Disclaimer: - I, SSG-Goku3397, do not own Naruto and any related matter. It all belongs to Kishimoto, the original brain behind the character Naruto. The only thing that I do own is the plot of this story and any original jutsu, seals, concepts and OC's that are present within the story.
"Thoughts / Telepathic Speech"
"Speech"
Letters / Jutsu notes
Chapter 22 – Chunnin Exams Prelude
Bright and early in the morning, Naruto was sitting on a comfortable lounge chair sipping a cup of hot chocolate. In front of the chair was a large round table. Around the table were other chairs, all of which were occupied. Directly on his left was Kirabi and on his right was Zabuza. Across from him was Ē. On Ē's right was Yugito and on Ē's left was Samui, who looked a bit uncomfortable.
After what felt like hours, Naruto finally finished his cup of hot chocolate and placed the cup on the table with a soft clang. Samui jumped at the noise. "The first thing I wish to discuss is the threat of Akatsuki."
Ē looked confused while Bee and Yugito tensed at the statement. "What do you mean Naruto-dono? I thought that Akatsuki was just a mercenary organization formed by S-Rank Nukenin from various villages. They don't possess any significant threat to any of the major villages."
"Then you are woefully misinformed. In fact, all the villages are misinformed. I have come across an interesting titbit of intelligence on them and their primary goals." Natuto said as Yugito growled while Bee had a dark look on his face. Ē looked at the two with a wary expression as he realized that Naruto had already informed them the moment they met. Before he could comment, Naruto continued, "Their goals are far from benign. I can understand gathering together into a group as a survival tactic, but their main goal is to capture the nine bijū and then seal them into the Gedō Mazō, the husk of the Jūbi."
"What is this Jūbi, Naruto-dono?" Ē asked taking a shaking breath.
"I am sure that you know about the Rikudō Sennin…" Ē nodded as Naruto continued, "The Jūbi is the demonic godlike entity that the Rikudō Sennin and his brother Hamura defeated. Hagoromo-sempai sealed the beast into himself, becoming the first Jinchūriki. On his death bed, Hagoromo-sempai used his immense powers to separate the Jūbi into nine entities. We know them as the Bijū."
Samui, Zabuza and Ē gasped at the revelation before Ē commented, "How do you know so much about the Rikudō Sennin and his history? Nearly all of it is lost to time."
Naruto chuckled, "You forget that my Senjutsu Sensei also taught Hagoromo-sempai and was present during the battle with the Jūbi and at the creation of the Bijū. Gamamaru-sensei is, in fact the eldest living being in existence."
Ē nodded dumbly before saying, "Anyway, back to the matter with the Akatsuki. I can understand that they are targeting the Bijū, but I doubt they have the guts, or the power to attack one of the major villages."
Naruto just shook his head before saying, "One of them has the Rinnegan. Another is Uchiha Itachi. Then there is another Uchiha who goes by the name of Madara and was the one involved with the Kyūbi attack thirteen years ago at Konoha. Then there are Hoshigaki Kisame, Mad Bomber Deidara, Kakuzu of the Jiongu and Akasuna no Sasori. Orochimaru was a former member as well."
Everyone was gaping at the information, even Kirabi, who had survived Akastuki's attempts to capture him. "You say they don't have the guts to attack one of the major villages, I call bullshit! They have already done it. Besides the one calling himself Madara had Yagura under a powerful sharingan genjutsu as well, and was controlling Kiri during all of Yagura reign. The one with the Rinnegan, though haven't really moved yet, but he was the one who defeated Hanzo the Salamander, singlehandedly as well. It is my belief and that of Gamamaru-sensei that Uzumaki Nagato can singlehandedly destroy any of the villages without even trying. The threat of Akatsuki is far more real than you think. If it comes to a fight between me and Akatsuki, I am unsure that I would be able to defeat all of them before the collateral damage becomes too much."
Everyone looked at Naruto with scared expressions. Naruto, the one being regarded as another God of Shinobi was not confident that he would be able to take on Akatsuki alone, but then again, he did say that was only because he was more concerned with the collateral damage the battle would cause.
"What do you propose we do?"
"Prepare for the inevitable war that is coming. All of our nations need to learn to set aside our differences and work together. only by working together can we hope to succeed. As for Akatsuki, I have already taken steps to minimize their capabilities. I was able to use a Uzumaki Kinjutsu Seal to subvert the loyalty of one of their members. Itachi is not really a traitor, just deep undercover and will be recalled soon. The Rinnegan wielder, Nagato should side with us. I have already approached him, and hope that he will have a favorable response to my proposal, as he is an Uzumaki. The danger will be the one calling himself Madara. He is the true mastermind behind their goals."
"Are you sure that this Nagato will side with his family?"
"If he doesn't, then I will have no choice but to eliminate him as a traitor to the Clan, but I doubt it will come to that. He only wishes for peace, but Madara has been twisting Nagato's desires to his own advantage. I believe that Nagato can be brought back to the light. He was a student of Jiraiya after all. If I succeed, he will be the greatest ally we will have against Akastuki and if I fail to prevent the resurrection of the Jūbi, the monster itself."
Ē nodded but Yugito spoke up, "How sure are you that Nagato can be turned?"
