A/N - Alrighty peoples. I know you were probably hoping I'd update something else, but I really wanted to work on another chapter of this story. Honestly, I can't wait to get them to the city of Fletz so I can continue with the Legend of Dragoon side of the story, but this chapter ended up being quite a bit different from that.

Anyways, there is another lime in this chapter. It's up to you if you want to read it or not. It's not that important, it's just something Rose and Naruto felt like doing.

Okay, now that I've said all that, I hope you all enjoy the chapter!

WARNING - There is a lime in this chapter! Don't like, don't read.

Chapter 11 - Meeting the Rebels

Naruto found himself sighing as they walked along. Despite the fact that they had already warned him against it, Jiraiya couldn't help but look at Rose, Hikari, and the other women and jot down notes in his notebook. "Damn it Pervy Sage, stop it already. You should know better than to try and use them in your smut books."

The white-haired Sannin looked over at his godson with a frown. "My books are not just smut Naruto. They're masterpieces! They each tell a story! People all throughout the nations love my books. So don't go insulting me and my books like that!"

Shaking his head in exasperation, Naruto decided to change the subject. "Whatever. Anyways, what exactly are you planning to teach me during these three years? Anything good?"

Jiraiya smirked at his apprentice and nodded. "But of course! The main goal is to get you used to using the Kyuubi's chakra. If you can master that, you should be able to handle anything your enemies throw at you. Aside from that…"

Naruto cut his godfather off and scowled at him. "No. I'm not going to rely on the Kyuubi's power. If that's all you had in mind for this training trip, then leave."

Frowning at this, Jiraiya stopped walking and folded his arms across his chest. Glaring down at his godson, he said, "The Kyuubi's chakra is a powerful weapon Naruto. If you can master it, you'd be unstoppable. Why is that so hard for you to understand?"

"Because it's a crutch! I don't want to rely on a power that isn't my own! Besides, its chakra hurts me! Do you think I like using its chakra? No, I don't! I want to grow stronger. I want to be strong enough that I won't need to rely on its power. So no, Jiraiya, I am not going to train myself to use the Kyuubi's chakra. If you can't think of anything else to train me in, then I want you to leave." Naruto said angrily.

When Jiraiya opened his mouth to respond, Rose stepped up and glared at him. "If you try to convince him that he needs to use that thing's power, I'll hurt you. Surely you have something else in mind that you can train him in?"

The Toad Sage scowled at Rose for a moment before turning said scowl onto Naruto. "You're making a mistake Naruto. But fine. If you want training in something else, we can work on improving your Rasengan and perhaps you could even train with the Toads to harness the power of nature. But I highly doubt you have what it takes to become a sage like me." he said boastfully.

"That's it? Improving my Rasengan? And then you insult me by saying I could train under the Toads, but you think I can't master Sage Mode? Fuck you Jiraiya. Go back to Konoha-Lohan. Obviously you aren't going to bother seriously training me, so get lost." Naruto said. He was furious right now and he wanted nothing to do with his godfather in this instant.

Jiraiya scoffed and turned around. "Fine then. See how long you can survive on your own without me around to protect you. Don't know why I even bothered trying to teach you in the first place. You don't respect me, you don't listen, you're just a pain in the ass." he said before he began walking back towards Konoha-Lohan.

As soon as Jiraiya disappeared from sight, Naruto unsealed a notebook and began to write a letter to Tsunade. Once he was finished, he tore the piece of paper from the notebook and performed the Summoning Technique. Looking at the small messenger toad that appeared, Naruto handed it the letter and said, "Please take that to Tsunade-chan in Konoha-Lohan. She should be in her office at this time of day."

Saluting his summoner, the messenger toad vanished in a puff of smoke to go and deliver the letter. Once it was gone, Naruto sighed and turned back to the others. "Damn him. Can't believe I thought he'd take training me seriously. I'll just have to figure something else out." he said, clearly frustrated by the events that had just transpired.

Shana walked up and hugged him. "Don't worry about him Naruto. If he was going to be like that the entire time we're on our quest, then I say good riddance to the jerk. Don't worry about your training either. We'll all just continue to grow stronger during our journey, so I'm sure you'll become strong enough to take on any of those Akatsuki people that come after you."

Hugging Shana back, Naruto nodded slowly before releasing a soft sigh. "Thanks Shana-chan." he said before releasing her and looking around at the others. "Let's get a move on. I want to get as far away from him as I can."

Nodding in agreement, Dart continued to lead the group eastward towards the country known as Nami no Kuni, or the Land of Waves. The general plan was to hitch a ride on a boat that would take them to Mizu no Kuni and Tiberoa.

As they walked along, fighting the occasional monster that decided to get in their way, Rose moved to walk beside her beloved. "I'm sorry things didn't work out with your godfather Naruto. I promise you that I'll help you become stronger in any way that I can."

Taking his girlfriend's hand, Naruto smiled at her and shook his head. "It's fine. Well...not really, but you don't need to apologize for him. I think the first thing I'll do is try to add an element to my Rasengan. I want to see how powerful it can become when combined with an element. But...I doubt it'll be so easy."

Rose smiled at him and squeezed his hand gently. "If it helps, we can spar together? I just want to help you in any way that I can." she said sincerely.

"Thank you Rose-chan. I appreciate that. For now, we should just focus on the goal ahead of us. We have a lot to do." Naruto said.

Hinata moved to walk beside him on his other side and took his hand in hers. "I'll help too." she promised. "But first...what did you write in that letter Naru-kun?"

The whiskered teen sighed before he responded. "I explained the situation and told her that Jiraiya had no intention of training me seriously. Also...I told her that I miss her and can't wait to see her again."

Rose narrowed her eyes at this and looked down at her boyfriend. "Is there something going on that you haven't told us about Naruto?"

His face turning red, Naruto looked down at the ground and said, "Tsunade-chan's in love with me. And...I love her too. I love you Rose. More than anything. But I couldn't deny my feelings for Tsunade-chan any longer. We...kissed before I left. I was hoping you would be okay with her joining our family that we're building." the blonde said as he looked into Rose's eyes.

Sighing heavily, Rose closed her eyes and shook her head in exasperation. "You should have just told us about it. You don't need to hide your feelings from us Naruto. I'm a little disappointed in you. I wouldn't get mad or upset with you just because you and Tsunade want to be together."

"S-sorry Rose-chan. I just...wasn't sure how to tell you. I wasn't trying to keep it a secret, I swear!" he said. Then he turned to Hinata and squeezed her hand. "Hmm…" looking between Hinata and Rose, Naruto frowned a moment in thought before saying 'screw it' and decided to ask, "Rose-chan...would you be willing to go on a date with me when we get to Nami no Kuni? We haven't been on an official date yet, so I wanted to give one a shot. We may have to wait a while for the boat, so I figured that would be a perfect time for a date."

