Naruto: Tornado of Souls Final

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or RWBY

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Here is chapter 15. Enjoy!

Last time:

Konoha Mission Hall

Anko was talking to her team. "The spy we caught yesterday turned out to be from Hidden Cloud. The Raikage is on high alert because he believes Konoha is using Rice Country as a possible staging ground for an invasion."

"That's ridiculous!" said Blake. "We're trying to get rid of that snake traitor for good. It has nothing to do with Kumo."

The snake mistress nodded. "I know that and you know that but the Raikage can't afford to be lax about the situation. Once Konoha withdraws from Rice Country things will settle down."

"What will happen to the spy Anko-sensei?" asked Pyrrha.

"His fate hasn't been determined." said Anko.

"In other words he'll vanish once we've gotten all the information out of him we can." said Naruto in a dark tone. "He officially doesn't exist according to Kumo after all."

Anko nodded and said, "That's the way it goes sometimes."

"Any news on Sakura?" asked Pyrrha.

"She escaped us." said the jonin. "We don't have the hunter nins necessary to go after her and even if we did she's not a big enough threat to warrant a full scale manhunt. For now she's out of our reach."

Team 7 all nodded glumly and set out for their first patrol of the day…

…

Chapter 15

Hyūga Compound

Hinata waited an extra thirty minutes to go to lunch just to irritate her Grandfather. She came into the dining hall in her combat gear with a gentle sway in her hips. All and all she looked quite stunning much like her mentor Kurenai always did. Her Grandfather raised his eyebrows at her choice of attire (he expected a conservative kimono), but the young Hyūga man at the table with him looked utterly gob smacked. He was in a formal clan kimono.

"Well, well." said Hinata sardonically. "I was wondering why you summoned me Elder. Is this some sort of omiai*①? I'd certainly hope not."

Hinata's Grandfather started coughing before he cleared his throat. "Hinata; this is Hyūga Hotaka, a main house member who has lived at the Fire Capital all his life. He is 16 and stands to inherit most of the clan's trade business when his Father retires." The heiress looked rather unimpressed with the young man. The Elder turned to Hotaka. "Hotaka-kun; this is Hyūga Hinata-sama. She is 15 and as my granddaughter is the undisputed Heiress of the Hyūga Clan." Hotaka looked love struck at the dangerous looking kunoichi in front of him.

Hotaka stood up and bowed. "I am honored to meet you, My Lady. The rumors of your beauty simply don't do you justice."

The Heiress thought to herself, 'I didn't know there even were rumors about my looks. I wonder what else he's heard.' "I thank you Hotaka-san; I take it you are descended of Elder Minako?"

Hotaka brightened, "Yes, she is my grandmother. How did you know Hinata-sama?"

"You seem to have inherited her facial features." said Hinata. 'The poor guy acts like an accountant rather than a ninja. It seems the Elder Council is trying to maneuver me through some matchmaking. Too bad for them I've already chosen Naruto-kun.' Hinata sat down and ate with her grandfather and Hotaka. She was quite bored and had no interest in Hotaka but she wasn't rude to him. 'It's not like it's his fault this meeting took place. I'm going to rain hell upon the old man once this farce is over though…'

…

Rice Country, Konoha Command Tent

Jiraiya was going over the reports. His scouts had been very busy throughout the morning and reports were still coming in. '…And Sarutobi-sensei wonders why I don't want the Hokage position. All this infernal paperwork is harder to deal with than fighting in the war. Give me an open battle any day over this drudgery. Now that I think about it; giving the job to Orochimaru would be a punishment worse than death.' He saw Nara Shikaku come into the tent after lunch. "What's the good word Nara? Any news from our scouts?"

Shikaku shook his head. "The enemy has withdrawn. Every place we've searched is abandoned. What few enemy regulars we've run into are like scared rabbits and have surrendered unconditionally. Even the underground tunnel complexes have been abandoned. It seems your hunch about Orochimaru withdrawing was correct. We are meeting zero resistance."