"Eighty percent sure that Nagato will do what is right. Plus, his loyalty should be to his family. It is something that is ingrained in our blood. Family comes first." Yugito nodded as Naruto turned to Ē and said, "Now, the matter of the alliance and the marriage. You have offered me the choice between these two lovely ladies. Why the hell do you wish me to die so badly?"
Zabuza and Kirabi chuckled at Naruto's sudden outburst while Yugito and Samui looked confused before understanding dawned on them, causing them to smile. Ē asked with confusion, "What do you mean Naruto-dono? I don't wish you to die! It would be counterproductive to forming an alliance then."
"You don't understand the position you place me in? I am sure that they already know that the one I choose will be one of my many wives as demanded by the Royal CRA, out of which, two are confirmed and I believe that Shion will accept the contract as well. Do you know what all my girls will do to me if I pick one of them and not the other! What justification would I use?"
"Yo, you can always choose one and let the other marry a friend yo!"
"What?" Naruto exclaimed before Ē said, "That's is quite the good idea. Instead of you having to choose, let the girls decide. I was planning on sending a marriage alliance to Konoha as well, so a prominent clan heir can marry one girl and you the other!"
Samui looked like she would rebel but Yugito looked intrigued. "Raikage-sama, no matter what both of us are going to be in political marriages, so I think that is a good idea that we get to choose our future husband. I am not averse to marrying Naruto-sama, but from what I see of Naruto-sama's personality, Samui would be a poor choice, with her cold behavior, especially since she tends to get irritated with jokes. I mean no offence Samui, but you know that what I say is true. Besides, I think that I would be a better match as we have common ground between us."
Everyone nodded though Naruto picked up a bit of jealousy from Samui for a second before affection towards Yugito overshadowed it. For the first time, Samui spoke up, "I think that Yugito-nē is right. I would be a poor match and I thank you for allowing me to choose my husband."
Ē patted Samui on the head before addressing Naruto, "Who would you recommend amongst the clan heirs of Konoha as a good groom for Samui, Naruto-dono?"
Naruto thought for a moment before saying, "The only possible candidates I would recommend would be Uchiha Sasuke and Nara Shikamaru, though if you choose Sasuke, you should know that he is also under the CRA and will need to take multiple wives."
"Thank you for the information Naruto-sama. When I go to Konoha for the Chunnin Exams, I will endeavor to get to know both so that I can make my choice."
"Speaking of the Chunnin Exams, we have intel that Orochimaru and his newly founded Otogakure plans to invade Konoha during the finals, so I would advise that you bring the Kirabi with you." Naruto said with Ē and Bee nodding in agreement.
"Yo yo yo, what about an exhibition match bro?" Bee said with an eager expression on his face.
"I don't think Konoha would allow you and Naruto to have a full out Exhibition match Bee. No one wants to see two Bijū battle it out in their village." Ē growled out at Bee only for Naruto to chuckle and comment, "What about we don't use Bijū mode, but use everything else?"
"And get pulverized by senjutsu, hell no!" Kirabi said with a shiver.
"Then what about the A-B combo verses the son of the Yellow Flash? I promise to only use Ninshu and Fuinjutsu. Need to keep up my stamina for the war with Oto."
"Then Bee will only be using the version two cloak and no Bijūdama. It will be like facing against your father again, only this time, it will be for a friendly spar. You can use the Hiraishin, right?"
"I can, but prefer to use a new teleportation technique I am developing from an older supplemental seal the Kagura Shigan users from my clan used to use to move about quickly. I think that the match against you both would be the best time to reveal this technique."
Ē and Bee grinned at the prospect of facing off against Naruto using teleportation techniques. It would be a thrill to battle someone that fast again. Naruto cleared his throat and said, "The treaty documents are sound, and I will sign them the day you arrive at Konoha. We can have a celebration, and Moka-ōbasama won't have any pretext to complain!"
"Moka-sama does hate parties, doesn't she?" Zabuza said with a chuckle.
"Not exactly, she just doesn't like us throwing parties without a proper reason. A party is due anyways. You can stay with me at the Uzu Compound for your stay. In fact, I insist."
"It would be an honor Naruto-dono." Ē said with a nod.
"Now before we end this meeting, I need to inform you that we shall need to head out tomorrow morning. I was chosen as one of the planners for the Chunnin Exams and need to personally be in Konoha a week before it starts."
"I can understand the responsibility Naruto-dono, may I suggest that Team Kirabi heads out with you, led by Yugito? It would give both girls more time to get to know you and for Samui to get better acquainted with her prospective husband?"
"I have no problems with that. But first, Yugito. I know that you are choosing me out of obligation, but if you truly don't want to marry me, I will still go ahead with the alliance, just with the marriage clause voided. I am sure that I can convince the Hokage and Hideyoshi-jiji to the same deal for Samui."
Yugito and Samui looked startled at the statement but Ē chuckled and said, "Honorable of you Naruto-dono, but I hope that the marriages go through. A stronger bond is better, no?"
Naruto nodded before standing up with Zabuza following his example. "Thank you for your time Ē-dono. Bee, Yugito, I would like it if would come to the joint mindscape for a meeting between our Bijū and us this evening."
With his piece said, Naruto and Zabuza vanished in a flash of yellow. Their destination, Shion.
It was late in the evening when Kirabi and Yugito started meditating. After a few moments, they appeared in place, standing at the feet of their respective Bijū. Looking around, they saw that nearly all of the Bijū were present, only Shukaku, the Ichibi was missing. All the respective Jinchūriki were present as well.
