Ijou Keiji is sitting overly comfortable in his office, unaware that his life is about to crumble. He's surrounded by beautiful women and sipping his sake as the women do everything in their power to suck up to him and get as much money out of him as they can.

It's at this peaceful time that the door bursts open.

"Boss! Boss!"

"You dullard, I told you not to interrupt me!"

"But- but-" Before the man can even give the beginning of an explanation, the capital's police force enters the room and stands very formally.

Ijou squints his eyes. "What're you punks doing here, I'm paying you more than enough to-" That's when he spots Ikkyu Madoka and Naruto standing behind the police.

"Ijou Keiji, you're under arrest under suspicions of collaborating with terrorists, and the attempted murder of High Higness, Lord daimyō." They forcefully grab him and put him in handcuffs.

Ijou stands up, spilling his drink. "What?! Do you people even hear what you're saying?! Unhand me this instant! Madoka, you runt, you think you can get away with this? I'll have your head, you hear me?!"

"Sorry, Keiji, but you won't be worming your way out of this one. We found more than enough to lock you up for a lifetime."

They take him away, screaming and shouting, until his voice can no longer be heard.

Naruto turns to Ikkyu. "Will he really be locked up for good?"

Ikkyu shrugs. "Honestly, I don't know who he has in his pocket. A man like him has connections. However, this time Lord daimyō himself was put in harm's way so I doubt he'd wiggle his way out of it. And it's all thanks to your girlfriend. We tracked where those people she captured had been, what they'd done, who they'd seen... and it all got back to Keiji. You've my thanks."

"It's really Hinata who should be getting all the thanks." He grins

"I was hoping to do that but… where is she?"

"Taking care of something else. Or, someone else, I should say."

During the raid on Keiji's establishments, Hinata and Kotori are leading Tsunade and Shizune, now dressed in her normal robes, through the poorest part of the capital. The ruined shacks, the mud paths, the people dressed in rags. It really was a sorry sight to behold.

They stand in front of one particular shack and enter, pushing aside the dirty rag that hangs in front of the door.

Inside, they see Yokumaru taking care of his mother. Once they enter he spins around expecting to see Keiji or his men harassing him again. To his surprise, he sees Hinata and Kotori. Rather, he's not surprised. He's been expecting them to show up at one point or another. Even he's not sure whether he wanted them to come or not.

He grips onto Kotori's clothes that he's still wearing. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'll pay everything back, I promise. I'm sorry." He gets down on his knees, tearing up.

Yoi tries to stand up but finds it difficult to prop herself up.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Tsunade enters the shack, as well, and gives Yoi a lookover, gauging her condition. "Lie down."

Yokumaru looks around in a panic. "Please, I promise I won't do it again."

Hinata leans down next to him. "Yokumaru, it's fine. Lady Tsunade is the best medical ninja in the world. I asked her to come take a look at your mom." Her soft voice reminds him of his mom's before she fell so ill.

He looks up to her. "But why?"

"Because we want to help. That hasn't changed."

Kotori steps closer, looking shyly. "I'm sorry. I don't know what you've been through. It must've been a lot. But it's gonna be fine now! Grandma is really good, or at least I think. I don't really get it."

Tsunade looks over Yoi with her Mystic Palm, healing chakra washing over, Shizune helping her from the other side.

"Who… are you?" Yoi manages a pained whisper.

"I'm Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village."

Yoi jolts up but is held down by the older woman's monstrous strength, not that much strength is needed to keep her down, weakened as she is.

"The… Hokage? Why? I'm not worth-"

"Don't finish the sentence. Someone very dear to me asked me to help so I'm here to help." She places her hand over the woman's forehead. "Why are you in here? Why haven't you been checked into a hospital?"

"Can't afford it. My husband… tried to get money, but…" She looks over to her son who's still being comforted by the woman and child she saw before. "He died a year ago."

"I see. I'm sorry." Tsunade closes her eyes. She's all too familiar with the pain of losing loved ones. After a moment's pause, she sighs and opens her eyes. "Look, I'm going to be honest with you. You're not in good condition, although you probably now. I might be able to treat you but not in this shack and not in the capital; they don't have the right gear. I'd have to move you to the Hidden Leaf, but moving you in your condition is…"

Yoi places a hand on the older woman's arm. Her skin is cold and her fingers bony "Please... you don't have to worry. Just... having someone like you here... is more than enough. If I just may ask… for my son to... go to the Hidden Leaf. His father… had a kekkei genkai. He has it, too. At least he… should live a good life."