"It's still a two-day march to Oto Village but I expect more of the same." said Jiraiya. "Hokage-sama is going to be disappointed that we didn't get Orochimaru but leveling his power base will have to suffice. He has to have left some kind of trap behind so remain diligent."

…

Orochimaru's Northern Headquarters

Kabuto looked out at the shore from one of the many hidden passages in the labyrinth of Northern Headquarters. The conditions were Spartan to say the least, but Orochimaru-sama assured them that it was perfectly safe. 'What a mess. We were planning to invade Konoha and instead they ended up invading us on our home turf. Eighty percent of our forces were either wiped out or fled. If Suna had done their part, then we wouldn't have had this disaster.' The bespectacled nin sighed. 'I was hoping to lay an explosive trap in Oto Village to blow up a portion of Jiraiya-sama's forces but Orochimaru-sama was right. There simply wasn't time.'

Orochimaru's right hand man thought morosely, "Years of research in the labs was lost and Kimimaro still needs further treatment. Worse still, so little is known about the Kaguya Clan that treating him is next to impossible."

The Snake Sannin came up behind his protégé and asked, "Thinking aloud Kabuto-kun? We lost this war but we will learn from this setback. Failure is often a greater teacher than success."

"It is difficult not to be disheartened Orochimaru-sama." admitted Kabuto.

"Are you still wanting Haruno Sakura to be you apprentice as a medic Kabuto-kun?" asked the snake.

"She has the chakra control to be a superb medic my Lord." said Kabuto. "That being said her entire personality radically changed after she received the curse mark. I cannot understand that phenomena. All curse mark users seem to have retained their basic personalities but Sakura….She is twisted in ways that don't make sense. I doubt she would want to learn to heal anyone and that kind of dedication is necessary to be a good medic."

"It is a bit of a mystery." agreed Orochimaru. "As you teach her consider her a case study as well. It's a shame we don't have an experienced Yamanaka to look inside of her head." Looking out at the seashore Orochimaru said, "Enough brooding Kabuto-kun. There is much to do."

The Master and apprentice went back inside and sealed the hidden door behind them…

…

The Head Hyūga Elder came into the meeting chambers to address his fellow Elders about the results of the omiai between Hinata and Hotaka. He overheard Elder Minako talking to the others. "My grandson Hotaka seems quite taken with Hinata-sama!" Then Minako added happily, "He said she was beautiful and very kind to him. Hotaka wants to push forward with this relationship but he said that Hinata-sama seemed shy and didn't want to rush things. I for one am quite pleased with the results."

The Head Elder sighed and shook his head. 'If only they knew…'

Elder Hiraku chuckled. "So it seems love has tamed the savage beast." He said with a slight sneer in his voice.

"I'm not so sure this is the best idea…" said Elder Majo with a tiny bit of fear in her voice.

"Nonsense!" crowed Elder Hiraku. "Obviously she's just a 15 year old girl underneath the façade of being an Angry Fire Goddess."

Hinata's Grandfather stepped into the room and cleared his throat. He said authoritatively, "I'm afraid the omiai was…less than successful."

All the other Elders turned to him and stared. Their byakugan eyes then widened to comical proportions and their jaws hit the floor…

Flashback…

Hotaka left the omiai feeling lighter than air and rushed to tell his beloved Grandmother Minako what a truly lovely girl Hinata-sama is. That left Hinata and her Grandfather alone…

"Well Hinata, what do you think of young Hotaka-kun?" asked the Elder.

"He seems pleasant enough." said Hinata in a neutral tone. Then she smiled softly and said, "I thank you for the lovely meal Elder-sama." She kissed her hand and blew her Grandfather a kiss which amused him greatly…Until the kiss turned out to be superheated fire chakra the neatly burned his long mane of hair off leaving his head bald and shiny as a cue ball….

Hinata said in a voice that would make the shinigami wet himself in fear; "DON'T DO THAT AGAIN."

