To Love Oneself

by MercenaryGrax

As time goes by and Naruto's loneliness grows, he resorts to spending more and more time with a clone of Naruko, the name given to his Sexy Technique's form. Without friends or loved ones, he slowly begins to fall in love with her. What will happen when society shuns him for being with someone that is essentially himself, only different?

3. Chapter 3

A/N - Alrighty, I figured I'd work on this next. I'm kinda surprised I managed to finish this chapter as quickly as I did.

Anyways, this chapter delves into a few things and opens up some relationships and whatnot. I think it turned out pretty well, but I'll let you guys and gals decide what you think of it for yourselves.

And without further adieu, enjoy the chapter!

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Chapter 3 - Mission to Wave

Naruto and Naruko both groaned as they made their way back to their shared home. "That hurt." Naruto muttered.

"Yeah, Kurenai-sensei really proved why she's been made a Jonin. She knows what she's doing and those genjutsu of hers were just horrible. I still feel a little sick." Naruko said.

Naruto would have said something in reply, but the two of them heard someone calling out to them. Looking back, they saw Hinata rushing towards them. When she reached them, she doubled over and took in a few deep breaths in an attempt to catch her breath. Once she was feeling better, she looked at them and said, "You were leaving me behind! I...I thought you wanted to bring me with you."

Naruko blinked a couple of times before she nodded in understanding. "Sorry Hinata-chan. I figured you'd be heading home first. Any reason you're choosing to do this now?"

Hinata looked down and sighed sadly. "I don't want to go home. I hate it there."

Naruto frowned as he looked at her. "Why's that, Hinata-chan? Is something wrong?"

The fifteen year-old Hyuga looked into Naruto's eyes at this point, barely able to fight back the tears that were welling up within her eyes. "My father's an abusive asshole and has been ever since my mother died giving birth to Hanabi-chan. Hanabi-chan has taken after Father in virtually every way and she's been taught that I'm worthless and not worthy of the Hyuga name. So she's learning to treat me horribly too. Then there's my cousin, Neji. When I was three years-old, a Kumo ambassador tried to kidnap me and...and instead of telling Kumo to fuck off because they were in the wrong, the Hokage gave in to their demands. Father was the one who killed the ambassador, and so they wanted him delivered to them. My uncle, Hizashi Hyuga, he gave his life to protect my father. But...Neji blames me for his father's death. I was only THREE years-old at the time! There's no way I could have fought off a grown man! And yet he blames me for what happened! He treats me like shit and I hate him! I swear to Kami that if we end up fighting at some point in the future, I'll cripple him for life!"

Naruto and Naruko blinked in shock at this before they both hugged her tight. "I'm so sorry you have to deal with all of that, Hinata-chan. Let's go talk with the Hokage about this. Maybe he'll let you move in with us!" Naruko exclaimed, hoping that her idea would work.

Naruto frowned for a moment as a thought struck him. Looking at Naruko, he said, "We should also ask him for our inheritance from Mom and Dad. He definitely knows who our parents are, which means he's also keeping our inheritance hidden from us. If need be, I'll summon Mom and have her deal with the rotten old bastard."

Naruko nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a good idea. Why don't you call her out now? It might help if she was with us anyways."

"Good idea." Naruto said before he called forth a Shadow Clone of his mother that she inhabited.

"I heard everything. Come on you three, let's go talk to that rotten old coot. I'm tired of him lying to my babies and I refuse to let little Hinata-chan hurt any longer." Kushina said before she began heading to the Hokage tower, the three teens following her immediately afterwards.

Hokage's Office

When Naruto entered his office with that clone of his again, Hiruzen's initial reaction was a negative one. He's still insisting on treating that clone like an actual person, I see. He thought with a sigh. However, before he could say anything, he saw Hinata and a very familiar face enter his office. "K-Kushina…? Is that really you? I thought you were dead!"

Kushina crinkled her eyes shut as she grinned widely at the Hokage. Slowly, she began to crack her knuckles as she said, "Oh, old man, I am not happy with you. Letting the village know that Naruto holds the Kyuubi? That was a bad decision. Then you refuse to inform him that the reason he's hated is because he holds the Kyuubi. And you never told him about his parents either. Trying to keep his inheritance from him, by any chance? Because I wouldn't put it past you to try something like that."

Hiruzen looked a bit afraid and he quickly motioned for his Anbu to surround her. However, when the Anbu wearing a cat mask stood between Kushina and the other three Anbu, he shouted out in shock, "Cat! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Cat removed her mask and said, "I'm keeping you from making a mistake, Hokage-sama! Kushina-sama has done nothing wrong. Besides that, she's right. You screwed up again and again over the years. Naruto deserved to know who his parents were. He also deserved to be treated like a human being. He's a very special young man and you've done wrong by him so many times it's horrible! You wouldn't even tell him if his parents loved him. A child deserves to know at least that! All this time, it's felt like you wanted to keep everything from him, even his inheritance. All for your own sake. Give Naruto-kun his inheritance, Hokage-sama! He's more than earned it by now!"

The Hokage scowled and was about to shout at her, but Kushina was suddenly behind him with a kunai pressed against his throat. "Oh Hiruzen, you poor, stupid old fool. I bet you've tried to figure out how to access Naruto's inheritance from his father and me. You've probably even had Jiraiya look into how to break the seal, haven't you? All because you want it for yourself. After all, if you weren't that greedy, you'd have already given my son his inheritance a long time ago. So tell me, will you hand over his inheritance, or do I need to start cutting?"