"You know one thing, why the hell did it take so long for me to get my future memories?" Fū groused out in annoyance as all her fellow Jinchūriki and their Bijū chuckled at the girl's expense.
Chomei sighed before saying, "Fū, the only reason it took so long for you to get your memories was because you weren't as synchronized with me as the others are with their Bijū. Naruto-kun, just ignore my Jinchūriki and start the meeting." Fū huffed as Naruto nodded.
"As you know, I have already made preparations to handle the Akatsuki situation. You all know how dangerous they are, and the kind of damage their Tsuki no Me plan could do. Out of all of us, only I and Bee, with our Bijū have faced the wrath of the Jūbi. I will now share my memories of the beast."
With his piece said, Naruto concentrated on the last memories he had of the future and then using ninshu, transferred the memory to his fellow Jinchūriki. An uncomfortable silence filled the area, as the other Jinchūriki processed the horrifying memories.
After an inordinate amount of time, Yagura was the first to speak. "We cannot allow such a demon to be resurrected. I propose we start our own group to oppose the Akatsuki. We hunt the bastards down in pairs."
"Gaara no Sabaku and Shukaku will be joining us soon. One of us won't have a partner in such a case." Yugito said with a frown.
"Naruto-sama is the strongest of us, I will bet my right arm that he can easily defeat a pair of Akatsuki without even using Kurama's power!" Han said only for Bee to counter him.
"While Naruto-sama is powerful, no doubt about it, he is still vulnerable to being overwhelmed. Besides, some of the members Akatsuki are hidden allies. Naruto-sama, if you would please elaborate."
"First of all, outside formal occasions, I don't subscribe to formalities. All of you can call me whatever you want, though I would prefer something personal. After all, we are connected by the bond of Jinchūriki. Now, Uchiha Itachi is actually a spy in Akatsuki. Other than that, I believe that I can get to Pein and have him realize the mistakes he is making before it is too late." Naruto raised a hand to forstall Utakata's complaint. "I know that he was the one to take you down last time Utakata, but we must not allow the non-existent future to make judgements for us."
"Not to mention that Naruto defeated Pein with only his basic senjutus last time before making the cripple have a change of heart. Pein had revived all the lives lost when Akatsuki invaded Konoha at the cost of his own life."
"Thank you Kurama. Anyway, we need Pein alive. His death will allow Obito to easily get the Rinnegan. We must prevent that scenario at all costs!"
"I agree. A Dojutsu like the Rinnegan shouldn't fall into the hands of the wicked, and this Obito seems to be as wicked as they come." Yagura agreed with the rest of the Jinchūriki and all the Bijū nodding in agreement.
Silence reigned for a few moments before Bee asked, "When will Shukaku and Kazekage-sama be joining us?"
"He should be in Konoha by the end of the week. I will remind him and Shukaku before calling a meeting. Now before we leave, Goku, I have been wondering. Do you think it possible for you to learn Earth Bending? You are the only one other than Shukaku who has a humanoid body to help the learning progress."
Goku thought for a moment before saying, "I will see what I come up with. Not like I have much to do anyways. It will be a good project to work on."
Naruto nodded before addressing everyone, "Then wait for my signal. We will have the final member with us then. Goodnight everyone, and make sure to keep an eye out for suspicious characters in your own villages. Akasuna no Sasori has quite the number of informants."
"Before we go, I have a warning. Be careful Naruto-sama, as it seems that the Tsuchikage wishes to form an alliance with you through marriage."
"Please tell me that it isn't who I think it is Roshi!" Naruto asked with a groan. If his suspicions were correct, then he would probably have a new fiancée. One who was both highly competitive and highly volatile. The worst thing was that he wouldn't even be able to reject the marriage without souring the already tentative relationship between Iwa and Konoha and her allies.
"If it is Kurotsuchi you are thinking about, then I am sorry to say that you are correct in your assumption. Don't worry Naruto-sama. The girl may be rough on the outside, she is a great big softy on the inside, though I would say that she is a tsundere at heart!"
Yugito, Fū and their Bijū started giggling at the predicament Naruto found himself in. After calming down, Yugito asked with a teasing tone, "Oh my, it seems that you are collecting quite the harem Naruto-kun."
Naruto blush in embarrassment before quickly offering a thanks to Roshi before disappearing from the joint mindscape. As Kurama was slowly fading away, the old fox left with a single warning.
"Be careful not to tease him too much. You won't like the consequences, much like the Hyūga Clan found out. That too while Naruto was an Academy Student."
"Hmm... I heard that he was a notorious prankster and was known to be able to infiltrate and prank ANBU HQ, but I thought everyone was pulling my leg." Fū commented before bidding her farewell and leaving with Chomei.
Outside the main gates of Konoha, was a large clearing, perfectly visible from the gates. As Kotetsu and Izumo watched from the gate house, playing cards, a massive group suddenly appeared out of thin air.
Usually such an event would have caused the two eternal Chunnin gate guards to be alarmed, were it not for the fact that nearly all of the members of the arriving group were covered in bubbling red chakra cloaks, with the soul exception of one who was instantly recognizable by the two. In front of the group was Naruto engulfed in a golden chakra cloak.
"Yo Naruto-sama! Had a good trip?" Kotetsu asked placing his hand of cards down on the table.