Yokumaru tears up and kneels down next to his mother. "No, mom, you're gonna make it. It's gonna be fine now."

Soon after, Naruto and Ikkyu make their way to the shack.

Ikkyu looks around in shock. "So this is the place you mentioned? This is the 'legacy' Keiji left behind."

"Yeah." Naruto looks around and greets those present. Kotori clings to his leg.

"This… is exactly what I want to change. We treat our own like this but we act superior to shinobi. It's not right."

Tsunade looks from the corner of her eyes. "And yet this is the reality of it, Madoka."

"Well it's no reality I want a part of. I intend to change it once I become daimyō and until then, I'll do everything in power. I'm in a position where I'm able to, so I don't plan on wasting it."

Naruto brushes Kotori's hair while looking at the woman being healed. "You think you can do it?"

"I know I want to. Isn't that how all dreams start?"

Naruto cracks a smile. "Alright, then. How about this? You and I keep working on our way and fix the shinobi world and non-shinobi world, and when you become daimyō and I become Hokage, we'll unite our worlds and become better than it ever was."

"Hah, you think you can do it?"

"I can't. But we can."

The two smile at each other and shake hands.

"Deal."

Tsunade can't help but smile hearing his word. A promise he made to her all those years ago is seeming more and more like a reality with each passing day, and he's making good friends along the way.

Yoi turns her head. "That boy… is he the one you mentioned? The one… precious to you?"

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"Oh, it's just…" Yoi looks at the Hokage with a genuine smile that even Yokumaru hadn't seen in a while. "You looked like a mother just now."

A giant smile comes across Shizune's face.

"Not a word, Shizune."

"Yes, ma'am." The aide chuckles.

Tsunade stands up, stopping her chakra. "I'm taking you to the Koukan Inn. From now on, you're under my supervision until we can figure out a way to get you to the Hidden Leaf safely."

Yoi goes to speak up but is quickly interrupted. "And don't even think about protesting."

Hearing this, Hinata and Naruto share a look and both have a look of understanding.

Naruto walks over to Tsunade. "Hey, Granny. If we need to get to the Leaf quick, then I can just use my Reserve Summoning. The toads have a pond nearby so it'll be a lot quicker."

"Reverse Summoning? Huh, how did I not think of that. Alright, we'll make preparations to leave soon. We're done here, anyway."

Yoi and Yokumaru are moved to a room in the Koukan Inn, adjacent to where the shinobi are staying. The staff tried to protest them being there but quickly changed their tones once Ikkyu Madoka told them to get it done. His name carries a lot of weight. Although they still had to steer clear from most of the Inn, which wasn't an issue because they wouldn't be staying long, anyway.

In the Uzumaki room, Yokumaru is holding a pouch containing what he took from them before. He looks down while presenting it. "I… don't have the other things, but I'll make up for it somehow. I promise."

Naruto takes out a pouch of his own. "Oh, you don't have to." He tosses it up and down, causing it to jingle. "I took them back when Keiji was taken away. So nothing was lost, right?" He grins. "You can keep that. Think of it as a present."

"But… I stole it. I shouldn't..."

Hinata leans down and brushes his hair. He doesn't flinch like before. "Yokumaru, I could have chased after you, or stopped you when I heard you leave. You've lived a rough life and it's admirable you want to make up for it. But you're not alone anymore. We'll help you."

When he starts crying, Kotori gives him a big hug. "Now we can be good friends, yeah?"

He sniffles. "Yeah."

In a private room of the Koukan Inn, an odd group had gathered to catch up on old times. Naruto and Hinata were sitting together as usual, with Sora and Sasame joining them on the table.

Sasame, it turns out, is a lightweight. Her cheeks are already rosey and she's lying on the table.

"Maaaaan, why'd it have to be -hic- the Land of Woods? The Fuma coulda joined the Leaf and we coulda gone on missions together!"

Naruto offers a sympathetic smile. It definitely would've been good to have an old friend join them. "Yeah, it sucks we won't see more of each other."

"It's to be expected." Sora takes a sip of his water. "Not only the attackers being from the Land of Fire but the daimyō's daughter and the Hidden Mountain's leader being in love… The odds were against us."

Hinata refills Naruto and Sasame's drinks. "It is a shame, but at least we know the merging of the lands will be an easy one, given their relationship. We know they'll take care of each other."