Rose blushed, but soon nodded her head. "Of course I'll go on a date with you Naruto. I just hope we'll have enough time to make it a memorable one." she said, giggling a bit afterwards.

Naruto blushed as he listened to her giggle. She had a beautiful voice, and he couldn't help but admire her for her appearance as well. Though he didn't quite know what she meant by making it a memorable date, he hoped he'd succeed in making her happy.

Konoha - Hokage's Office

Tsunade frowned as she read over the letter that Naruto's messenger toad had delivered to her. "I'm going to kill him." she muttered. "Damn you Jiraiya."

When Shizune entered the room in a panic, the Godaime looked at her curiously. "Yes Shizune? What is it?"

The black-haired medic stepped closer before pointing out the window. "Jiraiya-sama's back, but Naruto-kun isn't with him!" she exclaimed.

The busty, blonde Hokage sighed and shook her head. "I know." she said, holding up Naruto's letter. "Naruto-kun already informed me about Jiraiya. Believe me, I'm going to make that bastard regret his actions."

Shizune took the letter from Tsunade and began to read it over. A few things stood out to her in the letter. The first of which was about Jiraiya, explaining what he did and, more importantly, what he didn't do. The second thing, however, caused Shizune to quirk an eyebrow. "Tsunade-sama? What exactly is the relationship between you and Naruto-kun?"

Tsunade blushed prettily, but she didn't look away from her assistant. "We're lovers Shizune. I'm in love with him and he loves me too. I don't care if I have to share him. I just want to be with him." she explained.

Shizune blushed a bit as certain images appeared in her mind. Shaking her head to rid herself of such thoughts, she looked her master in the eyes and said, "How long have you two been together like that? I...didn't realize you felt that way about him."

Before Tsunade could answer, the door opened again and Jiraiya walked in. He had a grin on his face as he said, "Tsunade-hime! Did you miss me?"

Scowling at him, the busty Hokage asked, "What do you have to say for yourself Jiraiya?"

The Toad Sage frowned and folded his arms across his chest. "Hey, the brat didn't like my approach to training him and told me to get lost. I wasn't going to take his attitude the entire damn time. Besides, he's safe enough with that group. He doesn't need me."

"That's your excuse? He told me what your training plan consisted of. Did my grandma and Kushina need the Kyuubi's power?" Seeing him about to say something, she picked up a paperweight and threw it as hard and as fast as she could at Jiraiya's head, forcing him to duck lest he lose his head. "No! They didn't need to rely on that thing's power in order to be strong. Naruto-kun doesn't need it either! What he needs is proper guidance and training! But you didn't feel like actually training him. He was right to tell you to fuck off!"

Jiraiya scowled at her and was about to say something, but Tsunade beat him to the punch. With a sadistic grin on her face, she said, "And guess what Jiraiya. Naruto-kun's earned something you've been pining after for years."

For a while, the white-haired Sannin looked confused as he tried to figure out what the hell she was talking about. But then it hit him like a ton of bricks. Eyes widening and mouth dropping, he shouted out, "What the hell?! You and Naruto?! When the hell did that happen?! What did he do that I haven't?!"

Tsunade smirked and said, "He was just being himself. A sweet, beautiful young man. And he's genuine in his love for me. Plus...oh Kami he makes me feel good."

Clenching his fists tight, Jiraiya snarled and punched the wall hard, leaving a hole in it. "This isn't right! I've done everything I could think of to try and make you fall in love with me and he does it just like that?! Damn him! And you're telling me the two of you did that?! Ugh!"

Frowning as she realized something, Tsunade narrowed her eyes at Jiraiya and said, "I swear to Kami that if you try to hurt him, I'll end you Jiraiya. Leave Naruto-kun alone if you know what's good for you."

"And what are you going to do to stop me? You can't leave the village!" he exclaimed before he vanished in a Body Flicker.

The Godaime Hokage snarled and punched her desk so hard it shattered to pieces, scattering paperwork everywhere. "That rotten bastard! I need to warn Naruto-kun." she said before she picked up her pen and a blank piece of paper and proceeded to begin writing a letter to Naruto. Once it was finished, she handed it to Shizune and said, "Send this to Naruto-kun via a messenger bird now! I hope it gets to him before Jiraiya does."

Shizune nodded her head and rushed out of the room, heading for the aviary where the messenger birds were located. I never thought this would happen! Tsunade and Naruto in a relationship?! Jiraiya planning to harm Naruto-kun? How did all of this happen?! She wondered as she ran.

Back in the office, Tsunade called for her ANBU and ordered them to clean up the mess she made and to bring her a new desk. Afterwards, she looked out the window and scowled in the direction Jiraiya no doubt escaped the village from. Please be alright Naru-kun.

Later - Nami no Kuni

Naruto stepped up to a familiar house and knocked on the door. They had arrived in Nami just minutes earlier and the young blonde offered to introduce them to someone who might be able to get them a boat to Mizu no Kuni and Tiberoa sooner rather than later.

When the door opened, Naruto smiled. Standing there was Tsunami, the daughter of the bridge builder Tazuna. "Naruto-kun?! It's really you, isn't it?" she questioned somewhat unsurely.

Smiling at her, Naruto stepped forward and hugged Tsunami. Once they separated, the young blonde said, "It's good to see you again Tsunami-chan. I'd love to stay and chat for a while, but we're kind of in a hurry. Is Tazuna in?"

Pouting, Tsunami put her fists to her sides and stared sternly at the teen. "You should at least stay for dinner. Surely you can do that much, right?"

Sighing lightly, Naruto found himself smiling at her insistence that they stay and partake in the dinner she was no doubt cooking already. "It depends. We really need to talk to Tazuna about something first. Please?"

Sighing, Tsunami turned around and led them inside. "Dad! You'll never guess who's here to see you!" she hollered.

The group heard a small ruckus upstairs and a yell of pain before Tazuna came hurrying down the stairs. Upon spotting Naruto, he rushed forward and hugged the whiskered teen tight. "Naruto! I didn't think I'd see you again for a while! What brings you here? And who are your friends?"

Sitting down on one of the couches with Tazuna and Rose, he looked at Tazuna seriously. "I'm afraid I'm here on business Tazuna. A man killed a dear friend of ours and stole an item from Albert, the blonde over there. We're following his trail, but I'm afraid we need a boat to take us to Mizu no Kuni. Think you could pull some strings and help us out?" he questioned.

