Chapter 3 – Naruto's New Swords & the Mission to Wave
When the small young man arrived at home, he wrapped his knuckles on the door a few times until his kaa-san opened the door with a smile on her face. "Hey Kaa-san! Are you ready to go check out the weapon store?" Kushina giggled sweetly and nodded her head. "Of course Musuko. Do you want to get changed first?" When her musuko shook his head and simply grinned at her, the lovely redheaded mother simply giggled cutely and nodded her head. "I understand. Excited about your new sword, aren't you?" Once more he nodded. "All right, we'll get go…"
"Kaa-san, is Otouto home yet?! I want to go get ramen together like you promised we would!" The voice of Naruto's sister, Naruko carried throughout the house. Chuckling to themselves, both Kushina and Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze waved at the young lass as her eyes grew wide at the sight of her brother. Young Naruto soon found himself tackled to the ground and wrapped in the vice-like grip of his sister. "I've been waiting for hours! What took you so long?! Why do you look so beat up?! What the hell happened to you Naruto-kun?!"
Naruto found himself sweat dropping at his sister's behavior. After a moment, he gently wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close to him, her gradually developing breasts gently being crushed against his chest. "Onee-chan, it's okay. Choji, Shino and I passed Asuma-sensei's survival test. It was really tough, but he says we did really great. It was a really long test and, like I said, it was really, realllly hard. We're officially Team 10 now and we'll begin training and taking missions tomorrow. Kaa-san and I were going to go check out the weapon shop when I got home, but right after we can go get ramen. Right Kaa-san?" Naruto looked towards his kaa-san and hoped she would back him up on this.
Kushina found herself laughing at the situation. Reaching down, she helped her musuko up and gently patted her musume (daughter) on her head as she rose as well. "I know you've missed each other, but you need to relax, both of you. Naruko-chan, I did promise Naruto-kun that we'd go and get him his new sword today, or at least go look for one. And yes Naruto-kun, we'll go and get as much ramen as the both of you want at Ichiraku Ramen immediately after, okay?" Both of her children nodded and she grinned at them as she shut the front door and locked up as they left. "However, when we get to Ichiraku Ramen, I want to hear all about this survival test Sarutobi-san put you through Musuko. I'm very curious as to why it was so hard for you, my child, to deal with." Naruto found himself feeling suddenly nervous as he began to feel that he had somehow let his kaa-san down. If that had happened, his training would become even more frightening!
Twelve Minutes Later – Weapon Shop
"See anything yet Musuko? How about you Naruko-chan? If you see anything you want, just let me know, okay Sweetie?" Kushina smiled at her children and watched as they both shook their heads in a negative fashion. "We're still looking Kaa-san/Kaa-chan." The Uzumaki woman nodded her head in understanding and simply walked alongside her children, watching the both of them closely.
After some time, Naruko actually found something that she actually seemed to like: a pair of small, curved daggers that seemed to radiate some kind of strange energy to her. Upon first glance they didn't really appear very special, but as soon as she took them into her hands, she felt almost as if they just belonged with her. Twirling them around a few times, she began to understand why they were radiating such energy before. These two daggers were made of a special metal that worked with chakra, making it much easier to mold chakra through the weapon than with most other types, but it was also just a tad heavier than other metals.
Deciding to test the daggers for a moment, the young redhead pumped a small amount of water-nature chakra into the daggers and watched as they were instantly coated with the chakra. Focusing further, she attempted to mold the chakra into the shape of a hook, and then tried to extend it so that they appeared to be a couple of swords made of pure water. Test after test finally confirmed their usefulness to her and she grinned before turning to her kaa-chan. "Kaa-chan, I've found what I want! I'll take these daggers. I also need to pick up a couple sets of shuriken and another set of kunai. I can pick up some more paper later and work on making homemade explosive tags during my free time. It's definitely cheaper than just buying a bunch of the crummy kind they sell in stores."
Kushina laughed a moment and nodded her head. "Go on and get what you need. Naruto-kun and I will be with you as soon as he's made his choice." Smiling at her daughter, the beautiful Uzumaki watched as she hugged her otouto and rushed off. Looking back down to her musuko, Kushina continued to watch him and wait for him to find anything that might jump out at him.
A short matter of minutes later, Naruto suddenly stopped and looked back as he heard some humming coming from around a corner. Curious, the young boy released his kaa-san's hand and walked off to investigate. The sight he came upon brought a smile to the young man's face. Standing before him was a girl that appeared to be around his age, maybe a year older or younger, he couldn't quite be sure. What truly caught his eye however was the pair of swords she was polishing. They appeared to be tantō, but they seemed to be just a bit longer than the average kind.
Stepping closer, he accidentally stepped on a creaky floorboard and the girl quickly spun her head around, her own katana at the ready. When she saw Naruto, the girl quickly sheathed her blade and let out a sigh. "Don't sneak up on me like that kid. What are you doing back here? This is an employee-only area. If you needed something, why the heck didn't you ring the bell?" Standing up, she was about to put the tantō away, but she suddenly felt the blonde's hands upon hers. Blushing just a bit, she turned and narrowed her eyes at him. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing?!"
The blonde simply smiled at the girl with the Chinese-style buns in her hair and shook his head. "Relax, I'm not a threat, nor am I attempting to steal anything. I just want to see those swords. What can you tell me about them Katana-san?" Naruto chuckled at the name he chose to give her while the girl just sighed and handed him the tantō.
As the boy examined the blades, the girl frowned at him and folded her arms across her chest. "First of all, my name is Tenten. Second, those blades probably aren't for you unless…" Now that she was looking him over better, she spotted the sheathes strapped to his back and his waistband and found herself blinking occasionally as she prepared to pull her foot out of her mouth. It was also at this point that she finally noticed the hitai-ate resting comfortably on his forehead. "Oh."
Naruto looked into her eyes and cocked his head to the side. "What? Are these blades cursed or something? Is that why you're not telling me?" The blonde asked as he continued to look into her eyes. Holding the blades up to eye level, he motioned towards them. "I'm not going to get cursed just by holding these swords, am I Tenten-san? Please talk to me."
Tenten blinked a couple more times and slowly nodded her head. "Uhhh, it's fine Blondie. The swords aren't cursed; I just wasn't expecting to meet somebody like you. Are you one of the new Genin?" Naruto smiled broadly at that and nodded his head. "Yep! I'm Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, Genin squad member of the new Team 10 dattebayo!" Tenten's eyes went wide at that and she quickly found herself blushing furiously as she looked the young man up and down. Naruto looked at her oddly again and, after placing the tantō into his lap, quickly put his hand to her forehead before placing the same hand on both of her cheeks, one after the other.