Sasame still sulks. "I mean, yeah, I'm happy for her and love is great but still…"

"And hey! Me and Hinata are out on a mission to visit every Hidden Village in the other 4 Great Nations. So if the Hidden Mountain joins the alliance, we might see each other more, y'know? As an exchange."

"Ohey that's right!" She springs up. "The other villages have ambassadors, right? Maybe I can be that for the Hidden Leaf!" Her big smile turns more focused and serious as she squints her eyes at Hinata.

"Um, is something the matter?"

Sasame grumbles. "You're really pretty." And crumbles back onto the table.

"Oh, um, thank you?" She blushes.

"You take good care of her, Naruto, you hear?"

Sora pulls her drink. "I think you've had enough."

Sasame rises and swats him on the shoulder. "Don't tell me when I've had enough, I'll tell you when you've had enough!" She stops.

The four of them would spend the rest of the night chatting away, catching up what everyone's been up to over the last years, and what they intended to do in the near future. It put Naruto at ease to catch up with old friends and see that they're doing well.

After meeting up with the old friends, Naruto and Hinata were met in the corridor by a very serious Tsunade.

"Naruto, come with me." She places a hand on his forehead and uses her Mystic Palm to sober him up. She sobers up Hinata, too, while she's at it.

"Huh, what for, Granny?"

"It's Awaji Uzumaki."

"Oh…" He lightly squeezes Hinata's hand. "I'll be back soon, alright?"

She returns the squeeze. "Take your time." And gives him a peck on the cheek before going to their room.

Tsunade leads him to a different private dining room, where Awaji is already seated, along with 6 other individuals- an older couple seemingly in their 40s and 4 younger- from around Naruto's age to around Konohamaru's age. The older man and the 4 children have varying shades of red hair.

Tsunade and Naruto take a seat opposite of them.

Awaji takes a sip from his drink, the same calm demeanor as before. "Before we begin, allow me to introduce my family. As stated before, I am Awaji Uzumaki, of the Uzumaki clan. This is my daughter, Minami Uzumaki, and her husband, Hyōgo." They each bow. "And these are their children. My firstborn granddaughter Michizu, my only grandson Senjo, my secondborn granddaughter Saki, and my youngest granddaughter Esuka." They go from eldest to youngest.

Michizu and Saki bow, Sen looks disinterested, and Esuka looks distant but gives a lighter head nod.

Sen leans to his side and whispers to his older sisters. "Is that the guy? Doesn't look all that."

Michizu reprimands him as quietly as she can. "Don't be rude."

Their mother glances over from the corner of her eye, which gets Sen to straighten and not interrupt.

"I believe now is the time to answer what questions you may have."

"I have my own I'm curious about, but…" Tsunade looks to Naruto, waiting for him to ask.

"Like, where do I even begin, y'know? I've never known any other Uzumaki besides my mom, and even her I only saw a fraction of. I just…" He grips his pants. "I know the Hidden Whirlpool was destroyed cause other nations were afraid and the Uzumaki clan was scattered. So why now? Let's start with that."

Awaji strokes his greying beard. "Why now, huh? Well if you know what happened to the Hidden Whirlpool, that makes it all the easier. Our two villages held great respect for each other. We are distantly related to the Senju clan, after all, and always had good relations. That's why you have our symbol on your sleeve." Awaji points to the armband that became customary for Chunin and Jounin to wear, depicting the symbol of the Hidden Whirlpool Village.

"However, many feared our power and our relationship. We were an easier target and without us, the Hidden Leaf lost a powerful ally. Had the Hidden Leaf taken us, they would've faced retaliation. So we ran, hid ourselves where we could, forsake our name."

Tsunade is leaning on the table, listening. "So now you've grown tired of hiding?"

He nods. "The world has changed and we spoke…" He looks back to his family who share a nod. "And decided that hiding is no longer necessary. We already have the daimyō's permission, so we only need yours. We would like the Uzumaki clan to officially join the Hidden Leaf Village."

Tsunade pinches the bridge of her nose. "You know it won't be that simple, even if the Five Great Villages are at peace, right?"

"I am aware. We're willing to facilitate the process however necessary. Although given recent events, I don't believe the other villages would object to a master sealing user of the Uzumaki clan." He looks pointedly at Naruto, or maybe… within him instead.