Flashback end…

"It seems that swaying my lovely granddaughter through affection won't be so easy after all." stated the Hyūga Head Elder. That's when he noticed all the other Elders were shielding their long hair subconsciously with their hands. They all looked terrified. "What are you all cowering for?!" he thundered. "I'm the one that's totally bald!"

Majo weakly pointed passed him into the entryway to the room where Hinata was standing with glowing eyes and demonic smile on her beautiful face. "It looks like you Elders haven't learned your lesson. I do hope you like wigs…"

The cries of baldness reached throughout the compound…

…

Fire Country, Konoha, Naruto's Apartment

Naruto was practicing his fuinjutstu on a low table in his living room with Pyrrha after their two patrols for the day. It had been a long day for Team 7. The blonde seemed very preoccupied to Pyrrha. "What's wrong Naruto-kun?" asked the radiant redhead. "You seem really distracted. Is it Sakura?"

The orange loving ninja shook his head as he set down his calligraphy brush. "Honestly, I have something else on my mind entirely. In my mind the Sakura and Sasuke I knew are dead. The people that replaced them are enemies of my friends and my enemies as a result. They've killed people that should have been closest to them. I can't forgive them after this."

Pyrrha's green eyes were full of concern. "Well, if it's not that then what is bothering you so much Naruto-kun?"

Naruto sighed. "It's…girls. Could I ask your advice Pyrrha-chan? I don't feel like I can talk to Anko-sensei and Jiraiya-sensei isn't here."

Pyrrha smiled softly and said, "Well, tell me what's wrong and I'll see how I can help."

The blonde looked pensive and said, "I wasn't sure before now but I'm almost positive both Hinata-chan and Blake-chan both like me. I…I really like both of them back and I don't know what to do."

Pyrrha said sadly, "I once liked someone and he liked someone else. When he asked for my advice on what to do; I told him he should be honest and tell the girl he liked how he felt…"

"So what happened?" asked Naruto curiously.

The redhead replied, "I didn't follow my own advice. When I died he still didn't truly know how much I cared about him. I regret that. You should talk to both of them or you'll always wonder what might have happened." Pyrrha had glassy eyes.

Naruto felt guilty. "I'm really sorry Pyrrha-chan; I didn't mean to upset you."

Pyrrha shook her head and said, "I won't let it happen again…" She reached over and planted a gentle, loving kiss on Naruto's lips. "I like you Uzumaki Naruto. You are very dear to me. I think I just made your problem worse but I'm not going to be left out this time." She smiled at Naruto's surprised but happy look.

Naruto smiled shyly and said, "I like you too Pyrrha-chan. I didn't know you felt that way."

She smiled with amusement in her eyes. "You are a bit dense to women Naruto-kun. What about Blake-chan and Hinata-chan?"

Naruto looked at his hands in his lap. "I need to tell them how I feel about all three of you. I feel a bit better about things now. Thanks for talking with me Pyrrha-chan!"

Pyrrha nodded. "Any time Naruto-kun." 'This time will be different. I won't just sit back and watch the one I care about drift away from me.'

Naruto's thoughts were much darker. 'I need to be honest and tell all three of them about the Kyubi…'

…

Hyūga Compound, Hinata's Room

Hinata was getting ready for bed. As she adjusted her sleeping yukata; the young kunoichi reflected upon her day. 'Well, if nothing else I scored points against those irritating Elders today. Father is going to be irate when he hears about this omiai business.' The Hyūga Heiress had proven two things to the Elder Council. 1) If they continued their meddling the Council could expect severe consequences from now on. 2) Hinata may be a superb kunoichi but she simply wasn't cut out to be a hairdresser. 'I'll keep a close eye on the toupee troupe in case they try anything stupid with Hanabi-chan.' thought Hinata protectively.