Tazuna scratched at his beard and nodded slowly. "I could, but you do realize Mizu no Kuni is dangerous right now, don't you? They're in the midst of a civil war and you might end up caught right in the middle of it. I understand that you're hunting down the person that wronged you and your friends, but is it really worth getting caught up in a war like that?"

Dart took a step forward and bowed his head to the elderly gentleman. "Tazuna, sir, we have to catch up to Lloyd. If he's allowed to run around freely, there's no telling what kind of trouble he'd cause. We need to catch up to him and put a stop to his plans. So please Sir, help us."

The old bridge builder sighed and nodded his head. "Alright. I'll help you guys out. But first, why don't you introduce yourselves? I'm Tazuna, the super bridge builder. That's my daughter Tsunami. My grandson, Inari, is out playing with friends right now, otherwise I'd introduce you to him too."

The Red-Eyed Dragoon smiled and held out his hand to shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you Tazuna. My name is Dart Feld."

One by one, everyone stepped forward to introduce themselves. When it got to Rose, however, she wrapped her arms around Naruto from behind and smirked at the old man. "I am Rose. I'm Naruto's girlfriend."

Hinata stepped forward and bowed to Tazuna politely. "I'm Hinata Hyuga. I'm with Naruto as well." she said with a happy smile on her face.

Hikari waved at Tazuna and said, "I'm Hikari. Naruto is my betrothed. We will be married in the future." she said.

Tazuna gawked at Naruto and the women before shooting a look at his daughter. She frowned and folded her arms across her chest. "Naruto-kun...you're not leading these women on, are you? How can you be in a polygamous relationship with the three of them?"

Naruto sighed and rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I've been placed in something called the CRA, or Clan Restoration Act. I'm supposed to take multiple wives Tsunami-chan. But more than that, we love each other. So long as we're happy together, isn't that what matters?"

Tsunami frowned for a moment longer before she released a soft sigh. "I will never understand you ninjas. Still, as long as you know what you're doing and you're all happy together, then I won't complain. Just make sure you treat them right, do you hear me?"

Nodding in the affirmative, the whiskered blonde smiled at her. "I promise I'll treat them right Tsunami-chan. They mean too much to me for me to hurt them."

Tazuna interrupted at this point as he rose to his feet. "Well, we'll eat dinner first and then I'll take you guys on down to the harbor. I'll get you a ride to Mizu no Kuni, no worries."

Thanking the old man, everyone decided to settle in and wait for dinner to be served. All except for Shana, who was looking at Naruto a bit unsurely. After a moment, she walked over to Naruto and tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. "N-Naruto? Can we talk? Alone?"

Naruto looked back at Shana before nodding slowly. "Sure. Come on, we'll go outside and talk out there." he said before standing up and leading her outside to the small pier. Sitting down with his legs dangling over the edge of the dock, he patted the spot beside him. "Sit and we'll talk."

Sitting down beside him, Shana found herself blushing slightly as it truly sank in that they were alone together now. Reaching over, she gently grabbed hold of his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Naruto...how do you really feel about me?" she questioned.

Turning to look her in the eyes, Naruto seemed to be searching for something in her eyes. After a moment, he released a sigh and looked back out at the water. "Shana-chan...I love you. It's as simple as that. But I'm not acting on those feelings because I respect you and Dart too much to try and come between the two of you. Besides, I think the two of you would be good together. And I can see how much he means to you. And even if he doesn't yet realize it, I can tell how he feels about you as well. So why should I come between that?"

The lovely brunette blinked a couple of times as what he said registered in her mind. At first she was happy that he felt that way about her. However, something he said caused her a great deal of confusion. "What do you mean, how Dart feels about me?"

Sighing softly, Naruto looked into Shana's eyes and offered her a tiny smile. "Dart's in love with you too Shana-chan. He just doesn't realize it yet. And he insists that you're like a sister to him, which I can tell is hurting you badly. Still, I have to admit that I'm a little jealous of him. Still, you two are good for each other and I promise you that I won't try to come between you two."

Frowning at this information, Shana began to wonder about her decision that she had made back in Konoha-Lohan. But then, when she thought about it a little harder, she nodded her head determinedly. "Naruto, please look at me." When Naruto looked her way, the Dragoon of Light leaned in and placed her lips gently upon his.

As Shana kissed him, Naruto's eyes widened in shock and he froze for a time. After a moment however, he cupped her cheek in his hand and began to return her kiss. When they finally broke apart, Naruto asked, "S-Shana-chan? W-why?"

Smirking at him, Shana leaned in and kissed him again. When they separated this time, she smiled at him sweetly before saying, "Because I love you too Naruto. Very much so. Dart...Dart had his chance and he blew it. It took me a lot of time, but I've decided that I want to be with you Naruto. If...if you'll have me."

Blushing deeply, Naruto wasn't sure what to say at first. After taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, the fourteen year-old blonde frowned and decided to say what was on his mind. "Shana-chan...I don't want to be your rebound guy just because things didn't work out with Dart. I want you to be with me because that's truly what you want."

Shana pouted at Naruto. Reaching up, she poked him in the chest and said, "Listen Naruto. I chose to be with you. I want to be with you. You aren't some rebound guy just because things didn't work out with Dart. What do I have to do to make you believe me?"

Naruto blushed a bit deeper before he smiled brightly at her. Leaning in close, he placed his lips against hers in a light kiss. After a moment however, Shana began to kiss him back passionately while she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him close. When they separated this time, both their faces were a deep shade of red and they couldn't help but giggle. "I really love you Naruto. I want to be with you and only you. Do you understand me?"

The whiskered blonde continued to blush as he tried to think of what to say. After a moment, he just smiled happily at her and said, "Okay Shana-chan. I believe you. We'll, um...we'll have to talk to Rose-chan, HInata-chan, and Hikari-chan about us though. They deserve to know."

Shana flinched at this and looked away. "Rose and Hinata don't like the idea of me chasing after you. They both slapped me before. What if they don't approve of our relationship?"

Naruto frowned at this and gently cupped her cheek before offering her a kind smile. "It'll be okay. We'll talk with them together and I'll convince them to give you a chance. But...if I may ask...why did they get so angry at you before?"

Feeling tears welling up in her eyes, Shana hugged Naruto tight again and rested her head in the crook of his neck. "They...they think that if you and I end up together that I'll just end up hurting you. That I'll betray you for Dart should he ever decide he wants to be with me romantically. I can understand their concerns...but he had his chance and he blew it. You and I...we belong together. And I swear that if I have to sleep with you to prove my sincerity, I'll gladly do it. I want you."

Holding her close, Naruto gently ran his fingers through her hair and sighed softly. "I love you Shana-chan. I promise that you won't have to go that far to prove it to them. We'll talk to them together and help them see that you're being sincere. I'm happy that you've chosen me sweetheart."