"Quite well Kotetsu. My companions from Kumo are here for both the Chunnin Exams and diplomatic reasons, so they will be residing in the Uzumaki Compound." Naruto said as Kotetsu and Izumo nodded before the blonde Jinchūriki addressed his group. "Zabuza, please escort everyone to the compound while I take Shion, Yugito and Samui to meet with Hokage-dono."
"Right away Naruto-sama. Alright gakis, get logged in and follow me! Yes, that means you Karin."
"Why does Naruto-kun get to bypass the login and not me?" Karin complained only for Naruto to remark, "Because you don't have free travel rights. All done girls?"
"Hai!" All three aforementioned girls nodded as Yugito finished signing in to the Konoha visitor directory, all three of them still having the chakra cloaks around them. Naruto nodded to the gate guards before he and the three girls vanished into thin air.
"You are to take over as Hokage soon, Naruto-kun. So I believe that it is your prerogative to decided, if you wish to accept Raikage-dono's proposal or not. Nii Samui-chan, I don't mean to be insulting, but my time as Hokage is nearly up. I would advise you to get aquatinted with the prospects and let Naruto-kun know. He will be the one to make the final decision."
Samui and Yugito were caught off guard at the admission from the old Hokage, but the younger of the pair bowed and said, "It is what I would prefer Hokage-sama. Until the Chunnin Exams start, I will endeavor to get aquatinted with both prospects before letting Naruto-sama know of my decision."
Hiruzen nodded before saying, "Please keep the information of my retirement to yourselves. The official announcement will occur during the final stage of the Chunnin Exams."
"Of course Hokage-sama. We will keep your confidence." Yugito said for both herself and her cousin.
"Good, now you two are dismissed. Neko, please escort them to the Uzumaki Compound."
"At once Hokage-sama!" Neko said dropping down from the ceiling.
After the two Kumo kunoichi were gone, Hiruzen turned to Shion with a smile on his face. "It is a pleasure to have you here Shion-hime. Please make yourself at home in my beautiful village."
Shion bowed in respect as she replied with a smile, "It is a pleasure to be here Hokage-sama. If I may be so bold, may I ask why you wish to retire so soon?"
"Not at all Shion-hime. I am just feeling my age these days. With what skills Naruto-kun and his students are displaying, I have come to the conclusion that my time has long since passed. It is time again to pass the torch to the next generation. If you have any questions about the history of Konoha, please don't hesitate to come to me. It would be nice to pass on my knowledge to the next generation, and it will give this old man something to do in his retirement, other than wasting away."
"I doubt you of all people would waste away jiji. Anyway, I will see you tomorrow at the finalizing session. Don't over work yourself!"
Hiruzen saw the teasing smile on Naruto's face and chuckled as he commented, "With the Shadow Clones, I have much more time to rest than before Naruto-kun. You go and introduce your new fiancée to the rest. Oh and Hinata-chan and her team will be back from Nami tomorrow."
Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "What were they doing in Nami?"
"A simple tracking mission. It seems that some remnants of Gato's forces were kidnapping young women. From the preliminary reports, it seems that Hinata-chan didn't take to kindly to that, neither did Kiba-kun. Kurenai states that the two of them massacred the remnants without even blinking. You have done a good job training her Naruto-kun. Hinata-chan is now a perfect kunoichi but still has her kindness."
Naruto nodded before offering his arm to Shion and leading the priestess of Oni no Kuni through a tour of Konoha on their way to the Uzumaki Compound.
The next morning, all the Jōnin and Tokubetsu Jōnin of Konoha were assembled in a large meeting hall. At the end of the hall, Hiruzen sat behind a large wooden table with Iruka and Naruto. Interestingly, Kakashi was there on time, causing many of the assembled Jōnin to look at the masked man in irrational fear.
"Alright, now that everyone is here. We can finally begin. Now those Jōnin with Genin teams, you have my permission to start nomination of your teams." Hiruzen said which was soon followed by many of the Konoha Jōnin nominating their teams.
Finally, the time came when the Jōnin of the four most prominent Genin teams moved forward. "I, Sarutobi Asuma, Sensei of Team 10 consisting of Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chōji, nominate my team for the Chunnin exams!"
Hiruzen nodded as Naruto said, "Noted, next!"
"I, Maito Gai, Sensei of Team 9 consisting of Higurashi Tenten, Rock Lee and Hyūga Neji, nominate my team for the Chunnin exams!"
"Noted, next!"
"I, Yūhi Kurenai, Sensei of Team 8 consisting of Hyūga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino, nominate my team for the Chunnin exams!"
"Noted, next!"
"I, Hatake Kakashi, Sensei of Team 7 consisting of Uchiha Sasuke, Sarutobi Konohamaru and Sai, nominate my team for the Chunnin exams."
"Duly noted, next!" After waiting for a few minutes, Naruto said, "Very well. It seems that the nominations are over. Now, as all of you know. This Chunnin Exams are going to be much different from previous ones on the account that all the major villages will be sending teams to this one."
Everyone nodded as Hiruzen continued from where Naruto ended. "Make sure to alert your teams for possible ulterior motives, though I doubt that there will be any this time. The next thing is that Orochimaru has created a hidden village called Otogakure. Keep an eye on all Oto shinobi in Konoha."