The pearl eyed beauty heard a knock at her door and saw her little sister with her byakugan. Hinata opened the door and saw Hanabi was in her pajamas and looked a bit concerned. "Hanabi-chan, I thought you already went to bed. Is everything okay?"

Hanabi rubbed a sleepy eye and said, "Nee-chan; I got up to get a drink of water and saw the Head Elder was walking around in a turban. Then I saw the other Elders had them too. Is something going on?"

Hinata smiled and said, "Perhaps our Honored Elders are trying to make a fashion statement."

The younger sibling narrowed her eyes with a cute frown and said, "I wouldn't be caught dead dressed like that. They were using old towels from the looks of it."

The Heiress was barely able to stifle a snort at her little sister's apt description and the mental imagery going through her mind. 'Perhaps some pictures are in order. Blackmail material on top of everything else can't hurt. I may as well stack the deck that much more in my favor.' "Say Hanabi-chan; let's have a little fun together tonight." whispered Hinata. "What do you say?"

Hanabi saw pure mischief in her big sister's eyes and immediately got enthused. "What are we going to do together nee-chan?"

"We're going to take pictures of the Elders in their old towel turbans and show them to Father when he gets back." said Hinata conspiratorially.

The younger sister clamped her hands over her mouth to stifle her giggles. Once she calmed down Hanabi said, "Let me get my camera."

As Hinata went back to fetch her own camera she thought with a giggle, 'Naruto-kun is rubbing off on me.'

…

Anko & Blake's Apartment

Blake was lying awake in bed thinking about Naruto. She'd just finished a chapter of Icha Icha and was a bit restless. (Sigh) 'What am I going to do with you Naruto-kun? I know Hinata likes him a lot too and it really bugs me. Maybe I should have kissed him in front of her just to mark my territory.' She rolled over onto her stomach and smiled. 'Naruto-kun really likes my ears on the other hand.' She giggled. 'That's one area where Hinata can't compete with me.'

The feline faunus girl's thoughts drifted to other events of the day. 'I don't know what to think of the situation with Sakura. If she survived a run in with Pyrrha-chan and has one of those damned curse seals then I can't afford to underestimate her. When I discovered her parent's deaths she was the furthest from my mind as a possible suspect.' Blake yawned. "Enough about that, I need some sleep."

Blake soon drifted off thinking about a certain whiskered blonde…

…

Yamanaka Residence

Pyrrha got home a little later than planned. She saw Asuma was lying on the couch and reading. The cigarette smoking jonin said, "Well good evening Nikos-san. Running late?"

The redhead shrugged. "Naruto-kun and I were working on a new fuinjutsu formula and lost track of time. Are Ayano-san and Ino-chan already asleep?"

"Ayano went on to bed, but Ino is still up last I checked." replied Asuma. "You might want to talk with her before you head to bed."

Pyrrha nodded, "Thanks for staying over Asuma-sensei. I know it's a huge load off Ayano's mind."

Asuma grinned and said, "It's not a big problem. Since you defeated Sakura it's really doubtful she'll be back anytime soon. Still, Ino's a bit paranoid. Anko, Kurenai and I are going to switch out every other day for a few days so you can rest easy."

The Gladiator nodded in approval and said, "I'll check on Ino-chan before I go to bed then." She then went upstairs and peered into Ayano's room and saw she was sleeping peacefully.

…

Ino heard a soft knock on her door and panicked. Then she heard Pyrrha's voice say softly, "Ino-chan, are you still awake?"

The blonde girl sighed in relief and said, "Come on in Pyrrha-chan; I'm awake."

Pyrrha quietly opened the door and said, "Sorry I am late. I was working on fuinjutsu with Naruto-kun. I talked to Asuma-sensei for a few minutes. I thought I'd check on you before I go to bed."

"Well, I'm glad everything is okay." said Ino. "Asuma-sensei being here is a huge relief."

"Your sensei said that both he, Kurenai and Anko-sensei are going to switch out over the next few nights." said the red-haired beauty. "I think it's safe for you to relax."