Naruto forms the seal for his Shadow Clone and one appears next to him, but rather than the deep blue eyes he usually has, this one has blood red eyes, and more prominent whiskers.

The Uzumakis are startled by the sudden change, but Awaji remains calm.

"The Nine Tailed Fox, I presume."

"The name is Kurama, boy. Don't forget that. You Uzumaki are so…" He clicks his tongue.

"My apologies, Kurama. I never would have expected you to have a name. We've never known it."

"You've never cared. I should know, three of your clan were my hosts."

"Lady Mito and young Kushina. I remember when they set off to the Hidden Leaf…" He closes his eyes in reminiscence. "It feels like yesterday."

"Gramps, you knew my mom?"

"And even Grandmother?"

"Why yes. Lady Mito, the beautiful and powerful kunoichi that she was, there was not one person better suited to house the Nine- sorry, Kurama. I'm not ashamed to admit, the adolescent me had a crush on her, as did many others, but I suppose none of us were a match for Hashirama Senju." He chuckles. "And Kushina was powerful in her own right even at a young age. She was but a child but already burdened with great responsibility, but she took it on herself better than most adults would."

"That's all well and good, but there's a different past we should be reminiscing about. Much more distant."

"I'm curious about that, as well." Tsunade perks up. "Surely you've heard of what happened in Tsuji Town on the border, and in the Hidden Cloud." She turns to Kurama. "Great Beasts, I believe you named them."

Kurama nods. "Remnants of a bygone era, before the Uzumaki clan was even called the Uzumaki clan."

"I'm afraid that to that, I do not hold the answers you seek. I do know the secrets of the Great Beats my ancestors sealed away was taken from the ruins of our village. By who, I do not know, but they are certainly no ally."

"Gramps, can you seal them back again? Not let 'em roam free."

"I can certainly try, however this is old knowledge. Older than I know."

Minami, Awaji's daughter, speaks up for the first time. "Father passed on the Uzumaki clan's Sealing techniques, and I- to my children. We can share our knowledge with the Hidden Leaf and be better prepared for the coming threats, especially if they use our clan's secrets."

Tsunade rubs her chin. "I won't disagree with you on that. If it were up to just me, I wouldn't have a reason to say no. But as you mentioned, the Uzumaki clan was a source of tension back in the day. I'll bring it up at the next Kage Summit."

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade." Awaji bows. "I'm aware of the identities of other members of our clan and have kept contact with many of them over the years. I would ask to bring them along, as well."

"Seriously? There's even more Uzumaki out there?" Naruto nearly jumps to his feet.

"More than you'd probably think. Although what worries me is that many have disappeared suddenly or refused to keep contact. I cannot be sure of their status."

"Very well." Tsunade stands up. "Make whatever preparations you must, and I'll do the same."

Awaji stands up and the two shakes hands. Naruto does the same.

"It was a pleasure to see that Kushina's son grew up to be such an outstanding man. I couldn't be prouder."

"Thanks. That… means more than you could know."

With the negotiations over with, all the shinobi were free to return to their respective villages. The Land of Woods left after some additional talks with the Land of Rice Paddies, which would be continued at a later date, but some preliminary things needed to be agreed upon.

Currently, they're a day's travel out of the Land of Fire's capital and taking a short break. The daimyō's litter, essentially a small box big enough for a person to sit in while being lifted and carried by 2-4 people, was set to the side while the daimyō looked over the landscape with Kaidomaru and two of his most trusted friends- Mizushi and Kūga. Takeshi seems to be nowhere in sight.

A smile creeps across her face. "So the deed is done. With this, the Land of Hot Waters is as good as ours, as well."

Kaidomaru nods. "Everything went rather smoothly."

"Especially that sword through your chest." Kūga says.

Mizushi sighs. "You honestly gave me a scare, you know. Did you have to actually get your heart pierced?"

Their leader smirks. "Whatever for? Two of the best medical ninja in the world were present. My life was never in any danger. And any lesser wound wouldn't have required the attention of the Hokage herself, thus endearing me even more in Lady Mikoto's eyes."

The daimyō runs her fingers through Kaidomaru's hair and presses her body against his. "Don't dare her 'Lady' in my presence, Kaidomaru. Know I'm only barely tolerating you being with her. When will you be rid of her?"

Kaidomaru doesn't move at the invasion of privacy. "Not soon or it'll look suspicious. Years need to pass, perhaps marriage and a child."

