A/N - Okey dokey, figured I'd update this one again.

I wanted to let you know that I've been under a lot of stress lately. I've been severely depressed and it was a struggle just to write or do anything period. I've broken down crying a couple of times and things have NOT been improving. Then last night, I woke up to find that I got one really long 'review' for one of my stories where the person pretty much told me how horrible a writer I am, how nothing I write is any good, yada yada yada. To top it off, I had over 20 PMs in my inbox, all from different people, pretty much telling me every little thing I'm doing wrong in all my fics. How I'm just a major screw-up and can't do anything right. How they would do things better.

Needless to say, all of that, compounded with my stress and the depression I've been suffering from...made me feel like quitting. I still don't know how to feel. I still don't know what to do. So I put a note at the top of my profile and I've introduced a new poll. Because I'm not doing well and I feel like I could just break down at any moment right now.

Anyways, enough of all that. Please just read on and enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 6 – Years Go By

"So let me get this straight. Because this whole thing sounds ridiculous. You're my mother…but at the same time, you're pretty much a complete stranger to me. Meaning you are Kushina, and yet you're not. Damn this sounds confusing as hell when I say it. Anyways, you're from an alternate dimension where you didn't marry the Fourth and you didn't give birth. So, I gotta ask, why are you here?" Naruto questioned as he massaged the bridge of his nose. This whole situation was confusing as fuck and it was giving him a monster of a headache.

"I'm here because Deus-sama and I felt it was the right time to meet you. I…I know I have no right to call myself your mother, but…" Kushina tried to say, only for Naruto to raise a hand to silence her.

"I don't need a mother anymore. What I need are friends and loved ones I can rely on. I've grown up this long without the need for a mother, so it would be awkward to suddenly have one now. Besides, you aren't really my mom. No offense intended to you, I promise. I'd just prefer to have you as a friend. That okay?" Naruto suggested.

The redhead frowned sadly for a time before she nodded and said, "I understand, Naruto-kun. Just so long as I get to spend some time with you and get to know you as a person, that would be wonderful. I just hope you can forgive me if I try to play the role of mother sometimes. I'll try not to, but…"

"I know, I know. Never got to have children of your own, so it'll be hard to resist doting on me a bit. Stuff like that, right?" Naruto asked with a smirk.

Kushina giggled and said, "Yes, something like that. I think, now that I'm here, I'd like to serve as a guardian of sorts. You may have Deus-sama's gifts, and you may be next in line to take over for him, but you aren't invincible. There are people out there that wish to do you harm. So until you're strong enough to handle everything on your own, you're stuck with us. Got it?"

Naruto chuckled and said, "Of course." Turning to Itachi and Konan, he asked, "I assume that's why they're here too? I recognize Itachi, of course. I don't know who the beautiful woman is though."

While Konan blushed at the compliment, Itachi offered Naruto a small smile and said, "You knew who I was the entire time, didn't you Naruto-kun?"

Naruto smirked at Itachi and said, "You were one of the very few 'guardians' I had growing up that actually did your damn job. I'm no fool, Itachi."

"Never said you were. I'm saddened by what became of my brother though, I must admit. I should have known the people here would feed his ego and turn him into something hideous. I had hoped that he would turn out to be a better person than Father was, but…it seems that was but a dream." Itachi said.

Konan decided to introduce herself now. "Naruto-kun, my name is Konan. I've been referred to as the Angel of Ame. Like Itachi, I have come to serve as your guardian. I…was once good friends with another Uzumaki, a man named Nagato Uzumaki. However, he's changed and not in a good way. Before Kushina-san could kill him, a man by the name of Obito Uchiha corrupted and twisted the mind of Nagato. Now…he's just a madman that believes himself to be a god. Not even my words could get through to him anymore."

Naruto frowned sadly at her and said, "You have my sympathies then. I get the feeling that there's more to the story, though. So out with it."

Konan frowned and said, "The Akatsuki, the organization we were a part of, are after the bijuu. They'll kill the jinchuriki just to capture the bijuu and revive the Juubi to, essentially, rule over the Elemental Nations with the power of fear and submission. Which means they're going to come after you at some point. Hence why Deus-sama is having us serve as your guardians. Nobody will harm you so long as we exist. And with Deus-sama's gifts, nobody will EVER hurt you, Naruto-kun."

"I see. But there's still more nobody here is telling me. I want to hear the full truth." Naruto said, narrowing his eyes at the group of people before him.

Kushina sighed and said, "Obito Uchiha was your father's student. He released the Kyuubi from your real mother and used his Sharingan to control the Kyuubi the night of the Kyuubi attack. It's because of him and the Kyuubi that your parents are dead, Naruto-kun. I killed him so he can no longer harm you, but…the damage has been done. He whispered honeyed words into Nagato's ears and manipulated him in a cruel way. He has warped Nagato's mind. I hate to see a fellow Uzumaki lose his way like this."

Naruto scowled and clenched his fists angrily. Taking a few deep breaths to get himself under control again, the blonde said, "I see. Thank you. All of you. Can I count on you to help train me? I want to get stronger. Strong enough to protect everyone dear to me and to better defend myself as well. I also want to make Deus-sama proud of me. So I need all the help I can get. And, um…can you guys help my girlfriends too?"