The three Anbu that had been stopped by Yugao were shocked to see Kushina holding the Hokage captive. Not knowing what to do, one of them wearing a Boar mask said, "Kushina-sama, please release Hokage-sama. You don't want to do this."

The redhead looked at Boar and shook her head. "Oh, I think I most certainly do. This old fool has been far too cruel to my son and I'm tired of this old shit keeping Naruto's inheritance from him. So old man, I'm getting tired of waiting. Agree to give my son his inheritance or I start cutting!"

Hiruzen looked defiantly at her, but when she cut off one of his fingers, he screamed out in pain and clutched at his wounded hand. "Damn it Kushina! Stop this!"

Taking hold of his hand, she slammed it down on his desk and proceeded to cut off the rest of the fingers on said hand. "Don't fight me on this Hiruzen! You've done enough harm to my son as it is! Most recently you've treated my daughter like she doesn't really exist! She's just as real as my son and you've insisted so strongly that Naruto's just obsessed with a clone! Do you have any idea how much that hurts?! I'm not fucking kidding around here, you old bastard! Give them what is rightfully theirs or I'll do worse than this!"

Hiruzen tried to resist for a while longer, but when she cut off the rest of his fingers on his other hand, he screamed out, "Fuck! Fine! It's theirs! Everything's in the safe behind Minato-kun's portrait. Just take it and go already!"

Kushina smiled pleasantly at him and patted him on the head as if he was a young child that had done something worthy of praise. Leaving him for his Anbu to take care of, Kushina walked over to her husband's picture and grabbed it off the wall. Scowling at it, she threw it to the floor and stomped on it a couple of times out of anger. Taking a deep breath to try and calm herself down, she ripped open the safe and took out all the scrolls and the letters from inside. Looking it all over, she was pleased to see that they were all still sealed and in perfect condition.

Turning around, the violet-eyed beauty smiled at Hiruzen and said, "Thank you for your cooperation, Hiruzen. Now, there is one more piece of business we need to discuss..." she said before she approached him again. Getting in his face, she pointed at Hinata, who was looking a tad frightened right now by what was going on. "Hinata-chan is living in a horrible household. They abuse her and make her feel worthless every single day. I'm going to adopt her into the Uzumaki clan and allow her to live with my children in our house. I want you to explain the situation to Hiashi and make him understand that she is now under my protection. Should he try anything at all, I'll make sure he suffers for it. After all, there is a reason he used to fear me."

Hiruzen looked into Kushina's eyes and shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Kushina. It's a clan affair and I refuse to…"

Before Hiruzen could say anything more, she pressed a kunai against his left eyeball, the tip pressing lightly against his retina. "Oh Hiruzen, you don't understand. This is going to happen. You just need to smooth it over with that asshole Hiashi. And do make sure he doesn't try to kidnap her just to place that rotten seal of theirs on her. If you allow it to happen...well...I'll simply have to kill you. Do you understand me?"

The Third began to sweat badly and didn't dare blink for fear of what might happen. Glancing up at her, he said, "F-Fine...FINE! I'll do it! Just don't hurt me anymore! You've already done enough as it is!"

Kushina offered him a smile in thanks before putting away her kunai. Afterwards, she unsealed a key from one of the scrolls she was holding before motioning for her children and Hinata to follow her. As Kushina and her children left the office, Yugao chose to follow after her, not at all caring about what had happened to Hiruzen. As far as she was concerned, he got what he deserved, though she would probably have done worse. She knew that her old sensei had gone easy on Hiruzen. After all, Kushina could be quite persuasive when she wanted to be.

Once they were all gone, Hiruzen shouted at his Anbu, "Take me to the hospital! Boar, get my fingers and hurry!"

Boar frowned behind his mask, but quickly gathered up the Hokage's finger and vanished from the office in a Body Flicker at the same time the others did.

Uzumaki Estate

Upon arriving at her old home, Kushina let her children and Yugao enter before she sealed the gate once again. Walking up to the front door, she unlocked it and allowed everyone to enter before her. "Children, this is your new home. You'll be living here from now on, safe from anyone that might wish you harm." Looking at Hinata, Kushina offered her a warm smile and said, "You'll be safe here as well. But when you're out in the village, I want you to stay with Naruto and Naruko at all times. I don't trust Hiashi not to pull something if you're on your own."

Looking at Yugao, Kushina offered her a smile and said, "It's good to see you again, Yugao-chan. I see you've done well for yourself."

Yugao frowned and shook her head. "I wanted to do more for your son, but…"

Kushina waved it off. "Meh, not your fault. That old monkey has wronged my son in plenty of ways, not the least of which was denying him companionship and happiness. Why don't we sit together and we can catch up for a while?" she suggested.

The purple-haired woman smiled happily at that and nodded her head. "I'd like that Kushina-sensei." And with that, the two women sat down together on one of the couches and began to chat.

Meanwhile, Naruto, Naruko, and Hinata were busy exploring the rather large home. Finding the master bedroom, Naruto and Naruko grinned before rushing over and flopping down on the bed, snuggling into it. "So comfy." Naruko said in delight.