The daimyō's grasps his hair between her fingers. "If you do have a child with her, then it dies when she does, understood? I will not allow a child of yours to exist that isn't mine." Her tone is threatening but her visage is never anything other than serene and gorgeous.

"Of course, Lady Yaegiri."

She leans over to lovingly kiss him on the lips. She breaks away and returns to her litter.

Mizushi turns away for the duration, not really wanting to stare. Kūga has no problem staring. When she leaves, they turn around to find their other comrade, Takeshi, present. As usual with him, they never heard or saw him.

"It's done." Takeshi reports. "I've planted enough evidence to put Ijou Keiji away for several lifetimes. He ended up being a good candidate, with his history and reputation."

"Nicely done, as always, Takeshi. Thank you." Kaidomaru nods.

"It is my job, after all." Takeshi bows his head. "Pitting the rogues and bandits to attack the palace during negotiations, and working on Lady Mikoto for the past few months and getting yourself nearly killed while protecting her… All of it paid off quite nicely." Takeshi's expression is unreadable from under his mask.

"Was there ever any doubt?" Kaidomaru smirks and turns to his daimyō to continue the journey back home.

The Hidden Leaf ninja are already home, returning via being swallowed by a toad and transported to the village. Needless to say, Yoi and Yokumaru were… surprised and they're still not over it, but it passed quickly enough.

Yoi is already in a hospital room of her own, ready to be treated for her illness. Tsunade and Shizune will personally oversee her operation.

She's currently in bed, with her son staying by her side, along with Naruto, Hinata, and Kotori.

Yoi looks to the Leaf ninja. "I can't thank you enough for all of this. It's more than I ever could've dreamed of."

"Don't mention it. It's the least we could do after getting involved; we couldn't just leave you guys be."

She caresses her son's head, much cleaner than he's really ever been. And so is she, actually. One of the first things the medics did was clean her up. "But are you going to be fine on your own? Lady Hokage said it'll take a while for me to heal, and I'll still be bedridden for a long time."

"Yeah, I'll be fine! I managed fine enough in the capital, so I can manage here, too! And I can learn to be a ninja. Don't worry about me, mama."

Hinata steps forward. "Actually, I wished to ask you concerning that matter. We spoke and with your permission, we'd like to bring Yokumaru with us and train him to be a shinobi, as our apprentice."

Both the Kigatsus have a surprised look on their face.

Yokumaru is the first to speak. "Seriously? Can I?"

Yoi props herself up very lightly and says in a slightly more argumentative way. "I can't ask you to do that! After all of this, I can't possibly expect you to be Yokumaru's teachers! Please don't burden yourselves anymore."

"It's fine. We've already decided that we want to, and Kotori especially wants him along with us. I gotta warn you, though. We're going to set off and travel a lot. It might be awhile before you can see each other again."

"But that's… so much…."

Yokumaru turns to her. "Mom, please? I promised you I'd be strong, and someone's gotta teach me, right? I can't learn on my own."

Kotori stands next to her bed as well with equal excitement. "Yeah, Miss Yoi! Mom and Dad are really good teachers and they're really nice! You won't regret it."

Yoi looks between the two kids and, at least in her eyes, the two older kids. She sighs. "With enthusiasm like that, how could I refuse? Don't be a burden on them, Yokumaru."

"I won't!" Yokumaru beams and he and Kotori hug, jumping up and down as the adults smile.

The boy turns to Naruto and Hinata. "I'm in your care, sensei."

Name meanings

Minami Uzumaki (うずまき ミナミ, Uzumaki Minami) - named after Minamiawaji City, on Awaji Island. It's the city that's connected to Naruto City via the Great Naruto Bridge.

Hyōgo Uzumaki (うずまき ヒョウゴ, Uzumaki Hyōgo) - named after Hyōgo Prefecture, which Awaji Island is a part of.

Michizu Uzumaki (うずまき ミチ, Uzumaki Michizu) = named after Michi no Uzu, a place to view the Naruto whirlpools from.

Senjo Uzumaki (うずまき センジョ, Uzumaki Senjo) = named after Senjojiki Observatory, a place to view the Naruto whirlpools from.

Saki Uzumaki (うずまき サキ, Uzumaki Saki) = named after Magosaki Viewpoint, a place to view the Naruto whirlpools from.

Esuka Uzumaki (うずまき エスカ, Uzumaki Esuka) = named after Eska Hill, a place to view the Naruto whirlpools from.