The blonde kunoichi nodded. "It's hard not to be unsettled, I guess. I still can't believe how much Sakura has changed…Speaking of changes, is it just me or has Naruto matured a lot? I saw him without his jacket and he's all muscle now. It's hard to believe the blonde knucklehead has become such a strong ninja. It was really cool of him to say how he'd keep me and Mama safe. It really made me happy."

Pyrrha nodded slowly in agreement and thought to herself, 'Since when has Ino-chan had any interest in Naruto-kun?'

…

Rice Country, Konoha Camp

Jiraiya unleashed his Swamp of the Underworld jutsu. He said, "I wasn't expecting a 12 AM night offensive."

Flashback…

Jiraiya was getting ready to turn in for the night in the Command Tent when he heard an explosion in the distance. "There's no rest for the wicked." grumped the Toad Sage. He ran towards the western edge of the camp to see what going on. He saw Morino Ibiki was already rallying the troops. "Give me a report Morino!" said Jiraiya.

Ibiki replied, "Jiraiya-sama; the enemy has mounted an attack from both the east and the west ends of the camp. They set off our barrier alerts and we opened up on them before they could get across our lines. Shikaku is in charge in the east and I'm the senior officer here in the west. What are your orders sir?"

Jiraiya looked out at the lines and said, "When in doubt, attack!"

The Konoha forces at the west end of the camp reversed tactics from defensive to offensive and a large chunk the Oto forces were soon bogged down in Jiraiya's Swamp of the Underworld….

Flashback end…

At the east end under Shikaku's command, Tayuya was in a Konoha uniform so she wouldn't be mistaken for and enemy by her new allies. She was playing her flute in a fast and high-pitched melody that was a wide area genjutsu. Nara Shikaku was impressed. The Oto forces were turning on each other from Tayuya's genjustsu and that gave the head of the Nara Clan time to reorganize and start a counterattack. It didn't take long for the shadow wielder to link up with his old teammates Akimichi Choza and Yamanaka Inoichi and the three bulldozed a path for the Konoha forces to exploit.

The Oto offensive lasted about three hours and the fighting in the dark was particularly savage. By dawn, the Konoha forces stood victorious but had taken a real beating in the darkness. On the other hand, their suicidally determined Oto opponents had fought to the last man. As the morning scouts reported in from their reconnaissance patrols it was the same everywhere: All the Oto troops in the area were dead…

…

Fire Country, Konoha

Early the next morning Team 7 went out to the weapons shop that Tenten's family ran. They were there to pick up Pyrrha's new Miló and Akoúo̱. The Miló was a Xiphos sword that could transform into a javelin. It was crafted out of red and gold chakra metal. Akoúo̱ was a disc shaped shield likewise made of chakra metal. It was bronze with a brown backing that matched Pyrrha's armor.

…

Hokage Tower

Sarutobi Hiruzen was looking over the reports on the spy Teams 7 and 9 captured from Kumo. Although he wasn't really surprised; the seasoned Hokage was a bit frustrated. 'For every spy we find there are two or three others in Fire Country that are supporting him. Damn it. According to the reports from Torture and Interrogation the man was a rookie. It's little wonder the idiot got caught. What game are you playing A? As the Raikage you knew he was bound to get caught with such a sloppy infiltration job.' Sarutobi's secretary called him on his desk intercom. "What is it Maki? Did more reports come in from Jiraiya?"

"No sir, I have copies of the special report from Team 7 pending your approval to distribute them to our forces." said Maki.

