Three Square Meals - Naruto Edition

by donalgraeme

Literally "Three Square Meals" by Tefler on Literotica with the main characters replaced by the Naruto cast. Either read my version or check out the original. The ULTIMATE Sci-fi harem story, for the record.

32. Chapter 32

The Invictus slipped effortlessly out of hyper warp in Epsilon-Eridani, and the crew watched from their places on the bridge, as the holographic map displayed the bright yellow star at its centre. There were two wide asteroid belts that ringed the system, and one single huge planet that was labelled Jericho.

"Nearly home Hana," Naruto said with a smile as he watched the brunette's reaction.

"It feels like so long ago when I last visited, but it's only been a matter of months!" she replied, shaking her head in amazement. "I can't believe how much I've been through since then..."

"We'll be landing at the closest planetary spaceport to your parents' home in about twenty minutes," Hinata said, having plotted a course to the huge planet already, the glowing green path clearly displayed on the system map.

"Looking forward to seeing everyone?" Naruto asked Hana with a grin.

"Honestly, I'm a bit worried how they'll react to my physical changes," she replied pensively.

"Your mother seemed to react very well when she noticed," Fu said, remembering the call they'd received two weeks earlier.

"I guess I'll just have to wait and see," Hana said nervously.

"Before we land, why don't we give Sakura a call, and check to see if she might be interested in joining the crew?" Hinata asked Naruto mischievously.

*It'll be a good distraction, and stop Hana from worrying,* she thought to him, revealing her real motives.

"Sure, that's a great idea," Naruto agreed, smiling at Hinata's thoughtfulness.

Hinata entered the contact details into the comms interface, and the powerful communications relay built into the Invictus reached out towards the distant Dragon March; to Port Medea, where Sakura was stationed. After taking a few minutes to establish a connection, the pinkette answered the call, her pretty face appearing on the viewscreen. She no longer looked like she was about to pass out from lack of sleep, and her glasses were pushed back on her head, revealing her light green eyes.

"Hey Hinata!" Sakura exclaimed with delight. "It's great to hear from you."

"Hey yourself," Hinata replied back, her voice warm and friendly. "You seem a lot perkier than the last time we spoke. Is this a good time to talk?"

"Oh yes, sorry about that. Finals were exhausting, and I was suffering from some serious sleep deprivation!" the pinkette replied, blushing prettily. "I go on shift in ten minutes, so you caught me at a good time."

"Hello Sakura," Naruto greeted her with a smile.

"Oh, hi Naruto!" she replied excitedly. "I saw your interview on the holo-net a few weeks ago! Did you guys really fight off a Kirrix invasion force?"

"That we did," he grinned, then glanced at the girls on the bridge. "Fortunately I have a fantastic crew, and we were able to save a lot of people."

"Sounds pretty amazing," she replied, obviously impressed.

"How's everything been going on your first posting?" Naruto asked her curiously.

"Ok, I guess," she replied, her happy expression growing more subdued.

"That doesn't sound good, are you alright?" he asked her, his voice concerned.

Sakura's eyes darted around her dorm room furtively, checking to see if anyone was within earshot. "This is a secure communication channel, right?" she asked nervously.

"Yes, we're using a military relay. It's automatically encrypted," he replied reassuringly.

"We're seeing so many casualties!" she gasped in a hushed voice. "I think things are going far worse against the Kintark than we've been led to believe. I knew I'd be treating plenty of combat injuries, but this has been relentless. I've lost... nearly a dozen patients that I just couldn't save, and I've only been here two weeks." she added, her face downcast and looking deeply troubled.

"I suspected that things weren't going well, and we've seen some badly damaged T-Fed ships, but that definitely doesn't sound good," Naruto said, agreeing with the pinkette's suspicions.

"We're not far from you at the moment, if you'd like us to swing by," Hinata chipped in. "We're looking to recruit a medical officer, so I thought you might be interested. If not, I can still offer you a friendly hug," she smiled at her gently.

Sakura's eyes lit up for a moment, before the sudden hope faded. "That sounds amazing, and I'd really love to apply for the post, but I'm locked into a Terran Federation military contract for the next five years," she said soberly. "I guess they need to get value for money after all the training they put me through."

"My tactical officer is still with the Federation, but she's been granted an indefinite leave of absence. We might be able to arrange something similar for you, if it turns out you're interested in joining us," Naruto said, re-igniting the hopeful spark in Sakura's eyes.

"Oh, I'd love a chance at an interview!" she said eagerly. "Just let me know when you'll be arriving, and I'll make sure I'm available!"

"Will do!" Hinata grinned at her happily. "It will take us just under a day to get to the Dragon march from here. I'll get in touch when we're getting ready to leave."

"I can't wait!" Sakura said excitedly, "See you soon!"

"See you soon!" Hinata replied, blowing her a playful kiss before ending the communication.

"That seemed to go well," Naruto said with a smile.

"Very well indeed," Hinata agreed, flashing him an eager grin.

"Do you think you can get her out of her contract?" Hana asked him doubtfully.

"I have a feeling the Terran Federation High Command wants to keep us on side. I don't think they'll object to us borrowing a newly qualified medic all that much," he said confidently.

"She seems really nice," Tenten said, to Hinata. "I can see why you like her."

"Yeah, she was kind and helpful when we first met, and I warmed to her immediately." The bluenette said with a smile, before she returned her focus to the controls for the Invictus, and brought them in on final approach to the planetary spaceport on Jericho.

Jericho's surface looked to be green and full of life, although there weren't huge bodies of water to be seen on the planet. The polar regions on this huge planetary body were substantial, capping the top and bottom of the otherwise green orb in white. As the third closest star system to Terra, Epsilon-Eridani had been part of the Terran Federation for centuries, and Jericho was a long established, and highly developed colony.

As soon as she had been granted final landing clearance, Hinata brought their sleek black assault cruiser in to land at the spaceport. They looked out over the assembled ships, seeing mainly Terran freighters and passenger liners, and the Invictus glided smoothly into position to touch down at the landing pad indicated by the glowing green guidepath.

"What's with all the passenger ships?" Tenten asked curiously, as she studied the large civilian vessels.

"Jericho is a popular destination for skiers," Hana explained. "Those passenger liners bring in the holiday makers for the ski-resorts on the polar caps."

"Skiers? What's that?" Tenten asked, intrigued.

"You haven't heard of skiing before?" the brunette grinned. "It's lots of fun, I'll have to teach you some time. You basically ski down big hills covered in snow."

When she still received blank looks from Hinata and Tenten she giggled. "You guys must have heard of snow before?" she asked incredulously, having grown up on a planet where every vacation was focused around the stuff.

"Grew up in a shit-dump of a mining asteroid, remember?" Hinata said with a smile. "Karron just had one season: Grubby..."

"Snow is really fun!" Hana said exuberantly. "You can make snowballs with it, build snow forts out of it, and ski down it!"

"Sounds like another good idea for a vacation," Naruto grinned, "But back to the current mission at hand, we better disembark and go hail a hover-taxi."

They all rose and began to make their way to the grav-tube to head down to the airlock.

"We can just take the Raptor," Hana said with a shrug. "There's plenty of space to land it at my parent's house."

"I thought you said your parents had a town house?" Naruto asked her curiously as they stepped into the red glowing anti-grav field.

"They do, but you saw how big Jericho is. Even town houses here have decent plots of land." the brunette explained.

"Whatever you think is best," Naruto said with a smile, before turning to Fu. "Do you feel like taking us for a flight in the raptor?"

The nymph bounced up and down excitedly at the prospect. "Of course, I love flying that ship!" she agreed exuberantly as they stepped out into the corridor for deck nine.

"Ok, but no crazy aerobatics, we don't want to get in trouble with Jericho flight control." Naruto laughed, hitting the button that opened the doors into the hangar bay.

"You can trust me..." Fu laughed gaily over her shoulder, as she ran towards the glistening black Raptor.

"Are you sure arriving in a heavily armed gunship will create a good first impression?" Naruto asked Hana with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you kidding? They're all military remember, they'll love it!" she replied with a laugh.

They followed behind the Nymph, who was already disappearing up the ramp at the front of the gunship. Naruto pressed a button on the remote in his jacket pocket, and the hangar bay door began to slide up slowly, opening up the huge portal in the side of the assault cruiser's hull. Tenten was the last one inside the Raptor, and she hit the button on a wall mounted panel that would close up the ramp behind them. They walked through the reinforced door at the back of the room, and Naruto noticed the new grav-tubes that they'd had fitted since he'd last been in here.

"Very nice," he said to Tenten appreciatively, as they stepped into the blue glow and rose effortlessly up to the top deck.

"It's a huge extravagance just to avoid pressing the button on a lift, but as the Ashanath did it for free, I'm not complaining!" the ravenette grinned back at him.

"It saves valuable seconds in a combat situation, so it was well worth doing," Naruto said, then returned her grin. "And as you say, our new allies picked up the tab!"

They fanned out to take seats behind Fu, who had already sat down, and was powering up the gunship. The Raptor had a pilot and co-pilot's chair, as well as six other seats; three on either side at the back of the roomy cockpit.