After he was finished, young Naruto pulled his hand away and frowned. "You don't seem to be running a fever. So…why are you blushing? Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?" Tenten closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. When she finally felt as if she could speak again, she opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Naruto-san, nothing's wrong. I just didn't have any idea that you're the son of our Yondaime. I was being so rude to you. Please forgive me?"
As she bowed her head to him, Naruto found himself fidgeting where he sat and reached out, quickly patting her back. "Umm, there's really no need to bow Tenten-san. And there's absolutely nothing to forgive. You didn't know, and before you say anything, there really wasn't any way that you could have known. Okay? Now, if you really do want to make it up to me, not saying you have to, just saying if that's what you really want to do, then will you please tell me about these tantō? I'm looking for a new sword or two, and these just seem perfect. I'd like to learn more about them before I make my final decision."
Tenten grinned and nodded her head. "Of course Naruto-san! These tantō are actually of a unique design. The blades are heavier and a little longer than your average tantō, as I'm sure you can tell already. My father was actually the one to design them. He actually told me that he designed these for somebody special that he felt was going to come in today. It's some kind of weird gift of his. I actually hoped that I'd be the one to use them, but I guess if the swords were calling you, then you can have them Naruto-san. Umm, what else?" Tapping her left index finger against her chin, Naruto found himself simply grinning at her, much to her embarrassment.
Tenten did her best to ignore the stares of her fellow weapons fanatic (even if he was only truly interested in swords at the moment) as she tried to recall everything her father had told her about these swords. "Ah! Tou-san calls these tantō Akuryouno Ame (Demonized Rain). It's…a dark name, sure, but he said it would probably make sense to the one who uses them." Shrugging her shoulders, the lovely young lass reached over and gently brushed her fingers along the blade of one of the tantō. "Apparently if the right person pumps enough chakra into them, they'll glow red and gain 'mysterious powers'. Tch, I think he just got drunk again when he was making these things. I've tried pumping a bit of my chakra into them before and they just glowed blue. Who knows though? If you're this 'right person', then Tou-san might actually be right and they might be pretty special. He did use a strange metal though that I've never seen before, sooo…yeah! What do you think?!"
The blonde boy brought the swords back to eye level and looked them over for a moment longer. "Akuryouno Ame? Can I ask you something Tenten-san?" When she nodded her head and flashed him a rather beautiful smile, Naruto grinned back at her for a brief moment before he quickly turned serious. "That metal you mentioned…how did your tou-san acquire it?"
"You know, that's a good question. It was last week actually. A gray-haired woman…she was really beautiful now that I think about it..." Noticing the quirked eyebrow on her new friend, Tenten quickly chuckled nervously and shrugged it off. "Aaanyways, she had all kinds of things, but only gave Tou-san that strange metal. She never gave us her name, and she only talked with Tou-san. I don't know the full conversation they had, but I guess she's actually why Tou-san was expecting you, huh Naruto-san?"
Naruto smirked and nodded his head. "That would make sense, I suppose. You see this sword strapped to my waistband here?" She nodded slowly, wondering what he was going to say. "Kaa-san's friend gave this to her to give to me. I don't know Kaa-san's friend's name yet, but after your story, I'm sure she's probably the one who came by and gave your tou-san that metal. She probably knew I'd be coming in today. She's been watching me apparently and I don't even know who she is. It's weird."
The Weapons Mistress of Konoha shook her head. "That is weird, but I'm not surprised that people would be watching you Naruto-san. You're very well known in the village! You are the Yondaime's son after all and some people have actually talked about how hard you train. I was actually hoping that I'd get the chance to meet you as well someday. I had heard you were studying Kenjutsu, but I never truly expected to meet you like this." When Naruto smiled at her and nodded his head, the young woman smiled back. "I graduated from the academy last year Naruto-san. I'm on Team 9 with somebody who's really stuck-up and two people who are absolutely insane. Those three can really give a person a serious headache sometimes, but we're a good team. You said you were on Team 10 earlier? Who else is on your team?"
Naruto grinned and stood up, holding out a hand for her to take. Take it she did, and the young blonde man helped her up as they began walking towards the front of the store together so he could purchase the swords and Naruko's things and be on their way. "My teammates are Choji Akimichi and Shino Aburame. Weird team, I know. Our sensei is actually Asuma Sarutobi, Jiji-sama's son. We just had our survival test today and, as you probably know already, we passed. Wasn't easy though, I can tell you that."
As they laughed together and talked some more, Naruko was tapping her foot, waiting impatiently for her otouto to appear again. Kushina hadn't any idea where her little one had run off to and was actually quite worried for him. When Naruto came around the corner with a girl, both of them were shocked to say the least. Naruko turned red and began to yell at him. "You ran off to flirt with another girl Naruto-kun?! Ugh! What the hell is wrong with you?!"
Both Naruto and Tenten froze in their tracks and looked at each other. Naruto soon turned back to his sister and waved his hands defensively. "O-Onee-san, it's not what you think! She helped me find these swords! I've been talking with her about these swords, her tou-san, her team, my team, just…stuff! We weren't flirting, I swear!" Tenten nodded slowly, but Naruko turned around and huffed, clearly not buying what they were saying.
"Your sister seems…jealous. What's going on?" Naruto sighed and lowered his head, beginning to sulk a bit. "I really don't know. She's always been really protective of me, and ever since I began spending more time with my girlfriends, she's been acting stranger and stranger whenever she sees me with them. In fact, if I spend time with ANY girl she gets like this. I just don't understand it at all." Tenten frowned and agreed that it was quite odd, but she couldn't really say anything on it. Shrugging her shoulders, she gently patted her new friend on his shoulders and smiled. "Don't worry too much about it Naruto-kun. I'd talk more, but I still have work left to do. See you later!" Giving her newfound friend a quick hug, adding to Naruko's fury and Kushina's amusement, Tenten rushed off to continue her part-time job at her tou-san's store.
The young blonde sighed heavily and walked over, placing his new tantō on the counter with his sister's things. "Kaa-san, I hope it's okay, but I actually chose two swords. Tenten-chan said they're called Akuryouno Ame and I'm pretty sure your friend supplied the metal her tou-san used to make them." Kushina nodded and was about to speak when she saw her redheaded daughter grab Naruto and drag him outside. Looking to the tall man behind the counter, Kushina shrugged and simply decided to pay for everything while she prayed to Kami that Naruko wouldn't kill her dear son.
Outside
"Naruko-chan, what'd I do wrong this time?! Why are you always so upset with me whenever I talk with a girl?!" Naruto shouted, demanding to know what the hell was wrong with his onee-san. As much as he loved her, Naruko had been driving him a bit crazy for a good while now and he didn't like being upset with her. After all, the lovely redhead was his sister.