Before Shana could say anything more, they heard a voice from behind them. "I see you've made up your mind finally. Are you absolutely certain this is what you want Shana?"

Turning around, the two of them saw Rose, Hinata, and Hikari standing there watching them with critical stares. Rose was obviously the one that questioned her, and as afraid of being slapped again, she was more determined than anything. Looking square into Rose's eyes, Shana said, "Yes. This is what I want. And I promise you that I won't hurt Naruto no matter what. He's the one for me and that's that."

Hikari frowned at this and narrowed her eyes at the brunette. "And what will you do if Dart decides that he wants to be with you? What if he tries to kiss you?"

Shana frowned at this and folded her arms across her chest. "It's too late for him. If he tries to kiss me, I'll slap him. Dart had a chance to be with me and he was too stupid to take it. I decided for myself that I want Naruto. I'm going to be with him, but I'd like your approval first."

Hinata sighed and looked at Shana carefully. After a few short moments, she released another sigh before saying, "I believe you. If you really want to be with Naruto-kun, I'll trust you. So you have my blessing."

Hikari frowned as she looked down at Shana. After a moment, she sighed as well and shook her head in exasperation. "You've got my blessing as well. Just...don't hurt him. You obviously mean a lot to Naruto and I won't deny you your chance to be happy with him."

Rose scowled and shook her head in disbelief. She was about to argue against her joining their little family, but when she looked at Naruto, she could see how he seemed to shine. Looking into Shana's eyes, the Darkness Dragoon let out a frustrated sigh before nodding her head. "You have my blessing as well. But I warn you now: if you betray our trust, I will make you suffer for it. Do you understand me?"

Nodding slowly, Shana smiled up at them. "Thank you! This means so much to me!" she exclaimed before turning back to Naruto and hugging him tight. "I love you Naruto. So very much." she said before she planted her lips on his again.

Blushing again, Naruto returned her kiss. When they parted, they both couldn't help but giggle happily. This was just the start of a beautiful relationship between the two of them, and they couldn't be happier.

Rose sighed and shook her head. "Come on, let's get back inside. Dinner's just about ready I think." I swear to God Shana, if you hurt him I'll hurt you. I refuse to let my darling break inside because of you. She thought to herself as she turned around to head back inside.

When Naruto went to stand up, a messenger bird landed on Naruto's shoulder and began making noise to get his attention. Blinking at this, Naruto unstrapped the letter from around its leg and watched as it flew off.

Opening the letter, Naruto began to scowl as he read it. So Jiraiya's on his way to try and hurt me for getting with Tsunade-chan. Fucking wonderful. He thought to himself silently.

"What's it say Naruto?" Shana asked as she peeked her head over his shoulder to take a look.

"Jiraiya's on his way here, and it's not to help us, but to get back at me for something personal. So let's be careful and keep an eye out. There's no telling what he'll do or when he'll get here." Naruto explained.

Rose scowled at this, but nodded her head in understanding. "We'll be careful. If he tries to hurt you, we'll destroy him." she declared before turning around again to head back inside the house.

Standing up, Naruto and Shana joined Hinata and Hikari as they were heading back inside. Once inside, they could immediately smell the food that Tsunami had prepared. It smelled great and it quickly lured them into the dining room with the others who had been waiting on them it seemed. Apologizing for keeping them waiting, the four of them quickly took their seats and waited for food to be served.

When Shana sat down beside Naruto with Hinata on his other side, Albert frowned before casting a glance in Dart's direction. He seemed blissfully ignorant to what was going on, but the king could easily tell something had changed between Naruto and Shana. Releasing a soft sigh, the king of Basil shook his head in disappointment. It looks like it took you too long Dart. Unless something changes between those two, it appears as if you've lost your chance.

Later - Harbor

Tazuna led the party to the harbor immediately after dinner. Once there, he approached a tall, muscular man and struck up a conversation with him, leaving the others to simply watch him in anticipation. When Tazuna returned to the group a short time later, he said, "Alright. I've managed to convince Codi over there to take your group to Mizu no Kuni. However, he said that they won't be ready to set sail for about two hours. So, while you wait, why not explore our humble town and enjoy yourselves?" he suggested.

Naruto smiled at this and took Rose's hand in his. "I promised you a date Rose-chan. So, while we wait for the boat, why don't we take a walk through town and enjoy the sights? Perhaps we'll even find something fun to do together." he suggested.

As the two of them walked off to start their date, Tayuya turned to the others and decided to pose a question. "Okay, so Shithead and his girlfriend are going on a date. But what do the rest of us do?"

Tazuna decided to offer a suggestion in response to her inquiry. "We do have a small casino that was recently built to attract more people to Nami no Kuni. If you want you can enjoy some games there. Or you can explore our fair town and see what else there is to do? There is a small festival going on right now with games you can play and some stands that sell snacks. I'm sure you can find something to do for a couple of hours."

Hinata smiled brightly and took Hikari by the hand. "Let's go enjoy some of those games Hikari-chan. Ooooh, I hope they have cinnamon buns too!" she exclaimed giddily as she rushed off with her fellow Naruto lover.

Dart looked at Albert and Haschel at this point and shrugged his shoulders. "We might as well check out that casino. Might be fun to play for a while. If we're lucky, we might end up winning more money." he suggested. When the two men nodded in agreement, the three of them walked off to go search for the casino.

Left alone with Shana, Tayuya looked at her with a frown. "Okay, since they left us all by ourselves, want to go enjoy some games at the festival with me? It's no fun doing shit like that by yourself."

Shana nodded and smiled at the redhead as they began walking off into town. As they walked, however, Tayuya looked at Shana with a frown. "So, what made you decide to be with Shithead instead of that Dart guy you obviously liked?"

A blush immediately sprung up on Shana's face as she tried to think about how best to explain her feelings. Releasing a soft sigh after a few brief moments, she looked at Tayuya. "Honestly? Naruto makes me happy. He brings a smile to my face and he's just so kind and wonderful. I gave Dart a chance to accept me, and he blew it. Besides, I've truly fallen for Naruto and I'm not going to leave him. I genuinely want to be with him." she explained.

Nodding her head in understanding, Tayuya looked forward again as they began to walk around and explore the sights of the festival. "I see. He sounds like a great guy when you put it that way. I haven't been around him long enough to get a real good feel for him, but from what you just said, it sounds like I'll probably enjoy being around him too. Besides, he's family and an Uzumaki never abandons their family."

Shana smiled at that as they began to play some games together. "I'm glad to hear that. I'm sure you two will get along great. Just try not to fall for him." she joked, winking at Tayuya. "He's got a natural charm that just attracts people to him."