Kushina smiled sweetly at him and said, "Of course we can. We'll make sure that you and your girlfriends are the strongest beings in the known universe if we have to. And with Deus-sama's gifts, nobody will be able to stop you. I promise."

"Thank you Kushi-chan." Naruto said with a smile.

Kushina giggled a bit at the affectionate suffix attached to her name. Looking at the others, she soon shrugged and looked Naruto in the eyes. "I have a question for you before we do anything, Naruto-kun. What do you think of Sakura Haruno and Hinata Hyuga? You do know they both adore you, right?"

Naruto sighed and scratched at his cheek, trying to avoid looking at his various girlfriends in the room at the moment. "Yeah, I know they like me too. Sakura-chan…I don't know what to think of her. She went from being a fangirl for Sasuke to being my fangirl. She's not as bad as she was before, and I've managed to convince her to stop dieting and take her training seriously, but I still don't know how to feel about her."

Taking a moment to think on it, Naruto said, "Hinata-chan, on the other hand, is really timid and shy. I don't like that Yuno-chan scared her off before, knowing that I wanted friends. I understand why she did it, but it still hurts a bit. But, like with Sakura, I don't really know what to think of Hinata-chan. She's nice and she's certainly cute, but I want the girls that enter a relationship with me to be more confident in themselves. They need to be badass kunoichi, no questions asked. I don't know if the two of them can do that…"

Kushina nodded in understanding and said, "That makes sense. I don't blame you for feeling that way. Sakura was one of your biggest abusers for a while. You were so nice to her, especially after saving her from those bullies, and her parents and her peers turned her against you. A betrayal like that can be hard to deal with. But now that she's developed such a deep crush on you, you don't know how to feel about her anymore."

"As for Hinata, maybe you should reach out to her and befriend her? Your presence in her life might inspire her. If you become her friend, you can push her to better herself. Besides, look at her family situation. She's an outcast within her own clan. She's considered a weakling and a failure, and her own father doesn't treat her very well. Her sister is cruel to her as well. Then you have her cousin, Neji, who is a COMPLETE asshole. Her living situation is toxic and it saps her of all her self-confidence and really lowers her self-esteem. You might be surprised if you offer her a helping hand. She has the potential to become something truly great."

Yuno frowned at her and said, "It sounds like you're trying to play matchmaker. Please stop."

Kushina simply giggled and said, "Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not. In truth, I don't care if he enters a relationship with them or not. I just don't want him to isolate himself and avoid making friends. Just because they're girls doesn't mean he can't be friends with them, you know? Besides, even you have to admit that being friends with Hinata could be good for Naruto-kun. She could use the confidence booster, especially if she's to deal with her clan effectively. And, I need to ask this: why haven't you brought Ino-chan to see Deus-sama yet? Is it because you're still mad at her for what she did?"

Ino blinked a couple of times and asked, "Who is this Deus-sama I keep hearing about? From the way you talk about him, he must be pretty important."

The redhead blinked a couple of times before staring with a deadpan at the girls. "Seriously? You haven't even confided in her about Deus-sama?"

Tsubaki huffed angrily and looked away. "I don't like her. She tricked me dammit! Naruto-kun's ours!"

Yuno grumbled and said, "Maybe if you weren't stupid enough to accept that bet with her, this wouldn't have happened. I still say I should be his first wife."

Kushina sighed and shook her head disappointedly. "You should know that she doesn't have the ability to make such a decision for you. The one Naruto-kun marries first should be left up to him, not you girls. Ino was just baiting you. If you can't see that…"

Ino frowned and said, "That's not fair though. I won fair and square and I think I've earned the spot as his first wife."

Naruto sighed and palmed his face. "Can we please just stop arguing about that already? You've had this argument with Ino-chan before Tsubaki-chan, Yuno-chan. Like Kushina says, I'll decide who I marry first. I'll decide if I want to honor the deal made between you two. And Yuno-chan, I already promised certain, erm…'firsts' to you anyways. You aren't being replaced by anyone. You're all dear to me and I hoped you'd be able to see that and get along with one another. But here you are, at each other's throats, arguing, you can't get along…" Grumbling, he said, "So just stop dammit! All of you! I love you girls. I really do. But things between us can't work if you can't get along with one another."

Seeing them calming down, at least somewhat, he turned his attention on Ino. "Ino-chan, I've hesitated to tell you about Deus-sama because I didn't know if you could keep it a secret or not. That…and I was afraid you didn't really like me. I don't know. But…Deus-sama is my best friend. In fact, he's a god, like Kami, Yami, the Shinigami, etc. etc. He has given most of us here special abilities/powers, including the ability of Future Sight. Each of us has different gifts and abilities, and we each have our own unique Future Sight ability. I…didn't know if you were ready or not. But I'd like to take you to Deus-sama so you can at least meet him. And maybe be given gifts of your own. I like you Ino-chan. I like you a lot. I was just, y'know…afraid."

Ino blinked a couple of times before slowly nodding her head. "All right, I suppose that makes sense. But if he's so important to you and he's so special to everyone here…can I please meet him? I won't betray you, Naruto-kun. I really like you. A lot. I was dead serious when I said I'd gladly become your bride."