After taking some time to calm herself, Naruko looked into his eyes and reached up to play with his whiskers a bit. Of course, this action only further confused him and caused the young man to start laughing. "I see this still tickles. Good." After a time, she stopped tickling him and smirked. "I still like doing that. Not only does it make you laugh, but they look so cute on you Otouto."
Naruto nodded slowly and just looked at her in silence for a good while. As she looked down at her feet, the young man pulled her into another hug and kissed the top of her head. "I don't know what's wrong with you Naruko-chan, but I love you. I hope you know that. You're my sister, my family. If you're afraid of something or scared for me or anything at all, I really hope you would tell me." Pulling back, Naruto looked into her eyes and noticed the tears. "W-Why are you crying Onee-san?!"
As he went to wipe the tears, Naruko quickly grabbed his hands and smiled at him. "I-It's nothing. I'm just being silly." Naruto frowned at her and gave her the sternest expression he could. "You're crying Naruko-onee-san. There's got to be something wrong if you're crying like that. Now tell me!"
Breathing in deeply, the redhead sighed and nodded her head as she continued to hold her otouto's hands. "I…feel like I'm losing you Naruto-kun." At this, Naruto raised his gaze from her hands to her eyes and stared at her in shock. "W-W-What?! What does that mean Naruko-chan?!"
By this time, Kushina had already stepped out of the store with everything now resting in sealing scrolls in her pouches. She had been spying on them for a few brief moments and was currently giggling inwardly, being as silent as she could be so she wouldn't disturb anything juicy she could potentially tease them with later.
Sighing heavily, Naruko took a few steps closer and wrapped her arms around her otouto tightly. "You're always spending so much time with your girlfriends and…well…it feels like you're starting to forget about me…I guess. I want your attention to Otouto! Before they came along, it was always just us. You spent almost all your time with me and I guess I just really miss that. They're stealing you away from me and…and…"
Naruto frowned deeply at this and held her close to him, letting her sob into his shoulder and neck all she wanted. "I…see. So you're just feeling a little jealous? You'll always be one of my most important people Naruko-chan. Like I already said, I love you a lot. You're my sister and we've been together for a long, long time. But…I have Sakura-chan and Ino-chan now too and they deserve some of my attention too, don't you think? They ARE my girlfriends after all. Besides, if I suddenly started to ignore them, I think one or both of them would probably try to kick my ass for it later. Don't you?"
Naruko pulled back, wiped her eyes clean of the tears, and began to twitch angrily at that. "Are you trying to tell me that your girlfriends abuse you Naruto-kun?" And now, due to a simple mistake when wording his sentences, his girlfriends and even he appeared to be in deep trouble. Naruto could feel the killing intent radiating off of his sister and immediately did the first thing he could do, he pulled her back against him and rested his chin on her shoulder. "O-Onee-san, calm down. I didn't mean it like that!"
The redhead pulled back and whacked him over the head hard with her fist. "You baka! You let your girlfriends beat you up don't you?! Answer me!" Naruto groaned as his face hit the dirt and he winced from the pain. Rising to his knees, the young blonde looked up at her and chuckled nervously. "N-Naruko-chan, I'm telling you the truth. Nothing like that has ever happened. I was joking. They're both very, very sweet. I was just exaggerating a bit. They'd get mad and upset and probably think I forgot about them or something, but they wouldn't actually hit me. That's not to say Sakura didn't actually try that once when we were younger though, but she…wait…Naruko-chan?"
Looking up, Naruto saw that his sister's eyes were dark and there was a vicious grin upon her face. Scared for his life, the blonde backed up against the wall of the building and stared at her in horror. When she began to laugh, Naruto became even more creeped out. She sounds like she's gone crazy. Where the hell is Kaa-san?!
"I knew I couldn't trust that pink-haired bitch! I'll kill her for trying to hurt you! Where does she live Naru-kun?!" Right as she went to grab her younger brother, Kushina jumped in and grabbed both of her wrists firmly. "Whoa there Naruko-chan, that's enough. I've watched them quite often and I can assure you that they have been nothing but kind to him. Naruto's just...lacking tact here when dealing with this it seems. It's nice that you care so much for your otouto Musume, but aren't you getting a little overzealous in your attempts to 'protect' him?"
Naruko glared up into her kaa-chan's eyes for a moment before she relented and lowered her gaze. "Fine. But…but I don't have to be happy about this! I know it has to sound incredibly selfish and stupid of me…but why the hell couldn't it just stay the same? You don't see me running around with boys! And don't mention my teammates because they don't count! I just miss all the time I used to be able to spend with Naruto-kun. It made me so happy and I want that time back! But…but…"
As Naruko went silent, Kushina frowned and knelt down, putting her mouth close to her musume's ear. "You can talk to me Naruko-chan. I promise you that. After Naruto-kun goes to bed tonight, you and I can talk. Okay?" Leaning back, the Uzumaki mother smiled at her daughter and watched as Naruko nodded, again wiping at her tears. "That's my musume. Now come on. Let's go get some ramen and try to have a good rest of the night. Sound good you two?" As both nodded, Kushina grinned and rushed off. "Last one there's paying the bill!" Snickering to herself as her children yelled at her about being unfair, they did their best to catch up with her so they wouldn't have to pay what would most likely be an insane price for Kami only knows how many bowls of ramen they'd end up eating together!
Later that Night – Uzumaki-Namikaze Estate
When they arrived home once more, Naruto immediately rushed for his room. At first he had talked about how he was probably going to practice with his new tantō, but on the walk home the young blond realized how very tired he was after the day's events. So, waving at the two women, Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze took his things and rushed on upstairs, wishing them both good night as he did.
As soon as the main man in their lives disappeared into his room, both Kushina and Naruko let out a sigh and shook their heads before seating themselves on a couch. The older redhead wrapped her arm around her daughter's shoulder and pulled her in close so her head was resting on her bosom. "Naruko-chan? Sweetie? He should be asleep real soon. We can talk now." Naruko nodded her head slowly and hugged her mother tight. "You…have a crush on your brother…don't you Naruko-chan?"
Naruko shot back and stared at her mother with wide eyes. There was a look of horror evident on her face, but there was also confusion, embarrassment, and sadness all mixed together in her eyes and on her face. The younger redhead lowered her gaze and frowned. "That's not funny Kaa-chan. Naruto-kun's my otouto, it's not like that! I told you…I'm just being selfish. I want all of his attention focused on me, not on those stupid girlfriends of his."
