Naruto: Tornado of Souls Final

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or RWBY

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

A major chunk of this and the following few chapters were removed because the Malachite twins were removed from the story. I invested a lot of time putting the characters in but never really used them in the plot. Here is chapter 16. Enjoy!

…

Last time:

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…

…

Chapter 16

Naruto's Apartment

That evening Naruto invited Hinata, Blake and Pyrrha over to hang out. He was very nervous. In spite of the fact he wanted to confess how he felt to all the girls (even though Pyrrha already knew); the matter of Kyubi being sealed within him was far more important. The blonde was worried that they would hate him but at the same time he didn't believe any of them would do that. He sent out a clone to pick up the ingredients for a sukiyaki hot pot. Naruto figured he could cook that okay and did want to entertain his guests…

Blake arrived just before six in the evening and greeted him with a warm kiss. She had a light dusting on her cheeks and said, "Good evening, Naruto-kun. Thank you for inviting me over." She took off her bow and Naruto smiled at her adorable ears.

"Thank you for coming over Blake-chan." said Naruto.

Hinata arrived a few minutes later and also rewarded Naruto with a kiss. "Mmmm…smells like that sukiyaki recipe I gave you."

Naruto nodded and blushed a bit at Hinata's warm smile. He said, "Welcome Hinata-chan."

Both Hinata and Blake looked at each other to mark their territory…

Pyrrha arrived soon and said, "Hello everybody!" She then turned to Naruto and gave him a passionate kiss. "And hello to you especially Naruto-kun!"

Hinata had wide eyes and Blake's jaw hit the floor. They thought as one, 'Since when has Pyrrha been involved?!'

Naruto said, "Good evening Pyrrha-chan, I'm glad you could make it."

Naruto soon served dinner to the three girls and somehow the subject drifted to the Creatures of Grimm. "It really depends on how many of them actually made it through." said Hinata analytically. "We don't know how big of a threat they are currently but they should be killed on sight. The potential threat they represent is great."

"It sounds strange coming from you." said Blake.

Hinata frowned, "I no longer serve Salem. I'm a Konoha kunoichi."

"There's no need to argue amongst ourselves." said Pyrrha. "It will get nothing accomplished. Isn't that right Naruto-kun?"

Naruto nodded. "I wonder if there are others out there from remnant like you girls."

"There is no telling Naruto-kun." said Hinata. "Other than our little circle no one knows about it. I explained the situation to Kurenai-sensei and then Kiba-kun and Shino-kun but they are sworn to secrecy. I couldn't hide such a secret from my team."

"Have you told anyone in your family Hinata?" asked Blake.

The Heiress shook her head. "I'm going to tell Hanabi-chan when she is older but right now she is too young to understand."

"That must be hard." said Pyrrha sympathetically. Hinata just nodded.

…

After Naruto cleared the table he finally worked up enough nerve to talk to the girls about his situation. They went into the living room. Naruto sat the three girls on the couch and he sat in the floor in front of them. He said, "Hinata-chan, Blake-chan, Pyrrha-chan; you've all trusted me with your secrets about Remnant and it's time I share my secret with all of you."

Pyrrha was expecting a confession but this took the redhead off guard. "What secret do you mean Naruto-kun?" 'He sounds very afraid.'

Hinata and Blake had similar thoughts. 'Could this be about the red chakra?' wondered Hinata.

Naruto said, "I know Hinata-chan knows a bit about Kyubi. Pyrrha-chan, Blake-chan; do you know about the nine-tails?"

"I know that it attacked on October 10th and it destroyed a lot of the village years ago." said Blake. "It cost Konoha a lot of ninjas before it died."

Pyrrha nodded. "I know the Fourth Hokage sacrificed his life to kill it. Why do you ask?"

Naruto took a breath and said, "You can't kill a bijuu. The Fourth Hokage couldn't kill it so he did the next best thing; he sealed it away."