Before Naruto could reply, Kushina spoke up. "You'll have to save that for later. You prepared a nice meal for all of us, so let's sit down and eat. We can worry about you and Deus-sama later."

The blonde girl sighed, but nodded in understanding. "Of course Kushina-san." she said before they each took their places to begin eating dinner together. Things had certainly become rather interesting for Naruto, but he couldn't really complain. He enjoyed all the twists and turns in his life so far. Well, except for the near-death experiences at the hands of the villagers. Those sucked. For now though, he was content to spend time with his beloved girlfriends. Life was finally going well for young Naruto Uzumaki.

Six Years Later

A now 17 year-old Naruto smiled to himself as he thought over the past six years of his life. Just as Kushina had suggested, he spent more time with Sakura, getting to know her better. She remained something of a fangirl for him, but she was at least being serious about her career and was making leaps and bounds in becoming a truly beautiful and highly skilled kunoichi. Despite her wishes, however, they had yet to go on any dates and were not yet boyfriend and girlfriend. Naruto explained that while he cared for her as both a person and a friend, he was a little overwhelmed with everything and needed time to determine how he truly felt about her. So far, she had accepted that answer and was waiting patiently for the day when he'd be ready to accept her into his life as a romantic partner.

Naruto had also approached Hinata and befriended her. Sure enough, she still had that crush on him, but as with Sakura, nothing had come of it so far. However, Naruto's presence in her life had done wonders for her confidence and self-esteem. She no longer stuttered and she didn't constantly faint in his presence. They were able to have full conversations, joke together, and generally just have fun together as friends. Of course, Hinata wanted to be something more, but he told her the same thing he had told Sakura.

One thing that bothered some of Naruto's girls was the fact that he had allowed both Hinata and Ino to move into his home. Hinata really needed to get away from her family, so he had invited her to stay with him and live under his protection as the Uzumaki clan head. Ino, on the other hand, had grown tired of waiting, so she had moved herself in without allowing Naruto to put up any kind of argument against it.

On top of this, Naruto had taken Ino to see Deus and Muru Muru. Her initial reaction to seeing Deus was rather amusing, but she quickly bowed to the god and greeted him politely. She had received her own gifts from the mighty god and was giddy as can be afterwards. Ino had been rather affectionate with Naruto, giving him surprise kisses whenever she felt like it, and there were even times where she had tried to coerce him into doing a little 'petting', but Naruto had explained to her that the first person he'd do anything like that with would be Yuno. And so far, Yuno and Naruto had been acting rather shy with one another. They were a little nervous to take that next step, even if it was just a little foreplay. The two of them genuinely loved one another, and they valued their relationship with one another. They didn't want to rush things, but at the same time, they couldn't restrain themselves from acting on their love for one another for much longer.

One thing Naruto found kind of amusing was the fact that Shizune, Itachi, and Konan would constantly refer to him as Naruto-sama. He had tried to get them to stop, but they refused, saying Deus and Tsunade had specifically instructed that Naruto was to be treated with the highest level of respect as Deus' chosen. It took some getting used to, but he wasn't complaining.

Naruto had also grown close to Kushina and Tsunade. While Kushina would sometimes dote on him like a loving mother would, he didn't hold it against her. Naruto had told her that, if she really wanted children, then she should be with someone she really loves and have a family with that person. Little did he know that Kushina had already set her sights on one particular person that she'd be more than willing to start a family with.

As for Tsunade, Naruto had oftentimes sat with her in her office, going over paperwork, helping her where he could, and even suggesting to her that she use clones to help speed up the paperwork. She had also been strangely affectionate to him as he grew older. Every now and then, she'd kiss his cheek and she'd even flirt with him. The most brazen thing she had done was flash him her breasts one day. He wasn't quite sure what had gotten into her, but he was pretty sure that she was interested in him. He wasn't going to complain though, not when she was that damn hot and sexy.

Despite the fact that they had pretty much given themselves to him as his servants, Naruto had grown closer to Shizune, Itachi, and Konan as well. Shizune had become like a big sister to him and he often went to her for advice on a variety of things. One such problem he needed advice on was how to deal with so many girls that were after his heart. He also talked with her about the situation with Sakura and Hinata. She had proven to be quite the helpful older sister figure.

Itachi had become like an older brother to Naruto, and he enjoyed spending time with and learning from Itachi. Thankfully, Tsunade had pardoned Itachi for his 'crimes' and had explained the circumstances of the Uchiha Massacre to the village populous. So the people had quickly started sucking up to him, which was honestly quite irritating. However, when they learned that he was acting as a guardian for Naruto Uzumaki, they weren't sure how to feel or what to think. Suffice it to say, they left both Naruto and Itachi alone, wanting nothing to do with either of them.

Finally, he had grown quite close to Konan. She had told him all about what the Akatsuki's original purpose was and even said wonderful things about Nagato and Yahiko, before Yahiko was killed and Nagato's mind was warped. She had told Naruto that he reminded her of Yahiko to an extent. Naruto wasn't quite sure how he felt about Konan, considering how beautiful she was and how he oftentimes found himself blushing in her presence. Was it a crush? Hell if he knew the answer to that!