Kushina hugged her daughter closer to her again and smiled, shaking her head slightly. "Sweetie, they make him smile all the time. Naruto-kun has rubbed off on them pretty well. They joke just like he does, and they're starting to gain his appetite believe it or not. They've also got it in their minds that they have to train ten times as hard now just to try and impress him when Naruto-kun really only cares about their happiness and making sure they stay safe." Sighing, Kushina leaned back and stared over her shoulder towards Naruto's room up the stairs. "My point is this: they're good for your otouto Naruko-chan. And…he is good for them too. I think you know all of this though already, don't you Sweetheart?"
Naruko grumbled and closed her eyes, practically burying her face into her mother's sizeable chest now. "I don't care Kaa-chan." She mumbled quietly, her voice being muffled somewhat from her position between Kushina's breasts. "I bet Naruto-kun's going to forget about our promise next. He'll be so happy with those…those hussies that he'll forget all about the promise we made to each other. I don't like being without him. Things just don't feel right for me on that team. Marco's always flirting with me and on this last mission he…he…the little bastard grabbed my ass Kaa-chan!"
Kushina stared dumbly at her daughter, barely registering what was said to her. The first person to actually say something was someone neither of them expected. "That jerk felt you up Onee-chan?! Please tell me you kicked his ass dattebayo! If you didn't do anything, I'm going to go cut off the offending limb right now!" Naruto shouted as he zipped from his room all the way into his sister's arms.
The two women simply stared at him, both speechless. "M-Musuko…how long have you been listening in?" Kushina asked, clearly concerned that the two of them had been found out and he had been eavesdropping on them somehow this entire time. Naruko was blushing furiously at this point. The young lass knew how smart her otouto was, and she also knew that he had probably already figured everything out already. It didn't help that he was currently holding her tightly to him with her face buried in his chest, despite her being a few inches taller than he was. Oh Kami-sama, kill me now.
Naruko giggled nervously and pulled back from her otouto just enough so she could look him in the eyes. Blushing as she did, the young lady decided to speak to try and calm her otouto even if only slightly. "O-Otouto…I didn't kill him and I didn't cut off any of his body parts, though I wanted to badly. I punched him really hard and knocked out some of his teeth, even broke his nose and gave him a black eye, but I didn't get to do anything else. Kirobi-sensei stopped me from doing anything more and gave me a big lecture about why I shouldn't kill teammates. Didn't even do anything about the freaking pervert though. It was almost like Marco was just supposed to be allowed to get away with copping a damn feel on me!"
Sighing heavily, Naruko buried her face into Naruto's neck and closed her eyes, her warm breath exhaling on her brother's skin making him shiver and blush terribly. "Sometimes I hate being the only girl on the team. I…don't feel right with them. Marco creeps me out a lot, and sensei doesn't seem like he'd actually do anything to help me if Marco tried anything. Your team had better be prepared for the Chunin Exams being held in Konoha in six months Otouto, because I don't want to be stuck with them for any longer than I have to be! In the meantime, when I do have to go out of Konoha on missions with them, I'm sleeping with my swords clutched tight in my hands."
Kushina frowned at this news. Naruko hadn't told her about any of this and she definitely planned to speak with Sarutobi-sama about this in the morning. She also planned to speak with the Shinigami about looking after her musume as well. Rules be damned, Kushina wasn't about to let some over-stimulated egotistical prick have his way with her musume without doing something about it!
As the rant was going on in Kushina's head, Naruto was busy running his fingers through his sister's beautiful red hair. Occasionally he'd collect a few strands around one or two of his fingers and play with them for a bit before he continued stroking her hair. "Naruko-chan…I'll send out a toad to speak with our godfather, Jiraiya. Depending on how far out he is right now, I'd say he should be able to return in a day or three. I'll explain the situation in the letter and we can ask him to watch out for you in secret. Tou-san made sure he'd be watching out for all three of us after all, so this is something he'd be perfect for, right Kaa-san?!"
When Naruto looked her way, Kushina blinked a few times and nodded her head slowly. "R-Right. I almost forgot about him. Jiraiya-sama's been gone for at least three months now, hasn't he? What makes you think he'll be able to return so quickly Naruto-kun?"
Naruto grinned at her and shook his head. "Kaa-san, Jiraiya-sama had us sign the Toad Summoning Contract. He uses the toads to keep track of us from time to time. Well, Naruko-chan and I do the same thing with him. We can just summon a toad and have it deliver Jiraiya-sama a message and he'll receive it moments later. It doesn't really take much for us to keep in touch. As for how I judged the time at which he could return…wellll..." Scratching at the tip of his nose, the young man chuckled nervously. "The last time I sent him a letter was about three days ago and he…well, he found a town somewhere in northeastern Fire Country that had some really nice hot springs. Said he had already been able to perform some exceptional 'research' there and had been for a couple of days already. If he's still there, he can be back within two days. If he's left the town already, it could be anywhere from one to three days depending on whether he's moved closer to Konohagakure or further from us. But I have a feeling that our godfather's most likely still conducting that 'research' of his."
Kushina nodded with her eyes closed. She could only imagine the kind of 'research' her old friend was doing at the moment with those poor, unknowing ladies. "Children." Opening her eyelids slightly, the redhead looked into the eyes of both of her children and grinned darkly. "When your godfather gets back, I want you to say your good-byes. When he gets back, I'm going to kill him." The brother and sister nodded slowly and took a few steps back from their 'darling' kaa-san/kaa-chan.
While Kushina worked out her plan to murder Jiraiya in her head, Naruko turned to Naruto and smiled at him as she hugged him tight. "I love you Otouto. I still want to become Chunin together, and if it means I have to put up with Marco and that stupid sexist sensei of mine, I'll tough it out for us okay? And by the way…thank you. For listening to me and offering to help me like that. You're the best otouto a girl could ask for." Kissing his cheek, Naruko clung to Naruto tighter and smiled brightly at him as she began to nuzzle his whiskered cheek.
Naruto found himself blushing again as he just hugged his onee-chan close. "You're welcome Naruko-chan. I'd do anything for you, you know that. And…just so you know…I never forgot that promise. It's on my mind a lot. I'd do absolutely anything to make you happy, and you already know that I never go back on my promises. What kind of ninja would I be if I broke my nindo (Ninja Way), huh? You do remember what my nindo is, right Naruko-chan?"
His sister giggled cutely and nodded, currently feeling sort of entranced by his deep, blue eyes. "'I'm not gonna run away and I absolutely never go back on my word.' Right, Naruto-kun?" When he nodded, Naruko did something that caught everyone in the room completely off guard…she kissed Naruto on the lips. This wasn't just a quick peck; this was a long smooch where she just wanted to pour her feelings out to him however she could. When the redhead finally broke the kiss, she stepped back and smiled sweetly at Naruto. At least until her mind registered what she had just done and her eyes went wide as saucers before she proceeded to faint where she stood.