"You mean the Kyubi is still alive?" asked Blake with a gasp.

Hinata whispered, "The red chakra…" with a look of realization.

"Where is it sealed?" asked Pyrrha.

"It was sealed into a newborn baby." said Naruto. "It was too powerful to be sealed in an inanimate object."

"Then…" said Blake.

Hinata said, "Y-your birthday is October 10th. You were that baby weren't you Naruto-kun?" She had tears in her pearl like eyes.

The blonde nodded. "I am the container of the Kyubi no Kitsune. That's why so many villagers hate me. I'll understand if any of you girls don't want to be around me anymore. I wanted you all to know because…because I like all of you very much…"

Naruto found himself locked in the embrace of all three girls. He was shocked. Everything was a blur and he started crying as he did his best to hug all of the girls back. They were all crying too. Hinata kissed him and said, "Naruto-kun…I wish I had known. I would have been there for you so much sooner."

Blake kissed him as well, "I guess that's why you always smelled like a fox to me Naruto-kun. You've had a terrible burden on you since the day you were born. I would never turn away from you. You just hold the Kyubi; you are you Naruto-kun."

Pyrrha ruffled Naruto's hair and kissed his forehead before she kissed him again on the lips. "I always wondered why people talked the way they did about you. We will keep you safe Naruto-kun."

"Thank you…" whispered Naruto. "You are all so special to me."

The girls all eyed each other and an unwritten war was declared. All three thought, 'Naruto-kun will be mine!'

Oblivious to the fact he had just become a target, Naruto spent the evening with all three girls relaxing and enjoying their company. Blake, Pyrrha and Hinata each kissed Naruto goodnight later that night. Naruto felt better about himself than he had in years. He made a clone to escort each of the girls home."Thank you…" whispered Naruto. "You are all so special to me."

Blake, Pyrrha and Hinata each kissed Naruto goodnight later that night. They all felt closer than ever and Naruto felt better about himself than he had in years. He made a clone to escort each of the girls home.

The blonde ninja thought to himself as he laid down for the night, 'I'll do everything in my power to protect you girls. You are my most precious ones…'

…

Fire Country, Konoha, Hokage Tower

Late that night while Naruto was settling into bed; the Third Hokage was looking over the latest war reports from the front. 'From what Jiraiya says here there are dozens of underground prisons estimated that may be full of people from ninja clans that were incarcerated for experimentation by Orochimaru.' Hiruzen sighed. 'I considered Orochimaru to be my most prized student. How could he have fallen to this level? Where did I go wrong?'

Equally disturbing were the reports of a massive Nevermore spotted in Ame. No one there in Rain Country knew what it was but Sarutobi Hiruzen certainly did. Reading the reports of his agent just last night had been enough to convince the Third Hokage that it was time to set the wheels in motion..."If this is truly what Grimm are capable of then banding nations together could be the only option." thought Hiruzen aloud.

…

Training Ground 52

Team 7 was facing an unexpected situation first thing the next morning…

Naruto, Pyrrha and Blake stared dumbfounded at their sensei. "You want us to learn to dance…" said Naruto in a flat tone.

Anko pirouetted and said, "It improves flexibility and body strength as well as coordination. It also is an excellent way to work out."

Blake coughed. "No offense nee-chan, but seeing you frolic around like that made me throw up a bit in my mouth…"

"Perhaps with some instruction we could all benefit from it." said Pyrrha in a positive tone.

"You already know how to dance well Pyrrha." said Blake mutinously.

Naruto sat down on his rear in the grass and said, "You got this idea from Gai-sensei didn't you Anko-sensei?"

Anko sweat dropped at the three flat stares she was receiving. "…Gai might have had something to do with it…But it really is a good workout…"

Naruto cringed at the idea of all of them in green spandex and then remembered Jiraiya's words…

Flashback….

"I'm telling you the truth Naruto." said the white haired sanin "Women love a man that can dance. Nothing sweeps a girl off her feet like a man that can literally sweep them off their feet!"