"These are new too aren't they?" Hana asked, looking around at the comfy seats.

"Yeah, I had the Ashanath add a few more seats up here. We had the space, and it beats standing!" Tenten replied.

"Why six?" Naruto asked her curiously, noting the three unoccupied chairs.

"No real reason, that's just how many I could fit in with the space available." Tenten replied with a shrug.

"Looks like I'll need to find some nice warm bodies to fill them," Hinata said, looking at Naruto with a sly smile.

He opened his mouth to reply, before she quickly cut him off. "XO in charge of recruitment!" she exclaimed with relish.

"I'm never going to hear the end of that one, am I?" Naruto laughed at her fondly.

"Are you honestly complaining?" she asked him archly, as she glanced around at Hana, Tenten, and Fu in turn.

"Ok you win, I bow to your superb eye for talent," he grinned, with his hands upraised.

"That's a good boy," she said happily, and threw him a wink.

The cockpit rang with the sound of their laughter, as the Raptor rose smoothly off the ground under Fu's expert control. Their nymph pilot glided the gunship out from the vast hull of the Invictus, and pressed a control on her console to remotely close up the hangar bay, as soon as they were clear of the massive door. Hana rose from her seat at the back of the cockpit to move to the co-pilot's seat, and she provided clear directions to Fu on how to reach the Inuzuka family home.

It was only a quick five minute flight in the extremely fast gunship, and they watched out of the wide cockpit, eager to get a first glimpse of their destination. As Hana guided Fu to her old home, the townhouse turned out to be located on the outskirts of a sprawling leafy suburb, with big ranch style homes placed a good distance apart from each other on substantial plots of land.

"I think 'townhouse' undersells this place a little," Naruto said appreciatively as they approached slowly, and then touched down gently at the back of the big house, on a large flat area denoted by glowing chevrons.

"Why have you got a landing pad in your back garden?" Tenten asked Hana curiously.

"My Dad sometimes gets dropped off directly by dropship when he's on leave from the Damocles. It's just easier than having the neighbours griping about the dropship pilots messing up the sidewalk out front," she said, rolling her eyes.

Laughing, they left the cockpit, travelled down in the grav-tube, and then waited patiently as the front loading ramp dropped down. Hana glanced nervously at Naruto while they waited, and he reached out to squeeze her hand gently, as he offered her a reassuring smile. The smooth whirr of the hydraulics came to an end, letting them know the ramp was fully deployed, and they strolled out as a group to look directly out over the wide lawn lined on both sides with trees. There was a pagoda positioned centrally in the lawn, and at the back of the long garden, Naruto spotted a double swing seat attached securely to a tree limb. Looking to their right was the main house, a brick and timber construction with a big patio to the rear, that contained a good selection of comfortable looking garden furniture. The air on Jericho was deliciously crisp and clean, feeling wonderfully fresh after the slightly staler air they were used to on board their ship, and they breathed deeply, filling their lungs.

A figure waved to them excitedly from the kitchen, and happy raised voices could be heard from inside. They approached the house following Hana's lead, and her mother darted out of a set of wide glass doors, before running across the patio to greet them.

"Hana!" the attractive older Latina gasped excitedly, and Hana ran forward into her mother's open arms, all worries forgotten.

"It's so good to see you, mom!" she said happily, and the two women hugged each other fiercely with tears in their eyes. They eventually broke apart, and her mother turned to look at Naruto and the other girls curiously.

"I'm so sorry guys," Hana said, brushing the happy tears from her face. "This is Tsume, my mother. Mom, this is Naruto, Hinata, Tenten and Fu," she added, smiling at them as she faced each one in turn.

Tsume stepped forward with a tremulous smile on her face, before putting her arms around an astonished Naruto and Hinata, and hugging them tightly.

"Thank you both so much for saving my little girl!" she thanked them profusely through tear filled eyes. "She told me all about how you rescued her from pirates!"

"You're welcome Mrs Inuzuka," Naruto replied awkwardly, not sure how to react to the grateful woman he had only just met.

Hana's mother released them both and brushed the fresh tears from her eyes. "Call me Tsume, please!" she said laughing gently, a big smile lighting up her pretty face.

Before they could respond any further, three olive skinned men appeared through the glass doors at the back of the house, and strode over eagerly. Hana ran over to her brothers laughing happily, and they crowded around her, each of them giving her a big bear hug in turn.

"Come on," Tsume smiled at Naruto and the girls warmly, waving them to follow her. "My apologies for my daughter, she's being a terrible hostess."

They walked up to the Inuzuka brothers who were now staring at Hana in amazement, finally having a chance to get a good look at her once the initial hugs were out of the way.

"Holy shit Hana! What happened to you?" the shortest of the three brothers said as he gawped at her. The other two looked equally as shocked as they stared at the brunette.

"Err, I had a bit of a growth spurt," she replied, shifting uncomfortably.

"I'll say!" the tallest of the brothers said, and all three of them burst into good natured laughter.

"Kiba, your language," Tsume chastised the shortest of the men with a grin, "We have guests!"

The brothers turned to face Naruto and the girls, their expressions shifted rapidly. They went from surprised amusement with Hana, to carefully appraising as they looked at Naruto, and then wide eyed astonishment when they spotted Hinata, Tenten and Fu. Hana walked around her siblings to stand next to Naruto.

"These are my brothers: Kuromaru, Akamaru and Kiba," she said, looking at each of them in turn. The three men were all over six foot tall, with Kuromaru the tallest by a couple of inches, matching Naruto's height at six foot two. He had a closely cropped goatee and carefully styled dark hair, and like the other two brothers was dressed smart-casual in a shirt and trousers. Akamaru was wearing a pair of glasses, but shared the same dark hair and coffee coloured skin of the rest of the family. Kiba was the shortest, just clearing six foot. He had his hair cropped short, and a mischievous grin on his face.

"This is my boyfriend, Naruto," Hana said self consciously, slipping her hand into his before turning to the other girls. "And these ladies are my crewmates: Hinata, Tenten and Fu."

Kuromaru stepped forward confidently, and offered his hand to Naruto in a firm handshake. "We heard all about what you did for Hana. Thanks, my friend," he said warmly, his dark brown eyes reflecting the sincerity of his words. He then turned towards Hinata, who was standing at Naruto's side. "And I heard you were involved too, Hinata?"

"I helped out," she grinned at him in a friendly fashion.

"Hana never mentioned her rescuer was so beautiful though," Kuromaru said to her flirtatiously.

*We'll distract the guards, and let you go after the boss,* Hinata's playful voice echoed in Naruto's mind.

*You're incorrigible, but you have my permission to flirt,* Naruto replied, his amusement clear in the tone of his thoughts.

"Well, Hana never told me she had such a handsome brother, and a fellow Navigator no less?" Hinata replied, flashing a beaming smile at him, her perfect white teeth sparkling in the sunlight.

Naruto was distracted from following the conversation any further by Kiba, who strode up to him and gave him a big hug. "Thanks man! You're at the top of my cool list after saving my little sister! If there's ever anything I can do for you, just name it!"

Naruto clapped him on the shoulder with his free hand, and returned his broad grin when the exuberant young man stepped backwards. Kiba's eyes suddenly flashed past Naruto, darting over at the glistening black ship that was parked on the landing pad.

"Oh man! Is that what I think it is?" Kiba gasped in amazement, as he stepped forward to take a closer look at the gunship.

"It's a Raptor class gunship. Is that what you thought it was?" Tenten asked him playfully, gliding over to join him as he walked towards it with wide eyes.

"I've heard about them, but not seen one yet!" Kiba exclaimed, whistling appreciatively. He suddenly seemed to realise who he was talking with, and stumbled over his words. "You're Tenten right?" he asked the stunning redhead awkwardly.

"That's me!" she replied cheerfully. "I'm the chief engineer on our assault cruiser," she added proudly.

"You're an engineer too?!" the astonished young man asked her.

"Hana told me all about you. You're an engineer as well, but on a battleship right? That must be amazing!" she gasped with wide eyes.

Kiba turned to look back at Hana, and silently mouthed, "You're the best!" to his sister.

"Let me show you something cool I fitted in the Raptor, you're going to love it!" Tenten said to him eagerly, beckoning him up the loading ramp.

Naruto's attention was diverted by Hana's third brother who walked up to him calmly, and offered his hand in a firm handshake. Akamaru was quieter and much more controlled than his energetic younger brother, and he studied Naruto through his wire framed glasses as they shook hands. "Hana means the world to all of us," he said, flashing a smile at his younger sister. "We'll be forever in your debt for saving her life," he said with conviction.

"It was my pleasure," Naruto replied. "I've got pretty fond of her myself," he joked, smiling at the beautiful brunette warmly.

"I suppose this exotic young lady is your ship's doctor as well?" Akamaru said wryly, turning to face Fu.

"My name's Fu and I'm a Lenarran, but I'm not a doctor I'm afraid, I pilot the gunship," Fu said, as she beamed a big smile back at him.

"A Lenarran," Akamaru replied, intrigued. "I don't recognise your species, I'm afraid."