Naruto looked around the classroom at his girlfriends and found himself smiling as he thought about the time he had spent with Yuno, Tsubaki, Minene, and Anko. Oftentimes, they had wanted to be intimate, but Naruto insisted on waiting until they were officially Genin before doing anything naughty like that. As he promised, Naruto was saving his first time for Yuno, considering she was his girlfriend first, before any other. But, if he had to be perfectly honest with himself, he was nervous. While his girlfriends had taken to cuddling with him in various states of dress, he still had yet to see any of them truly naked. And he didn't know if he'd be any good when it came time for him and Yuno to make love. It was all just so nerve-wracking and he didn't know what to think or do!

Another thing that was on his mind today was the fact that Muru Muru had asked to see him after he officially became a Genin. Apparently she had something important to show him, but he couldn't even guess at what it was. Still, if she wanted him for something, he wasn't going to deny her or make her wait forever.

They had already passed the academy exams no problem. The reason he and the others were sitting in the academy room this time was simple: they were waiting to hear team placements and see who would be with whom on which team. Personally, Naruto was hoping that he'd be on a team with Yuno and Tsubaki with Minene and/or Anko as their sensei. However, so long as he was with people that he knew and trusted, he could deal with whomever he ended up with.

After a while, Anko decided to address the class. "All right you lot, settle down and shut up. I'll begin reading off teams. No bitching or whining if you don't get to be with the person you want. Okay, first up is Team 1…"

Naruto tuned Anko out for the time being and simply lost himself in thought for a time. When she finally got to Team 7, he tuned back in just in time to hear the names she called out. "Team 7 is Shino Aburame, Sakura Haruno, and Sorey. I'll be your jonin sensei, so I'd better not be hearing any complaints from any of you. Got it?" Anko said.

The three of them nodded in understanding and remained quiet. Pleased with that, Anko began to read off Team 8. "Okay, Team 8 is Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuga, and Velvet Crowe. Your sensei is Kurenai Yuhi. Kiba, I swear to Kami if I hear from your teammates that you're being a sexist pig again, I'll make sure they neuter you. Velvet, Hinata, I'm trusting you two to keep him in line."

Velvet smirked cruelly as she looked at Kiba. When he looked her way, she held up her index and middle fingers and mouthed, 'Snip snip.' to him as she mimed using a pair of scissors. When he began to shiver in fear, she giggled quietly to herself before returning her attention to Anko.

"All right. Looks like Team 9 is still in circulation. No surprise there. Team 10 looks like they're trying for the next generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho formation. Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi. Your sensei is that lazy ass Asuma Sarutobi. Better than Kakashi being your sensei, I suppose. Ino, make sure your teammates work their lazy butts off. If they don't shape up, take it up with the Hokage and see what she can do. You've got too much potential to let it be squandered with a team that's too lazy to do a thing." Anko said, getting a nod from Ino.

"Finally, we have Team 11. Naruto Uzumaki, Yuno Gasai, and Tsubaki Kasugano. Your sensei will be Minene Uryuu. Looking forward to hearing about all the great things you lot get up to." Anko finished, smirking at her boyfriend and fellow sister wives, whenever they got married, of course.

"Now, for the majority of you, your senseis will start piling in soon enough. Just wait patiently. Teams 7 and 11, on the other hand…" Smirking at them, Anko said, "Come with us. We're going to go enjoy some of the yummiest food ever!"

Naruto, unable to resist, decided to screw with his girlfriend. "Oh, you mean we're going out for ramen? Sweet deal! Let's get going then Anko-sensei!"

Anko narrowed her eyes at Naruto and said, "You cheeky brat. You know damn well what I'm talking about." She waited patiently for Naruto and the others to approach herself and Minene. Once he was within range, Anko grabbed her boyfriend by the front of his shirt and pulled him in for a deep kiss while rubbing his crotch through his pants just to get a reaction out of him.

When they pulled apart moments later, the other new Genin were staring gobsmacked at what just happened. Grinning at all of them, the Snake Mistress grabbed Naruto's crotch and said, "That's right kiddies, I'm with Naruto-kun. This right here? This is mine and I'm gonna go for a nice, long ride once he's ready for me. So all you little bitches can fuck off!" Nodding her head, pleased with herself and the reaction she got, the Snake Mistress soon led the teams out of the room so they could go to her favorite place in the village: the dango shop.

As they walked along towards the dango place, Naruto stared at Anko for a moment before asking, "Was that really necessary? They're going to start wondering if you've been favoring me all this time."

"Meh, let 'em think what they want. I don't care, and neither should you. As for that…" turning around, Anko pointed at his hard-on, she continued, "I'm not going to apologize. You brought that on yourself."

"Yeah, I suppose I did. Definitely worth it though just to see your reaction." Naruto said with a chuckle.

Sorey, a brunette with green eyes, asked, "Um…I don't mean to sound disrespectful in any way, Anko-sensei, Naruto-san, but wasn't that, erm…a bit much? Wouldn't something like that be better saved until you're alone, in the privacy of your own home?"