Naruto chuckled a bit and nodded his head. "Oh yeah. Much better than that ratty old thing back in the apartment."

Hinata rushed over and flopped onto the bed between them, giggling a bit as she did. When she felt how soft the bed was, she snuggled into it as well and said, "I can't believe I'll get to live here with you two! This is wonderful!"

Naruko grinned and moved closer to Hinata. Moving her head close to her ear, she whispered, "I bet you're planning to break this new bed in pretty soon, aren't you?"

The Hyuga teen blushed badly and began trying to stammer out some kind of reply. After a moment, however, she buried her face in the bed and muttered quietly. Unable to hear her response, Naruko whispered to her again, "What's that, Hinata-chan? I couldn't quite understand you."

Slowly lifting her head up a bit, Hinata said, "Y-Yes. Okay? I'd love to do that with Naru-kun!"

Naruto found himself blushing as she said that. And when Hinata realized what she had just shouted out in front of her dear Naru-kun, she looked at him with wide eyes and a deep blush on her face before she fainted.

Naruko giggled evilly at that and gave a peace sign to Naruto. "Ha! The mischief maker strikes again!" she exclaimed.

The whiskered male chuckled and shook his head in exasperation. "I swear, you really are a mischievous woman. I can't help but enjoy that about you, though."

"Awww, stop Naru-kun. You're flattering me." she said, making a shooing motion with her hand. After a moment, she giggled again and looked at Hinata. "Want to give her a good wakeup call?"

Naruto shook his head. "We need to go pack up our things in the apartment and move them here. Let's just let her rest for now."

Nodding in agreement, Naruko followed Naruto out of the room and walked up to their mother and Yugao. "Mom, we're heading over to the apartment to pack our things. We'll be back soonish." Naruko said.

Kushina stood up from the couch and walked over to them. "I'm coming with you. What about you, Yu-chan?" she asked, turning to her old student/friend.

Yugao quickly nodded and joined them. "Of course I'm coming. I want to make sure Naruto-kun and Naruko-chan are okay. Especially now that we've gone against Hokage-sama. I'm not sure what he'll do to try and 'remedy the situation'." she said with a sigh.

"True enough. Anyways, let's get going sweethearts. You two don't have a lot that you want to bring over, right?" Kushina questioned.

Naruto shook his head and said, "Only a few things, such as clothes and my wallet and a few other things. Naruko-chan needs to pack up her clothes, and I think there's a few other things she has that she'd like to move here."

Naruko nodded as they left the estate. Making their way through the village, Kushina couldn't help but notice a few Anbu following them wearing unusual masks. "Yugao." she whispered, getting her student's attention. "I believe Danzo's Root agents are stalking us. Don't turn around. One is about 20 meters to your right; two are following us from behind, just out of reach. There's another pair to my left, hanging out on the rooftops. I'm pretty sure I know what he wants, but I plan to make sure they don't succeed. How about you, Yu-chan?"

Yugao glanced at her sensei and nodded. "We'll wait until Naruto-kun and Naruko-chan are safely within the apartment before we make our move. Agreed?"

Kushina nodded in agreement as they began walking up the stairs to Naruto's apartment. As soon as the two teens were safely inside, Kushina and Yugao disappeared from their positions, the two of them appearing behind two of the Root agents and slitting their throats before they even knew they were there. They caught the attention of the other three by doing this, however. While two of them rushed to attack them, the third Root agent quickly made her way to the apartment, throwing open the door.

As soon as the woman opened the door, a kunai pierced her throat, courtesy of Naruko. "Did you honestly think we couldn't sense you? Foolish." she said coldly as she retrieved her kunai, the woman's blood spraying the ground red.

Naruto looked at the deceased woman on his floor and looked at all the blood. "Well, I'm not cleaning that up. The landlord can take care of this. Kami knows he deserves to suffer a bit." he said before moving off to begin packing, Naruko soon following after him.

Meanwhile, Kushina couldn't help but laugh as she cut down her opponent. "Leave it to my babies to protect themselves like that." Turning her gaze to Yugao, Kushina watched as she finished off her opponent as well. Once they were all dead, Kushina looked at her purple-haired friend and said, "Yu-chan, I want you to do something for me. Try to find an entrance to Danzo's underground hideout. I know he's hiding out somewhere beneath the village. The question is: how do we get in? If you can find one of the entrances into the base, we can work together to destroy him and his forces." Yugao nodded before she quickly vanished in a Body Flicker, off to begin her search.

Once she was gone, the beautiful redhead enter the apartment, carefully stepping over the deceased Root agent. Looking around at the dismal state of the apartment, she shook her head in disgust. "To think he'd force you to live in this dump." Kushina said angrily.

Naruto and Naruko soon entered the room with all of their belongings in a couple of sealing scrolls. "That's the Hokage for you. An asshole through and through." Naruko said before motioning for her mother and love interest to follow her outside.

Once outside, Kushina looked into the apartment one more time before she followed her kids downstairs. Stepping away from the building, the violet-eyed beauty used her mastery over fire to ignite the building. As the fire began to burn the apartment building fiercely, she grinned at her handiwork before walking with her family back towards their estate.