The elderly Hokage was soon looking at the rough images. 'Beowolves, Nevermores, Griffons and other associated creatures….' He read the brief descriptions and found that the creatures seemed to feed on negative energy. "I hope none of these beasts show up in Rice Country. They would have a feast up there…"

…

Rain Country, Ame Village

Uzumaki Nagato, otherwise known as Pein sent his Deva Path along with his 'Angel' Konan at the east edge of Ame where a massive battle was taking place. It was there he saw an enormous raven like creature that was ripping up and eating Zetsu like a fresh kill. The half black/half white creature that served as a spy to the Akatsuki ended his existence as a massive "BBEEELLCHH!" for the avian creature. Pein and Konan watched with wide eyes as the thing absorbed centuries of negative energy from the black half of Zetsu and grew to a mammoth size as a result. It had been big before but now it was colossal. The now massive creature attacked Tobi and Hidan as well. Tobi phased through the attack but was somehow wounded in the process. Hidan on the other hand wasn't so lucky…

The crazed priest was impaled on the creature's talon and had a one-way ticket heading towards its open maw. Hidan raged, "YOU MOTHERFUCKING BIRD! I'LL SEND YOU TO JASHIN IN LITTLE TINY PIECES! DAMN YOU; I'LL-"

"BBEEELLCHH!" said the creature seconds later as Hidan joined Zetsu as vittles for the beast. It comically spit out Hidan's scythe before started growing even more from all the negative energy coming from Hidan.

The orange haired Deva Path of Pein roared, "Shinra Tensei!" and the massive bird like creature was utterly crushed leaving behind a crater with a small raven body at its epicenter…The giant Nevermore dissolved before their eyes. It was dead and not a trace of Zetsu or Hidan was left.

Konan landed by the wounded Tobi who was coughing up blood. He rasped out, "It was just a (cough) big bird of prey (cough) until it latched on to Zetsu's black arm and started feeding like mad. We (cough) tried to destroy it, but it had already grown too big to take out easily. (Cough, cough) I think it must feed on the spirit. I can't feel the parts of my body where its talons passed though me…" Tobi passed out from his injuries.

"Is he still alive?" asked Pein.

Konan checked Tobi's vitals and said "Barely…"

Pein nodded, "Let's take him back to base. This attack was completely unexpected." The Deva Path walked over to the remnants of the raven that was once the core of the Nevermore. He picked it up and said, "…It just looks like the body of an ordinary bird…"

…The Akatsuki had no idea the Gedō Mazō statue's very existence could draw the other-dimensional Creatures of Grimm to it with its mass of negative energy. Ame Village had the potential to become the very epicenter of hell…

…

Fire Country, Konoha, Training Ground 52

After a particularly heavy morning workout (to break in their new weapons); Team 7 was relaxing under a tree a regaining their breath. The girls were leaning against the tree with their feet propped comically on Naruto's legs. Blake had a smile on her face as she got out her Icha Icha book.

"Man I'm tired." said Naruto.

Pyrrha shrugged. "Well, we really did put our new weapons to the test so it was all good." She wiped the sweat off of her brow. "It feels good to get the blood pumping and the adrenalin flowing anyway." She looked over to her left. "It seems that Kurenai-sensei and Team 8 are here. They must have finished their morning patrol."

Kurenai waved and then sweat dropped seeing Blake eagerly reading Icha Icha Paradise without a care in the world. Anko waved and said, "Hey there Nai-chan; all finished with the dawn patrol?"

Team 8's sensei nodded. "We brought lunch so our teams can eat together. Hinata-chan left a note on Naruto's door this morning."

"So that's why you weren't so eager to rush back to the village for lunch." said Pyrrha. "Well, eating Hinata-chan's cooking is a treat."

Naruto nodded. "Hinata-chan left a note on my door that we could all eat together so I thought I'd surprise everybody."

Hinata happily unsealed a large picnic basket much to everyone's delight. The main dish was Tataki, a sashimi made with Skipjack Tuna…in other words, a certain feline faunus was thrilled…

…

"Have we heard any news about the war in Rice Country?" asked Kiba. "I haven't heard anything from Kaa-san or nee-chan."

Kurenai said, "Things are progressing at a rapid pace so I doubt we will hear much news. The Hokage has assured us that things are going well. The last I heard the Oto lines were breeched."