"We tend to be referred to as Nymphs," she grinned at him happily.

"How interesting, I have heard of those," Akamaru replied, looking intrigued.

Fu hooked her arm around his, and began to chat to him animatedly, leading him over to the patio furniture as they spoke.

Turning back to her mother, Hana's lovely face sported a puzzled frown. "Where's dad?" she asked, expecting him to be there to greet them.

"He's been delayed," Tsume replied apologetically. "He was supposed to arrive last night, but there was an 'Important briefing' he couldn't get out of, and he said he'd be late. He should be arriving any time now."

Hana glanced nervously at Naruto, the final and most important introduction she had to make was still looming.

"I've never seen you this worried about bringing a boyfriend home before," Tsume teased her playfully and darted a glance at Naruto. "He must be a keeper."

"Mom!" Hana said, flushing with embarrassment.

"Come inside you two, I'll make everyone some drinks." Tsume laughed, and led them into the house.

The Inuzuka home was modern and open plan, with a big lounge overlooked by a well furnished and spotlessly clean kitchen. Naruto followed after the two women as they walked into the kitchen, with mother and daughter chatting animatedly, as Tsume brought Hana up to date on all the family news. Tsume turned, and gave him a friendly smile as she welcomed him into her home, gesturing for him to sit at one of the high legged chairs around the breakfast bar.

Naruto sat at the table, and watched Hana chattering away with her mother, the teenager looking relaxed and happy. He then studied Tsume, who was obviously delighted to have her little girl back at home with her again. Tsume was not much older than himself he thought, probably mid-40's if he had to guess, but she had good genes and looked much younger. He immediately noticed the strong family resemblance she shared with her beautiful daughter, and it was fascinating to see a preview of what Hana might look like in thirty years' time. The Inuzuka women finished preparing a tray full of steaming cups of coffee, and Tsume sent her daughter outside to offer them around to all their guests.

When Hana left the kitchen, Tsume approached the breakfast bar holding two cups of coffee, and put one of them on the table, before sliding it over to him with a mischievous smile on her face. "So, did I pass the test?" she asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"The test? What do you mean?" he replied curiously.

"I noticed you studying us both earlier," she replied coyly. "You were wondering what Hana might look like when she's my age, right?"

Naruto laughed lightly and nodded his head, looking slightly embarrassed.

"I have a husband and three sons. I'm all too familiar with how the male mind works," she smiled at him archly. "And so, did I put your mind at ease?" she asked him teasingly.

"Not that I was worried before, but if I had been, I would now be quite delighted," he replied honestly.

Raising her own coffee cup in thanks, she smiled at him in gratitude for the compliment, before studying him quietly with her deep brown eyes. She reminded him so strongly of Hana that he felt greatly at ease with her, as they drank sips of coffee in companionable silence.

"Would you mind if I asked you a personal question?" She asked suddenly, interrupting the quiet moment.

"You can ask me anything, but whether I choose to answer is another matter entirely," he countered with a smile.

"That's fair enough," she laughed, before looking at him observantly. "You don't look it, but you're much closer to my age than Hana's, aren't you?"

"I just turned forty a few months ago," he admitted honestly. "Is that a problem?"

"In all honesty it's a bit older than I would have preferred, but the heart wants what the heart wants. There's ten years' age difference between my husband and I, so it would be a bit hypocritical for me to object. Besides, I've never seen Hana this happy before, so being with you obviously agrees with her. That's all a parent can really hope for after all, that their children lead happy lives." she said profoundly.

"Hana warned me that her father and brothers like to put her prospective boyfriends on the spot, to see how they'd react under pressure. But she never warned me about her perceptive mother," he said watching Tsume's face closely.

Tsume laughed at that, and smiled at him in acknowledgement of the compliment. "I'm just curious about the man who my daughter is so obviously smitten with. You can't fault me for that, surely?" she asked him playfully.

"No, any good mother would want to know. I am curious how I'm doing in your evaluation so far, though?" he asked her in return.

"Not bad, not bad at all," she answered with a smile, taking another sip of her drink.

Hana returned to the kitchen with her empty tray, which she tucked away into a drawer. "The boys are asking what time we're having dinner," she said rolling her eyes.

Tsume laughed merrily and stood up from her chair. "I think I've been asked that question daily for the last twenty years. I better get started I suppose," she said with a smile.

"Why don't you take a seat Tsume, I'd be happy to prepare dinner for the family," Naruto said, rising to his feet. "As long as I have my sous chef to assist," he added, grinning at Hana.

"You're our guest, I couldn't possibly..." Tsume said, genuinely shocked.

"Naruto cooks all our dinners for us," Hana explained, moving around the kitchen, pressing buttons to unfold racks of knives and chopping boards. "His grandparents owned a restaurant and taught him to cook, he's an excellent chef!"

"Anything in mind Tsume, or should I get creative?" Naruto asked the stunned woman with a grin.

"The boys normally like me to make them a Paella when they're back home on shore leave," she said falteringly, as she sat down.

"One Paella coming up," he said cheerfully.

Hana went to the fridge and took out the ingredients, handing the prawns and chicken to Naruto to prepare, while she got to work on the vegetables. The knife was a blur in her hands, as she chopped up the vegetables cleanly and efficiently, before adding them to a large frying pan and turning up the heat.

"You can cook now?!" Tsume asked her daughter, in wide eyed amazement.

"Naruto's been teaching me," Hana replied with a self conscious smile.

"But you always refused when I tried to teach you. You were always too busy studying battle reports and tactics," Tsume said in bewilderment.

"Maybe I just lacked motivation before," her daughter replied, looking at Naruto with a gentle smile.

"Can you just keep an eye on the pan while I prepare the seafood please, honey," Naruto asked Hana while looking at the squid speculatively.

"Sure thing, commander," Hana giggled happily.

"Thank you lieutenant," he said with a smile, before turning to Tsume. "How does your family feel about Calamari?" he asked her curiously.

Tsume stared at him for a moment, and then burst out laughing. "Very much pro," she said, shaking her head in disbelief. He smiled before returning to the chopping boards, and expertly began to prepare the squid into neatly cut rings. She sat and watched entranced by the domestic scene, as Naruto and Hana laughed and joked together, working flawlessly as a team to get dinner ready for ten people. Delicious smells began to circulate around the kitchen, and once all the prep work was done, and the Paella was simmering away happily, Naruto and Hana joined her at the table.

"All done," he said with a satisfied smile, "It'll be ready in about twenty minutes."

Tsume laughed again, shaking her head in amusement, and was about to reply, when the familiar sound of retro thrusters sounded out from the garden, followed by Kuromaru's voice calling to them.

"Dad's here!" he shouted loudly.

Hana started to look nervous again, and Naruto slipped his hand into hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. She looked up at him apprehensively, but was surprised when her mother rose and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"From what I've seen so far, you've got nothing to worry about," Tsume said comfortingly. "Come on, let's go welcome your father home."

They got up and headed out into the garden, where a Terran Federation dropship was gently hovering a couple of feet above the garden. A tall man in a naval officer's uniform hopped lightly off the loading ramp, and landed cleanly on the lawn. He strode out purposefully, before turning to wave off the dropship, which soared away smoothly.

"Captain Inuzuka reporting for duty!" he called out to his family, who rushed over eagerly to greet him.

Tsume got there first and gave him a big hug and a kiss, followed by the three elder brothers who welcomed him home with a hug and big enthusiastic grins. Finally Hana stepped up to meet him, and he wrapped her in his arms protectively.

"Hana! It's wonderful you were able to make it home," he exclaimed, with delight. "We were all so worried about you!"

She looked up at him with a big beaming smile on her face, and hugged him back fiercely. "I missed you too, Dad!" she said happily.

Her father looked up, finally noticing Naruto and the girls, who were standing nearby and watching Hana's touching family reunion. Hana noticed her father's shift in focus, and moved from his side to introduce her friends.

"Dad, this is Commander Naruto Uzumaki, and my shipmates: Hinata, Tenten and Fu." she said formally.

"And this is my dad, Captain Jack Inuzuka," she said proudly.

"Pleased to meet you Captain," Naruto said, striding over to shake his hand.

"Likewise, Commander," Jack said, studying him appraisingly and matching Naruto's firm handshake. "I believe I have you to thank for rescuing my daughter."

"Hinata was there too," Hana interjected, smiling warmly at her bluenette companion.

"Well, thank you both so much," Jack said earnestly. "It was such a relief to hear that Hana was safe and sound again."

Tsume walked over to her husband, and slipped her arm around his, so that she could lead him back to the house. "Perfect timing as usual, my love," she said to him affectionately, "Dinner's nearly ready."

"Smells like Paella to me, fantastic!" he exclaimed happily, his delight echoed by his three sons.

"Yes, this is a special one, to welcome everyone home," Tsume said, grinning slyly at Naruto and Hana.

They all followed Jack and Tsume into the house, and across the lounge to the comfortable dining room, which had a long dining table that could easily seat the six members of the Inuzuka family, and their four guests. They sat around the table, splitting up so that everyone was intermingled, in a boy/girl seating arrangement. Kuromaru, Akamaru and Kiba cheered when Tsume brought the huge dish of Paella in, which she set down in the middle of the table, and they then looked on curiously as Hana brought out a big bowl of fried Calamari as well.