Kushina found herself grinning widely as she watched the scene unfolding before her. Naruko fainting was hilarious to her, but more than that was Naruto's reaction. Her little boy's eyes were enormous right now and his mouth kept twitching. It appeared as if he was trying to find the right words to speak, but his poor brain had simply chosen that moment to shut down on him. Instead, the poor young blonde was only making brief sounds that didn't make sense no matter who heard them or how many times they were heard. "Oh my poor, sweet little musuko. I wonder if you understand it now."
Naruto slowly turned to his kaa-san and blinked a few times as he sat himself down on the couch, Naruko's head resting on his lap as she laid between them. "U-Understand w-w-what Kaa-san?" Naruto asked timidly as he absentmindedly stroked Naruko's hair again. Kushina giggled cutely and shook her head. "Sweetheart, little Naruko-chan's had a crush on you for yeaaaars! I was beginning to wonder if she'd ever say anything. Well, she certainly did more than 'say' something, didn't she my little Naruto-kun?" Giggling, she reached over and fiddled with one of his whiskers just to tease him a little more as he blushed harder and harder at her words.
Naruto looked into his sister's face and found himself blushing more. "B-But…why me? We're siblings. Isn't it…wrong Kaa-san?" Kushina frowned at him and shook her head. "In a world such as ours Musuko, it really isn't. Take a look at some of the other clans out there. The Uchiha, the Hyuga, the Aburame…there are many clans out there that actually practice incest. Some of it's done to keep things 'pure' so-to-speak, but oftentimes it just kind of happens. You can't control how you feel for somebody else, even if that person happens to be a family member you turn out to feel close to."
Tapping her fingers against her chin, Kushina thought of something else to help get her point about incest being okay in their world across. "Naruto-kun, if you're still a little worried, think about it like this, okay? Sometimes when a clan is dying out, like the Uzumaki clan for instance, there are a few options that will come into play. One is something that tends to rub a lot of people the wrong way. It's known as the CRA (Clan Restoration Act). I'll explain more about that later. Another solution that sometimes is able to present itself is to seek mates within the clan itself among the surviving members. Sooo, in this case, as you are the only remaining male member of the Uzumaki clan, Naruko-chan and you would be permitted to mate regardless of what some might think. So Musuko, do you understand now? If you want to be with Naruko-chan, it's fine and nobody can stop you. I certainly won't."
Smiling down at her son, Kushina was actually feeling somewhat nervous on the inside. Please don't figure it out, please don't figure it out, please don't figure it out… Naruto frowned as he found what his Kaa-san said replaying over and over again in his mind. "I think I understand all of that Kaa-san. Thank you. But…with the demonstration you've used…what about you Kaa-san? The Uzumaki clan blood runs stronger in you, doesn't it? You married somebody outside the clan and we were born from the, err…'seed' of that man, the Yondaime of Konoha, but your parents…weren't they both full-blooded Uzumaki, or…?"
Kushina sighed and slapped her palm to her face. Damn you Musuko and your obsession with thinking about things! "Musuko…as…'wrong' as it may sound, you're on the right track. Seeing as how you are the only male Uzumaki clan member left and what you said holds true…it would actually be encouraged for us to have relations as well. But! Don't go flying off the handle Musuko, it's not actually going to happen! Okay?" Seeing him nod, Kushina smiled sweetly at him and nodded her head in kind. "Besides, if that's likely to happen to anyone, it'd be your 'friend' Sasuke Uchiha and his kaa-san, Mikoto Uchiha that got forced into doing something like that. It won't be you and me Musuko."
Both of them pictured that and immediately regretted doing so. "K-Kaa-san? Let's hope Mikoto-chan's never forced to do something like that with Sasuke-teme. Never ever eveeeer! Not only is it wrong, but he's just so wrong for her! Sasuke's mean, rude, disrespectful, and he tends to ignore what she says half the time. Meanwhile, Mikoto-chan's sweet, gentle, kind, funny, the list just goes on. She deserves far better than Sasuke-teme! And besides that, he's her musuko! That's just disgusting to even think about Kaa-san!"
Kushina nodded again. "Agreed. That is a coupling that just would not work no matter how you looked at it. But, more importantly, since when did you start calling my best friend 'Mikoto-chan', hmmmm Naruto-kun?" The redhead felt she had found something else to tease her little musuko about, but he quickly turned redder and rushed off, leaving her alone on the couch with Naruko while he hid away in his room. Kaa-san – 550, Naruto-kun – 3. I've still got it! Giggling evilly to herself, the loving mother reached down and began gently stroking her daughter's hair. I'm happy for you Naruko-chan. Things are finally going to start looking up for you from now on, I'm sure of it.
Two Weeks Later – Team 10's Training Ground
As Naruto stepped onto the training ground for what he assumed would be just another day of training and boring D-rank missions, his mind was wandering to all the different events of the past two weeks. One of the major happenings is the fact that he actually went on a date with Naruko and he still couldn't quite wrap his head around the whole thing.
Breathing out a heavy sigh, Naruto sat between his teammates and closed his eyes as he placed his head in his hands. "I can't believe I did that. What the hell am I going to tell Sakura-chan and Ino-chan? What the hell am I going to tell anybody?" Choji and Shino both looked at their friend, curious to know what he was muttering about. After a moment, Choji reached a hand over and gently shook the blonde Uzumaki-Namikaze. "Naruto? Calm down. What the heck's going on?"
Naruto sighed and looked into the eyes of both of his friends. Realizing he had been speaking his thoughts aloud instead of keeping everything silent, the young blonde realized he had let too much slip already. Groaning, he leaned his head back on the tree and stared upwards at the sky. "I found out a couple of weeks ago after getting my new tantō that…Naruko-chan likes me. And yes, I mean in that way. It was pretty obvious when she k-kissed me." Seeing his friends' eyes widen, Naruto chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "Y-Yeah. Kaa-san and I had a long talk about it, and things actually aren't all that bad. What she said makes a lot of sense, and Naruko-chan and I have always gotten along really well. I just never expected her to like me like that! Know what I mean?"
Choji chuckled softly and nodded his head while Shino merely squeezed Naruto's shoulder softly. "If it helps to alleviate your fears Naruto-san, I do not judge you if you have chosen to have relations with your sister. As for your current girlfriends, perhaps we could try and come up with an explanation of sorts for them?" Choji nodded in agreement and both looked to Naruto to see what he would say.