"And how is that going to help me kick the crap out of Neji in the chunin exams?" asked the orange loving ninja with a snort.

Jiraiya started counting off the benefits on his fingers. "Increased physical strength, improved cardiovascular flow, greater flexibility, better coordination throughout the body…and above all else; there is nothing like dancing with a hot woman!"

Flashback end….

Naruto pondered dancing with Hinata, Pyrrha and Blake. '…Dancing with a hot woman! …Dancing with a hot woman!' echoed in his mind as he thought about all those luscious curves grinding against his body with a goofy smile. His nose started to trickle blood and the blonde smacked himself. 'Not a pervert!' he thought sweating.

That's when he saw Pyrrha leaning over, looking into his eyes with concern. "Are you alright Naruto-kun? You just slapped yourself…"

As she leaned over Pyrrha was unintentionally giving Naruto an outstanding view of her generous cleavage and Naruto started to perspire. "I was just thinking… 'just how amazingly hot all you girls are!' …that Anko-sensei had better promise to not put us in green spandex."

Blake's usually calm amber eyes shot wide open and she said, "I'm willing to learn dancing but green spandex is out!"

Pyrrha also was looking at Anko with an eyebrow raised and a hand on her hip. "I'm afraid we would have to go into a full revolt if green spandex unitards get involved Anko-sensei." She said it so politely that the mild killing intent underlying her threat would be missed by the less observant.

Fortunately, Anko was very observant. The purple haired jonin sweat dropped and he said, "I swear to you on the honor of the Mitarashi name that no green spandex will be involved…"

Blake smirked slightly and said, "Well, I'm game if Naruto-kun and Pyrrha-chan are."

Pyrrha nodded. "I'm willing as well. It will help our teamwork."

Naruto stood up and smacked his fist in his palm. "Let's do this then!"

…

Music played and the pile of bodies started to shift. Anko's roar of laughter echoed through the forest. Naruto was on the bottom with the two girls were splayed out on top of him. "Ummm…Naruto-kun, I think Anko-sensei meant your other left…" muttered Blake.

"I think we were crowding up a bit. We need a little more space between us so we don't get tangled up." said Pyrrha diplomatically.

"So this is what grass tastes like…" mumbled Naruto with his face in the dirt.

That's when they heard Yamanaka Ino explode into laughter. "Bwahahaha! We heard music and laughing and decided to investigate but this is better than I thought possible!" the blonde kunoichi guffawed.

Asuma smiled. "What are you doing Anko? I'd never subject Team 10 to this kind of torture."

Anko clicked off the boom box playing the music and said between snickers, "Actually they were doing really well until that second chorus…then everything kind of imploded."

"You rolling on the ground laughing wasn't the biggest help either Anko-sensei!" said Naruto accusingly from his place on the bottom of the pile.

The purple haired jonin said, "But the looks on your faces were priceless! Bwahahaha!"

The three genins of Team 7 rose like creatures of the undead with creepy smiles on their faces and Pyrrha said, "I think it's time for an impromptu spar Anko-sensei. Get her guys!"

Team 10 watched with wide eyes as Pyrrha, Blake and Naruto exploded into action to pummel their sensei. Anko was still laughing as she fought back their brutal assault.

Choji held out a handful of chips to his teammates and said, "I had no idea they were this strong."

Shikamaru's dark eyes were locked on the battle in front of him. Anko was constantly throwing Team 7's tactics off by changing forms but Team 7 was changing gears like a well oiled machine and didn't let up for a second. "Is this what you mean by full contact sparring Asuma-sensei?" asked the lazy boy with a look of shock. Shikamaru winced as Naruto ricocheted between trees and narrowly missed the snake mistress. The ground cratered when Naruto hit in an explosion of chakra.