Not wanting to stand on ceremony, everyone tucked into the tasty dinner and soon the Inuzuka men were complimenting Tsume on her amazing cooking.

"I'd love to take the credit, but Hana cooked this one up," Tsume said, glancing at Naruto who nodded approvingly.

"Oh my god, no way!" Kiba gasped in amazement. "I still remember when you burnt beans on toast!"

"Seriously, you cooked this?" Kuromaru asked her in shock.

"With a little assistance, yep!" Hana replied proudly with a beaming grin.

"It tastes absolutely delicious," Akamaru said, complimenting her sincerely.

"What do you think Dad?" Hana said, looking over at her father apprehensively.

"I'm sorry Tsume, but this is the best Paella I've ever tasted!" Jack replied with a huge grin.

Tsume chuckled, while Hana glowed under the praise from her father. The meal was a great success, with lots of good humoured banter between Hana's brothers, and the female members of the Invictus crew.

"So, your mother tells me you've got a little announcement to make, First Lieutenant?" Jack said airily. His sons looked around the table in confusion, before Hana cleared her throat with a cough.

"That's right dad, I got promoted, and they awarded me a Novaburst," she said, slightly embarrassed.

Her brothers cheered exuberantly, and burst into a round of applause for their little sister, joined by everyone else around the table too. Hana blushed, but grinned happily.

"Oh yeah! I'd forgotten about that TFNN interview!" Kiba exclaimed in surprise, before turning to Naruto. "I thought you looked familiar, man."

"Did you really wipe out all those pirates and the Kirrix?" Kuromaru asked Naruto curiously.

"Well I wasn't exaggerating in the interview; Hana did most of the hard work, but yeah, that we did," Naruto said with a smile.

Tsume got up and came around the table to give her daughter a big hug. "Congratulations Hana, I've been saving that for you for two weeks now!" she said, while Hana laughed and hugged her mother back.

"I'm very proud of you, Hana." Her father said sincerely, "I requested the after action report from Captain Flintlock on the Indomitable, and could hardly believe what I read. It seems like you managed to pull off the impossible."

Hana gazed over at him, with pride shining in her eyes. When she was younger, she had spent hours poring over reports of her father's battles during his days as a tactical officer, and she could hardly believe he was now reading about her own victories.

"Hana does seem to have a knack for turning the impossible into the slightly improbable," Naruto said proudly.

"Yeah the Kirrix and the pirates actually weren't too bad," Tenten said dismissively, "Not compared to the Drakkar at any rate," she added with a shudder.

"You went up against the Drakkar?!" Akamaru said in shock, having been well versed on marauding alien species.

"Hana personally destroyed four of their cruisers," Fu said helpfully. "Although she wasn't involved in our final confrontation with their battleship," she said, shrugging apologetically at the brunette.

It took a while for the clamour and excitement at this little bombshell to die down, but Naruto, Hana and the others relayed an edited version of their trip to Grey space, and their elimination of the Drakkar raiders. At the end of their little tale, Jack burst out laughing.

"I think you've packed more action into the last two months, than I did in my first ten years at tactical!" he said to Hana, shaking his head in disbelief.

"It has been a busy few months," she grinned at him with a mastery of understatement.

They finished dinner together, and then everyone moved to the lounge where they sat around relaxing and chatting amiably. They had been resting comfortably for an hour when Kiba rose to his feet, and grinned enthusiastically.

"We have a little family tradition here Naruto," he began, causing Tsume to groan and roll her eyes. "How would you feel about a little sparring session, to work off some of that dinner?" Kiba continued undeterred.

"If you feel like you need a little lie-down after dinner, I'm happy to help you out," Naruto grinned confidently, rising to his feet.

"Oh, ho! Big talk from the new guy!" Kiba laughed teasingly.

Hana's brothers and father rose to their feet, leaving the lounge to go and get changed. Kuromaru paused before he left, and looked at Naruto gauging his size. "We're about the same build, I can lend you some gear if you want?" he asked Naruto considerately.

"That would be great, thanks a lot," Naruto replied appreciatively, and went with Hana's eldest brother to borrow some sparring gear. Hana joined him as they followed after Kuromaru to his room, and after her brother had handed Naruto a set of clothes and some sparring pads, she took Naruto's hand and led him down another corridor to her own bedroom. It was a big room, filled with shelves full of tactical manuals and a few holograms of Terran Federation capital ships adorned the walls. A hologram of the Cruiser Damocles took pride of place above a large desk, flanked by pictures of Hana's family.

When they were both inside her room, Naruto shut the door after them. He turned around to smile at Hana who suddenly leapt into his arms, catching him by surprise. "Oh god, I'm so hot for you right now!" she exclaimed, panting with excitement. They kissed passionately for a short moment, before Hana broke away from the kiss, her eyes shining with lust.

"I take it that means you're happy with how the visit's going so far?" he asked her playfully.

"This is the only time I've ever wished you didn't cum so much," Hana said ruefully, "Because otherwise, I'd want you to christen my old bedroom, taking me whatever way you wanted," she said, looking up at him with fiery passion in her eyes.

Naruto kissed her fiercely before they reluctantly broke apart. "We better get going before we're missed," he said regretfully. Hana nodded her agreement, and then began to strip completely naked.

"I thought we decided that making you look like you were six months pregnant was a bad idea?" Naruto asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"There's plenty of time for that later," Hana winked at him suggestively. "I'm gearing up for something I've wanted to do for years!"

It turned out that the Inuzuka family took their sparring sessions very seriously indeed. Naruto followed Hana's delightful figure, as she led him into a large Dojo that had been constructed on the far side of the family home. The floor was covered in training mats, with seating spaced around the outside for people to watch the action. On the walls were various melee weapons, including several practice swords, and a number of carefully displayed Katana that were sheathed in pristine leather scabbards.

Hinata, Tenten and Fu were sitting next to Tsume, and they cheered when Naruto and Hinata walked out onto the ground mats where the Inuzuka men were waiting.

"Err, why are you dressed like that Hana?" Kiba said, with a confused expression on his face.

"She's my student," Naruto interjected. "I figure that if you're good enough to beat Hana, then it might be worth my while to spar with you," he said with a playful wink.

This little challenge was met with shock and indignation from the three brothers, while Jack stood by silently, studying Naruto and his daughter.

"What's the matter Kiba, scared to fight a little girl?" Hana goaded him.

The howls of outrage got louder until Tsume intervened. "Are you gentlemen saying that a woman shouldn't be allowed to fight?" she asked with a dangerous edge to her voice.

Jack flashed a look at Tsume, and they reached an unspoken agreement, before he stepped back out of the ring.

"Yeah, it's on!" Hana whooped.

Naruto and two of the brothers also moved off the ground mats, but he was surprised to see that it was Kuromaru who was waiting to meet Hana's challenge. Naruto moved over to sit on the spare seat next to Tsume, eager to watch the bout. As he sat down, she leaned across and whispered to him, "Kuromaru was never into sparring as much as my other two sons. It looks like Hana's got to work her way up the rankings."

Hana's father stood at the side of the mats, equidistant between the two combatants. He raised his arm while glancing at each of them in turn, and called out, "Ready?" in warning. When he was certain that they were, he dropped his arm sharply. "Fight!" he exclaimed in a loud voice.

Kuromaru approached Hana confidently, while she faltered and looked unsure of herself. He was unwilling to strike out at her, so Kuromaru moved in to grapple his little sister, quite sure he was about to win a quick victory. Hana's faked uncertainty disappeared in an instant, and she stepped to the side, easily dodging Kuromaru's clumsy lunge. She then stepped in, grabbed him by the collar and rolled backwards, causing him to topple over her completely unbalanced. She rolled with him, landed on his chest, and performed a sharp strike to his throat, which she stopped at the last instant.

"Victory... Hana!" her father intoned in his deep voice.

Naruto and the girls went wild, whooping and cheering their friend, while Kiba and Akamaru stared at their siblings in open mouthed amazement. Hana rose gracefully and offered her eldest brother her hand, who gladly accepted and stood on unsteady legs. "Hey, I'm a lover, not a fighter," he said with a shrug, flashing a wink at Hinata.

*It looks like you made quite the impression,* Naruto thought with amusement to the bluenette girl who was sitting on the other side of Hana's mother.

*Almost as much as you made on Tsume,* Hinata retorted slyly. *Hoping for a little mother-daughter action?* she asked him playfully.

Naruto stifled his choked laughter with a cough, and Tsume turned his way with a concerned look on her face. "Are you ok, Naruto?" she asked him, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm fine thanks Tsume," he said, easing her concerns with a smile, and then he glanced over at Hinata, who waved at him playfully.

His attention was drawn back to the sparring ring, as Kiba stepped out onto the mats to square off against Hana, and they began to banter with each other.

"Looking forward to taking a little nap?" Hana taunted him playfully.

"The big talk from you isn't as impressive as it is from Naruto," Kiba said dismissively.