Sighing, Naruto nodded his head. "Apparently, as the last male of the Uzumaki clan, it's actually not an uncommon experience for one of the women of my family to, erm…'bed' me as a first step of sorts towards rebuilding our clan. I think my best course of action would be to just tell Sakura-chan and Ino-chan outright what's going on. Naruko-chan likes me a lot, we've…kissed a couple of times, and…per Kaa-san's insistence, Naruko-chan and I went on a date last week and it was actually really, well…nice." Naruto shrugged his shoulders and looked over towards the entrance of the training grounds where their sensei was currently standing. "I'm going to talk with the two of them as soon as I can. They deserve to know what's going on. It still feels a little…weird to me, but it doesn't feel wrong. The thing that bugs me is that I haven't told them yet. I really just hope they'll understand."
Choji and Shino both looked over to their sensei and nodded at each other. "All right Naruto. Whatever you decide to do, just know that you have our support." Rising, all three Genin approached their Jonin sensei and smiled. "Hello Asuma-sensei. You didn't come to greet us, so I assume you have a mission lined up for us?" Naruto asked, genuinely curious about what they would be doing today.
The Sarutobi looked down at his students and sighed. Looking into Naruto's eyes, the young smoker ruffled his own hair a moment before nodding and speaking. "Yeah, Pops is giving us a C-rank mission today. He'll give us the details when we visit him in his office." Looking his Genin team over once again, Asuma nodded and smiled. "I believe you're all ready to try some harder missions, so let's make our first true mission a success. Let's go!" Grinning at his team, the Jonin started off towards the Hokage Tower so they could speak with his old man. As they ran along, Asuma occasionally glanced back at Naruto and did his best to hide his frown.
Flashback – 3 Days Ago – Team 10's Training Ground
While watching his Genin spar with each other, Asuma kept watching over his shoulder. Every now and then he swore he could see someone weaving around in the trees. After some time of this, he decided to check it out. The idea of being spied on did not sit well with Asuma Sarutobi and he needed to make sure that he and his Genin were safe. So, leaving a Hai Bunshin (Ash Clone) behind to monitor his Genin and help guide them, Asuma disappeared to track the 'spy'.
A few, brief moments later, Asuma was standing on a tree branch looking around for any sign of the spy. "Tch, I just missed him. Who the hell's been watching us?" The Jonin soon stiffened as he felt a presence behind him and heard a soft, female voice. "Don't you mean her Asuma-san?"
Turning around slowly, his chakra blades at the ready, Asuma was greeted with a rather lovely vision. There, standing before him was a woman with radiant silver hair that reached down to her feet and covered the right half of her face, leaving only her left eye visible. As he stared into that eye, an eye the dark color of sapphire, he found himself wondering just who this woman was that she could so easily sneak up on him. "Relax; I am not here to bring harm to you Asuma-san. If I wanted you dead, I would never have even allowed you to sense me."
Asuma chose that moment to interrupt her as he slipped away his blades. "Fine, fine. What the hell are you doing here lady? Why are you spying on my team?" The Shinigami sighed and shook her head. "Not you or your team, just one of your young Genin." This caused Asuma to raise an eyebrow as he took out a cigarette and lit it. "I'm keeping an eye on Naruto-kun."
The Sarutobi groaned and shook his head. "And why does this news not surprise me?" The Shinigami giggled softly and Asuma found her laughter to be incredibly cute. Shaking the thought from his head, he narrowed his eyes at the woman. "Go on, I assume you're going to let me know why the hell you've been spying on my student?"
The Shinigami nodded softly and smiled. "First, let me apologize for disrupting your training session with your team. Second, I feel that because you are training little Naruto-kun that you deserved to know of my presence. Only one other knows I've been keeping an eye on the little one and that is the boy's mother." Asuma again raised an eyebrow as he took a puff of his cigarette and motioned for her to continue. "I have chosen to watch young Naruto-kun and keep him safe. I will follow this team on any missions outside of the village and I will continue to watch these training sessions of yours. Should I feel that his life is in any danger, I will intervene and protect him. I have taken a special interest in little Naruto-kun from the time that he was born. It is by my hand that his dear mother, Kushina Uzumaki is still among the living…"
Asuma raised his hand and interrupted her. "Wait. I heard Kushina was in a pretty crappy state the night of the Kyuubi attack, but how could you have anything to do with her survival? Were you…?" The silver-haired woman held up her hand and giggled softly as she shook her head. "No, no Asuma-san, I was not one of the medic-nin from that night. Nor did I have anything to do with the Kyuubi attack or anything else that night. I simply made a deal of sorts with dear Kushina-chan."
The Sarutobi could feel a mighty headache coming on, but rather than rub the bridge of his nose or take another puff of his cigarette, he decided to speak again and seat himself upon the branch. "What kind of deal are we talking about Miss…?"
The Shinigami took a few steps closer and grinned down at him. "You may call me Yure. But Kushina-chan knows me as the Shinigami." When Asuma stiffened, Yure placed the backs of a few of her fingers against his cheek and the young Sarutobi could feel the chill of death upon his skin, slowly sucking away the life in that area of his body. After a few, quick seconds, Yure retracted her hand and smirked down at him again. "Now that you understand, I will continue."
Asuma stared straight ahead for a time, his cigarette long having fallen from his grip to the ground below. Yure, not wanting anything to happen, used a quick suiton (Water Release) jutsu to drench the cigarette as she took a seat a short distance away from the Jonin sensei. After a few minutes that seemed more like a matter of hours to the both of them, Asuma finally turned to stare at the woman. "You're the…?"
"Shinigami? Yes." The Shinigami smirked again and giggled at his dumbstruck expression. "You…you don't look anything like what I expected." Yure sighed and shook her head. "Kushina-chan had a similar reaction when I showed her this form for the first time." Asuma sighed and chose this moment to rub the bridge of his nose. The area where Yure had just recently touched had healed just seconds after she retracted her hand. As amazing as that was to him, Asuma had other thoughts on his mind. "You look like you're maybe seventeen, maybe eighteen years old. Is there a reason you chose such a, erm…'young' form when you could very likely take any form you'd like?"
Yure nodded her head. "Yes, but I will get into that a little later. If I remember correctly, you asked me what kind of deal I made with Kushina-chan." Asuma nodded slowly and looked into her eye. "I promised I would keep her and her family alive in exchange for something. And yes, that something is little Naruto-kun." At the look in Asuma's eyes, Yure grinned wide and awaited the inevitable question.