Kakashi - End of the week

Almost a full week had passed and Kakashi was not enjoying his day so far. He had finished testing his new Genin team, and he felt nothing but disappointment in them. Sakura seemed to have closed herself off, and from the way she shot glances at Sasuke, he figured that Sasuke probably did or said something to her that caused her quite a lot of pain. Still, she tried to work with both of her teammates, but they naturally tried to take Kakashi on by themselves. Needless to say, it didn't go over well for either of them.

By the time the test was over, Kakashi looked at Sakura and motioned for her to follow him as he left Sasuke and Kiba tied to posts. Once they were far enough away, he looked into her eyes curiously. "Hm. Tell me what happened, Sakura."

"I...I don't know what you're talking about, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura said timidly.

"What happened between you and Sasuke? Did he hurt you in some way? Don't lie to me. I don't like being lied to."

The pinkette looked towards Sasuke and frowned sadly before she returned her attention to Kakashi. "He...he snapped at me and called me a b-bitch. I...I just wanted to get his attention, but...he was so cruel and...and I don't know anymore! It made me realize that he's not as good of a person as I thought he was. And...I can't help but wonder if this is how I made Naruto feel…"

The silver-haired Jonin frowned at this, and soon nodded his head. "At least you're trying to improve yourself now. And yes, this feeling is something Naruto has felt for most of his life. You played a part in his suffering. But you still have time to make it up to him if you really want to try and mend your relationship with him. However...I have bad news for you. You and your team fail my test. You tried to work with them, so the fault doesn't lie with you. So don't blame yourself for this failure."

Sighing, Kakashi rubbed the back of his head. "Tell you what though. If you're willing to improve yourself, and you agree to stop dieting and train seriously, I'll recommend that Hokage-sama puts you on another team. You deserve a true chance at becoming a real Genin. Sasuke and Kiba though? I'm recommending they be removed from the shinobi ranks entirely."

Sakura smiled at Kakashi and hugged him tight. "Thank you Kakashi-sensei! I really appreciate it!"

Chuckling to himself, the Jonin gave her a gentle hug back before he looked at her 'teammates'. Walking over to them, he untied them before placing a hand on Sakura's shoulder and vanishing with her in a Body Flicker.

Hokage's Office

When Kakashi entered the Hokage's office with Sakura, he saw Hiruzen instructing a Chunin in how to fill out his paperwork and what to do with it all. After all, his fingers may have been reattached, but he couldn't exactly use them yet.

Upon seeing Kakashi, Hiruzen offered him a smile and asked, "So, do they pass?"

The silver-haired Jonin shook his head. "No. Sakura was the only one to understand the point of the test, but her two teammates refused to work with her or even with each other. Kiba's skills were a disappointment, and Sasuke is far too arrogant. I recommend that you remove those two from the shinobi corps. immediately. As for Sakura, I recommend that you put her on another team, as I feel she deserves a fair shot at being a Genin. She's agreed to take her training seriously and she's agreed to stop dieting as well. Haven't you Sakura?"

The emerald-eyed girl nodded and said, "I'll do whatever it takes if it means I get to be a true Genin! And I'll do my very best to work together with what team you assign me to, Hokage-sama."

The Third looked at Kakashi and shook his head disappointedly. "Aren't you being a little harsh, Kakashi-kun? Sasuke deserves a chance…"

Kakashi narrowed his eye on the Hokage and shook his head in disbelief. "Why do you continue to give him such special treatment, Hokage-sama? Sasuke has proven that he's an unstable, arrogant psycho!"

Hiruzen scowled at Kakashi and said, "I don't answer to you, Kakashi. But if you must know, I'd rather not upset the people if I can help it. So, I'm going to have to ask you to pass your team, Kakashi-kun."

The silver-haired Jonin scowled and shook his head. "No, Hokage-sama. I will not pass those two. The old Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't be so afraid of upsetting the people. He'd do exactly as I suggested because he'd realize it was the right thing to do! You've changed in a bad way, Hokage-sama. So if you want to please the people by passing a damn flight risk, find somebody else to lead the team because I refuse." he said before taking Sakura and leaving Hiruzen's office.

Now that he was left with only the Chunin, Hiruzen smashed his head into his desk and sighed in defeat. "Damn it, Kakashi. You're making a mistake."

The Chunin looked at him for a moment and shook his head. "No, sir. You are. Think about it." he said. "I'll leave you alone to think on it, Hokage-sama. Hopefully you come to the right decision."

After the Chunin left, Hiruzen groaned. "So much insubordination. Does nobody have any respect for me anymore?"

Team 8

Hinata couldn't help but giggle happily as she walked onto the training grounds with Naruto and Naruko by her sides. Kami things have been wonderful since we started sleeping together. I feel so giddy right now! Looking at her boyfriend, Hinata leaned closer and kissed his cheek affectionately. "I love you Naru-kun."

Naruto would have said something in reply, but Kurenai called out to them. She had Anko with her again, but they didn't focus on that. Instead, they joined Shino and sat down beside him. "What's up, Kurenai-sensei?"

"We're going to do something a bit different today. We've been working on teamwork exercises for the majority of the week, and a little bit of training as individuals, helping you improve your taijutsu and anything else we could think up. Today, however, I'd like to start you on a chakra control exercise. You're going to be practicing tree climbing today. Let me show you what I mean."

The Genin watched as Kurenai walked over to a tree and began climbing it with her feet alone. When she hopped back down and looked their way, she asked, "Alright, can one of you tell me how I did that?"