Anko turned and looked Sorey over for a moment. Throughout the years she had served as an instructor, he had proven to be a really kind person. Taking in his style of dress, she couldn't help but grin. As mentioned before, Sorey has brown hair that was slightly messy, but still looked presentable, in a way. He had green eyes and two yellow feather earrings. His style of clothing wasn't bad either. Sorey was wearing a blue shirt with white gloves on his hands. He had on black pants, white boots, and he wore a white cape with a unique design on it. On his right leg was his kunai holster, while a shuriken holster was strapped to his hip. All-in-all, he looked quite dashing, but she didn't much care about that. "You're one of those innocent types, aren't you? A pure-hearted person that's a bit innocent in the ways of the world. Don't worry, once you find that special someone for you, I'm sure you'll understand."

Sorey blushed and scratched at the tip of his nose while glancing away. "I…really have no idea what to say to all that. Then again, I'll admit to being kind of sheltered, in a sense."

Minene smirked at him and said, "No reason to worry about that now. Anyways, we're here. Let's place our orders and get on with the whole introduction crap. Then we can decide what to do from there."

After placing their orders, Anko looked at her team and said, "All right kiddos, here's how this is gonna go. While most of us know each other pretty well by now, there are some that we don't know enough about. So we're going to say our names, likes, dislikes, hobbies, and dreams for the future. I'll start. The name's Anko Mitarashi. I love Naruto-kun and our strange, but glorious family. I like bunnies, cactuses, and I especially like dango. I HATE Orochimaru. I also dislike arrogant pieces of shit, people with inflated egos, and liars. My biggest hobby is torturing people. It's such a fun part of my job. And my dream? Well, that's twofold. I want to kill Orochimaru, and I want to start a family with Naruto-kun. Alrighty Minene-chan, your turn!"

The purple-haired bomber nodded and said, "Name's Minene Uryuu, though it'll be Uzumaki someday soon, I'm sure." Smirking at Naruto and the girls, she soon continued. "Like Anko, I love Naruto-kun. I love our strange little family as well. I'm also really, really fond of explosions. I like making things go BOOM! Brings a smile to my face." Reaching up a finger, she wiped away an imaginary tear. "I hate most of the assholes in this village. I also dislike rude people and genjutsu. Just not a fan of that ninja art. Hobbies? Meh, not much I can say there. I like making things explode, so that works well enough I suppose. And my dream? Well, I want to kill Deidara and cement my place as the world's number one mad bomber. There can be only one! Muwhahahahahahahahahaaaa!"

The members of Team 7 sweatdropped at Minene's behavior. Naruto and his girlfriends, though, simply smirked and nodded in understanding. Minene may be crazy, but Naruto and his girlfriends were just as insane.

Anko looked at her team before pointing at Sorey. "All right Sunshine, you're up. Tell us what you're all about."

Sorey smiled and said, "My name is Sorey. No last name to speak of, I'm afraid. I love the idea of exploring ancient ruins. I like studying history as well. Whether it's the history of Konoha or the Elemental Nations as a whole, it doesn't matter. I'm something of a history nut. I also like, erm…" Blushing, Sorey scratched the tip of his nose and said, "I'll be honest. I really like Hinata-chan. But she's, erm…not into me. Oh well. I dislike bullies and those that would destroy ruins for any reason. My hobby is the study of ancient history and, if all goes well, the exploration of ancient ruins. My dream is to one day become the world's number one history buff. That, and I'd LOVE to study the ruins of Uzushiogakure. Just imagine…"

Before Sorey could finish, he suddenly felt really, really cold. Turning to the source of this ominous feeling, he saw Naruto glaring at him. After a moment, he realized his error. "S-Sorry. I have no intention of taking anything or desecrating your clan's home. My interest is purely to sate my own curiosity about your people. I promise I would never disrespect the Uzumaki and their home."

Naruto frowned at him for a time before nodding in understanding. "Very well. Just know that I'll kill you if you try anything stupid. I'll place my trust in you, Sorey."

The brunette simply smiled at Naruto and said, "Your trust won't be misplaced, I assure you."

"All right, enough of the sappy stuff. Your turn Sakura-chan." Anko said, pointing at the pinkette.

Sakura smiled before saying, "My name is Sakura Haruno. I…well, even if I'm not allowed into the relationship, I know that my feelings won't change. I love Naruto-kun too." Blushing deeply, she cast a shy glance at Naruto before she continued. "Anyways, I like learning new things. I can sit down with a good book for hours on end, studying everything held within. I like my friends too. I dislike people that make fun of me for my forehead. I also dislike bullies and rapists. My hobby is definitely reading books of all kinds. History books, fantasy novels, whatever it is, chances are I'll enjoy reading it. Though…" Scowling in disgust, she said, "I'll never touch one of those Icha Icha books Jiraiya writes. Unless of course I'm tossing them in a fire, in which case, hooray!" Giggling a bit, she looked shyly at Naruto again before saying, "And my dream? It's to marry Naruto-kun and give birth to his children. But…again, I'll understand if that's only a pipe dream."