Asuma glanced back towards where his three Genin were training and frowned before looking back at the Shinigami. "What could you possibly want with Naruto-kun?" Yure grinned wider and began to laugh a soft, chilling laughter. "I am going to make him my apprentice. Well, something of the sort anyway. You don't need to know anything more than that. Just train him well and take good care of him. When the time comes, I will take him under my wing. For now, I am content to simply watch over him. Now, before I go, I expect you to agree to a few things Asuma-san." The smirk on the woman's face sent shivers down Asuma Sarutobi's spine. As much as he knew he was going to regret it, he began to listen to her 'demands'…
End Flashback
Asuma looked forward again and shook his head to try and clear his mind of those thoughts. That woman had threatened him with her Shi no Geijixyutsu: Shi no Tacchi (Death Arts: Touch of Death) should he let anything slip, and just remembering when she laid her fingers on his skin made his body go cold. So far, the Jonin had kept his word and hadn't told Naruto a thing about Yure. Nor had he gone to Kushina with his knowledge of her 'friend'. As desperately as Asuma wanted to know why in the hell Kushina would agree to let the Shinigami figuratively have her son, the Jonin knew better than to go against the wishes of the Goddess of Death, a being that could kill him with a simple touch. Sighing again, he picked up the pace, knowing full well his team could keep up with him. She's going to be watching us this entire time. Please Kami, don't let anything bad happen on this mission!
Eight Minutes Later – Hokage's Office
Team 10 was now standing before their Hokage, each of them bowing low. Soon, the four of them straightened and both Asuma and Naruto grinned at the Sandaime. "Hey Pops/Jiji! How's it going?" Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled softly and shook his head. "Today's been a rather slow day. So much blasted paperwork and nothing to really show for any of it just yet. The more I deal with, the larger the pile becomes. It's rather frustrating."
Everyone in the room immediately nodded their heads in agreement. "Regardless, that is not why you are here. Asuma, you specifically requested a C-ranked mission for your team when you visited me earlier. I looked through the missions available and I have found one that I think is perfect for your team. Originally it was going to go to a team of Chunin or perhaps a highly skilled Genin team such as Guy's, but I feel that this is the perfect mission for your team. Here."
Asuma watched as his tou-san pushed the file across the desk to him. Lifting it into his hands and up to eye level, the Jonin flipped through and looked things over. "All right, this sounds like a good mission. We'll take it Pops." Hiruzen smirked and nodded his head. "Good. Tazuna-san, you may come in now."
All eyes turned to the door as it opened slowly to reveal a rather gruff-looking man with a straw hat atop his head and a bottle of sake in his hand. The elderly man looked over the team of four carefully for a moment, looking over each of them with a speculative eye as he did. "So this is the team that's meant to protect me? So far, I'm not impressed. A fat ass, some creepy boy, a blonde shrimp, and what I assume to be their sensei? That's what's going to be protecting me? Pathetic."
Asuma sighed and shook his head. He was just about to grab two of his students when he heard Naruto laughing. All eyes turned to rest on the blonde as he stepped forward, his hands resting on the handles of his tantōs. "Tazuna-san, correct?" The man just nodded slowly, a sudden chill running down his spine as the boy continued to step closer. When Naruto suddenly appeared behind him with both of his tantōs aimed at two different vital points on his body, Tazuna began to shake. "Whatever situation you're in, I assure you that we're the ones you'll want to be looking after you. Asuma-sensei is a skilled Jonin, not to mention the musuko of the Sandaime Hokage. We are his Genin team: Shino Aburame, Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, and Choji Akimichi."
Retracting his blades and slipping them back into their sheathes, Naruto turned around and smirked at their charge. "Shino, or 'some creepy boy' as you so deemed him, is the heir to the Aburame clan and is highly skilled in tracking, debilitating foes, and he is also a skilled strategist. Choji, the one you deemed 'fat ass', which, by the way was a really dumb idea, is the heir to the Akimichi clan. He is highly skilled in Taijutsu and is our powerhouse attacker. Whereas I am the Yondaime Hokage's son. I am skilled in Kenjutsu and I have a few powerful jutsu under my belt. Trust me Tazuna-san, you couldn't ask for a better team to look after you." Reaching up, Naruto gently patted Tazuna on the shoulder and walked past him to rejoin his teammates.
Tazuna shivered slightly and looked to the Sandaime. Shrugging his shoulders, the Hokage simply lit his pipe and smiled. "Naruto-kun is right. You are in very capable hands Tazuna-san. Now, all of you are dismissed. Take good care of your client you four!" Asuma and the rest of Team 10 nodded, shouting a quick "Yes!" in response before the Jonin sensei turned to Tazuna. "Tazuna-san, how long do you suspect we'll be gone?"
Tazuna scratched at his beard for a time before he answered. "I'd say it would depend on how quickly we reach my village. Maybe three to four weeks tops?" Asuma nodded and turned to his Genin team. "All right you three go home and pack everything you think you might need for that time period. We meet at the gate in an hour. Dismissed!" Tazuna and Asuma watched as Team 10 disappeared through the door before turning to the Hokage. "Pops, we'll see you in a month. Don't let the place burn down while we're gone." Chuckling to himself, Asuma winked at his tou-san before disappearing through the door with Tazuna, leaving a grumbling Hokage behind.
1 Hour Later – Gates of Konoha
Team 10 was watching for Naruto to arrive. It was nearing the one hour mark and he had yet to arrive. They were used to him being one of the last to arrive to team meetings and training sessions and such, but would he really be late to a mission? None of them thought so, and when they finally heard his voice, each of them began to chuckle.
Approaching them at a moderate pace, Naruto appeared to be trying to escape his rather doting mother. "Kaa-san! Please stop! This is really embarrassing. I'll be fine, I promise! No, no, don't do that! Gah!" Naruto jumped free of his kaa-san's grip and landed before his teammates, narrowing his eyes as he spun around on his heels and glared daggers at his kaa-san. What happened next caused the blonde to turn a bright red while the four guys he'd be traveling with for a time broke out into hysterical laughter.
Kushina had used the Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique) to appear at his side and quickly hugged his head to her bosom, effectively trapping his face between her sizeable breasts. The beautiful redhead placed a number of kisses atop his head and forehead and squeezed him tightly against her. "You'd better be okay Naruto-kun! I won't be happy if you come home missing an eye or an arm or something! I don't care if it's just an 'easy C-rank mission' either! Anything could happen, so I want you to be careful, look after your teammates, and make sure to protect your client! Don't you dare fail or you're not going to have any ramen for an entire month when you get back!"
Naruto paled at that and looked up into his kaa-san's eyes. "You're kidding me, right?" Kushina shook her head and smiled widely down at her musuko. The blonde groaned and shook his head. "That is so not fair. Fine, fine. We'll be careful and the mission will go really well. I'm not about to lose my ramen!" Kushina giggled cutely and nodded again. "Good. Now, go on and get going! Look, you've kept your teammates waiting. Good-bye Musuko! Have fun!"