Hinata was the one to answer. "You channeled a steady flow of chakra into the soles of your feet and used it to stick to the surface of the tree, allowing you to walk straight up it without the need to use your hands. Am I right?"

"Very good Hinata-chan. Yes, that is correct. Now, I want you to use these kunai to mark your progress as you climb the tree. I want you to figure out what you're doing right and what you're doing wrong on your own. You can help each other if you want, but I won't give you any tips. I want to see how you do on your own." Kurenai said with a smile.

The group of four nodded and proceeded to take the kunais Kurenai offered them. Naruto went to follow Naruko and Hinata, but Kurenai stopped him before he could. Looking up into his sensei's eyes, he saw her blushing. What made it weirder is she was having a hard time looking him in the eyes. "Naruto-kun...we need to talk later. You, me, and Anko-chan. Okay?"

Naruto was confused, but nodded his head in understanding. "Alright sensei. Sounds good to me." he said before leaving to go and begin the exercise.

Once he was gone, Anko hugged Kurenai and teasingly said, "Awww, you're so cute when you get all shy and embarrassed. Are you really that nervous?"

Kurenai sighed as she rested her head on her lover's chest. "I can't help it. You...you want me to invite a man...a young man at that...to join our relationship. I...I had never really considered it before, but…"

Anko tilted Kurenai's head up before giving her a loving kiss on the lips. "I won't force you, sweetheart. You know that. If you aren't comfortable with the idea, then forget it. Yeah, I like the brat, but we don't have to do anything like that with him."

The beautiful Genjutsu Mistress looked into her lover's eyes and shook her head. "I'm not saying I'm against it, exactly. He...he's a good person and he's cute too. I'm just...nervous. You know how I feel after...after…"

The Snake Mistress frowned and kissed her girlfriend on the forehead. "I understand sweetheart. Don't think about that experience. I just wish I had gotten there before...before it happened…"

"It's not your fault, Anko-chan. We...we didn't know it was going to happen…" Kurenai said sadly. "I trust Naruto-kun though. He's definitely a better person than him."

"Yes he is. I promise you that he'll never hurt you, Kure-chan. We'll all be happy together."

"I know. Thank you, Anko-chan. I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart." Anko said, hugging her lover close.

Later

After finishing training for the day, Naruto bid his teammates goodbye for the time being and stayed behind with Kurenai and Anko. "So what's up, Kurenai-sensei? Did I do something?"

Blushing again, Kurenai shook her head. "N-No Naruto-kun. You didn't do anything wrong. Um...Anko-chan and I were just talking after the test you had earlier in the week. You know, when you employed some 'interesting' tactics…"

Naruto nodded, but he wasn't quite sure where she was going with this. "Yeah, probably should have found another way. I'm sorry about that."

Kurenai shook her head and said, "You don't need to apologize, Naruto-kun! You...you didn't do anything wrong, really. Um…" Sighing, she decided to just get it out there. "Naruto-kun...Anko-chan and I would like you to, erm...join our relationship. Be...be our boyfriend...and lover. I...um...Kami this is hard to say. But...I want you to be part of our relationship. You're the only man I'll let touch me, Naru-kun."

Naruto blushed so badly it looked as if all the blood in his body had rushed to his head. Looking into their eyes, he asked, "A-Are you sure? I'm...I'm flattered. I'd...I'd really like that. We'll have to talk to Naruko-chan and Hinata-chan about this though…"

"Oh-ho! Snagged little Hinata-chan too, huh Naruto-kun? How...interesting." Anko said before giggling to herself. "We'll help you talk with them. If they're willing to share you between each other, I think we can convince them to share you with us as well." she said with a wink.

The fifteen year-old man smiled a bit nervously, but nodded all the same. "Alright. I think I know where they are by now. Follow me." he said before leading them off.

A short time later, they arrived at Ramen Ichiraku and, sure enough, Naruko and Hinata were there. The two girls were chatting animatedly about something, but as soon as they noticed Naruto walk in and sit down, they smiled at him. Hinata was about to say something, but she noticed Kurenai and Anko walk in and sit down as well. "Naruto-kun? What's going on?"

Kurenai was the one to speak up. "Hinata-chan...we need to talk with the two of you. Anko-chan and I came to a decision recently, and it involves Naruto-kun."

Anko took over the explanation at this point. "What she's trying to say is that we want to get in on this relationship with you two. We'd like to be with Naruto-kun too. So, willing to share, Naruko-chan? Hinata-chan?"

Naruko's and Hinata's eyes widened in shock as they looked into their sensei's eyes. Turning their gaze to Anko, they saw her looking dead serious about this. So turning to each other, Naruko leaned in close to Hinata and asked, "What do you think, Hinata-chan? Is it okay with you? 'Cause I think it'd be kinda hot. Just imagine the fun times we could have together."

As Naruko began to giggle perversely, Hinata blushed and said, "Kurenai-sensei's one of my most precious people. If this will make her happy, then I'm okay with it. Besides, I can think of a few kinky situations."

Naruko grinned and fist bumped her best friend. "That's the spirit, Hinata-chan!" Turning to face Kurenai and Anko, the blonde gave them a thumbs-up. "We're cool with it if that's what you really want. Welcome to the Naru Lovers Club!"