Anko and the other girls frowned slightly before looking into one another's eyes. It would seem they needed to discuss Sakura once again. Looking at Naruto, they saw him frowning in thought. They would definitely need to discuss this whole situation with him later. They didn't quite think Sakura was all that serious in her pursuit of Naruto, and they still didn't fully trust her, but…even they had to admit that, if they were willing to give Ino a chance, then why not Sakura and Hinata as well? It was frustrating and they weren't exactly pleased with it, but they would at least take it all under consideration.

Shino took the silence as his cue to begin. "I am Shino Aburame. I like and value insects of all kinds. I dislike bug spray and those that do harm unnecessarily to insects. My hobby is seeking out and collecting new insects to bring back home with me. I actually have two dreams, actually. I want to become Hokage someday. I want to make my family proud, and I want to show exactly what an Aburame is truly capable of. I also want to meet a girl that isn't repulsed by insects and marry her."

Naruto and the others blinked at his dreams. After a time, Naruto smirked and held his fist out to Shino. "Y'know something Shino? I'd like to help make those dreams of yours come true. You'd be a great Hokage, I'm sure."

It took a moment to grasp exactly what Naruto was going for. When it registered, he bumped fists with the blonde and smiled thankfully at him. "You have my thanks, Naruto Uzumaki."

"Of course. Now, it's my turn!" Naruto declared with a grin on his face. "The name's Naruto Uzumaki. I love my wonderful girlfriends and the crazy family we've started together. I like the friends I've been able to make. I like training and generally just having fun, with or without my loved ones. I dislike arrogant bigots, I hate the vast majority of the villagers, and I hate the prick that unleashed the Kyuubi on Konoha on the day of my birth. My hobbies include gardening and training. And my dream? I just want to have a large, loving family with those I love. Other than that, I just want to make a certain friend of mine proud."

Nobody questioned him, though that was mostly because most of the girls there already knew who he was referring to. Sakura and the other members of Team 7 felt it was Naruto's secret to keep, so they weren't going to probe for information. Instead, Yuno decided to start with her introduction. "My name is Yuno Gasai. I love Naruto-kun. I like watching Naruto-kun. I dislike those that would harm my beloved. I also dislike a vast majority of the village. My hobby is writing poetry…and watching Naruto-kun. My dream is to become Naruto's wife and give birth to his children."

Minene and the others sweatdropped while Naruto chuckled somewhat nervously. "Well, at least the girl knows what she wants. Anyways, your turn Tsubaki."

Tsubaki shrugged and said, "The name's Tsubaki Kasugano. I love Naruto-kun. I like writing and I'm currently in the process of writing a novel. I dislike those that would harm Naruto-kun or this strange family we've created. My hobby is, as I mentioned before, writing. And my dreams are to marry Naruto-kun, bear his children, and become a world-renowned author."

Anko grinned and said, "Great! Well, now that we've gotten all that crap out of the way, this is the part where we're supposed to tell you that you aren't technically Genin yet. We're supposed to put you all through another test to see what you're all capable of and shit like that. Well, I say screw the extra tests! I'm fine passing you guys without the need for some silly test. What about you Nene-chan?"

Minene smirked as she looked over her team. "These three have been working together for years. They'll be fine without me needing to test them. Besides, you know as well as I do that that crap's mostly just a formality."

"True." Anko said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Anyways, I want to see you kiddos bright and early tomorrow morning at Training Ground #44, a.k.a. The Forest of Death. Let's say about 8 AM. Nene-chan, you wanna join us?"

Minene nodded and said, "Of course An-chan. We'll start off with some basic exercises and get you into the juicy bits of training. Chakra control exercises are a must for any competent shinobi, so we'll try to get those out of the way as quickly as possible. Sakura-chan, Sorey, and Tsubaki-chan, I expect you three to pick up on those exercises fairly quickly. We'll also be testing your elemental affinities so we can get you started on the proper exercises for your respective elements. We'll also get started on those horrendous things known as D-ranks. Or we can just say fuck the D-ranks and ask Hokage-sama if she'll give us some of the better missions. Before we do that though, it'd be a good idea to get the hang of things like tree climbing and water walking."

Anko nodded in agreement. "While we're preparing ourselves for the bigger missions, we'll use the afternoons to tackle D-rank missions, just so you kiddies can get some kind of revenue coming in. You'll quickly come to understand just how horrible those missions are."

The Genin frowned for a moment before Sorey said, "Whatever they're like, it's our duty to perform the missions to the fullest extent of our abilities and make you and Hokage-sama proud. We'll do our best, sensei."

"Glad to hear it. Now go on, you're all dismissed. Go do whatever you wanna do for the rest of the day." Anko said, waving her hand dismissively. Once the Genin had cleared out, Anko looked at her girlfriend and asked, "Sooo…thoughts?"

Minene sighed and massaged her forehead tiredly. "Sakura's serious. She's really fallen hard for him. I was hoping to avoid getting her involved in our family, but…in the end, it really comes down to what Naruto-kun wants to do. And knowing him and his bleeding heart, he'll try to give her a chance, whether we like it or not. But…"

Anko shook her head and said, "No. Naruto-kun would try to make sure we're okay with it first before doing anything like that. You know that as well as I do. Anyways, let's finish up here and have a date of our own. We haven't been on one in a while." Minene simply smiled and nodded her head in response.