The redhead smirked at her new friend. "Trust me, I highly doubt I'll end up falling for Shithead. Besides, we're from the same clan. We might even be cousins or something. It would just be awkward."

Shana giggled before nodding her head in understanding. "I believe you. I was only teasing anyways." she said as they moved to another game to enjoy.

Naruto & Rose

Rose smiled as she and her boyfriend walked hand in hand through the town, simply enjoying the sights and occasionally stopping to play a game at the festival that was taking place in the town. When they found a stand that sold some ice cream, Naruto purchased them both vanilla cones and continued walking with his beloved Rose-chan.

Lime Begins (Uncomfortable with it? Skip it!)

After finishing their ice cream, Rose grabbed Naruto by the hand again and led him away from the town and into the woods so they could be alone together. Leaning in close, Rose kissed her younger boyfriend passionately before she slid one of her hands into his pants and began moving her hand back and forth on his cock until he was standing at attention. Afterwards, she knelt down and slid his pants & underwear down until they were around his ankles.

Looking up into her boyfriend's eyes with a seductive look on her face, Rose said, "I'm sorry Naruto, but I can't resist doing this any longer." Continuing to pump his cock, she soon took his cock into her mouth and began licking the tip teasingly. The entire time she was sucking on his cock, Rose continued to look up into his eyes.

"R-Rose-chan...I'm gonna cum. Kami I love you." he groaned out before he began slowly thrusting back and forth inside her mouth.

When Naruto finally came, she swallowed his cum before she stood up and smirked at him. "I love you Naruto. I never want to let you go." she admitted, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face into his neck. "My heart would break if I ever lost you. You mean the world to me."

Smiling at his girlfriend, Naruto kissed her sweetly on the lips before he slid his hand into her pants and began to rub her pussy, causing her to moan out in pleasure. Kneeling down, Naruto slid her pants down before he moved in and began to lick her folds. After a moment of this, he flicked her clitoris with his tongue, causing her to quiver and clutch his hair as she tried to remain standing.

Slowly, Naruto inserted his tongue into her pussy and began probing around. When she clutched his hair tighter and started moaning loudly, he knew he was hitting her g-spot. Continuing this for a short while longer, he listened as Rose said she was about to cum. Removing his tongue, he inserted a few fingers into her pussy while he licked and flicked her clitoris with his tongue.

When she came, he found himself grinning. Rose, unable to stay standing anymore on her wobbly legs, collapsed to her knees and leaned against her blonde lover. "I love you Naruto. So much." she said.

When she stopped shaking, Rose pushed Naruto onto his back and straddled his waist. "Naruto...I want to-"

Lime Ends (Safe to read again!)

Before Rose could finish speaking, her danger sense went off and she quickly grabbed Naruto before jumping backwards right as someone hit the ground with a Rasengan. Quickly pulling their pants up again, they glared at their attacker. "Jiraiya." Rose snarled out. "How dare you attack us?! What the hell is your problem?!"

Jiraiya glared at Naruto and quickly formed another Rasengan, preparing to attack him again. "You. How dare you take Tsunade-hime away from me?! You knew that I'm in love with her, but no, you had to go and ruin it! She was mine to have Naruto. I won't let you have her!" he shouted before dashing forward, thrusting his Rasengan forward in an attempt to kill Naruto.

Naruto quickly took hold of his Twister Glaive and, after dodging Jiraiya's attack, thrusted his spear forward towards the white-haired man's side. However, Jiraiya was prepared for this and activated a technique that covered him from head to toe in his hair, spikes protruding from it.

Scowling, the teenage blonde waited a moment for Jiraiya to undo his technique before forming a Rasengan of his own and thrusting it towards Jiraiya's chest.

Glaring hard at Naruto, the Sannin dodged the attack before aiming a kick at the side of Naruto's head. However, before his attack could land, Rose appeared at his side and buried her rapier in his side, piercing one of his lungs in the process.

When Jiraiya stumbled away and began to wheeze, he turned a glare on Rose and said, "Fine then. You want…" Coughing again, he spit up specks of blood before he continued saying, "You want to fight me too, then I'll destroy the both of you."

The whiskered teen quickly transformed into a Dragoon and began to attack Jiraiya with a Dragoon Addition. Jiraiya managed to avoid the first three strikes, but as Naruto got progressively faster, the white-haired Sannin began to take some serious damage from the attack.

Snarling at this, Jiraiya decided to go for broke and quickly summoned forth a couple of small toads. One was green with a beard and thick eyebrows. The other was a pale yellow with puffy purple hair. Looking down at the two of them, Jiraiya said, "Ma, Pa, I need your help. Think you could help me activate Sage Mode?" he questioned.

At first they were about to hop on his shoulders and help him out, but when they noticed who he was fighting, the green toad spoke up. "Why are you fighting Naruto-kun Jiraiya? Surely you realize that attempting to kill him is a bad idea?"

Snarling again, Jiraiya pointed at Naruto and exclaimed, "That rotten bastard stole something dear from me! Tsunade was mine and he took her from me! Now are you going to help me kill the little shit or will I have to do this without you?"

Pa and Ma looked at each other for a moment before turning to their white-haired summoner with matching scowls. "If that is your reason for attacking him, then we will not help you, you foolish child. This is you throwing a temper tantrum because you couldn't have your way. You are on your own Jiraiya boy."

Ma frowned at Jiraiya and shook her head in disgust. "If you don't leave Naruto-kun alone, then we'll erase your name from our summoning contract. You will never be able to summon us again. Is that what you want?"

Scowling at them, Jiraiya shouted out, "Fine then! Leave! I'll kill him myself!"

Sighing and shaking their heads in disappointment, Pa said, "Consider your contract with us nullified Jiraiya boy. Naruto-kun," he said, turning to the blonde. "Feel free to call on us anytime you want. We'd be glad to help you out."

When the Pa and Ma toads vanished in a puff of smoke, Naruto smirked at Jiraiya. "Not only have you 'lost' Tsunade-chan, but now you've lost the support of the toads as well. And for the record, Tsunade-chan was never yours to begin with! She's not some possession Jiraiya. Tsunade-chan is a person and deserves to be treated as if she's the most beautiful woman in the world! You were always too damn perverted and disrespectful for her to even consider dating. And now look at you, attacking me out of the blue just because you couldn't have your way. Well fine then, if you want to die so badly, we'd be more than happy to end you Jiraiya."

Jiraiya smirked back as he withdrew a small handful of seals that he kept on his person. "You're going to suffer before you die Naruto. I don't give a shit if you are my godson. You deserve to pay for what you've done." he said before he zipped forward towards Naruto, appearing in front of him in seconds. Quickly leaping backwards, Naruto quickly flipped through hand seals before bringing his hand up to his mouth and shouting out, "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

As a rather large ball of fire sailed towards him, Jiraiya couldn't help but smirk as he held up one of his seals and activated it. When the fireball struck it, the attack was absorbed into the seal for his own personal use.