Ino stared dumbfounded as Blake used the kneeling Naruto as a springboard to make an aerial attack on Anko. She made a clone midflight that the jonin dispelled only for the real Blake to plow into her. The snake princess used the cat eared girl's momentum against her and flipped her over a shoulder sending Blake flying into the trees. She stuck to the bottom of a large branch and got ready to strike again.

Pyrrha was a blur in motion as she attacked Anko head on with a fearsome taijutsu combo. Asuma whistled lowly as the titian haired tigress moved. Anko hit Pyrrha with an uppercut only for her to convert that momentum into a spin kick that the purple haired sensei had to lean back to avoid. Anko was then attacked from behind by Naruto which forced the jonin to leap….right into the flight path of Blake who landed a solid kick.

Anko held up her hand and all three genins stopped. They had him surrounded. Anko scratched the back of her neck. "Not bad kiddies. I was moving at jonin speeds for a change. I think we need to increase your weights again."

Asuma chuckled as his three genin's jaws dropped. Ino said incredulously, "You mean you guys were just sparring? I thought you were trying to murder Anko-sensei!"

Pyrrha laughed. "Well…we weren't holding back but all of us trust each other to pull our punches to avoid any unnecessary injuries. It isn't called full contact sparring for nothing you know."

"Troublesome." said Shikamaru as he sat down. "I'm exhausted just from watching that so called spar."

Asuma smiled and patted the shoulders of Shikamaru and Choji. "You three have nothing to worry about. You'll be at that level soon enough. Your teamwork is excellent."

"Really Asuma-sensei?" asked Choji. "They were so fast I could hardly follow."

"You must have really been cracking the whip hard Anko." said Asuma as he lit up a cigarette. "That was an outstanding spar though." he added in praise.

Anko shook her head, "Actually I'm working hard myself. Team 7 is determined to push themselves to the next level every day. If I don't keep up I'll be in a world of hurt." She turned to her team. "Let's take a break guys."

The three genins of Team 7 flopped down under the shade of the big tree they always had lunch under. Pyrrha said, "Why don't you come over and join us Ino-chan? Team 10 looks tired."

Choji said, "I think just watching you guys in high-speed combat wore us out." He and his teammates sat down with Team 7 under the big tree. "So how long have you guys been sparring at that level?"

Naruto replied, "After our battle in Midori Village we all decided to take it up a notch. We need to be prepared for anything." Naruto took off his jacket and shook the dirt off of it. "Actually, I think dancing is harder than sparring."

Ino was staring at Naruto's physique and saw he only had a mesh shirt on under his jacket. She drooled slightly. "Naruto; since when have you been all muscle?"

Naruto explained, "Ever since that Oto agent tried to kill me, I've been working out hard and eating right to improve my stamina and muscle tone. Choji's family has been a big help because they put me on a special diet; right Choji?"

The big boned boy nodded vigorously. "We sure have Naruto. You guys should have seen poor Naruto after the attack. When he got out of the hospital, he was skin and bones. I'm glad we could help."

'He looks good enough to eat.' thought Ino lasciviously. 'He should leave that jacket off all the time.'

Blake was quietly observing Ino. 'What's she doing taking a walk all over my boyfriend with her eyes?' The feline faunus girl cleared her throat, "So Ino, what brings Team 10 out this way anyway?"

Ino tore her eyes away from Naruto and said, "We were looking for a large training ground to practice our jutsus today and then we heard music playing over here." She chuckled. "That's when we saw you guys in your epic dog pile on the ground."

Team 7 would never live this down…

…

Rice Country, Orochimaru's Northern Headquarters

Sasuke was sparring with his sword instructor and getting his ass kicked. Watching over this from the ledge above was a thoroughly unimpressed kunoichi; Guren of the crystal release. "You want me to serve as this…weakling's…wife Orochimaru-sama? I don't know what to say."

Orochimaru smiled and said, "His potential to be my next body is limitless Guren-chan. I know you are disappointed but he should be able to give you powerful children. I have great plans for the new Uchiha Clan which will be at my beck and call. If a child could be conceived with both the sharingan and your crystal release, imagine the possibilities."