Hearing this, Ayame started to giggle as she placed some bowls of ramen before everyone. "Figured you guys might be hungry. Enjoy." Turning to face Naruto, she smirked at him and said, "You've become quite popular with the girls, I see. How's that feel, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto blushed a bit and focused his attention on the bowl of ramen in front of him. "It...it's nice. I didn't expect it, but I'm happy." he admitted before he began to eat.

"I bet you are." Ayame teased. "Anyways, eat up. Gotta keep your strength up, after all."

As Ayame went into the back to help her father, Anko looked at Naruto with a smirk. "You two seem pretty close. She another potential harem sister?"

Blushing worse, Naruto shook his head. "No. Nothing like that, I assure you. Ayame-chan's been like a sister to me for a long time now. We have a good relationship because of that." Of course, I'm still not sure if she and Teuchi treat me kindly because I'm a regular customer here or if they genuinely like me…

Naruko, as if sensing his thoughts, reached over and took his hand in hers. "Don't worry, Naruto-kun. If they don't, then we'll simply find someplace else to eat. It's as simple as that."

Blinking, Naruto was about to ask her how she knew what he was thinking, only to remember that she was still a part of him. Chuckling a bit, he rubbed the back of his head and offered her a smile before he went about finishing his meal. "Thanks, Naruko-chan. I appreciate that."

Kurenai, curious about what they were talking about, asked, "What do you two mean? What's going on?"

Naruko looked at Kurenai and leaned in to whisper to her, "Naru-kun and I aren't sure if we can count the Ichiraku duo as our friends. They might only be acting nice to us because we're frequent, paying customers that help keep their business afloat."

Kurenai nodded in understanding before saying, "If that is the case, then it might be a good idea to find somewhere else to eat with people you can trust. Then again, sometimes it's hard to trust anyone, especially when people in the village would rather harm Naruto-kun than see him be happy and healthy."

As the Genjutsu Mistress sighed, Naruto shook his head and smiled at them. "It'll be fine. I'm sure everything will work out okay in the end. Anyways…" Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his wallet and paid for everyone's meal. Afterwards, he stood up and slipped his wallet away again before looking at everyone. "Come on, I'll show you two to my new home and get you keyed into the seal on the gate."

Kurenai and Anko looked at each other before shrugging and following after their new boyfriend. When they arrived at Naruto's new home a short while later, their eyes widened in shock. "You live here?! It's huge!" Anko exclaimed in shock.

Naruto and Naruko chuckled a bit and nodded their heads. "Yep. We live here with Hinata-chan. You two are welcome to move in too, if you'd like. There's plenty of room." Naruto said.

"That, and you'd be safer here than anywhere else." Naruko said. "This seal prevents pretty much everyone and anyone from getting into our home. That means Hinata's father, and any guys that might be harassing you two for one reason or another...well, they can't break in and try anything."

Anko grinned and nudged Kurenai. "What do you say, sweetheart? Sounds like a good deal to me. Especially if it means we can finally be rid of Asuma."

At hearing that name, Kurenai flinched and hugged herself. When she began to shake, Anko's eyes widened and she hugged her girlfriend tight. "Sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."

Kurenai shook her head. "It's...it's fine. It's just...bad memories."

Hinata looked at Kurenai with a frown and said more than asked, "He tried to rape you...didn't he Kurenai-sensei?"

Kurenai looked away and felt tears trickling down her cheeks. "He...he didn't just try Hinata-chan. He just did it…" Shivering in disgust, she continued, "It hurt. The...the bastard…"

Naruto frowned at this and walked up to Kurenai, gently taking her hand and running his thumb over it in a circle. "Kurenai-sensei...I'm so, so sorry you had to suffer like that. I had no idea. If...if that happened to you...then why did you agree to be with me? I don't get it."

Kurenai offered Naruto a small, tender smile. "I trust you, Naruto-kun. You're a pure person that would never hurt anyone unless you had to. I can see that just as easily as Anko-chan. Yes, there might be times when I feel 'uncomfortable', but that isn't your fault." Building up her courage, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his in a tender, loving kiss. When he began to reciprocate her actions, she couldn't help but feel elated.

When the two of them separated, Naruto said, "Wow."

The Genjutsu Mistress giggled a bit and gently ran her fingers through his hair. "I feel safe with you, Naruto-kun. Now, let's get inside. I don't really feel all that comfortable out here."

Naruto nodded before he keyed Anko and Kurenai into the seal. Afterwards, they entered his rather large house, where he allowed the two of them to explore his house and pick out a room of their own. As they did this, Naruto sat down and shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe that bastard did that to her…"

Naruko and Hinata sat down on either side of him. Hinata hugged her boyfriend close and buried her head in his chest. "She...she never told me. I can't believe someone hurt her like that. We have to find some way to keep him away from her, Naru-kun."

Naruko nodded in agreement. "Could always send him a 'message' of sorts. Something that'll tell him to stay the fuck away from Kurenai-sensei or else he'll suffer for it. It'd have to be large and super effective in order to chase him off for good though."

Naruto grinned evilly and said, "Oh, I think if we put our heads together, the three of us can come up with something reaaaal good to torture that sick bastard. He'll never feel comfortable with a woman ever again."

Hinata and Naruko giggled conspiratorially with him, each of them sporting an evil grin on their faces. It was this scene that Anko and Kurenai walked in on, and it caused them to pause for a moment. "Are we interrupting anything?" Anko asked.