"Ready?" Jack called out to them both, his arm raised in the air.

"You aren't going to look impressive for Tenten, when I make you cry like a little girl... Second Lieutenant," Hana goaded him, knowing exactly what buttons to push.

"Fight!" Jack shouted clearly, dropping his arm sharply.

"Oh yeah, well, I'm gonn-" Kiba began, but he never got to finish the sentence. As soon as her father started the match, Hana's eyes narrowed with concentration, all distracting banter ignored. She watched Kiba puff out his chest to return her taunt, and as soon as she saw him lose focus, she darted forward to strike him in the chest, knocking him off balance, before following up with a leg sweep that sent him sprawling on his ass. She darted in for the killing blow, pulling the strike at the last second.

"Victory... Hana!" her father intoned, his voice ending the match with resounding finality, while the watching crowd cheered and clapped their appreciation.

Kiba looked up at Hana in stunned surprise. "Hey, she cheated!" he gasped indignantly.

"Are you saying I don't know how to judge a match?" Jack asked him with a raised eyebrow.

Kiba sighed and shook his head, accepting Hana's hand and rising to his feet. "Well done squirt," he said, nodding at her approvingly. Hana grinned at him, before giving him a fierce hug.

"What have you been doing to my daughter?" Tsume said to Naruto in a hushed whisper. "It's like she's a completely changed woman!" she marvelled, shaking her head with wonder.

*Uh oh,* Naruto thought to Hinata, sounding alarmed.

"Do you like the woman your little girl is growing into?" Hinata asked Tsume quietly.

Tsume turned to look at Hinata, studying her with her sharp eyes. "Very much so," she replied with conviction.

"Good, so do I," Hinata said with a warm smile.

The last of the three brothers was stepping into the ring, and they all turned to watch this match. Akamaru had removed his glasses and appeared quite different without them, looking very much like his father. He watched Hana intently, while she narrowed her own eyes, focusing herself for the fight ahead.

"Ready?" Jack called out to his children.

Both combatants stood motionless, all their attention on their opponent.

"Fight!" Jack shouted, dropping his arm.

Akamaru sprang into action, sending a flurry of punches Hana's way, but she adeptly dodged or parried them. She countered with her own lightning fast strikes, which soon put her older brother on the defensive. The fight lasted for twenty minutes, in a blur of kicks and punches, but neither of them were able to land a decisive attack that might end the fight.

"Cease!" Jack called out, "Draw!" he exclaimed. The spectators were unsure what to do, so they clapped and cheered regardless.

Akamaru smiled at Hana and performed a low bow, showing his respect. She bowed in return, and then he wrapped her in a big hug, a wide smile on his face. "You were amazing Hana!" he said appreciatively, and she grinned back at him, grateful for his warm praise.

Naruto rose and strode down to the mats. Hana turned and ran into his arms, where he picked her up easily, and swirled her in the air. "You were incredible honey, I'm so proud of you!" he told her as she laughed delightedly, and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. Naruto put her back down on the ground, and she beamed up at him, her beautiful face radiantly happy.

"What now?" Kiba asked, unsure how to proceed after the draw.

"Now Naruto and I fight," Jack said calmly, stepping onto the mats.

"You're in trouble now Naruto, no-one beats our dad!" Kiba said teasingly with a grin.

The two men squared off against one another, and bowed respectfully. With a slight nod from Jack the match had begun, and they moved cautiously towards one another. Naruto had been practicing martial arts for over twenty years now, and he immediately recognised another master simply by the way Jack moved to engage. There was a quiet confidence in the man, a sureness of foot and perfection of balance that spoke of his many years of experience.

Despite Jack's slight age disadvantage, he had seemingly lost none of his quickness or strength, and Naruto had to muster all of his own speed to deflect and counter the relentless series of attacks. The spectators watched in hushed silence as the two men advanced and then defended, seemingly locked in a stalemate. Despite seeing a number of opportunities where he would have been able to simply overwhelm Jack using his super strength, Naruto refused to do so, and instead relied purely on his relatively normal speed and technique. Jack finally managed to outmanoeuvre Naruto, and with a lightning fast sweep, brought Naruto to his knees.

Naruto raised his hand conceding the fight, and the spectators went wild, clapping and cheering the amazing display of martial skill.

"Don't feel bad," Kiba said with a grin, offering him a hand to stand up. "You lasted way longer than any of us ever had!"

Kuromaru came over to clap him on the shoulder in a friendly fashion, "I'm glad we never fought," he said with a self deprecating laugh, "That would have been embarrassing!"

Finally Akamaru came over to him and shook his hand, looking at him with respect. "That was very impressive," he said, nodding in approval.

Through all this, Jack watched silently, and when Tsume suggested they all go and celebrate with a drink, he stepped forward and placed his hand gently on Naruto's shoulder, causing him to turn to look at the older man questioningly. The rest of the group disappeared out of the room and into the house, with only Hana staying behind, watching them both with a worried look on her face.

"I'll be along in a few minutes, honey, everything's ok," Naruto said to her reassuringly, and she turned and walked after the others, glancing back at the two men a few times before she left.

"Is everything ok, Jack?" Naruto asked him hesitantly.

Jack let go of his shoulder and stepped back, moving to square off with him once more. "Fight me again, but don't hold back this time," he requested firmly.

Naruto stared at the man appraisingly, and then nodded, centring himself and preparing for the fight.

Jack stepped forward to attack, and Naruto simply ignored the blows to his chest, using his vastly superior strength to shrug off the otherwise unbalancing attacks. Jack stared at him in shock, as Naruto grasped him firmly by his shirt, and then effortlessly overpowered him to bring him down to the mat, the entire fight over in less than ten seconds. Naruto stood smoothly and locked eyes with Jack, offering the defeated man his hand to help him off the floor. Jack accepted his hand warily, and then rose, staring at Naruto for a long moment in deathly silence. He finally broke into laughter, and shook his head in amazement.

"That was incredible," Jack said, looking at him in awe. "I don't remember ever feeling so hopelessly outmatched before."

Naruto smiled at him and then shrugged. "You can probably tell from my ears I'm not completely human. It seemed grossly unfair to use my enhanced strength to defeat you."

Jack studied him silently for a moment before answering. "That's not it though, is it? You were fighting a larger campaign today," he said perceptively.

"Lose the battle and win the war," Naruto replied, nodding his acknowledgement of the man's analysis.

"And what war would that be?" Jack asked him quietly.

"Making a good impression on your family," Naruto replied self consciously. "Hana means a great deal to me, and I hoped to win over your sons with that match."

"By losing to me, they see you as a peer, instead of a threat. United in a common inability to defeat me in combat..." Jack said, nodding his understanding.

"I've seen the way they all look up to you, Hana included. Me winning our fight might have tarnished their perception of your... invincibility. I've got no desire to upset that dynamic," Naruto explained.

Jack chuckled, amazed at the amount of forethought Naruto had put into a seemingly simple fight. He offered his hand in friendship, which Naruto shook warmly, and then Jack grinned at him. "I appreciate it, thank you. Keeping three boys on the straight and narrow can be a challenge at times, and having their respect means a great deal to me."

"Well they're great boys, you should be very proud of them," Naruto replied.

"Let's go and grab a beer, I think you and I should have a chat," Jack said, smiling at him warmly.

Naruto followed Jack back into the house and into the kitchen, where Hana and Tsume were standing together chatting. The women turned to face them, burning curiosity on both their lovely faces as to what had kept the two men behind.

"Everything ok, dear?" Tsume asked Jack with a raised eyebrow.

"Man-stuff sweetheart, nothing to worry about," he replied with a grin. "We're just going to go have a chat in the garden."

Tsume smiled, and wordlessly handed him two bottles of chilled beer from the fridge, watching the two of them with her perceptive gaze. Hana looked like she was dying to go with them, but she managed to resist the urge with an act of iron will power. Jack led the way outside, and Naruto turned back briefly to wave affectionately at Hana, who grinned at him and held her crossed fingers up in the air.

It was now dark outside, Epsilon-Eridani's sun having set hours earlier. They strolled out over the lawn towards the Pagoda, walking along a series of stone slabs that were illuminated by the soft glow of ground lights that flanked the path. Jack sat down on the closest of the padded benches, and Naruto sat opposite him facing the house.

"Cheers," Jack grinned, leaning over so that they could clink bottles, before they sat back and took a swig of the beer.

"That's pretty damn fine beer," Naruto sighed contentedly.

"Isn't it just?" Jack laughed. "It's brewed locally, and the advertising blurb says it's all down to the special minerals in the mountain water on Jericho. I'm sure that's all a bunch of crap, but there's no arguing with the taste!"

They sat in companionable silence for a little while, taking sips from the bottles and looking up at the huge sprawl of twinkling stars in the night sky. Learning lessons from ancient Terra, night lighting on Jericho was cleverly and rigorously designed to minimise any light pollution. As a result, the view of the sky on a clear night like this was breathtaking.

"This seems like a wonderful place to raise a family," Naruto said, his nod towards the house managing to encompass the entirety of Jericho as well.