Naruto – Later that night

Naruto rubbed his eyes tiredly as he stood before Deus Ex Machina. "What's up Deus-sama? I was just dozing off."

Deus simply smiled at his young friend and said, "My apologies, Naruto-kun. However, someone wanted to speak with you."

Naruto was about to ask who when he glanced to the side at a rather stunning beauty as she walked into the light. Whoever it was, she had dark skin, purple eyes, and lavender hair that stretched down to her butt. She was tall, standing at 5' 7", just slightly shorter than Naruto was. She also had a dot in the center of her forehead, just like… "Wait…Muru Muru? Is that you?"

The now identified Muru Muru giggled and said, "Yes, Naruto-kun. This is my true form. Quite the stunning beauty, aren't I?"

When Muru winked at him, Naruto blushed a bit and said, "You really are gorgeous, Mur-chan. Why haven't you shown me this form before?"

Deus' assistant simply shrugged and said, "I wanted to wait until you were the proper age for me to do this." Walking up to Naruto, she placed a gentle hand upon his cheek before leaning in and capturing his lips with hers. When they parted a little while later, she smirked at him, loving the fact that she could make him blush so badly. "Like Deus-sama, I've taken a 'special' interest in you, Naruto Uzumaki. Once you have taken over for Deus-sama, I will then serve you. You will be my husband, and I will be there to support you every step of the way. And when I say serve you, I mean in every. Way. Imaginable."

Blushing worse, Naruto tried to stammer out some kind of response, only for his mind to shut down and for him to faint. When he fell backwards, Muru caught him and giggled. "So cute. So innocent. I love that about you, Naruto-kun."

Deus chuckled softly and said, "You're going to need to talk to the others. They're going to need some time to get used to you being in this family of theirs. I just hope they don't let their jealousy consume them."

Muru Muru waved him off. "Oh, don't worry so much, Deus-sama. Everything'll be just fine. Besides, they love me! What could go wrong, huh?"

The god chuckled and said, "You do have a point. Besides, I'm sure they knew that you'd be interested in him as well. For now, take him back home and cuddle with him if you want. I'm going to relax for a while."

Muru saluted before vanishing with Naruto. Once they were gone, Deus sighed and made a screen appear before him. "Let's see what you're up to now, Nagato. I had hoped you would have made a good friend for Naruto-kun, but you've proven to be quite the disappointment. And to think you were once an honorable member of the Uzumaki clan."

Naruto – Next Morning

Naruto groaned as he came to. Last night was weird and he could barely remember what the heck had happened. He remembered being called before Deus and then… Blinking a couple of times, Naruto thought, Muru-chan's hot.

As if sensing his thoughts, Muru Muru sat up and kissed him on the lips again. "Ooooh, someone's thinking naughty things, aren't they Naru-Naru?" she teased with a seductive smirk on her face.

Blushing badly, Naruto shouted, "M-Muru-chan?! That…whoa. You mean…that wasn't a dream last night?! You…you're really hot."

Giggling, Muru said, "Why thank you. You're quite the handsome devil yourself. Now, how do we break the news to your family, hmm?"

At this point, the door opened and Yuno made her way inside. "Yes, how will you break the news to us? If you've stolen his virginity…"

Muru waved her off and said, "Oh relax. Naru-Naru and I haven't done anything like that. Just some kissing and some cuddling. Besides, you know you can't kill me, Yuno-chan. You're more than welcome to try though, I suppose."

Yuno just sighed heavily and shook her head. "So you're the real Muru Muru, huh? How long have you been interested in him?"

The dark skinned goddess shrugged and said, "Since he was a little boy. I was just waiting for him to grow up all nice and strong. For now, we've got some things to discuss. So let's gather everyone together in the living room so we can chat."

Yuno and Naruto both nodded before they left the room to round up all the members of their strange family. Once they were gone, Muru smirked to herself and stretched. "Ahhh, to finally move about in my real body again. This feels fantastic!"

After some time, everyone was seated in the living room. Well, almost everyone. Konan and Itachi were preparing breakfast for everyone, as well as some nice herbal tea to help soothe the nerves. "Alrighty people, we've got some important things to discuss. First off, let's discuss some world news. Deus-sama and I feel you all need to get involved in a few events to try and set things right with the world. And to help your powers grow, of course."

"Let's begin with a man named Gato and his corrupt practices." Seeing she had their attention, Muru Muru began to explain. "Gato recently managed to enact a stranglehold of sorts over the Land of Waves. His whole business is corrupt and he's a lecherous pig to boot. The people of Wave are suffering under his tyrannical rule after he had their daimyo executed for refusing to give into his demands. Women are being sold into slavery, namely the sexual variety. Children are starving. Businesses can no longer stay afloat. Gato is putting the people there through hell and we want you to do something about it. Tsunade, a man by the name of Tazuna will be arriving in about a month. He'll try to fool you into believing he's not in any real danger so you'll list it as a C-rank mission. In truth, it's an A-rank. Rather than turn him away, try to assuage his fears and let Naruto-kun's team go with him back to the Land of Waves. I'm fairly certain that things will play out in a positive way, and Naruto-kun will even gain some positive attention from this mission. Besides that, Gato needs to die and I think Team 11 can pull that off nicely."