"As Hokage-dono said, Oto is to watch out for, but I have reliable intelligence that the Kazekage has sided with Orochimaru and will be leading an assault without the permission of his Daimyō. But fear not, most of the Suna shinobi are only following Rasa out of fear and not loyalty. I have a feeling that if I can turn their Jinchūriki to our side, the whole bulk of the Suna forces will side with us."
"Not to mention that the threat of Naruto's personal retaliation against Suna." Sakura commented causing all the gathered Jōnin and Tokubetsu Jōnin to nod in agreement with the pink haired medic.
"Now that all of you are warned, we shall wait for a few more people to join us for an announcement."
"What announcement Hokage-sama?" Kurenai asked with a confused frown.
"You will have to wait a bit longer Kurenai-chan… or not!" Hiruzen said with a smile as the door to the massive hall opened. From the open doors, the Shinobi Clan Heads walked in with the ANBU Commander and the Fire Daimyō with his bodyguards.
"Make the announcement Hiruzen. I need to be back in the capital by sundown!" Hideyoshi said only for Naruto to chuckle and say, "No need to worry about that Hideyoshi-jiji. I will have you back at the capital in a flash!"
"Unfortunately, I will have to decline Naruto-kun. I have to meet up with one of the governors a few miles south of here before returning home."
Naruto nodded as Hiruzen cleared his throat before saying, "I shall be completely stepping down after the Chunnin Exams."
A cacophony of noise erupted from the gathered Jōnin and Tokubetsu Jōnin before Naruto spiked his chakra causing the shinobi and kunoichi to quickly settle down, with a few even feeling a bit faint. Hiruzen nodded to Naruto before addressing the crowd. "Now that you all have voiced your dissent; I will now let my nomination for Hokage be known."
Quite muttering filled the room as everyone discussed the possible candidates, many coming to the conclusion that only Naruto or one of the two Sannin will be chosen.
"Don't you dare name me Sensei!" Tsunade said with a bit of a joking tone in her voice.
"Why not Tsunade? You would make a fine Hokage. Just think of the amount of sake you can drink while trying to forget the burdens of being a leader!" Tsunade blushed at the subtle hit at her bad habit, but before she could comment, Hiruzen continued, "Luckily, neither you nor Jiraiya are the candidates. I, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage of Konoha, hereby nominate Uzumaki Naruto as the Godaime Hokage!"
"I, Hideyoshi, the Daimyō of Hi no Kuni, approve the nomination. Let the Jōnin vote commence!" Hideyoshi declared as Iruka stood up.
With an emotionless face, the Chunnin instructor called out, "Those in favor of Uzumaki Naruto being the next Hokage?"
Nearly everyone raised their hands. Iruka quickly counted the number of votes before noting it down. "Alright, everyone against?"
Only Sakura raised her hand. Iruka noted it down as Hideyoshi asked, "May I ask why you would vote against your own friend and mentor?"
"Of course Daimyō-sama. I just think that it would be better if Naruto was out in the field instead of being cooped up in an office. His presence as an active ninja of Konoha is quite the boon."
"Duly noted and I had raised the same question with Hiruzen and Naruto-kun in private. They have given me a favorable answer. Will you please explain Naruto-kun?"
"Of course. Sakura, I will have a Blood Clone handling the administrative duties while I will be out in the field. If I am needed to personally attend to something, I can be here in a flash, as you know. I think that answers your query?"
Sakura nodded before saying, "Then I withdraw my vote and cast it in favor of him becoming Hokage."
Iruka nodded as he changed the vote tally before handing it over to Hiruzen, who looked over the paper before announcing, "By a unanimous vote, Uzumaki Naruto is to be the Godaime Hokage of Konoha. He shall take over the day after the Chunnin Exams Finals. Until then, all strategic and military functions of the office of Hokage will be handled by Naruto while I shall handle economic and administrative functions. Any dissenters?"
Everyone waited for any dissent, but after it was clear that there were none, Hiruzen declared, "There will be a strategic meeting tomorrow at dawn. All Elite Jōnin, the Anbu Commander and the Shinobi Councilors are to be present! Also, this vote is to remain a S-Rank secret until further notice! Now dismissed."
Many of the Jōnin and Tokubetsu Jōnin congratulated Naruto before they left, leaving behind only Tsunade, Sakura, Shizune, the Sensei of the Konoha Twelve and Anko. Hideyoshi, Hiruzen and Iruka quickly leaving the room.
"Anko, get ready to meet your teacher. With the seal removed and your improved skills, I expect that you will be able to hold your own against the snake." Naruto said causing a feral grin to appear on Anko's face.
"Oh, I am sure that me and Sensei will have quite the bit of fun Naruto-kun! Just point me in his direction and stand back!"
"Also, how are the preparations for the second phase coming along?" Naruto asked causing Anko to giggle and say, "With the amount of seal based traps you and your clan has supplied us with, I can already taste the fresh blood!"
"Down girl! Don't traumatize the visiting or even our own Genin!" Kurenai said smacking the snake mistress in the back of her head.
"Mou… you are so mean Nai-chan! I was just planning to view some of the festivities!"
"Congratulations Naruto, I speak for all of us when I say that the post couldn't be given to a better candidate!" Asuma said with Gai, Kakashi, Kurenia and Anko nodding in agreement.
"Get back here you damn brat!" Karin screamed as she chased Konohamaru down the main road of Konoha. Beside her, her two teammates were running as well, both sporting raging expressions on their faces. All three had orange paint splattering their favorite dresses.