"Tsume and I visited lots of worlds when we served together on the Damocles. We both fell in love with Jericho, and always said we'd settle down here, when the time was right." Jack agreed.

"I didn't know you both served together on your current ship," Naruto replied. "Hana mentioned you both were in the military, but didn't go into detail."

Jack laughed as he thought back to the early days of his relationship with Tsume. "I still remember the talking to I got when we started going out together. I was commander rank at the time, second-in-command on board the Damocles. My captain at the time was very old school, and heartily disapproved of 'fraternisation amongst the bridge crew' ," he finished in a gruff voice.

"I must admit, it's a great feeling to be in charge of your own ship, and not having to tip-toe around an ornery Captain," Naruto grinned.

Jack nodded and returned his grin. "You'll get no argument from me there!" he said, before pausing and looking at Naruto thoughtfully as though he was going to ask something.

"Go ahead and ask, what's on your mind?" he asked the older man.

"When Tsume mentioned that you and Hana were seeing each other, I must admit I took a look at your service record," Jack confessed. "It was a very impressive read, but officially you're listed as retired. So I was wondering how come you're still flying a Terran Federation assault cruiser?"

"I did retire, eleven years ago now, and after I made my money trading, I bought the Invictus as a civilian," he explained. "I still help out now and then, so there was no objection to me keeping the ship fully armed."

"That's one hell of a trading vessel," Jack laughed.

"Isn't it just," Naruto grinned, and raised his bottle of beer before taking another drink.

"So what are your plans now, are you still working as a trader?" Jack asked him curiously.

"In all honesty, I made so much on the last trade there's no real need any more, but it's something interesting to do in my retirement," Naruto replied. "I'm currently in the process of upgrading the ship with alien tech, so that's why we headed out to Grey Space."

"I must admit, I've often wondered what it would be like to just be able to explore the Galaxy in my own ship, without having to follow orders and obey the chain of command," Jack said wistfully.

"Hana told me about your plans for the 'Inuzuka family ship' ," Naruto grinned.

"I might have to man Tactical myself... I have a feeling Hana won't be interested in a transfer," Jack joked. "So where are you taking the Invictus too next?" he asked, intrigued.

"I'm planning to visit the Maliri," Naruto explained. "I know their reputation, but I've traded with them before and they were friendly enough with me. I'm hoping I might be able to convince them to upgrade my laser weaponry," he finished with a predatory grin.

"Well I hope it works out for you," Jack said dubiously. "T-Fed R&D would love to get their hands on some of the Maliri tech, but they've been completely uncooperative so far. About five years ago, the Damocles provided an escort for a military research vessel that went to trade with them. The Maliri stubbornly refused even the most ridiculously one-sided deals, and we left there empty handed. That R&D Admiral was fuming all the way back home," he chuckled at the memory.

"Well I'm officially a civilian now, so maybe I'll have more luck," Naruto winked, before taking another long drink of beer. "Before that, we're looking to recruit a medic, and we know someone who's interested. We'll take a quick trip to the Dragon March to see if she's a good fit for the ship, before we head off to Maliri Space."

At that, Jack sat up straight. "You're going to the Dragon March?" he said in alarm.

"That was the plan, is that a problem?" Naruto replied, suddenly alert.

Jack paused, and looked down as he was mulling something over, before he finally raised his eyes to stare at Naruto. "I can't go into detail, it's all at Ultra level clearance, but the Dragon March is a very dangerous place to go right now. I honestly like you, but the only reason I'm telling you this, is because you have my daughter on your ship," Jack said, his voice ringing with concern.

"Thanks for the warning," Naruto said, "We'll be very careful."

Jack looked like he was going to say more, when Tsume stepped outside onto the patio and called them back to the house.

"Thanks for the beer," Naruto said as he stood.

"You're welcome," Jack replied, but he seemed a little distracted.

They walked back to the house, where Tsume hooked her arm around Jack's and gave him a peck on the cheek. "We're going to play some cards, want to join in?" she asked him with a big beaming smile on her face. Jack laughed at her exuberance and nodded, and he followed her through to the dining room where their three sons were sorting decks of cards.

Hinata saw Naruto standing at the door, and she glanced at him with a questioning look on her face.

*That sounded ominous about the Dragon March,* she said in his mind. *I wonder what's happening out there exactly?*

*We'll find out soon enough,* Naruto replied, his confident voice ringing through her thoughts. *How are you girls getting on?*

*We're a big hit with Hana's brothers,* Hinata replied with amusement. *Harmless flirting aside, Tenten and Fu have been having a great time.*

*And how about you?* Naruto asked her perceptively.

*I've missed being able to act normal, and be tactile around you,* Hinata replied, looking wistful.

*We'll be back on the ship soon, and everything will be back to normal,* he said soothingly.

Hinata threw him a quick loving glance, before she returned her focus to the card game that was just about to start. Hana bowed out, and rose gracefully to walk over to join him.

"Let's go for a walk," she suggested quietly.

Nodding, Naruto held her hand and they strolled out into the garden again, walking across the lush lawn towards the two-seater swing at the back of the garden. It was made of wood with a high back, and the seat was covered in comfortable cushions. They sat together and looked back at the house, the sound of laughter drifting out through the wide open glass doors. Hana tucked her legs up on the chair, cuddling into him, and he encircled her shoulders with his arm. They sat like that for a while just staring up at the stars.

"Would you like to live in a place like this?" he asked her curiously.

"Not right now, no," she replied, with a contented smile. "I'm having too much fun racing around in the Invictus, saving the galaxy!"

He laughed and nodded, squeezing her shoulders as he pulled her a little closer to him.

"Later though, when we think about having a family, I'd love it," she said, looking up at him hopefully. "Just imagine; me, the girls and your children running over to greet you when you got home."

"Got home? I'd never want to leave," Naruto said, smiling down at her.

She looked up at him adoringly, and after a quick glance at the house, she kissed him passionately. Her lips were soft and eager against his, and her tongue flickered out, encouraging him to follow it back into her mouth with his own. Before things got too steamy, they broke apart and grinned at each other lustily.

"I've gotten used to being able to do whatever I like, when I like. Having to keep my hands off you has been torture!" she complained.

"I know the feeling," Naruto agreed with her wholeheartedly. "When you won those fights, I wanted to give you a huge victory kiss!"

"Oh that reminds me!" she exclaimed. "What happened with the fight with my father? I'm sure I spotted a few times you could have won that match."

"Jack realised I was holding back as well. That's why he wanted to speak to me alone in the Dojo after everyone left, he was after a rematch..." he explained.

"Oh wow!" Hana gasped. "What happened?" she asked him, with some trepidation.

"I won," he replied simply. "I got the feeling I could trust your father with the truth, and I used my full strength to get the rematch over with quickly."

"How did he react to that?" she asked him, her eyes open wide as she stared up at him.

"I think he appreciated the honesty. It was a good bonding moment actually," Naruto said reflectively.

"How about the chat in the pagoda?" she asked curiously, "did that go ok too?"

"Fine actually, he just wanted to know what my current plans were, but he wasn't happy about the idea of me taking you into the Dragon march. I think Sakura was right; things are much worse there than the Terran Federation has been letting on," he said, looking thoughtful.

"We should probably head there sooner rather than later then," Hana said, a speculative look on her face.

"I don't want to rush you away from your family, though," Naruto said, studying her to watch for her reaction.

"We'll stay a little while longer, and then I think we should head back to the Invictus," she replied, giving him a hungry look. "I don't think I could wait a whole night..."

Naruto nodded and then leaned in to kiss her again. They lost track of time while they made out under the starlight; sitting in the open air on the swing seat, while being warmed by the balmy evening breeze, made for a lovely romantic setting. They were roused from their passionate absorption with one another by a polite cough, and they looked up to see that Tsume was walking towards them with a smile on her face.

"Sorry to interrupt Hana, but the boys want you to join them in the game. I think they're hoping they'll have better luck against you with cards, than they did in the sparring matches!" she said apologetically.

Naruto rose with Hana, and he moved to follow her, when Tsume stopped him with an upraised hand.

"Would you sit with me a moment please, Naruto?" she asked him politely. "There's something I'd like to discuss with you, if that's ok?"

Hana paused to give him a lingering kiss goodbye, before throwing a challenging grin her mother's way, and then striding purposefully back to the house. Laughing at her daughter's antics, Tsume sat on the seat that Hana had just vacated and patted the spare seat next to her. Naruto sat and glanced over at her, painfully aware that he had just been kissing this attractive woman's daughter in the exact same spot only moments before.

"Well this certainly isn't awkward," Tsume said with a laugh, knowing full well what he was thinking.

"Sorry about that, we got a little carried away," Naruto apologised.

"There's no need to apologise," Tsume chuckled, "With three boys, I've stumbled across far worse!"

He laughed in response as she put him at ease once more. He found her ability to disarm him so quickly quite remarkable.

"Could I have an update on how I'm doing in your evaluation?" he asked her playfully.

"I think you might well have passed with flying colours," she said airily. "But there's one thing I'm really curious about, before I could give my final verdict."

"Oh really, what's that?" he asked her with a relaxed smile on his face.