Naruko looked at her and shook her head. "Nope. Not really. Just thinking about pulling a 'prank' of sorts. It's gonna be fun."

Anko grinned at this and sat down in a chair across from them. "Count me in! Whatever you're planning, I definitely want in on it."

Kurenai sighed at this and shook her head in exasperation. "Just so long as nobody gets hurt, I won't stop you. Just be careful, okay?"

Naruto frowned as he looked at her. "None of my pranks have hurt anybody before, Kurenai-sensei. I can't bring myself to hurt anybody like that, no matter how horrible they've been to me. This prank won't hurt anyone, but it will scar them mentally for a looong period of time."

Kurenai frowned a moment and looked down. "Sorry, Naruto-kun. I didn't mean to imply anything. I just don't want you getting hurt or anything because of a prank you pulled. That's all."

Naruto smiled at her and said, "It's okay. I didn't take offense to that. I just want you to know that you can trust me. I don't want to upset you, Kurenai-sensei."

The crimson-eyed beauty walked up to him and leaned in, kissing him again. "Naruto-kun, when we're together like this, I'd prefer it if you called me -chan instead of sensei. You only need to refer to me as sensei when we're training, doing missions, or something else along those lines. Otherwise, I want you to call me Kurenai-chan. Okay?"

Naruto found himself blushing a bit and nodded slowly. "Of course, Kurenai-chan. I understand."

"Good. Now, would you like to come with us and help us pack up our belongings? I'd feel much safer if we moved in here."

"Of course. Let's get going everybody." he said before leaving his home with the four beautiful women.

One Week Later

Team 8 couldn't believe what they were hearing from the Hokage. "So, despite Kakashi refusing to pass them, you found somebody else to lead the team that would obey you? And I use the word 'team' loosely. If Kakashi said he wasn't going to pass them, that should have been the end of it, Hokage-sama. But no, you'd prefer to give Sasuke special treatment yet again. I pity Sakura for being stuck on that team." Naruko said, sounding quite agitated.

"Be quiet, Naruto. I won't have you speaking out against me and my decisions. I'm only doing what's right. He deserves a fair shot." Hiruzen said, once again refusing to acknowledge Naruko as being her own person.

"How many times do I need to tell you before you get it?! My name is Naruko. I am not Naruto-kun. When will you finally accept that?!"

"When you stop pretending to be a person, rather than a clone. Naruto is obviously desperate for attention if he's willing to put on this act." Hiruzen said, sounding quite agitated at this point.

Naruto growled and was about to attack the Hokage, but Anko put a hand on his shoulder and shook her head. "It's not worth it, Naruto-kun." Turning her attention to the Hokage, Anko asked, "So, you decided to please Sasuke once again by giving his team a C-rank mission, hm? And shortly after leaving the village, they were attacked by the Demon Brothers of Kirigakure. Afterwards, a request for reinforcements came in, and you're calling for us because you'd like our team to assist them. I get all that right?"

Hiruzen nodded, though he scowled at the insinuation that he was trying to please Sasuke. Even now he couldn't admit to himself that he was too afraid to upset the people like the coward he is. "Yes. I'm trusting your team to back them up and assist them however you can. Genma is in charge of the mission, so make sure to follow his orders, all of you. Is that understood?"

The members of Team 8 all nodded in understanding before excusing themselves from the office. Once they left the Hokage tower proper, Anko clenched her fists tight and punched the wall. "That spineless bastard! Where the hell did the God of Shinobi go?! Back then, he'd never have allowed something like this! Now he's just a shell of his former self and always caves in when it comes to how the people feel and what they want. Fucking coward!"

Kurenai frowned and shook her head in disbelief. "I don't get it either, Anko-chan. It just doesn't make sense, especially considering that Uchiha brat is a flight risk. If it means he can get the power needed to kill his brother, he'd gladly leave the village. He isn't loyal to anyone but himself."

Naruko scoffed at this and said, "Doesn't help that he doesn't have any respect for anyone, even if they're his superiors. How he thought this was a good idea is beyond me."

Shino frowned as he adjusted his sunglasses. "It's illogical to give in to Sasuke's demands. Trying to please him and the people is a mistake on the Hokage's part."

Naruto shrugged and said, "I'm used to it by now. After all, everyone seems to feel the need to please Sasuke. It's pointless to worry about it, because there's absolutely no making sense of it. Hell, I tried to reach out and be his friend once, and you saw how that went."

Hinata frowned at the memory and nodded her head slowly. "I remember. I wanted to hurt him so badly."

"I kind of wish you had. Sasuke's an asshole that needs to be knocked down a few pegs." Naruto said. "Anyways, we should all go get packed for about a month, I'd say. See you at the gate, Shino?"

Shino nodded before walking off towards his home. After he left, Naruto and his companions went towards his estate. Once inside, Anko grinned mischievously as she grabbed Naruto and pulled him into a kiss. Backing away from him a moment later, she winked at him and said, "Just had to do that. Kurenai-chan and I will be back in a bit. Make sure you guys pack the essentials and some extra clothes. No telling how rough this mission is going to be."

The three Genin nodded before they quickly hurried off to pack their things. After they left, Kurenai smirked at her lover and asked, "You really like him, don't you sweetheart?"