"Come back here Konohamaru! I promise it won't hurt, much!" Haku cooed as she threw a couple of ice senbon at Konohamaru who rolled to the left to dodge them, hoping that none of the icy needles would touch him, as Haku was making quite the name for herself in being a senbon expert.
Suiren was quite, but the cloud of red crystal dust floating around the blue haired girl as a murderous expression graced her normally peaceful face. With a simple wave of her hand, the crystal dust coalesced into five-pointed crimson crystal shuriken before flying towards the fleeing Sarutobi.
Twisting around, Konohamaru focused in between the flying shuriken and caused an explosion to occur using judicious use of Combustion Bending. The explosion caused the crystal shuriken to shatter before disintegrating into red dust and flowing back to join Suiren's floating cloud. As Konohamaru was finishing the twist, he collided with someone throwing both of them to the ground. A flash of yellow and lavender was all Konohamaru was able to discern before he was hoisted off the person he collided with. As he was pulled back, he realized that he had collided with a kunoichi from Suna carrying a massive Tessen on her back and with her blonde hair was hanging down her body from torn ribbons.
"You punk! How dare you run into my sister?" Konohamaru turned to see a boy of about fourteen, wearing a cat suit and war paint on his face, was holding him up, with a murderous expression on his face.
"Kankuro, put him down! We aren't here to cause trouble!" The Kunoichi said standing up before she pulled out ninja wire from her tools pack and used that to quickly tie her hair back into four ponytails. "I am sure that he didn't mean to run into me!"
"That doesn't excuse his actions Temari! He hasn't even apologized to you yet!"
Before Temari could even comment, she felt chains wrap around her. Looking down, she saw that the chains were made of yellow chakra. Across from her, Kankuro felt cold wet needle points touch his throat while glittering dust was wrapped around his arms, slowly crushing them.
"I would advise you to drop him Suna-san! You don't want to cause an international incident, do you? After all, attacking the Hokage's grandson without provocation is grounds for the declaration of war." A cold voice said causing a shiver to run down Kankuro's spine.
Both Kankuro and Temari stared at the source of the voice and saw a haze slowly lifting revealing a black haired girl holding senbon made of ice to Kankuro's throat. Turning her head, Temari saw that that the chains were originating from a red haired, red eyed girl. A final, blue haired girl was standing off to the side with more glittering dust floating around her. All three were sporting hitai-ate, that form the lectures her father had given herself and her siblings, she recognized as Uzu hitai-ate. Then she realized that the boy was also wearing a hitai-ate, though one of Konoha.
Temari gulped in realization that she an Kankuro were both outnumbered and outmatched, especially with the amount of skill the three Uzu Kunoichi displayed in capturing them. Right then, the boy Kankuro was holding broke down into pebbles as the boy appeared beside her with his hands engulfed in flames, pointing it towards Kankuro.
Temari was about to speak, in an attempt to defuse the volatile situation when a sudden pressure fell on her shoulders. Looking up, she saw that all of them were affected. A sudden sound drew her attention to the nearby roof top and saw the boy she identified as Uzumaki Naruto standing there with an Uchiha, from the Sharingan swirling in his eyes and another boy with a glob of ink floating around his head. Temari paled at the realization of the precarious situation she and Kankuro found themselves in, just because of Kankuro's ego.
"STAND DOWN!" Naruto bellowed in a tone full of authority. The Uzu Kunoich quickly withdrew a few paces back and the boy hastily put out the flames before jumping up to stand beside Naruto and the two boys. "Now, that no one is immediate danger of being killed, explain what is happening? Is this the famed hospitality of Konoha and Uzu?"
The three kunoichi bowed their heads in shame while the Hokage's grandson just looked at Naruto with defiance before commenting, "They attacked me! We were just returning the favor?"
Grabbing the boy by the ear, Naruto jumped down with the boy before landing beside Temari. "Don't twist the events Konohamaru. Sasuke, Sai and I were already here for some time now. We witnessed everything that happened. Now apologize to this young lady for running into her!"
Konohamaru looked like he was about to protest before bowing to Temari and said, "I apologize for running into you. In my defense, I was running away from those three monsters!" Before Konohamaru could even blink, Naruto smacked the boy on the head before pointing to the Uzu Kunoichi.
Konohamaru sighed before bowing to the three incensed Kunoichi and said, "Please forgive me for pranking you and calling you monsters!"
The three Kunoichi nodded before Karin stated, "This is the last time we forgive you Konohamaru. Destroy our battle dresses again, and you will wish you were in hell!"
Temari and Kankuro gulped in fear at the killing intent wafting off the red haired girl. Their fear increased when Naruto called out, "You can come out now Ichibi. Please join us here. I am sure that your siblings will feel safer with you beside them."
"Kankuro, Temari! You both are a disgrace to Suna!" Gaara said as he appeared in a swirl of sand. Everyone except Naruto were surprise to see the red haired boy with the massive sand gourd on his back appear. None of them sensed his presence until he appeared.
"Uzumaki Naruto, the Kyūbi Jinchūriki! Mother wishes for your blood, yet warns me to stay away from you. I wonder why?" Gaara said with a maniacal look in his eyes.
"Why don't you bump fists with me and find out?" Naruto said with a grin as he raised his right fist to Gaara. The Ichibi Jinchūriki looked suspicious at the gesture but decided to humor Naruto, to the extreme surprise of his siblings.
