa said as his shoulders slumped.

"No but's here, Private. You're lucky smashing your phone is all they did," Kushina said as she leveled a glare at the idiot in her squad.

"Third Recon Team, you're dismissed. You leave in twenty minutes!" Kouichirou shouted as most of the squad continued gawking at the three hunters.

Kouichirou and his aide proceeded to leave the room as her entire squad, NCOs included, jumped up from their seats and practically ran towards the three new members.

"Are the three of you even human?" Sasagawa asked as he smiled at who Kushina presumed to be, Naruto.

"Of course, they're human, idiot," Shino Kuribayashi said as she walked up to the shortest of the three. "The name's Shino Kuribayashi, looking forward to working with you," the brunette added with a smile as she held out her hand.

Kushina just smiled in amusement as the woman ignored Shino and walked towards Naruto. Kuribayashi's eyebrow was twitching in what she assumed was anger as the other woman took off her helmet to reveal quite the beauty.

"Sorry, Linda isn't the most talkative," A woman with reddish-brown hair and steely blue eyes said as she held the helmet at her side. "The name's Kelly,"

"Are you single?!" Takeo Kurata blurted out without hesitation.

Kushina couldn't help but join everyone else as they laughed at Takeo. The black-haired man still held out hope as he looked at the pale, blue-eyed beauty. Everyone's laughter only intensified as Kelly turned and looked at Naruto, who had taken his own helmet off to reveal his own dashing features.

Conflicting emotions coursed through Kushina as she watched the interaction between Naruto and Kelly. The two seemed to have a conversation with their eyes alone. She longed to get to know her son, yet here was another woman who, at this point, knew her own baby boy than she did. Regardless of her petty jealousy, she was glad that Naruto had people he was close with.

"I'm not interested," Kelly answered bluntly.

The laughter from her squad was almost deafening as Kushina wiped a tear from her eye. Taeko, the poor man, slumped down onto the ground as he just stared at his feet. Kushina looked at Naruto for his reaction but found him too distracted talking to her team's medic, Mari Kurokawa.

"I look forward to working with you," Mari said with a smile as she held out her hand to Naruto.

"Likewise," Naruto said with a slight twitch to his lips as he shook her hand gently.

Kushina felt her eyebrow twitching as an irritable feeling coursed through her at the sight of watching Naruto begin conversing with Mari.

"You still haven't told me your name," Mari said with her smile still in place as she tilted her head towards Naruto.

Naruto quickly locked eyes with Kushina for a moment before looking away from her. No matter the line of work, having family be under your command or management was a big no-no. More so in the military.

"Just call me Naruto," Naruto said as he brought an arm around the silent Ryoushi.

Kushina watched as Linda twitched at the sudden touch but immediately relaxed against Naruto's hold. Despite having a helmet on, she could feel the glare Linda was sending Naruto's way. A small smile graced Naruto's handsome face as he looked down at the woman beside him.

Shaking her head, Kushina tried to ignore the petty feeling of jealousy coursing through her. Why was she getting angry? It wasn't like she didn't want Naruto to hold her like that. She could feel the pout come across her face.

"Alright, everyone, we have to wake up early. Go get some shut-eye," Kushina said as she clapped her hands together to get the group to be quiet.

The entirety of the Third Recon Squad slowly left the room. Kushina watched with narrow eyes as Naruto put his hand on the lower back of Kelly before slowly guiding both her and Linda out of the room. After the two armor-clad women put their helmets back on and left, Naruto followed after them.

Though, before he got to the door, he looked back at her.

"We'll talk in a bit," Naruto said as a smile came across his face when he locked eyes with her.

Kushina only nodded in response as she watched him leave. She half expected him to make his way out without a word to her. The moment her giant son was out of the room, she quickly checked the room as if not knowing it was entirely empty before fist-pumping in the air.

The road or lack of road made the journey quite bumpy, Kushina quickly realized as she sat in the passenger seat of the MRAP. Taeko was doing his best as he could. Though, there was quite the payload in the bay at the back of the MRAP.