The young Uzumaki-Namikaze boy shook his head and turned around to face his team. "Did you enjoy the show? Please let's just get going before she gets too clingy again. When Kaa-san heard I was leaving for a month, she clung to me and started crying." Shivering at that, Naruto dodged another hug from his upset kaa-san and dashed off down the road. "Please, just hurry up and let's go! Kaa-san's acting too weird! It's uncomfortable dattebayo!" Everyone laughed again and, after wishing Kushina Uzumaki a fond farewell, they took off down the road to catch up to the excited young Uzumaki-Namikaze.
Twenty Minutes Later – On the Road
As Team 10 walked along, they were all talking about random things that were of no real importance to the mission, and they weren't even really getting to know one another. Asuma had talked with Tazuna for a time while Shino kept watch with his kikaichu in front. Meanwhile, bringing up the rear was Choji and Naruto, just talking about random nonsense such as the food they packed and Choji's crush on some girl he met a few weeks back.
Suddenly the team came across a puddle and Naruto, Shino, and Asuma all realized the problem right away. Naruto leaned in close to Choji and whispered the problem to him while Shino and Asuma prepared themselves. As they passed the puddle, the Demon Brothers leapt from the puddle and began their attack. As they closed in to attack Asuma, Choji slammed into Meizu while Naruto stopped Gozu with his nodachi. Asuma and Shino stood guard in front of Tazuna while the two friends challenged the Kiri missing-nin known as the Demon Brothers.
Gozu and Meizu looked to each other and nodded their heads. Releasing the chain, they separated and began to attack their individual opponents. Gozu continuously tried to pierce or scratch Naruto with his poisoned gauntlet, but each of his strikes was blocked quite skillfully. Eventually, when Gozu got fed up with his opponent blocking, he attempted to go through hand seals only to lose the fight in that moment. Naruto smirked and spun his nodachi in a circle at his side before swinging it forward and shouting out, "Rasen no Chakura no Nami (Spiraling Chakra Wave)!" Shooting forth from his sword were three spiraling streams of yellowish chakra that slammed into Gozu and sent him crashing to the ground, numerous gashes suddenly appearing all over his body. Try as he might, the young missing-nin from Kirigakure couldn't rise again.
Meanwhile, Meizu wasn't faring much better against Choji Akimichi. Despite the young man's girth, Meizu couldn't land a blow. While it was true that all he had to do was land a single blow and the poison would likely do him in, the Akimichi was either blocking all of his attacks with a kunai or dodging under or around his attacks. Eventually, Choji got tired of the dance routine and threw his arm forward after shouting out, "Bubun Baika no Jutsu (Partial Multi-Size Technique)!" and nailed Meizu in the face with a rapidly expanding fist.
After Meizu landed beside his crippled brother, Asuma tied them up and strapped them to a nearby tree. As soon as the fight had come to an end, everyone instantly turned to Tazuna and narrowed their eyes. "Talk. Now!"
Tazuna shriveled under their intense gazes and caved soon after they threatened to leave him there. As he talked, they learned about Gato and the trouble in the Land of Waves. When his tale finally ended, the three Genin turned to their sensei who ended up letting out a heavy sigh. "If this was any other team, I'd suggest we turn back and leave Tazuna-san to his fate. We're likely to encounter a much stronger opponent next time, and while I personally don't like it, I'll leave the decision up to you three. What do you want to do?"
Naruto, Shino, and Choji each turned to each other and decided to talk things out. After a short time, the young Uzumaki-Namikaze turned to his Jonin sensei and smiled. "We've agreed that we will not leave Tazuna-san to the mercy of Gato and whoever else might be out to kill him. However, it would be a good idea if we sent word back and requested another team's assistance. Can you please send word back to Jiji-sama and ask him to send us back-up as soon as possible? He should also send a team to retrieve these two as it wouldn't be wise to simply leave them here." Naruto explained as he nodded towards the Demon Brothers. "Personally, I think it would be wise to remain here until our back-up arrives, but it might be a good idea to leave it up to a vote."
Asuma nodded his head and looked to Tazuna. "Tazuna-san? Do you think Gato might send someone to kill your family once he learns the Demon Brothers have failed?" Tazuna frowned and shook his head while shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know. I figured he might send ninja after me, but I don't know what lengths he'll truly go to in order to get what he wants. Personally, I'd like to return home as soon as possible." The Jonin sensei nodded and turned to his students. "I'll send the letter to Pops and we'll wait until I get a response. After that, we'll continue on. Understood?"
Naruto smiled and nodded his head. "Yes, Asuma-sensei." Each of the Genin stated in unison before they took Tazuna off to the side and sat with him to discuss more with him about his home and his family. Meanwhile, Asuma began to write the letter to his tou-san.
Three Hours Later
As Team 10 was nearing the edge of Fire Country, they heard noises off to the side of the road and were quickly on the defensive, each of them taking up a position around Tazuna with weapons at the ready. In an instant, a second Konoha team was in the clearing, each of them with their hands raised in a placating manner. "Hey, hey, no need to act so hostile. We were the closest team, so Hokage-sama sent us. Isn't that right team?"
Everyone in Team 10 recognized one of their backup team's members immediately: Naruko Uzumaki-Namikaze. Upon noticing each other, Naruto and Naruko rushed to each other and hugged each other tightly. "Naruto/Naruko!" They shouted in unison. "Hey Otouto, looks like this is our first mission together, huh?" Naruto smirked and nodded his head. "Yeah. Those two Chunin a while back were a piece of cake, but the mission's gonna get a lot tougher, I'm sure of it. It's good to have you here Naruko-chan. We could use your help."
Asuma chuckled and nodded his head. "Yes, Naruto is right. It's good to have your team here Kirobi-san. Your team has more experience than ours does and you've been out of the village far more often. Your team's experiences will be invaluable here. I'll explain everything in further detail as we move. We're almost to the border. We'll take a boat from there to the Land of Waves. Once we reach the opposite shore, Tazuna has assured me it should only be a matter of hours before we reach his home. We'll have to keep a constant watch until then." Everyone nodded and soon they began their journey again with Naruto sticking by Naruko, both of them talking about what their teams had been up to before they met up. Meanwhile, behind them, standing next to his other teammate, Marco was glaring daggers at the back of Naruto's head while his hand was constantly hovering over his kunai pouch. It was obvious that he did not like Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze for some reason.
Shino, having noticed this, turned to Choji and pointed discreetly at Marco. "Choji-san, we may need to keep a close eye on that one. The mission may have become easier…or it may have become much, much more dangerous. I say we should be prepared for absolutely anything." Choji nodded in agreement and cracked the knuckles in his fists before whispering back to his bug-using friend. "If that jerk tries anything to hurt Naruto or Naruko-san, I'll kick his puny ass." Shino nodded at that and the two continued to watch not only Marco, but their surroundings as well. The two of them weren't about to let anything threaten their friend or their client.