Right after Gaara tapped his fist to Naruto's, the sand in the gourd rattled before settling down. Temari and Kankuro looked surprised as the eternal bloodlust emanating from their little brother suddenly became more subdued. Pulling back their fists, Gaara bowed to Naruto and said, "Thank you for your help Naruto-sama. With your intervention, Shukaku has finally settled down."
"I thought he might. He isn't really a mad being. He just wishes to honor his first Jinchūriki. The only person he could call his friend. Be his friend Gaara, and you will find that a Bijū's wisdom goes a long way. Come by the Uzu Compound in the evening. I will have Natsumi fix your seal. Truly a shoddy work. Who forgets to place a psyche barrier in a Bijū holding seal? No wonder you can't sleep."
Gaara nodded in agreement before saying, "These are my elder siblings. Kankuro, my brother and Temari, my sister and I am Gaara."
"A pleasure to meet you all. These beautiful kunoichi from Uzu are my cousin, Uzumaki Karin, the one with the red hair. Makkeshō Suiren, the one with the blue hair and crimson crystal dust floating about her. Then there is Yūki Haku." All three kunoichi nodded in greeting but didn't say anything else.
"Next, the boys are members of Team 7, Uchiha Sasuke, my former Genin teammate." Sasuke nodding in greeting as Naruto continued, "Sai. An orphan who has developed an interesting new hidden jutsu style, and you have already met my wayward apprentice, Sarutobi Konohamaru."
"Pleasure to meet you all. Forgive us Naruto-sama, but we must meet up with our Jōnin sensei, so I bid you all a farewell!" Gaara said before clasping a hand on each of his siblings' shoulders, causing both of them to jump in fear. With a meaningful nod to Naruto, Gaara and his siblings vanished in a swirl of sand.
Sai put away the ink glob in a small gourd he was carrying at his waist and jumped down to the street with Sasuke. "Tough competition. I am forfeiting as soon as I see Gaara as my opponent."
"Don't you think it is a bit early to make such a decision Sai? I mean, he may be a Jinchūriki, but I doubt he undefeatable. In fact, I would prefer to see who is stronger. Me or him!" Sasuke said with a superior grin.
"Don't be so sure about it. Gaara is a very dangerous opponent. Much like Suiren can manipulate crystal dust, he can manipulate sand. From the reports, he has been on multiple B-Rank mission and has personally defeated enemy Jōnin while his team and sensei stood back. I can assure you that underestimating him will lead to your defeat, especially since he returned from each of his missions without a single scratch on him."
"I wonder who is better in manipulating fine particles, me or him." Suiren wondered before Karin slapped the girl in the back and commented, "Then be sure to survive long enough to face off against him. When I finally focused my senses on him, I was shocked to find that his personal reserves are just as large as any Kage's, that too without adding the Ichibi's chakra to the mix."
"I would advise not to engage him. He reminded me of Zabuza-sama on an assassination mission. That isn't the kind of opponent you would wish to fight." Haku commented only for Naruto to chuckle and say, "That's just his defense mechanism. His village treats him like he is the Ichibi. He uses that façade to protect himself. I will be going now. Ja ne!"
Team 7 and Team Uzu stared at the place Naruto vacated before Karin commented, "So! Anyone up for some food? I am paying."
"Sorry, but I have to meet up with Nii Samui again. It is my day to take her out on a date. I just wish that Naruto hadn't nominated me as a prospective groom for a political marriage."
"Oh stop complaining. At least the girl isn't fawning over you like all of your fan girls. You should be happy that you already have a prospective candidate for one of your wives." Karin said with a teasing grin as Sasuke left the group, completely ignoring Karin.
Gaara walked into the massive chamber underneath the main mansion in the Uzumaki Compound. Behind him, Temari, Kankuro and Baki followed with wary expressions on their faces. As they reached the center of the chamber, the lights brightened to show a massive sealing array was carved into the floor of the chamber. At the other end of the chamber was a wooden table with multiple clay vats.
Baki saw that Naruto, a red haired girl of about twelve and a red haired woman in her middle twenties were standing over a scroll, discussing something. "Ah welcome. Gaara, you will need to remove all of your clothes and sit in the middle of the array. Then we can begin."
Gaara didn't say anything as he quickly divested himself of his clothes, living him in his underwear. Quickly striding to the middle of the circle, Gaara sat down without even a prompt and closed his eyes in meditation. He already knew that his old seal will be destroyed. The pain he felt when Akatsuki had extracted Shukaku in the future was prominent in his mind. He was not going to let the pain show, just like last time.
"You three. Come and stand with us, while we prepare for the sealing. Do not touch anything and especially do not channel any chakra. The consequences may be catastrophic!" Natsumi barked out causing the three Suna shinobi to follow her orders without complaint. After they were situated, Natsumi turned to Karin and said, "Be ready Karin-chan. If Shukaku tries to escape, it will be your job to restrain him."
Karin gulped before her red eyes glowed with determination as she focused her chakra to create the chakra chains. The Kongōfūsa was truly an awe inspiring technique, but also difficult to master. She just hoped that she was ready to restrain a Bijū as Naruto's mother could.