Before leaving the base, Naruto had told her that he and the other two Ryoushi could only either fit in the modified MRAP built for them or a Medium truck. Obviously, she picked the MRAP due to the armor, so she had four vehicles in her convoy instead of the planned three. It didn't throw too big of a wrench into her plans because their light truck now carried supplies.

"How're you three doing back there?" Kushina asked over the comms.

"Doing fine, thank you, Ma'am," Kelly answered as they went over another bump.

"It's still crazy to think that the three of them weigh more than a thousand kilograms," Mari said as she shook her head at the thought.

The MRAP's suspension had most definitely been modified. Otherwise, the vehicle would've broken down the moment they left the base. They hadn't even packed that much into the transport other than themselves and their weapons.

"That's not even the half of it," Kushina muttered, recalling the acts performed on the three young adults.

Deciding not to follow through with that tangent of thought, she pulled out a map. They had multiple UAVs going throughout the world and recording data of the landscape. Looking for the path they were following, she concluded that at this speed. It wouldn't be long before they arrived at one of the nearby Villages.

"Are we getting close?" Mari asked as she leaned forward from her seat in the back to look at the map. "Say, do you think those three should hide before we make contact with the Villagers?

Folding the map, Kushina looked the woman dead in the eyes with a raised eyebrow. "Why's that?"

"Well, with our technological superiority, we'd likely be scaring them enough. We don't need three hulking giants in suits of armor frightening them," Mari explained with an inquisitive look as she leaned back into her seat.

Kushina just hummed at the suggestion from her team's combat medic. The black-haired woman definitely had a point. Their entire job was to make friends with the locals, not scare them off.

"Master Sergeant, take your team and make yourself scarce and set up a perimeter. We don't need you scaring off the locals," Kushina ordered over the comms as she put the folded map back into its pouch. Maybe in another life, she would've felt a sense of pride giving orders to her son. Yet now, she just felt entirely uncomfortable and strange.

"Yes, Ma'am," Naruto responded as he looked at Kelly and Linda beside him. While he couldn't see their faces due to the gold visor, he could tell they were taking in the sights around them. "How do you two feel?"

"I feel... free," Linda said as she stretched her arms out, causing him to smile. It was nice seeing her icy, standoffish nature fading away.

"What Linda said," Kelly agreed as she turned to look at him. "What about you? It must feel strange to be talking to your mother again, much less being under her command," she continued with the tilt of her head.

"It's unfair," Naruto answered as he turned away from Kelly's prying gaze.

Both Linda and Kelly hadn't seen or talked to their parents ever since their training. It felt like he was getting a form of special treatment. Meanwhile, the two of his close friends, who were practically family, didn't get anything of the sort.

"There you go again, worrying about us," Kelly said as she put an armored hand on her hip.

"Can you blame him for being a worrywart?" Linda asked, turning to look at them. Ever since their training. Naruto had taken on the role of almost being a big brother to all of them.

"Just enjoy the time with her. We'll just tag along for the ride," Kelly said as she punched his arm.

Despite the golden visor covering her face, Naruto could see the smile on her face. Kelly was always the optimist out of the three of them. Throughout their indoctrination, she was the one who had retained most of her more sympathetic feelings.

"Let's cut the chatter for now. We're approaching the Village," Naruto said as he racked a bullet into the chamber of his HK417.

The MRAP came to a halt as he quickly exited the vehicle, followed by Linda and Kelly. Kelly jogged past him as she took up a position with part of Kushina's squad. Linda jumped up into a large tree as she quickly began scanning their surroundings.

"We'll make this quick," Kushina said as she walked up to him with a small red book in her hand instead of a rifle.

Nodding in response, Naruto silently watched the forest as he used all of his senses to keep an eye out.

Kushina, along with Mari, slowly made their way into the Village. The redhead could see people quickly shutting their doors as they hid inside their buildings. Her hand itched to just hold onto the holster of her sidearm as she looked at the broken-down gateway of the Village.

Slowly, people came out of their homes as they warily looked at them. Kushina raised her hand when she heard some of the soldiers behind her ready themselves for anything. The muttering of the Villagers soon filled the small plaza as a small crowd gathered in front of them.

A balding, rotund old man with grey pants, a buttoned-up white shirt, and a brown jacket was the first to approach them. She noticed his eyes were wary regarding the forest, and he seemed on edge. Before he had the chance to overwhelm her with speaking, she spoke first.