Anko nodded and said, "Nai-chan and I both fought in the Third Shinobi War. Believe me Kiba; things fly by during an offensive so there simply isn't enough time to write your loved ones. I'm sure they are thinking about you though. I've fought with Jiraiya-sama on the field and he's a hell of a field commander. He'll get them through."

"So Jiraiya-sensei has a lot of experience in wartime?" asked Naruto.

The red eyed jonin nodded. "In spite of the fact I'm not too fond of his writings; (She glared briefly at Blake who both promptly ignored her in favor of her literature) Jiraiya-sama was in both the Second and Third Shinobi Wars and is a leader we can have confidence in. Besides; if anyone aside of Hokage-sama can defeat Orochimaru in open combat it is Jiraiya-sama. They are both sanin after all."

"Speaking of sanin, my clansmen have been saying Tsunade-sama has returned." said Shino. "Do you know if there is any truth to this sensei?"

"Her apprentice Shizune is working at the hospital." said Kurenai with a shrug. "I suppose anything is possible."

Hinata set down her drink. "I'm sure Tenten from Team 9 will find out for sure. Tsunade-sama is her idol after all."

Kiba grinned. "Speaking of Team 9, I heard from Hinata-chan that you really busted that arrogant prick Neji's ass Naruto."

Naruto frowned. "He said some hateful things that were completely out of line; even Gai-sensei agreed. Besides, I still owe Neji a thorough beating for what he did to Hinata-chan."

The Hyūga Heiress smiled happily knowing Naruto always kept his promises. She said, "I talked to Gai-sensei and Tenten. You've already done enough for me Naruto-kun."

"I want to flatten him in an officiated match." said Naruto. "All I did was knock him down."

"He did have to visit the hospital Naruto-kun." said Pyrrha. "It was pretty brutal for just knocking him down."

Anko patted Naruto's shoulder. "It had been a long day and tempers were running hot. Naruto's getting better about controlling himself."

Blake nodded. "Naruto-kun didn't use any chakra techniques so he actually was holding back Kiba. Neji did deserve it though. I have no idea what Neji's problem is but I was ready to hit him myself."

"I heard you learned to summon from Hinata-chan, Naruto." said Shino.

Naruto brightened up. "Yep! I am a holder of the Toad contract."

"Can you demonstrate?" asked the bug user.

The orange loving ninja shook his head and said, "Sorry Shino; not right now. Jiraiya-sensei needs the toads' help for the war. Unless it's a serious combat situation I shouldn't summon any of them right now."

Shino nodded in understanding. "You seem to handle your summons with uncharacteristic responsibility Naruto."

Naruto shrugged. "We all have to grow up sometime."

"Not me!" retorted Kiba. "I'll never grow up!" Akamaru barked enthusiastically in agreement.

Kurenai shook her head and smiled at Kiba's antics…

…

Rice Country, Konoha Camp

Jiraiya saw that his forces were ready to move again. They spent the morning waiting for the scouts and engineers to confirm a path had been cleared. "There were a few traps left behind by last night's attackers, but they expended almost all of their weapons in the assault last night." said Jiraiya. He turned to the young red haired kunoichi beside him and said, "Those weren't standard tactics from what you've said Tayuya. What do you think is going on?"

Tayuya focused her brown eyes towards the path leading to Oto. "I think those were the tactics of some of the ex-Taki jonins Oto had. I'd lay odds Orochimaru left them to their own devices and they decided to attack instead of lay in wait to ambush us. They always were an impatient lot and never liked guarding."

The white-haired Toad Sage had come to much the same conclusions himself but wanted Tayuya's input. 'She's proven to be a very valuable asset to Konoha. I'm going to recommend to Sarutobi-sensei to give her a full commission as a ninja of Konoha.'

Akimichi Choza came up and saluted. "Jiraiya-sama; both divisions are ready to move out. Hyūga Hiashi just arrived from the rear. Do you want him heading up a scouting division again?"