Eyes widening at this, Naruto braced himself, preparing himself for anything Jiraiya could throw at him. When he used a technique to manipulate his hair again, Naruto was shocked to see dozens of senbon flying at him. Quickly flying over them, the young blonde prepared to attack Jiraiya again, but the white-haired Sannin was already in the air, thrusting a seal forward.

When the seal hit his chest, Naruto screamed after it was activated. Collapsing to the ground below, he began to writhe around in pain, the seal sending electricity shooting through his body and slowly frying him from the inside out.

As Jiraiya stalked forward, preparing to finish Naruto off, he was forced to dodge another attack from Rose. "Stay out of this woman. This doesn't concern you." he said angrily.

When the Darkness Dragoon dashed forward and began to attack him again, Jiraiya leapt away from Naruto and formed a rather large Big Ball Rasengan. Dashing towards her, he thrusted the enlarged Rasengan at her chest. However, she was prepared for this and slipped around Jiraiya's attack and behind the Sannin. Before he could react, she thrusted her rapier through his back, piercing his heart.

Jiraiya coughed up more blood as he slowly fell to his knees. "N-no...not like...this…" he said before collapsing forward, the life slowly leaving his eyes.

Once the man was dead, Rose rushed over to her beloved and removed the seal from his chest, allowing him to relax. Hugging him close, Rose whispered, "Please be okay. I'll find Shana and get her to heal you. I promise." And with that being said, Rose lifted Naruto into her arms and dashed off into town shortly after his Dragoon transformation ended.

Shana & Tayuya

The brunette and her redheaded friend were currently snacking on some cotton candy while they walked around enjoying the sights. "This is so nice. It's so peaceful here." Shana said.

"It is. Much better than being stuck in Orochimaru's hideouts. Those places were dark, foreboding, and they just plain sucked. Being with you guys, I'm hoping to see more of this beautiful world." the redheaded genjutsu user said with a smile.

When Rose showed up carrying Naruto moments later, Shana's eyes went wide and she hurried over to them. "What happened?! Is he okay?"

The Dark Dragoon shook her head in the negative. "Jiraiya attacked us and slapped some kind of seal on him. It looked as if it was really hurting him. Can you please heal him?"

Handing her snack to Tayuya, Shana focused on the power of her Dragoon Spirit and began to heal her new boyfriend. Once he was healed, Naruto opened his eyes and smiled at the brunette. "T-thank you Shana-chan. Wasn't expecting that attack." he said before Rose let him down. "I'm glad that bastard's dead now. He wouldn't have stopped chasing after us in an attempt to get back at me. Who knew his jealousy would drive him mad like that?"

Shana hugged Naruto tight and kissed his cheek. "I'm glad you're alright Naruto. Should we let Tsunade know what happened?"

Naruto sighed and nodded his head. "I'll send a toad to inform her about what happened. They're going to need to start a new spy network thanks to this, but…" Sighing again, the blonde shook his head. "Damn it Jiraiya. Why'd you have to go and do this?"

Tayuya was shocked. These people had killed Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin! "Are you sure that was a good idea Shithead? Killing Jiraiya I mean. That's bound to have some repercussions because of this."

Rose spoke up at this point. "I was the one that finished him off. If that's explained to Tsunade and that Council of Konoha, then I'm sure Naruto won't be in any trouble."

Nodding in understanding, they would have talked more, but the other men of their group approached them with smiles on their faces. "Hey guys! We won big!" Dart exclaimed. "I think we're more than set for what lies ahead of us." It was then that he realized something. "Hey, we should probably get going to the harbor. It's been almost two hours already. We all ready to go?"

Naruto nodded his head in response. "We're ready to go Dart. I assume we'll be meeting Hinata-chan and Hikari-chan there?"

Nodding his head, Dart began to lead the group back to the harbor. "Of course. I'm sure they're already there waiting for us."

As they walked along, Rose took Naruto's hand and leaned in to whisper to him. "I'm looking forward to getting some real 'alone time' with you."

Blushing badly, Naruto looked into his girlfriend's eyes and asked, "A-are you sure Rose-chan? Is that really what you want?"

Quirking a brow at this, she poked him in the forehead before kissing him sweetly on the lips. "I wouldn't have said that if I wasn't completely sure that it's what I want Naruto. I want to give you all of me. Just like I want you to give me as much of you as I can handle. And…" here, she began blushing deeply. "I...I want to start a family with you. You're really special to me Naruto."

Smiling happily at his beloved Rose-chan, Naruto leaned in close and kissed her. "I'm so glad to hear you say that. I want to be with you forever sweetheart. I'm really looking forward to starting a real family with you."

As they talked with each other, Shana was watching the two of them interact from behind them as she and Tayuya were walking in the back of the group. She couldn't help but overhear what they were talking about and soon lost herself in thought. That sounds so nice. I wonder what our children will look like?

Harbor

As the group arrived at the docks, they saw not just Hinata and Hikari waiting for them, but the ship's captain as well. Approaching them, they saw the captain approaching them. "'Bout time you lot got here. We've been ready for about ten minutes now. Are you all ready to set out?"

Dart looked around at everyone to check if any of them had any last minute preparations to take care of. When they all smiled and nodded in the affirmative, the red-clad warrior turned back to the captain and nodded. "We're ready to go when you are captain."

Nodding, the captain turned around and motioned for the group to follow him. Upon leading them on board his ship, he led them inside and proceeded to show them to their rooms. "The men can sleep in this room here. You women will have to split up and share a few rooms. Those two right there will work fine for you. You're welcome to explore the ship if you'd like, but try to stay out of the way of my crew." he said before turning and walking off, heading back up to the deck.

"Well, I think I'm going to have a look around. It will be a while before we reach Tiberoa, so I might as well." Dart said before turning and walking off, waving at them over his shoulder.

Once he was gone, Albert and Haschel looked at each other and shrugged. "I think I'm going to take a nap." Haschel said before entering the room assigned to the guys.

Looking at the others, Albert said, "I'm going to go and check the ship's engine out. I'm curious."

As they watched Albert walk off, Tayuya said, "I'm going to head on up to the deck. I've never had the chance to relax and watch the waves on a boat before."

Left alone with each other, Naruto smiled at his girlfriends and asked, "Well, what do you all want to do?"

Before any of them could say anything, Shana took Naruto's hand and rushed off with him to the deck. "I want to spend time with you!" she declared with a giggle.