Guren frowned and said, "I thought that two kekkei genkai would cancel each other out and leave the offspring with neither ability."

"While that's within the realm of possibility; the child having multiple bloodlines is also a possibility." said Orochimaru. "Also, I believe you could help me mold Sasuke-kun into a much more powerful ninja that will serve me loyally. The boy's thirst for power sometimes makes him forget his station. That is a flaw I would like you to get rid of."

The blue haired kunoichi sighed. "I will follow your wishes of course Orochimaru-sama."

The white snake smiled widely and said, "Do not fear bending him to your will. The boy needs discipline and as his concubine you can provide it in ways that others can't. Just get to know Sasuke-kun first. Don't even hint around that you are more than a sparring partner and instructor." He patted Guren's shoulder and left her to watch over Sasuke's spar by herself.

Guren looked down at Sasuke and saw his three tomoe sharingan spinning wildly as he sparred with his sword instructor. She also noted his curse seal. 'This boy is nothing special except for his eyes. He's leeching off Orochimaru-sama's power with that curse seal. It will be a long time before I view him worthy of even touching me…'

…

Kabuto wondered about Guren's position on this matter. After Kimamaro died, Guren was the most suitable to become Orochimaru's next vessel. Even Kabuto feared her power. The bespectacled medic asked, "Is this wise Orochimaru-sama? I cannot see Guren willingly letting Sasuke have his way with her the way his current concubine Sakura does."

"I'm counting on that Kabuto." said Orochimaru. Seeing Kabuto's confused look the snake sanin said, "I intended to instruct Sasuke-kun personally but with the fall of Oto I have too much to do before I can teach him properly. Guren-chan won't bed him until she's satisfied that he is worthy of her. She will train him into the ground in my place. I assure you she will be a harsh taskmaster and make Sasuke-kun stronger. She knows better than to harm him too much…If they do actually end up conceiving powerful children then it will be a bonus."

Kabuto nodded in understanding. "Forgive me for questioning your judgment Orochimaru-sama. I have much to learn."

"You simply weren't looking ahead far enough Kabuto-kun." said Orochimaru. "Come my apprentice, there are many tasks at hand. Sasuke-kun is in good hands with Guren-chan."

…

Fire Country, Konoha, Training Ground 9

Maito Gai looked a bit harried. He was attempting to introduce the new (temporary) team member of Team 9 to Tenten and Neji. Unfortunately said team member introduced himself.

"Hello bun haired girl; dickless. My name is Sai." said the ROOT trainee that had skin that was white as a sheet.

Tenten was a bit dumbfounded by Sai's introduction, but Neji was pissed. "Who are you calling dickless you pale skinned freak of nature?!" roared Neji.

Gai took a pontificating tone. "Sai; you should treat your comrades with respect! We must fan your Flames of Youth! Clearly they are just sparks now but we will turn them into a blazing inferno!"

Sai stared at Gai for a few seconds as if the Green Beast had sprouted a second head. "I have read that nicknames are a good way to make friends sensei. Dickless here seems fine with it."

Tenten was holding Neji back from murdering their new teammate and Gai just face palmed.

It took some serious effort to render Maito Gai speechless…

…

Konoha Market District, Dango Shop

Team 8 was having an early lunch before they started their second patrol and they were discussing the situation with the Creatures of Grimm. Kurenai had the memorandum regarding the creatures and was showing the pictures to her genin. Naturally Hinata was able to tell them a lot because she'd dealt with them a great deal in her previous existence. "So essentially these creatures exist to destroy humans and were spawned in some sort of pit in Remnant?" asked Kurenai.

"That's it in a nutshell Kurenai-sensei." said Hinata. "That doesn't explain their presence here in the Elemental Countries though. The others and I have theorized that they may have come over the same way we did."

"And they actually evaporate when they are killed?" asked Kiba. Seeing Hinata nod he said, "That's really creepy."