"Have him come up and join the Command Unit." said Jiraiya. "I want to talk with him. Give the order; we are moving out."

…

The Konoha Army was moving at a brisk march. The area ahead of them was clear of enemies so they were making good time. Hiashi reported in to see Jiraiya. "Jiraiya-sama, I'm ready to return to duty." said Hiashi as he joined the command troops.

Jiraiya grinned. "It's good to see you well again Hiashi. That was one hell of a battle you fought alone to protect your people." The sage motioned to the red-haired girl beside him. "Hyūga Hiashi; this is the former Oto kunoichi Tayuya that hauled you out of there afterwards." He turned to Tayuya and said, "Tayuya; this is Hyūga Hiashi-sama, the head of the exalted Hyūga Clan of Konoha. I'm sure you two have a bit to talk about."

Hiashi came over and said politely, "It seems I owe you my life young lady. The Hyūgas always repay their debts. I thank you."

Tayuya started chuckling. "You don't have to be so formal man. I'm no noble or anything. For what it's worth you're welcome though. I didn't even know you had a title until now."

Hiashi raised an eyebrow at the girl's rather blunt (but refreshingly honest) attitude. "So what clan do you hail from Tayuya?"

The redhead paused and said, "My Clan's damn near extinct…I might tell you about it someday."

'What a mysterious girl.' thought Hiashi. "Well, regardless of where you hail from; the Hyūga Clan will help support you should you decide to settle in Konoha."

"What's Konoha like?" asked Tayuya with curiosity in her voice.

"It is surrounded by forests and is warm most of the year." said Hiashi. "Fire Country is not as wet and muddy as Rice Country. I think it is a good place to live."

Tayuya said absentmindedly, "It sounds nice…"

"How old are you Tayuya?" asked Hiashi.

Tayuya's eyes grew huge. "I'm way too young for you old man!"

Hiashi nearly face-faulted. "I didn't mean that!" He face palmed and then regained his composure. "I have a daughter that's in her teens. I thought you might get along with her."

The redhead let out a sigh of relief. "Sorry man, I misread you. A kunoichi has to watch her back in Oto. I'm 16."

The clan head nodded. "My daughter Hinata is 15. She is a genin kunoichi. Perhaps you'd enjoy her company."

"Stranger things have happened." said Tayuya with a shrug.

…

A few steps back Jiraiya was half listening to the two talking. 'Note to self: Introduce Tayuya to Hinata as her future stepmother while Hiashi is present. Then dive for cover as the fireworks go off…Hmmm, maybe Naruto is rubbing off on me.' thought Jiraiya with a snort.

…

Fire Country, Konoha

…Somewhere in Konoha; Naruto sneezed while he was out on patrol with Team 7. "I wonder if someone is talking about me." he thought aloud. The blonde suddenly had an immense feeling of pride well up within him. 'I haven't felt this way since I converted Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon into pranksters. I wonder if someone else has taken up the sacred ways of the prankster.'

…

Konoha Photo Studio

…Hinata sneezed as she picked up the developed pictures of the Elders in their impromptu headwear. "Pffft! I've seen rodeo clowns with more dignity than these hairless wonders!" said Hinata as she cackled evilly. Kurenai, Kiba and Shino all shivered slightly at the dark aura coming off of their teammate. Akamaru whimpered and hid in Kiba's jacket…

…

Hyūga Compound

…Meanwhile, the Hyūga Elders collectively sneezed as they looked through a wig catalog that they could get express delivery from the Fire Capital. "Look here! There is a half off sale if you order waist length fuchsia and chartreuse colored wigs in bulk!" said Elder Hiraku excitedly at the bargain he found.

"This is about saving face, not saving money you idiot!" roared Elder Majo.

The murderous killing intent coming from his fellow Elders surrounding him promptly made Hiraku shut up…

…

POSTSCRIPT:

*①: Omiai: a first meeting for potential couples to pursue a relationship leading towards marriage.

See you next time. Blue out. 4/18/22