As they disappeared up the stairs, Rose grumbled angrily and folded her arms across her chest. "Damnit Shana, I wanted to spend some quality time with Naruto." she mumbled to herself.

Hinata and Hikari both blushed at Rose's implication before they quickly hurried off deeper into the ship to explore together.

Sighing to herself, Rose decided to just relax in her room for the time being. You win this round Shana. But I swear I'm going to be with him first.

Naruto & Shana

Up on the deck, Shana saw Tayuya standing near the railing, apparently enjoying the wonderful breeze that blew by her. Looking around a little more, they didn't see Dart anywhere. "Huh. Y'know, I bet Dart's talking with the captain." Naruto guessed.

Shana shrugged her shoulders before leading Naruto over to the railing on the opposite side of the ship from Tayuya. "I don't care. Let him do what he wants." she said as she rested her head on his shoulder and held his hand. "I just want to be with you right now."

Blushing, Naruto wrapped an arm around Shana's waist and smiled as they watched the waves. When they heard birds calling out, they looked up to see a bunch of seagulls about. "This is so peaceful. Just being here with you to enjoy this means the world to me." Naruto said happily.

Nodding slowly, Shana closed her eyes and just enjoyed the sounds of the waves and the birds. "I really do love you Naruto." she said. "And i-if you need me to prove it to you…"

Naruto looked at Shana's face and could see she was blushing badly. Realizing what she was implying, he blushed a deep shade of red as well before quickly looking back out towards the waves. "Y-you don't need to go that far sweetheart. I trust you. And...I love you too. All I want is to be with you. Don't get me wrong though Shana-chan. I do hope to share in that experience with you sometime in the future. I want to start a family together. But it doesn't have to happen until we're both ready for that step in our relationship." he said before turning to smile at her.

Opening her eyes, Shana turned to Naruto and wrapped her arms around him in a warm hug. Resting her head in his neck, she said, "That sounds wonderful. And thank you. Thank you for being such a wonderful person."

Still smiling at her, Naruto held her close before tilting her head up with a finger under her chin. Leaning in close, they began to kiss each other passionately. When they broke apart, they both giggled a bit. "Your kisses are amazing Naruto. I'll never grow tired of them."

Smirking at her, Naruto began to run his fingers through her hair before kissing her again. "I'll never grow tired of being with you Shana-chan. You're beautiful; inside and out."

Going silent, the two of them just relaxed and listened to the waves with their eyes closed. I never want to lose you Shana-chan. I love you so much.

Mizu no Kuni/Tiberoa - The Next Day

As they docked in one of Mizu's ports, the party prepared to disembark. However, as they were about to step off the boat, the captain spoke up. "Be careful. The civil war in Mizu is getting insane. One or both sides may target you simply for being outsiders. I don't know what your business here is, nor do I care. Just thought I'd warn you before I got the hell out of here."

Thanking the man for his warning, the party disembarked and proceeded into the small port town. Looking around, they could see that the town appeared to be run down and there were homeless people hiding in the alleyways and in some of the ruined houses. This site disturbed them greatly, as they didn't think Mizu no Kuni would be in such a bad shape.

Deciding it would be best to just move on, the party proceeded to leave the town and began searching for the city of Fletz, which was the capital city of Tiberoa. Sadly, after walking along for a short while, they were surrounded by a group of shinobi.

Glancing around, the group frowned at what they were seeing. There were twenty ninja, each of them looking ready to attack at a moment's notice. However, rather than attack, they stepped back and allowed a blue-haired man with an eyepatch over one eye to step forward.

Looking over the party, the man began to speak. "You're wandering through the rebel faction's territory. Who are you and what is your business here?"

Dart decided to answer him as the representative of the party. "We're chasing after a man named Lloyd, who fled here to the kingdom of Tiberoa. He killed a dear friend of ours and stole a valuable item from my friend here." he said, motioning towards Albert. "As for who we are, my name is Dart Feld. This is Albert. That's Haschel…" Dart continued to introduce everyone for a short while until finally he was done.

The leader of this group of rebels looked at them for a moment before he began to speak again. "My name is Ao. I understand that you're probably in a hurry, but I'm going to have to ask you to come with me. I think our leader would very much like to meet you."

Frowning at this, Dart was about to argue against such a thing, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Glancing back, Dart saw Naruto shaking his head at him. "We'll come with you peacefully." Naruto said.

"I'm glad to hear it. I promise that we mean you no harm. Now please, follow me." he said, leading them off the path towards the woods nearby.

"Why did you agree to follow them?" Dart whispered to Naruto. "We're in a hurry, remember?"

Naruto frowned at Dart and shook his head in exasperation. "It would be better not to start any fights here. Besides, the rebels are bloodline users. This whole war is about exterminating those with kekkei genkai, as they're apparently 'freaks of nature' or something similar. I can relate to them and I want to hear them out. If it's at all possible, I want to help put a stop to the Mizukage as well."

When Dart went to say something else, Naruto shook his head and stopped him. "But one of the key reasons why I agreed to go with him is because we're going to be sucked into the civil war here one way or another eventually. It's better to meet with the rebel faction's leader now and get to hear their side of things. I'd rather help them than help the Mizukage." he explained before he began following after Ao.

Dart frowned at this, but he had to admit that his fellow Dragoon had a point. So with a sigh, he motioned for the rest of the party to follow him as he began to follow after Ao as well.

Rebel Camp

Upon reaching the rebel camp, Ao turned to the group and said, "We're here. Please be on your best behavior within the camp. I'd hate for anything to happen to you should you step out of line."

Everyone in the party nodded before they began to follow after him again. He was leading them to a slightly larger tent than the others. Stepping inside, they looked around and realized that this was a war room of sorts where the leaders of the rebels discussed their situation and plans for fighting back against their oppressors.

A beautiful auburn-haired woman looked at the group and offered them a small smile. "Why hello there. Ao, who are these people and why did you bring them here?"

Ao smiled at the woman and motioned towards the party. "Mei-sama, meet Dart, Naruto, Shana, Rose, Haschel, Tayuya, Hinata, and Hikari. All of you, meet Mei Terumi-sama, leader of the rebellion." Turning to face Mei, Ao smiled at her and said, "I have brought them here in the hopes that they would help us Mei-sama."

Stepping around the table before her, Mei walked over and looked over each of the party members. "Hmm…" Humming in thought, she found herself smirking as she said, "You're quite charming, aren't you?" she asked, looking at Dart first, then Naruto and finally Albert. "Handsome too. I wonder if any of you are single?" she asked teasingly.

The three she picked out began to blush, each of them unsure about what to say. After a moment however, Naruto spoke up. "I'm afraid I'm taken already Mei-sama."