The Byakugan Princess nodded in agreement. "They seem to leave some sort of body behind here though so it's clear that they've adapted in some way. I wish I knew more but the best thing we can do is exterminate the creatures before they grow too strong."

"It is most distressing that any of this happened Hinata." said Shino. "On the other hand we would have lost you if it had not happened so as far as I'm concerned the good outweighs the bad."

Hinata smiled and said, "Thank you Shino-kun."

"Now if we could just get this damn war with Oto over with…" said Kiba.

Everyone shared the same sentiments on that subject…

…

Yakiniku Q Restaurant

Meanwhile Teams 7 and 10 decided to have lunch together at Ino's suggestion. They sat down in the Yakiniku Q restaurant and the blonde kunoichi said, "Take your jacket off Naruto-kun; you might as well sit down and relax."

Pyrrha's green eyes narrowed and she saw Blake's jaw tense. 'Blake-chan's right; Ino-chan is interested in Naruto-kun. I'd have never dreamed it a month ago when she was trying to convert us to the Cult of Sasukeism.' The redhead sweat dropped. 'Of course, she thought Blake-chan was from the Village Hidden in Mascara or something too…I never did figure out if she was sober or drunk when she came up with that idea…'

While Pyrrha was having less than polite thoughts; Blake's were downright vengeful. She was letting off a bit of unfocused killing intent but Naruto reached over and held her hand under the table. 'I wonder what has Blake-chan so tense.' "Is everything okay Blake-chan?" asked the orange loving ninja.

The cat eared girl relaxed a bit and smiled weakly. She said, "I guess I'm just really hungry Naruto-kun." 'That and Ino is trying to eye-rape you and I want to smack her upside the head.'

Naruto smiled and nodded. 'I hope that's all. I'd swear her hand was creeping towards her Gambol Shroud a minute ago.' he thought worriedly.

"I'm really hungry myself." commented Choji.

Ino sweat dropped. "You're always hungry Choji."

"Looks like the food is here." said Asuma deflecting the escalating discussion that would inevitably lead to Choji's plumpness being brought into question…

…

Rice Country, Outer defense perimeter of Oto Village

The tunnels leading into Oto Village led to numerous underground holding facilities full of prisoners just as Tayuya's maps indicated. The entire Konoha invasion was bogged down just as Orochimaru predicted and they weren't even in Oto Village proper yet. Jiraiya was disgusted with his ex-teammate's total lack of respect for human life. 'This place is a nightmare, not a village.' thought the white haired sanin to himself. They eventually stumbled upon a pit of human remains that was clearly marked on the map as an area to avoid. Several Konoha troops got sick just smelling the stench of the rotting corpses in that hole in the ground.

Shikaku was confounded with how many prisoners/refugees that the Konoha forces already had and there were surely more to come. The ninjas infiltrating the prison areas found that the places were abandoned by the guards and it was simply a matter of cutting the locks to get the prisoners out. Keeping the refugees orderly and leading them to the safety of the surface was a difficult task to say the least. It was a logistical nightmare to care for these people as well. Feeding hundreds of refugees wasn't something the Konoha forces were prepared for but they managed to empty the outer fortifications of the food stocks to help the former prisoners out.

As for the Oto troops themselves; the outer edges of the village were filled with nothing but apathy. The remaining Oto forces that wanted to fight were holed up in the tunnels and fortifications deep in the village proper. Most of the outer area defenders served Orochimaru out of fear and since he had abandoned them most surrendered in the face of the advancing Konoha forces. Quietly surrendering seemed to be preferable to fighting to the death…

"I've never seen an army so demoralized in my life." said Jiraiya. "Orochimaru left them nothing to fight for."

Shikaku shook his head. "I guess Orochimaru planned for these people to throw their lives away in his name. There are so many underground places where Orochimaru's troops were abandoned that desolation is all they know of. It's no wonder they are surrendering without a fight. Most of them aren't even ninjas; just local militias formed to fight us."