"I am filling the troughs Natsumi. I hope you are ready!" Naruto said as she tipped one of the vats of ink into a small sluice. The ink flowed down the sluice before slowly filling up the craved troughs in the array. After the troughs were filled, Natsumi walked forward with a brush and ink pot in hand. Gently laying Gaara down on the ground, Natsumi started drawing some seals around Gaara's stomach. When it was finished, Natsumi turned to Naruto and Karin before nodding and placing her palm in the center of the recently drawn seal, Natsumi channeled her chakra into the seal before twisting her palm in the clockwise direction.
Immediately, a bubbling brownish-red chakra cloak formed around Gaara as he convulsed in pain. Quickly, Natsumi started drawing some fūinjutsu shiki on Gaara's stomach. As the cloak bubbled even more, Naruto walked forward as a yellow cloak of charka formed around him. Naruto placed a glowing palm on Gaara's forehead and soon the bubbling cloak of brownish-red chakra was forced back into Gaara just as Natsumi finished drawing the seals.
"Jump back Naruto-sama. I am going to solidify the seal now!" Naruto nodded and jumped back to the safety of the table as Natsumi quickly formed a few hand seals before placing her palms on both side of Gaara's stomach and called out, "Fūinjutsu: Gōchutekkan Fūin!"
A bright silvery white light erupted from the newly forming seal before it solidified into a simple pentagonal seal with the kanji for Iron at the five vertices and an Uzumaki swirl in the middle. Rubbing the sweat from her forehead, Natsumi stood up and walked back to the table before slumping on the chair.
"It is done. He should wake up in a couple of moments Naruto-sama!"
Naruto nodded and right after that, Gaara gave a groan as he sat up. "You know something; I didn't think that changing a Bijū restraining seal would be so painful. I feel so sore."
"Gaara? Are you alright?" Baki asked with apprehension. He was stunned at the perpetual bloodlust being gone and was now afraid that he wouldn't be able to judge Gaara's moods.
"Why the hell is there a second presence in my seal Naruto?" Gaara asked with confusion as he stood up and caught his clothes, that Naruto threw towards him.
"The second presence is your mother's soul. That sand protection you have is your mothers will to protect her baby boy. It seems that my parents weren't the only ones to think about sealing their souls or fragments of them in our seals." Naruto said with a grin.
Gaara nodded before saying, "So that's why I always thought Shukaku was my mother. He was interfering with her emotions and feelings. Do you think I will be able to talk with her?"
"I would advise against it until the seal is better settled. I have designed it to siphon off a bit of your chakra to support the continued existence of your mother's soul. You can try communicating with your mother's soul in a weeks' time."
Gaara nodded at Natsumi's words before turning to his team and saying, "Father is betraying our morals and our honor. Baki, when my father comes to Konoha, make sure to inform me. I wish to talk with him."
Baki nodded at the sudden authority dripping from Gaara's tone. The sudden sanity in the redhead's eyes also startled the Jōnin but he decided not to question it. If the sanity would prevent Gaara from massacring everyone in their sleep, then he was all for it.
"As you wish Gaara. Now we must be going now. I am sure that you wish to have a lie in after being insomniac for so long." Gaara nodded as Baki turned to Naruto and said with a bow, "Thank you for your assistance Naruto-sama, Uzumaki-san, and Uzumaki-san."
"Do not mention it Baki-san. It was the least I could do to help a fellow Jinchūriki. Gaara, don't hold back during the exams. In fact, if you face against Konohamaru, Sasuke, one of the three from Uzu, I would advise that you go all out!"
Karin paled at Naruto's advice. Gaara gave a bloodthirsty grin and said, "I wasn't planning on it. I just hope that you haven't overestimated your students Naruto!" The three shinobi from Suna shivered at the sudden bloodthirst emanating from Gaara and moved away a bit out of fear.
"I am sure that I haven't. See you all around. It is as Baki-san said. You need the sleep! You look pathetic!" Naruto said with a grin right before a shuriken of sand flew at his head. Without even blinking, Naruto waved a hand and took control of the sand with an impish grin. "Ninshu is far greater than Ninjustu. Here, let me show you!"
With that said, Naruto forced the sand to coalesce into a stone before melting into a shuriken made of lava before it suddenly froze into solid rock, after which, it dropped to the ground. The Suna Shinobi looked shocked at how easily Naruto stopped the sudden attack while Gaara chuckled causing all of the Suna Shinobi to shiver in fright. "A battle between us will be interesting. I hope we get the chance Naruto!"
"I am sure we will!" Naruto said with a knowing grin.
"Baki, Temari, Kankuro, let's go. I want to see how much sleeping will help me in getting stronger!" Without even complaining, the three quickly followed Gaara out of the chamber and out of the Uzu Compound. Leaving behind an amused Naruto and two confused Uzumaki women.
Japanese Translations
Tessen = Battle Fan
Japanese Jutsu, Style and Weapon Name Translations
Kongōfūsa = Adamantine Sealing Chains
Fūinjutsu shiki = Sealing Formula
Fūinjutsu: Gōchutekkan Fūin = Sealing Technique: Quintet of Iron Pillars Seal
A/N: There have been some people who have been complaining that I am not updating monthly. I would like to point out that monthly doesnt necessarily mean every 30 days. It means once every month. Anyway, Enjoy the start of the Chunnin Exams Arc and tell me how you liked Gaara's acting after regaining his memories. After all as a Kage he would understand the magnitude of the secret.
SSG.