Tayuya smirked and decided to really screw with him. "What he's not telling you is that he's in the CRA. He's with those three." she said, pointing at Rose, Hinata, and Hikari. What she didn't know was that Shana was with him now as well.

Mei smirked at Naruto. "So you are available then. Shame on you, trying to convince me otherwise." she said with a giggle.

Naruto's girlfriends all scowled, including Shana, but they didn't say anything as they didn't want to insult the woman and cause problems for their group later on down the road.

"Alright, enough teasing. If Ao brought you here, then he must have seen something in the lot of you that convinced him you'd be useful to our cause." she said, turning serious. "What can you all do?"

Dart looked at Rose for a moment, wondering if it was okay to reveal what they were to this woman. However, before they could discuss it, Naruto stepped forward and said, "Dart, Rose-chan, Shana-chan, Haschel, and I have something similar to kekkei genkai that we all share. Hinata-chan there is a member of the Hyuga clan with the Byakugan kekkei genkai. Tayuya, Hikari, and Albert are each skilled fighters as well. So in essence, we have a lot that we can bring to the table."

Mei smiled brightly at this and looked over the group with a critical eye. "You certainly do look like you can handle yourselves. And if you truly have that many kekkei genkai users in your group, then those loyal to Yagura will try to kill you on sight. If you ally yourselves with us, we can help keep you safe whilst you're here in Mizu no Kuni. Plus, we could really use your help in ending this civil war. What do you say?"

Dart smiled and nodded his head in agreement. "We'd be glad for the help Mei. And if this Yagura is that dangerous, then we'll gladly help you. However…"

Ao sighed and decided to explain for the group. "Mei-sama, they're here to chase after a man named Lloyd. This man killed a friend of theirs and stole something from them. So they might not be able to help us all that often if we allow them to continue their search."

Mei frowned at this information before looking to the group. "This Lloyd...does he have platinum hair?" Seeing them each nod their heads in affirmation, the gorgeous woman sighed and shook her head. "Then you should know that he's allied himself with Yagura. This Lloyd has killed too many of my people already. If you can help us stop him, we'll be glad to help you in any way we can."

Dart smiled at Mei and nodded his head. "Thank you Mei. We truly appreciate it."

The auburn-haired woman smiled sweetly at them before she walked over to the map that was laid out upon the table. "Our men have managed to map out most of this region after the kingdom of Tiberoa merged with Mizu no Kuni. As you can see, a city named Fletz is located here." she said, pointing towards a large dot on the map that had the name Fletz written above it. "I would recommend starting your search there."

"Thanks again Mei. We appreciate the help. Is there a way we can get a copy of this map of yours?" Dart questioned.

Nodding her head, Mei grabbed another map and began to mark down everything that was on the other map. Upon finishing, she handed the map to Dart and smirked. "Take good care of that Handsome." she said.

After a moment, Mei motioned them to come check out the map with her. "Before you leave, however, I have a mission I'd like to give to you. If you really want to help us out, then I want you to head here," she said, pointing to a mark on the map that was close to their current location. "Go here first and destroy this base before you go to Fletz. Be careful not to damage the food supply though, as my men will retrieve those supplies later."

With a sigh, Mei shook her head and made a circle around the mark with her finger. "Be careful. They have defenses set up everywhere both in and around the base. Don't leave a single man or woman alive. If they're able to report back to Yagura, then there's a chance they could find this camp. They might even call for reinforcements to take you out. So be careful. Understand?"

After nodding their heads in understanding, Naruto said, "It will be done. You can count on us to do what needs to be done. Do you need us to return here afterwards, or would we be okay to move on to Fletz?"

The leader of the rebellion smiled at Naruto and said, "You'll be free to continue on to Fletz if you'd like. I'll keep in touch with you and give you new missions when they come up. Sound good?"

Dart nodded. "That sounds fine. We'll be glad to help out whenever we can."

"Thank you." Mei said. "You are free to leave whenever you're ready. Until then, you're welcome to stay in the camp with us if you'd like." she suggested.

"Thank you. We'll be leaving right away then to tackle that base. You take care of yourself Mei." Dart said before he turned and left the tent.

Mei pouted as she looked at the others. "I was really hoping you'd stay for a little while. I'd love to get to know all of you a little better."

Naruto sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry Mei-sama. It would appear that he's in a hurry. It was very nice to meet you. I hope we get to see each other again." he said before bowing to her. Afterwards, he left the tent to follow after Dart.

After Naruto left the tent, Rose stepped forward to Mei and said, "I saw the way you were looking at them. I don't know you well enough to let you be with Naruto. So if you try to make a move on him before we get to know you better, you'd best be prepared to run, because I will hurt you." she threatened before leaving the tent as well.

Hinata bowed to Mei and said, "Sorry about her. She's...very defensive of Naruto-kun. We all are. Please don't think ill of us."

Mei offered her an awkward smile. "It's fine. I can understand where she's coming from. You take care of yourselves okay?"

Nodding, Hinata thanked her before leaving the tent with Hikari following after her. It didn't take long for everyone but Shana to leave the tent. Looking at Mei with a frown, the brunette said, "I don't mind if you show interest in Dart, but please be careful around Naruto. I really love him and I don't want to see him hurt." she said before bowing and leaving the tent.

Once she was alone in the tent with only Ao as company, Mei sighed and shook her head. "Naruto's girlfriends really don't like me flirting with him, do they Ao? Oh well, at least the other two aren't taken. I wonder if I can seduce one of them into becoming my lover and perhaps even my husband someday?" she said, losing herself to her fantasies.

Ao sighed and shook his head in exasperation. I swear she's hopeless…

Mei narrowed her eyes on Ao. "You just thought something mean, didn't you? I can tell! Don't make me kill you Ao."

Sighing again, Ao just said, "I apologize Mei-sama. Perhaps we should go over our plans again?" he suggested, hoping to change the subject.

Outside

The party quietly made their way out of the rebel camp and began moving in the directiond of the base they were told to destroy. This is going to be a pain in the ass, I can already tell. Naruto thought to himself as they walked along. Little did he know just how rough this mission would be...

A/N - And that's the chapter! I hope you enjoyed it!

As you can see, Shana has made her choice. Does this mean Dart's out of the picture permanently? Who knows? In the game he and Shana got together at the end of the Tiberoa arc (end of Disc 2). So who knows what will happen? I know some of you will likely be pissed at me for making Shana choose Naruto like that, but I thought it was believable and it just kinda happened. *shrugs* I don't really plan things in advance. I just let things happen. lol.

Also, the group has met with Mei and Ao and have agreed to help the rebels whenever they can. I hope you're looking forward to seeing what happens throughout their journey in Mizu no Kuni and Tiberoa!

Anyways, again, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Take care!