Jiraiya growled, "And while we try to help these poor people Orochimaru has made a clean getaway. God damn him!"

…

Fire Country, Konoha, Hokage Tower

Luckily for the people of Rice Country, the Third Hokage had dealt with crisis situations like famine and drought before. Considering what reports had flowed in about possible prisoners; Sarutobi Hiruzen had already put plans for relief in motion. It was very fortunate that Fire Country had a bumper crop problem that year. Without enough places to store the grains there was a huge potential loss of food that was going to literally rot away. Caravans were already being set up to send aid to the Rice Country refugees. In addition, the majority of the ex-prisoners were completely innocent and just wanted to get out of Rice Country.

The Fire Daimyo mercifully sent his samurai to the Rice Country border to receive the influx of immigrants that would no doubt result from this situation. For now the plans to invade Oto Village proper were on hold until the refugee situation was taken care of. The entire area surrounding Oto was encompassed by Konoha forces that were getting the innocent people out. It would be some time before an assault was mounted by Jiraiya's forces. It was a victory of sorts but a hollow one. Orochimaru had escaped but Rice Country was essentially freed of his influence. The Daimyo of Rice Country already was negotiating a peace with the Fire Country Daimyo's representatives and he had ordered Oto Village to surrender to the Konoha Forces.

The remaining Oto forces hadn't made a move to fight or to surrender. For the time being it was simply a stalemate.

All Jiraiya could do at this point was sit and wait…

…

Fire Country, Konoha, Hokage Tower

It had been a week since Oto Village had been cut off from the surrounding Land of Rice. Both the Konoha forces and the Daimyo of Rice Country demanded a complete surrender, but the few ninjas left in Oto seemed to be the worst missing nins of Orochimaru's forces so surrender basically meant death for them due to bounties on their heads…

Sarutobi Hiruzen was reading Jiraiya's latest reports to himself aloud. "…And in conclusion Hokage-sama; the whole situation is a massive clusterfuck." Sarutobi sweat dropped. 'Jiraiya-kun always did have a way with words…' thought the aged leader. Hearing a knock at his door he asked "Who is it?"

He heard his secretary's voice. "It's Maki Hokage-sama. I have the lists of available teams for the next supply convoys to Rice Country. They need your stamp of approval."

"Come on in Maki; let me have a look at those." said Sarutobi. 'The paperwork never ends. I wonder if I can con Tsunade-chan into taking this job…'

…

Mission Hall

Later that morning, Umino Iruka was handing out the new assignments to the genin teams. Since several chunin teams had rotated back from Rice Country Konoha was secure and the genin teams were freed up for regular duties again. Inuzuka Kiba was elated. "An actual escort mission Iruka-sensei?! After patrolling the village for weeks on end this will be a regular vacation!" The three genins on Team 8 all looked happy (even Shino).

Kurenai smiled at her student's obvious enthusiasm. "We'll be escorting a supply caravan from Konoha up to the Rice Country border to help the many refugees there. After that we'll be escorting a refugee caravan back on our return trip. It should take a couple of weeks at most. Are you kids up for this?"

"Hai, sensei!" answered all of Team 8 in unison.

"Pack for two weeks then." said the red eyed jonin. "We leave from the North Gates at noon."

…

Hyūga Compound

Hanabi was sitting on Hinata's bed as the heiress packed for her mission. "I wish you didn't have to be gone so long nee-chan." said Hanabi. "Father still hasn't returned either."

Hinata smiled and kissed Hanabi's nose making the younger girl giggle. "I'm trusting you to keep the clan in line Hanabi-chan. Both Father and I will be returning before you know it. In the meantime, I've asked Kō to keep an eye out for you so if you need any help then just ask him." Hinata chuckled. "And try to behave for Natsu-san. She's been a bit overwhelmed lately with the war going on and all."