As they went to their room to get packed, Anko nodded in the affirmative. "I love him. He means a lot to me, just as you do. You both make me a very happy woman."

"I'm glad, Anko-chan. Now, if you've got everything you need, let's get going. I'd like to catch up to Team 7 as soon as possible. Genma's a good man, but trying to rein in those two boys is going to drive him nuts." Kurenai said.

"Agreed." Anko said before leaving their room and heading outside to wait for their beloved and their other Genin students.

On the Road

"This looks like the place where they fought the Demon Brothers. I figured they'd be here waiting for us." Anko said with a frown. "Unless…"

Naruto groaned and palmed his face. "Those two idiots likely demanded that they continue on without waiting for backup. After all, they're so arrogant and full of themselves that they don't think about the danger facing them. I feel sorry for Sakura."

Kurenai nodded in agreement. "As do I. From what Kakashi told me, he decided to fail the team while suggesting that Sakura be put on another team. However…"

Hinata scowled and said, "Hokage-sama is giving Sasuke special treatment, as per the usual. I swear, Sasuke could murder a fellow shinobi of Konoha and he'd get away with it!"

Anko frowned, but nodded her head in agreement. "Sounds about right, girly. Nothing we can do about it though, I'm afraid. Let's just move on and hope those idiots haven't bitten off more than they can chew…"

Everyone nodded in agreement with that before setting out for the Land of Waves. They each knew that things had probably gotten out of hand, but they hoped that at least Genma and Sakura were okay. None of them really gave a damn about Sasuke or Kiba.

After a while, they arrived at the sea separating them from the Land of Waves. It didn't take them long to notice a boatman nearby. He appeared to be examining his boat and mumbling to himself all the while.

Approaching him, Anko got his attention and asked, "Hey there. Mind ferrying us across to the Land of Waves? We can pay you if you want."

The man looked at Anko for a moment before eyeing the rest of the team. "I assume you're the backup that man said was coming?" Seeing each of them nod, the boatman released a sigh and nodded his head slowly. "Fine then. If you can help save the country, I'll ferry you across. You need to be quiet though, you understand me? Can't have Gato's men discovering the fact that I'm doing this."

Kurenai nodded and motioned for her team to climb into the boat. Once they were all set, the boatman began taking them across the water. When they saw the size of the bridge that was being built, they all gasped in awe of such a thing, but none of them dared to say a word.

After some time, they reached the shore and climbed out of the boat, one by one. Looking at the boatman, Kurenai and the rest of Team 8 thanked him before he left. Looking at her Genin, Kurenai said, "Stay alert. We're in enemy territory now, so we'd best keep our eyes out. Our first priority is to find Team 7 and determine the situation they're in. If they're in danger, we assist them. For now, stick to the trees. We don't want to give away our positions after all. If they're fighting, we can sneak up and strike down their foes. Everyone ready to go?"

Naruto grinned ferally and nodded. "Oh yeah. I'm looking forward to this."

Naruko giggled and said, "Yeah, I'm ready. I think we all are. We won't let you down sensei."

"Good to hear. Let's move out." Kurenai said before leaping into the trees, leading her team through the forest. When they heard the sounds of battle ahead of them, she quietly told her team, "Be silent and follow me. It sounds like we're almost there."

When they reached the scene of the battle, Team 8 couldn't help but frown. Genma was trapped in a sphere of water, Kiba was wounded badly, and Sasuke was arrogantly taunting their opponent who was easily recognizable as Zabuza Momochi. Sakura was guarding their client, a man named Tazuna.

Hinata, with her Byakugan activated, frowned as she spotted someone watching the battle. "Kurenai-sensei, there's someone hiding over there, just watching the battle. I'm not sure of their intentions. Should we do something?"

Kurenai glanced in the direction Hinata had pointed and frowned. "There's a good chance it's an ally of Zabuza's. If so, he or she is likely prepared to rescue Zabuza if things turn sour. Anko-chan, I want you and Shino to approach the unknown entity and determine what their purpose is here. If you decide that this person is a threat, neutralize them. Naruto-kun, Hinata-chan, Naruko-chan, you three are with me. We're going to deal with Zabuza directly. However, Hinata-chan, I want you to assist Sakura in protecting the client. Can never be too careful, after all."

Everyone nodded in understanding of their orders before they set out to do exactly as they had been directed. This should be a good test of our abilities. Naruto thought to himself with a small smile on his face. I just hope I can stack up against this guy.

---

A/N - Alrighty, that's the end of the chapter. As you can see, a bunch of different things happened.

I'm sure you can guess what happened between Naruto, Naruko, and Hinata. It was implied that they had a little 'fun time' together. Also, I revealed that Kurenai was raped by Asuma, in case that wasn't clear from the story. Some of you probably aren't happy with me about that, but it just kinda turned out that way and I decided to roll with it. Like I've said before, I don't exactly plan anything out in advance. I just write and see what happens. If I like it, then I'll use it. If I don't like it, I go back and redo the scene until it feels right to me. *shrugs*

Anywho, as I said in the most recent chapter of Guardians of Yokai Academy, I'll be gone starting Thursday and going through Sunday. I'll be at an anime/manga/video game convention called NDK (Nan Desu Kon) in Denver, Colorado during that time frame. So I don't know if I can crank out another chapter before then. We'll see. And no, I don't know what I'll work on next. lol