Tsunade nodded once and asked, "What kind of opposition could we expect on said mission? Hired goons that pose very little threat to trained ninja? Or enemy ninja?"

Muru waved her hand in a so-so motion. "A mixture of both. Mostly just a bunch of hired thugs, though there's going to be a few real threats."

"I see. I'll have to look into choosing a second team to go with them then. I won't unnecessarily risk the lives of any of my shinobi, let alone members of my family." Tsunade said.

Shrugging her shoulders, Muru decided to simply continue on. "There's also the civil war in the Land of Water. The Mizukage was under the control of that twisted creep, Obito Uchiha. Now that he's been freed, Yagura realizes just how terrible things were under his rule and he's desperately trying to stop the fighting. However, the loyalists are too far gone. They are so into the need to eradicate all bloodline holders that they won't listen when he tells them to stop fighting. If you can extend a hand and help put a stop to the loyalist fanatics, you can probably earn yourself a nice alliance with Kirigakure. Of course, that's only if you want to get involved."

Tsunade nodded again in understanding. "Hmmm…I'll have to think on it. I'd prefer to send an experienced team to help the rebels, but…" Looking at Naruto and the other members of their strange family, she soon sighed and shook her head. "It would have to wait until after the upcoming Chunin Exams. I want to know who's truly ready for a war of that caliber."

"Nothing wrong with that." Muru Muru said. "The next issue is the Akatsuki. With the loss of some of their key members and their true leader, they're getting a little desperate. They won't be a real threat for a while yet, but Nagato will be trying to exterminate those that betrayed him: Itachi and Konan. He'll wait until you two are out of the village with Naruto-kun to attack. And considering you are his guardians and will therefore be going with him on his missions, you'd best keep your eyes and ears open. Never know who he'll send after you. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he sends Kisame to kill you two. Well, three, if you want to get technical and think about poor Naruto-kun here."

"Great." Naruto said, grumbling for a moment afterwards. "As if the world out there isn't dangerous enough already."

"Oh hush. Don't complain, Naruto-kun. Just make use of your special abilities and you'll be fine." Muru said before poking him on the nose. "Now, the final issue of note is Orochimaru. He has spies here in the village, and he likely already knows about Sasuke's punishment. He'll try to get his hands on the Uchiha when he comes here in disguise with his team of Genin. They'll be here, participating as a team of Genin from the village Otogakure. He's developed a new, more powerful curse seal that he intends to give to Sasuke Uchiha. Unfortunately, the survival rate of this new seal is even lower than what it was before. But he's desperate after learning that all of his curse seals had mysteriously vanished, taking all of his soul fragments with them. It's something of a miracle that he hasn't expired already, with how often he needs to switch bodies. He had to reapply his curse seals to some test subjects and transfer bodies that way until he devised his new curse seal."

Sighing, Muru Muru rubbed the bridge of her nose before saying, "Chances are, he'll try and get back at Naruto-kun for 'ruining' Sasuke. Which means he has yet another enemy after his head. Sorry, Naruto-kun."

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "It's fine. I'm honestly kind of used to this kinda crap by now. Is there anything else we should know?"

Muru Muru tapped a finger against her chin and hummed in thought for a time. "Tsunade…get in touch with the Kazekage. Orochimaru is going to try and coerce Rasa into aiding him in an invasion of Konohagakure. Tell the Kazekage that you'll help him discuss things with the Wind Daimyo. He's been sending missions to Konoha instead of to his own village. He's been bleeding Sunagakure dry and it's only turning Suna into an enemy of Konoha, rather than its staunch ally. If you can remedy this situation and deal with the assholes behind this particular problem, it would go a long way in securing the alliance between your two villages."

Tsunade scowled and said, "Those fucking elders! They just couldn't resist pulling shit to make enemies of fucking EVERYONE! Fine, I'll get that taken care of. I just hope it's not too late."

"Meh, you guys can repel them easily enough if you ever need to. Nooow…I think that's everything! Let's eat some breakfast and then go have some fun." Muru said before hopping on over to the dining room. She was hungry and the food Itachi and Konan were making smelled delicious!

As the group took their places, they all realized that things were going to get hectic in the coming months. There was a lot that they would need to do, and it seemed like their troubles were only just beginning. Who knows what laid in store for them down the road?

A/N - And that's the chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it. ^^

Anyways, as I said before, things have been rough for me lately. I don't know when you can expect me to get another chapter out for anything. It was a miracle I even got this one finished and uploaded.

I love writing. I really do. I don't want to quit, because it's a passion of mine. But seriously here, people can be horrible. They can be downright cruel. And I don't understand WHY. Why can't people be kind to one another? Why can't they just smile and wish a person well? I just don't understand it. I don't recall ever hurting anybody. I recall saving some lives. I recall doing community service. I recall taking care of kids at a daycare out of the kindness of my heart. I don't recall ever hurting anybody. So...why do people feel the need to hurt me? Whatever happened to the Golden Rule? Treat unto others the way you would have others treat you. Kindness begets kindness. Isn't that how it should work?

*sighs* I dunno. I just have no idea anymore. Things are so fucked up right now it's ridiculous. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.