"Okay nee-chan; I'll keep the clan under control." said Hanabi. "If the Elders get too bossy, I'll threaten to tell you about them when you get back."

Hinata beamed. "I'm so proud of you Hanabi-chan!" Both sisters laughed as Hinata finished packing.

Exchanging last hugs and kisses, Hinata said, "I'll see you soon Hanabi-chan. Be good while I'm gone."

"I will nee-chan!" said Hanabi as her big sister left through the gates of the compound. Hanabi sighed. "…I miss you already Hinata nee…"

…

Naruto's Apartment

It was still before lunch and Team 7 had the day off. Naruto was planning to hang out with Blake and Pyrrha that afternoon and wasn't expecting company. He heard a knock on his door and saw Hinata decked out for combat with Midnight on her back. Naruto smiled and the two greeted each other with a warm kiss. "Hinata-chan; I'm glad to see you." said Naruto happily as he let her inside. "What's up? Are you going on a mission?"

Hinata smiled at her boyfriend. "Yes, Team 8 has an escort mission. We're going to be out in the field for two weeks and I wanted to let you know before I left." She kissed him much more passionately and Naruto's hands roamed over his girlfriend's wonderful curves as her hands explored his body as well. When they separated, they were both panting a bit and Hinata blushed prettily and smiled. She squeezed Naruto's hands in hers and said, "I'll be thinking about you Naruto-kun. I need to go."

Naruto gave her a peck on the lips and said, "Be safe Hinata-chan. I'll be thinking of you too."

The Byakugan Princess smiled and blew a kiss back at her boyfriend as she turned and left to join her team…

…

North Gate

"I see you have your Midnight swords today Hinata." said Shino. "I've often wondered why you usually have them sealed in a scroll."

Hinata sighed softly and said, "I mainly keep Midnight sealed for the sake of Nikos Pyrrha while I'm in the village. She has an understandable dislike of this weapon."

"What happened?" asked Kiba curiously.

The Byakugan Princess had regret in her eyes and said, "Fall Cinder ruthlessly killed Nikos Pyrrha with this type of weapon in its bow form. She and I were enemies then…We are friends now but it's understandable that Midnight would make her feel very uncomfortable."

Kurenai placed her hand on Hinata's shoulder. "She also has to realize that you are a kunoichi and need your weapons."

Hinata nodded. "She does but I can tell it still bothers her."

The red eyed jonin looked at her favorite student with sympathy. Then she noticed something. "Hinata-chan, where is your quiver of arrows? A bow isn't much use without them."

"Oh! That's right. I didn't tell you guys about the upgrades we made." said Hinata. "Naruto-kun added seals to the hand grips to store the arrows. I can make up to three steel arrows appear at a time just by channeling chakra through my fingertips. They can be regular arrows or I can channel flame chakra into them without difficulty."

"It sounds like Naruto is getting quite adept with seals." said Shino. "How many arrows are sealed in the bow?"

"Currently I can carry sixty arrows which is twenty in each seal." said Hinata enthusiastically. "Naruto-kun and Pyrrha-chan are both getting very skilled with seals."

"Pyrrha helped?" asked Kurenai surprised.

The Hyūga heiress nodded. "Pyrrha-chan made the basic seal design and Naruto-kun converted it to hold arrows and added them to Midnight. I'll show you." The Hyūga heiress unscrewed the hilt one of her blades and pulled out a small tube with a sealing scroll inside it. "These little cartridges hold twenty sealed arrows each." explained Hinata. "When I empty a cartridge I just swap it out for a new one. Naruto-kun and Pyrrha-chan are quite clever; wouldn't you agree?"

Kiba whistled. "As small as those cartridges are you could carry a dozen of them easily."

"How many spares to you have?" asked Shino.

"I carry twenty spare cartridges so I won't be running out of arrows anytime soon." replied Hinata as she closed up the sword hilt.

"Looks like our client is here team." said Kurenai. "Let's get going."

…

POSTSCRIPT:

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