"I know you're sleeping with Hinata as well as my daughter, but I can't quite make my mind up about Tenten and Fu," she mused. "I'd probably need to see you around them a little longer before I can figure that out."

Naruto gulped and shot her a worried glance, wondering how furious she was going to be. She laughed when she saw his panicked expression, and placed a warm hand on his forearm soothingly.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." she grinned at him, enjoying her gentle teasing. "I always thought Hana was so straight-laced, but she really does take after her father..."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked the attractive woman tentatively.

"Jack always had a thing for bluenettes, and it looks like his daughter does too." she chuckled. "We had some fun with that before all the kids came along," she said, smiling fondly at the memories.

"Well you certainly are full of surprises, Mrs Inuzuka," Naruto chuckled with relief.

"As are you, Mr Uzumaki," she said with a coy smile. "I was wrong earlier by the way, when I said that Hana is smitten with you."

"You were?" he asked, sounding worried.

"Oh yes, she isn't smitten, she's head-over-heels in love with you." Tsume said sincerely. "I know my daughter very well, and I'm almost having trouble recognising the confident, assured young woman she's blossomed into since being with you."

"She's a wonderful girl, and I love her very much," Naruto said honestly.

Tsume studied him for a long while, gauging the truth in his words. "I know you've saved her once already, but can I trust you to protect her in the future?" she asked him, all playfulness gone for the moment.

"I'd give my life to protect hers," Naruto replied simply.

"That's not just some line, you really mean it, don't you?" she gasped, staring at him with wide eyes.

Naruto looked into her eyes and nodded, his open expression confirming his sincerity.

"Hana really has struck gold with you, hasn't she?" Tsume said, continuing to study his face intently.

"I prefer to think of it the other way around, but thanks for the compliment," Naruto replied with an appreciative smile.

At that Tsume let out a relieved laugh. "It's ok, you can stop now. You passed all my tests," she said, smiling at him fondly.

"Phew!" Naruto joked, blowing out an exaggerated breath in relief, which had Tsume laughing again.

"I really did enjoy meeting you, Naruto. Thanks so much for coming to visit," she said gratefully.

"The pleasure was all mine. I was intensely curious to meet the family who had raised such a wonderful girl, and I can only hope that I'll be as good a parent someday," he said honestly.

"Thank you, that's very kind," Tsume said gratefully. "I must admit I'm curious to meet your own family myself," she added playfully.

"It's just me I'm afraid," Naruto said apologetically.

"Oh Naruto, I didn't know. I'm sorry," she said compassionately, and reached out to squeeze his hand gently.

"It's ok, I've started to think of my crew as my family now," he replied as he thought about the girls, and a warm smile spread across his face.

"Well I think that answers my question about Fu and Tenten," Tsume teased him playfully. "It's quite understandable, they're all exceptionally lovely young women."

Naruto watched her warily, as she studied his face. "We were worried how you might react," he said carefully. "I hope you don't mind the deception."

"Hana is old enough to make her own decisions, and she seems to be thriving with you and your companions. If she's happy, then I'm happy," Tsume explained.

"Would Jack and her brothers share the same point of view?" Naruto asked warily.

"Let's keep this as our little secret," Tsume laughed mischievously. She rose gracefully, and tugged gently on his hand that she still held with her own. "Let's go back inside, I'd like to spend some more time with Hana before you whisk her away."

Naruto nodded, and followed the surprising woman back to the house, where they found the card game still in full swing. Hana rose to greet him, and when Tsume beckoned her daughter over to join her in the kitchen, he took over from her, joining the others in playing cards at the table.

They stayed with Hana's family for a few more hours, playing games and chatting like old friends, before it began to get late. Hana glanced at Naruto, nodding that it was time, and they rose purposefully.

"I've seen that look before," Tsume told her daughter with a rueful smile. "It's time for you to ship out, isn't it?" she added sadly.

"I'm afraid so, mom," Hana said, walking over to Tsume who wrapped her up in her arms.

Naruto turned to face Hana's father, and they shook hands firmly. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Jack," he said sincerely.

"Likewise Naruto," her father replied. "Take good care of my little girl," he added, his eyes flashing with worry.

"I'll keep her safe, I promise," Naruto said, and Jack nodded his thanks.

Hinata, Tenten and Fu rose as well, saying their fond farewells to the three brothers and Hana's parents. Kiba, Kuromaru and Akamaru each came up to Naruto to shake his hand and clap him on the shoulder, as they urged him to come back soon to teach them some of his fighting moves. Hana said goodbye to her brothers, before moving on to her father, who hugged her tightly and whispered something in her ear.

Naruto and the other girls waited for Hana to finish saying her goodbyes, and she rejoined them whilst wiping happy tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. They strode out to the Raptor, promising to visit again soon, and they waved farewell to the Inuzuka family as the front ramp slid closed with the quiet hum of hydraulics.

"Let's head home girls," Naruto said to them fondly, and they headed up to the cockpit for the short flight back to the Invictus.

They arrived back at the glistening black assault cruiser with no problems, and within the hour the Invictus was leaping into hyper-warp, following Hinata's course to Port Medea in the Dragon march. According to the information displayed next to the glowing green path on the holographic sector map, it would take them just under a day to arrive at the space station where Sakura was based.

Hana walked up the illuminated steps to the command podium, and stood at Naruto's side as they watched Hinata double checking the route.

Hana looked to Naruto with an inviting smile on her gorgeous face, as she offered her hand for him to take. "Let's go to bed, I want to thank you properly for an amazing trip," she said seductively.

He rose to his feet, and Hana looked at the other girls. "Are you coming too?" she asked them all coyly.

"I said I'd let Sakura know when we were leaving. I'll be along in a little while," Hinata replied with a broad smile.

"There's a little side project I'd like to work on before bedtime," Tenten replied, looking at Hana affectionately.

"You two enjoy some time together. I'll keep Tenten company," Fu said, grinning at the brunette.

"Thanks girls," she told them all fondly, and then walked hand in hand with Naruto to the grav-tube, and then down to the level below. She looked up to study his face as they strolled back to his quarters, and she seemed to have an extra lightness in her step as she walked along at his side.

They quickly undressed and got into bed, where Hana lay down in the middle, with Naruto sliding over to join her.

"So, that seemed to go well," he said to her playfully as he leaned on his elbow, and looked down at her beautiful face.

"Better than I ever hoped," Hana said, looking up at him with a disbelieving grin on her face.

"You have a lovely family," he told her sincerely. "I thought your brothers were great guys, even Kiba!"

"They all think you're awesome!" she said with a chuckle. "I can't believe how well you won them all over, it's such a contrast with the last boyfriend I brought home."

"And I liked your father a lot too. I took a risk in the rematch we had, but it seemed to really pay off," Naruto said relieved.

"I wish I'd been there to see it," she said wistfully.

"I'm glad you weren't actually. You're Father's been your hero all your life, I wouldn't want you to see him lose a match, no matter how unfair the circumstances," he said considerately.

"I have a new hero now," she purred seductively as she stared up into his eyes, then pulled him down to kiss her.

Naruto leaned in and brushed his lips against hers, causing her mouth to turn up in a smile as he teased her with light kisses. He traced his hand along her jawline until he was cupping her face in his right hand, and she sighed as he caressed her, continuing to plant kisses on her full lips. She raised her left hand to place it on top of his own, and he refocused his attention from her lips, kissing her slender fingers instead. The contrast of her olive toned hand resting gently on his lighter skin suddenly triggered a memory.

"That reminds me, your mother figured out we're all sleeping together!" he said, as he pulled back to look down at Hana.

"Kissing me reminds you of my mother?" the Latina asked him teasingly with a raised eyebrow.

Naruto laughed at that, and she grinned up at him. "She held my hand briefly when I told her I don't have any family any more. She's an incredibly perceptive woman, caring, and quite charming... it was interesting to see where her lovely daughter gets it all from." he said, smiling at the beautiful girl in his arms.

"She seemed quite charmed by you too," Hana replied with a grin. "I don't know what you said to her, but she told me to 'hang on to this one'!"

"Sounds like good advice to me," he said with a grin.

"I have no intention of ever letting you go," she replied lustily, curling a lithe leg around him and pulling him down on top of her. She pushed herself forward against him, so that the heat of his heavy shaft was pressed against the smooth skin of her tummy, and she moaned as she felt his rampant hardness.

Naruto moved his arm in readiness to roll her on to her back, but she shook her head playfully, and placed her hand on his chest so that he stayed lying on his left side.

"Not that way," she said with a fiery look in her eyes. She flipped herself over so that he was spooned up behind her and she wriggled back against him. "Take me like this instead!" she urged him.

He placed his hand on the lovely rounded curve of her hips, and traced his fingertips along her smooth young skin, admiring the coffee coloured flesh. He held her securely and then pushed forward with his hips so that his painfully hard cock was nestled between her rounded asscheeks, which moulded pliantly around him.

"You want me to take you back here?" he asked her teasingly.

"Maybe later," she said tantalisingly, looking back at him over her shoulder. "But for now I want you to fill my womb with your cum. All that talk of settling down together got me hot and broody."