"We come seeking friendship," Kushina said in the Special Region's language as she continued reading over the red book. Linguists from all over Japan were deciphering the language from the captives they took.

Despite what she said, the man still appeared to be on edge. Though, he at least seemed to have understood what she said as he nodded at her.

"As the Elder of Coda Village, I welcome you, but I'm afraid you've come at a bad time," The Elder greeted, slowly which Kushina was thankful for.

"Why, what's happened?" Kushina asked as she looked at the state of the people here. Most of them looked frightened and exhausted. A couple of the men were wounded as well.

"Brute mercenaries that defected from the Battle for Alnus Hill have been troubling us," The rotund man said as he gestured to the area around them. "They've been stealing livestock and other goods. We were recently attacked as well,"

"These Brutes, are they large, hairy creatures that walk on two legs?" Kushina asked as she looked at Mari and nodded at her. Thankfully her silent message got across to the Combat Medic, who walked over and started applying aid to the wounded.

"They are," He answered as he put his hands behind his back.

"Kuribiayashi, Daisuki, and Hayato, get in here to help provide aide. The rest of you, keep an eye out for those Apes," Kushina ordered to her team, which quickly acknowledged her commands.

"We've got movement, fast and closing, fifteen meters, North," Kushina heard. It must've been Linda's voice seeing as she never heard the woman say anything before.

Naruto heard a branch snap as Kuribayashi walked past him. The wildlife that had been chirping around them had all gone quiet. Breathing was what caught his attention, and then an audible snap of a branch had him rushing forward.

"Contact south," Naruto calmly said over the comms as he lunged forward.

Kuribayashi felt a gust of wind rush past her before a loud grunt echoed behind her. The hairs on her neck stood up on edge as she warily turned around. She came face to face with the hulking green giant of a man shakily holding a massive crude hammer from crushing her.

The very next moment, she was thrown aside as the Ape like creature bellowed out a roar as it pushed forward.

Naruto was sent backward, his rifle crashing onto the ground as he landed on his feet around four meters away. The earth where he once stood had a small crater. He warily watched over the beast as he looked over at Kuribayashi.

His violet eyes scanned over Kuribayashi just before he was pushed into the brush. She seemed dazed but other than that, she looked alright. A single gunshot echoed through the tree's followed by even more gunshots. The sounds of his squad, as well as Kushina's engaging hostiles, resounded over the comm's.

The large primate hadn't hesitated to run forward and swing its crude hammer at him once again. Despite how heavy his armor was, Naruto jumped to safety with ease. He was informed on how the armor would improve his movements and reaction speed, but he hadn't expected it to be this great of an improvement.

As he dodged another crushing blow from the massive Ape, he found himself comparing the beast to the one he had fought up close in Japan. It had to be at least two feet taller as well as much bulkier. Even the armor it wore was different, seeming more refined.

Giving his surroundings a quick look around, Naruto realized they were in a small opening in the trees. Running forward in a burst of speed, he jumped over the large hammer intended to kill him. He practically leapt over the Ape as he landed just opposite of it.

Rushing toward the beast once more, who was lumbering around to swing at him again. He put everything he had into the kick he aimed at the beast's left knee. A pained howl left the beast as he felt its knee practically shatter from the blow.

Clenching his large hand into a solid fist, Naruto put his entire body behind the punch he aimed at the beast's large jaw. Blood spurted from its mouth as rage burned in those yellow eyes. Backing away just before it could grab him, he pivoted his body and delivered a savage kick to the Ape's bloodied face.

"We're on the way, Naruto!" Kelly shouted into his earpiece as Naruto eyes the beast before him.

"Prioritize protecting the team and the Village," Naruto calmly ordered Kelly as he backed away from the beast. While he appreciated the gesture, he was told to test the full capabilities of the armor system he wore along with the strength of some of the creatures.

"Understood," Kelly answered, her voice sounding hesitant.

With the help of its hammer, the Ape pushed itself up onto its feet as it favored its right leg. Fury was burning in those yellow eyes as it spat out globules of blood. It ground its yellow teeth together as it ran towards him.

Like a cornered animal, it lashed out towards him once more with the hunk of metal in its hands. Dodging the horizontal attack with ease, Naruto felt the ground below him crack as he burst forward. Delivering a brutal punch to the creature's throat, he felt the bones shatter as it started sputtering blood.

Gripping the Ape by its throat, Naruto gazed down at the beast who tried to kill one of his squadmates. Without a hint of mercy in his being, he slugged the beast in its face. The very bones in its face gave way because of the single blow. Seeing that it was still trying to grab him and breathing, he punched it once more.

Dropping the now limp creature, Naruto rushed back towards the convoy. In mere moments he was almost back, but he had stopped stop himself from plowing over a couple members of Kushina's team. Looking over the soldiers before him, they appeared on edge but not injured.

"Were there any casualties?" Naruto asked as he picked up his rifle and shouldered it.

"No, Sir. We were actually coming to get you," Private Wataru answered as the man continued looking around.

Nodding, Naruto walked past them as he looked over the state of everything. Other than a couple of minor injuries, the soldiers and vehicles were just fine. Relief coursed through Naruto as he walked into the Village. If any of the soldiers were injured because he took too long... he would've been perturbed.

Ignoring the gawking of the Villagers, Naruto strolled over to Kushina and Kuribayashi, who was being looked over by Mari.

"Where the hell have you been?" Kushina asked as she spun around and faced her son. Her eyes quickly scanned over his body... well armor in search of any wounds. A sigh of relief left her as she watched him clip his gun into place on his back.

"One of the apes wanted to fight," Naruto bluntly answered as he glanced at Kuribayashi.

Hearing two people run up behind him, he turned around and saw Kelly running up to him. His childhood friend quickly gave him a one-over before looking at Kushina.

"With Naruto back, all heads are accounted for, Ma'am," Kelly said as she stood at attention before the Lieutenant.

"Get ready to leave in five minutes," Kushina said over their linked communications. Turning her focus back to Naruto, she narrowed her eyes at him. "I know you saved Kuribayashi here, but we're a team. All of that lone wolf stuff stays behind from here. Am I clear?"

Kushina felt weird for admonishing her child for saving someone. But after reading his file, she knew he preferred working alone. Yet, in a team setting, he appeared invaluable.

"Crystal clear, Ma'am," Naruto replied as he nodded at the woman. Unless the situation called for it, he'd keep splitting from the team to a minimum.

"Your people killed them?" The Elder asked in awe as he looked over the green giant. It was incredible to think a man was in there under that suit of armor.

"Yes, they did. Now, back to business. Where's that Village, Old man?" Kushina said with a smile as her eyes flickered back to Naruto. The three Ryoushi were responsible for leading the counter-attack against the Brutes the natives called them.

The Elder quickly pointed out the relative location of the Village on the map. Kushina jotted down the coordinates of the Village before folding up the map. It was their next destination, and she hoped that they wouldn't run into anything else.

"Are you sure there isn't anything we could give you?" The Elder asked once more as Kushina turned to leave.

"How about just being our friends?" Kushina slowly asked as she read over the book. Looking up, she saw the old man nod with a smile as she nodded back and turned to leave the Village.

Making her way back to the MRAP, Kushina found Mari waiting for her as she flashed the woman a tired smile. Looking up towards the back, she found all three Ryoushi fitted and ready to go. Opening the passenger door to the MRAP, she let Mari climb into the cramped back area before settling inside herself.

"Kuribayashi can't stop talking about how Naruto saved her," Mari commented with a smile as they began driving down the road.

Kushina turned around and smiled softly at the woman before she spoke. "He has a tendency of coming to your aid just when you need him," the moment the words left her mouth, Kushina internally groaned as Mari looked at her strangely.

Why did she have to have such a big mouth?

End

Harem list: Kushina, Linda, Kelly, Rory, Kurbiyashi, Pina, and Yao Ha Ducy. Keep in mind this is subject to change.

Just figured I'd release this real quick, going to try to finish up the DxD update here soon. Sorry if Kelly or Linda seemed kinda OOC, I figured with some interaction with Naruto would make them... happier? Anyhow, that's it for now. Hope y'all enjoyed it.