Naruto nodded and smiled, then moved down a little and tilted his hips back, so the broad head of his cock pressed up against the back of her closed thighs. "You want this inside you?" he asked her teasingly, nudging the blunt crown against her wet pussy lips.

"I've never wanted you quite so badly," she said.

"Guide me in then," he advised her, and she parted her thighs and reached down to hold his heavy cock in her hand.

"I can't believe this can fit," she said with an air of wonder in her voice, as she gently stroked his throbbing tool, before lining him up.

"We better check to make sure," he said and pushed forward, sinking deep into her glistening pussy.

"Oh god, that feels so good!" she groaned, as he stretched out her wonderfully tight young body, forcing her elastic pussy to yield, and wrap around him.

Naruto slid his left hand under her head for Hana to use as a pillow, and then used his right hand to brush her long dark brown hair away from her shoulder, exposing the perfect unblemished skin. He kissed the freshly exposed flesh as he began to pull back and push forward with his hips, making her tightly stretched skin slide up and down his length.

"There's still a way to go, if you're feeling hungry for more?" he asked her, as he pushed deep into her pussy.

"I want all of you," she said in a determined voice, and wriggled back against him, letting out a gasp as he pushed the final few inches into her womb. She placed her hand on her tummy, feeling the bump where his cock was buried inside her, and massaged him gently.

"I can feel that," he told her as she stroked him. "It's like you're encouraging me to cum inside you."

"Always!" she panted, as she rocked her hips back and forward imperceptibly, wriggling in his lap.

Naruto wrapped her smaller body in his arms, and paused with his cock buried up to the balls inside her, revelling in the feelings of protectiveness.

"It's amazing, I feel so turned on, but at the same time you make me feel so safe and loved," she sighed as she snuggled up in his arms.

"That's my job, protect you and keep you safe," he whispered in her ear.

"And to make love to me?" she asked him, turning to look at him out of the corner of her eyes.

"Of course," he agreed, placing his right hand on her hip again to keep her steady, as he began to thrust more insistently inside her.

"You're very good at your job," she moaned appreciatively, as her hand began to slide down her tummy between her legs.

"Why don't you let me help you with that?" Hinata asked teasingly, as her wonderfully nude body glided around the bed into their line of sight.

"Well hello," Hana purred happily, smiling up at the bluenette invitingly. "I'm glad you could join us!"

"Hello yourself, gorgeous!" Hinata replied, before eyeing them both hungrily, licking her lips. "You two look amazing together. When are you going to fuck me like this Naruto?"

"She is amazing," Naruto said as he thrust into the panting teen he held in his arms. "And whenever you want," he added with a grin.

Hinata climbed on to the bed gracefully, and then snuggled in close so that she was lying on her side, face to face with Hana. She stared into the brunette's deep brown eyes, seeing her pupils dilated with passion as Naruto continued to stroke inside her.

"I'm going to work with Naruto to make you cum more times than you've ever done before," Hinata promised, as Hana's eyes flared with lust. "Then he's going to cum inside you, and you're going to take it all in your womb like a good girl," she whispered to the Latina.

"You're so naughty," Hana hissed excitedly, "Maybe that's why I love you so much!"

"I love you too," Hinata said earnestly, "And hopefully after tonight, you'll be able to see exactly how much."

*What are you up to?* Naruto asked Hinata curiously.

*We're going to blow her mind with pleasure, then hopefully she'll open herself up to me. Your job is to fuck her hot little pussy as long as you can, before you unload in her belly,* her aroused thoughts echoed in his mind, exciting him tremendously with the things she was saying.

*No more talk like that, or this will be over before we've started!* he warned her in alarm, as his cock lurched and flexed inside Hana, causing her to groan appreciatively.

*I have every faith in you, handsome,* Hinata purred back at him.

"What are you going to do?" Hana asked the bluenette between moans, her eyes flashing with anticipation.

"Lick you until you can't take any more," Hinata said with a wicked grin, and she slid downwards tracing kisses between Hana's heaving breasts, then over her slender tummy. She noticed a slight curve in the brunette's toned stomach, her taut belly pushed out a little by Naruto's throbbing and eager cock. Hinata kissed the bulge lovingly, and her tongue flickering out to taste the perspiration on the Latina's olive coloured skin.

Hana groaned wordlessly, and placed her hands on Hinata's head, running her hands through soft blue hair before pushing the girl downwards insistently. Hinata smirked and relented to the panting girl's urging, slipping down lower so that she was next to where the two lovers were joined. Hana's pussy was stretched tightly around Naruto's broad cock, and the bluenette leaned in to lap away at them, feeling their heat with her tongue. Finally having mercy on the tremendously turned on Latina, she moved up slightly, and then began to lick away at her throbbing clit.

"Oh my god!" Hana screamed, and came almost instantly, her body already fully primed to climax after Naruto's insistent pounding. She cried out again and again, gasping and moaning as Naruto held her tightly in his arms, whilst fucking her scalding hot pussy relentlessly. Hinata's tongue alternated between long, sensual licks when Hana was moaning through an orgasm, to a rapid blur when Naruto was working her towards another release.

Hinata smiled with satisfaction as the lovely brunette came so many times that she lost count. She eventually had mercy when Hana finally begged for her to stop. "I can't come any more..." the brunette whimpered helplessly.

The bluenette moved back up the bed and pressed herself up against the brunette, staring into her eyes once more. "You were such a good girl, cumming for me so many times," she told her proudly. "Now just relax, while Naruto cums inside you. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

Hana nodded wordlessly, and stared back at Hinata, transfixed by her piercing lavender eyes as the bluenette leaned forward to kiss her lovingly.

Naruto's breathing was heavy now, panting with exertion after pounding into Hana for so long. Listening to Hinata licking the girl's pussy, while the Latina made wonderfully erotic little sounds as she came had been hard enough on his willpower, but the teenagers tight young body was also gripping and massaging him every time she climaxed. When the two beautiful girls began to kiss each other sensually, he couldn't hold back any longer. With a wordless groan he pushed his full length inside her, and let his balls cut loose, unleashing the massive load they'd been building up.

Hana groaned as she felt Naruto's cum shooting into her womb, and kissed Hinata fiercely, her heart full of love for this wonderful girl who had saved her life, and who now made her feel so good.

*Her tummy's filling up!* Hinata's excited thoughts echoed clearly in Hana's mind.

"I can hear you so clearly!" Hana exclaimed as she stared at Hinata in awe.

*I love you,* Hinata's voice said passionately. The thought arrived on a cresting wave of loving emotions that crashed over Hana, and filled every corner of her mind.

*Oh, I love you too!* Hana gasped back, her words and feelings coming though sharp and clear to Hinata.

*That's it beautiful girl, open up to me,* Hinata whispered lovingly, and the two girls stared at each other in wonder as their minds bonded as one.

It was now close to midnight, and Fu glided along beside Tenten, as they headed back to the bedroom for the night. The nymph had thoroughly enjoyed her day, and she grinned happily to herself as she thought back on the day's events. Flirting with Akamaru had been fun, but more than that, she had been delighted that Naruto would let her be a part of Hinata's distraction plan. It felt wonderfully rewarding that Naruto trusted her absolute faith and devotion to him, and she was impressed that he was above such petty concerns as jealousy. She had found the Inuzuka family to be lovely people, and Fu greatly appreciated Hana's kind invitation to meet them, and see the place where the brunette had grown up.

She stole a concerned glance at Tenten, who seemed a little agitated. The ravenette had initially thrown herself into some new project in her workshop, chattering excitedly about automation and rapid responses, but Fu had quickly become lost in the techno-babble. As the evening wore on, Tenten had grown quieter, and the Nymph had sensed a change in mood with the normally exuberant young woman. Despite Fu's repeated attempts to get the girl to open up and reveal what was troubling her, Tenten had just smiled wistfully, waved away her concerns, and thrown herself back into her work.

They padded quietly into the bedroom, seeing that their friends were fast asleep. Hana was lying on her side, sandwiched protectively in between the other two, while sporting an impressively rounded belly full of cum.

Fu flashed a warm, affectionate smile at Tenten, and the two of them went into the bathroom to clean their teeth with the auto plaque-removers, before returning back to bed. The change to the sleeping arrangements caught them off guard for a moment, but her ravenette companion gestured for Fu to lie next to Naruto. With a grateful smile, the Nymph did just that, sighing with contentment as she felt his firm muscles as she moulded herself around him. Tenten lay down behind her, and pressed her warm breasts into her back, then kissed her on the shoulder before she whispered a quiet goodnight. Within minutes Fu was fast asleep, and dreaming contentedly of beautiful green skinned babies.

Tenten hugged her lovely nymph bedmate, until Fu's breathing grew heavier and the alien girl fell into a deep sleep. It was strange to feel Fu's slightly cooler skin next to her own, especially after getting used to snuggling next to Hinata's warm body whenever she normally went to bed. The ravenette rolled and lay on her back, and stared up at the ceiling for a while, but she realised sleep was going to evade her. With a melancholy sigh, Tenten slid noiselessly out of bed, and padded quietly out of the room.