Hey guys, sorry for the long wait.

Wanted a breath of fresh air so was updating one of my other stories for a while, had not updated that one in a year. But I'm fresh and back now to this one too, not saying updates will be hyper fast but they will come. It's just I want to outperform myself with this story so I'm very fanatic about trying to improve its quality any way I can. Not saying, everyone will like what I do...but I am invested in this story and its characters.

Thank you all for supporting so far. Hope you keep the reviews, favs and follows coming!

Chapter 16

Family


Zabuza and each of the remaining swordsmen alongwith Mei watched in stunned silence as the Commander's hands glowed a very bright green. With precision they had never imagined him to possess, Naruto carefully removed the rock shards embedded into Mangetsu's shoulder before sealing the wound. He didn't just stop there as he even recreated the bone and skin making the entire thing vanish, as if it never existed in the first place.

Haku sobbed in relief when she heard Mangetsu's whisper of peace.

She then looked at the focused man who was doing everything in his power to keep the boy amongst the world of living.

"Why go so far?" she couldn't help but ask in a whisper,

Naruto looked up even as his hands continued to heal the last of the wound and was surprised to see the entire squad having the very same question in their eyes.

He looked back at Mangetsu and thought about the question.

As a spy, he was never supposed to reveal the true extent of his powers. Even if he had not revealed everything, he had crossed a line for the boy currently breathing heavily in his arms.

For a moment, he saw Nagato's face staring back at him which made him smile.

He looked back at his comrades and even if the faces were different now, the feeling in his heart still remained the same and was the one which made him realize the answer.

"Because he's one of us" he answered resolutely,

Haku and Mei truly smiled on hearing him say that but he saw the others who were more battle hardened were yet to comprehend the full extent of his reasoning.

"All of us are different in many ways, but we are a team. We are Kiri's finest warriors entrusted with our nation's future but most importantly all we have right now is each other. We're family" said Naruto, a fierce determination present in his eyes which earned him a soft gaze of understanding from Ameyuri and Jinpachi.

"There's no such thing as family!" refused Zabuza with a growl, remembering all he had been taught in order to survive.

All he had done to survive, including murdering his own classmates in the academy. He couldn't...

"We are now"

He flinched on hearing Naruto's unwavering answer and felt something unfamiliar in his heart on seeing the look in the blonde's fierce gaze.

"Family always betrays" whispered Kisame hesitantly, memories of his own dark past coming back to haunt him.

Naruto lowered his gaze on hearing him say that knowing a part of it was true considering who he was in reality, he had no right to preach about family to the people he was spying on in the first place. But he had seen the way quite a few of them had given up on Mangetsu so easily when things went south, and as Commander he was responsible for the success of the mission.

And it would never succeed unless each member of the squad knew that they could rely on their comrades without a doubt.

"Maybe they will someday" he agreed with Kisame, making the older man look at him with a frown.

"Then why?" he asked seriously,

"You don't give up on family, no matter what" answered Naruto truthfully, as he looked at Mangetsu.

He saw Zabuza and Kisame still didn't agree with his opinion, but they were thinking about what he had said which was more than enough. Even he couldn't undo years of gruesome training these men had undergone in a few moments, but he had shown them a different path through his actions.

Mei watched Naruto gently lift Mangetsu over his shoulder as he stood up and glanced at the rest of the mountain above them with a determined gaze. She looked at Haku, followed by Jinpachi and Ameyuri.

She was pleased to see the same feelings present in each of their gazes. Even Zabuza and Kisame looked a little shaken.

She looked back at the man who was winning their trust ever slowly. There was nobody who doubted he was a fine soldier and a good Commander, but the way he fought for Mangetsu and put himself on the line had showed them the kind of man he truly was.

"What's the next move, Commander?"

Naruto looked back at his squad and was pleased to see a renewed determination burning in their eyes. More importantly, he saw the way most of them wanted to trust him after what he did for one of their own.

"We climb the rest of this mountain, then establish a makeshift camp and scout the area for more intel. When we have that in place, we strike" instructed the Commander,

"Commander, we cannot afford any more accidents. We are with you, but climbing further exposes us to the same risk that hurt Mangetsu in the first place" warned Haku seriously, earning a nod from the blonde man.

"I'll carry you all to the top in one shot with my teleportation technique. Considering the height, air pressure, all of your weight and the distance, my chakra will almost get exhausted. If there are enemies waiting for us at the top, I wouldn't be of much help for sometime until my chakra level rises again" explained Naruto hesitantly,

"It's still a better plan than risking each one of us climbing the rest of the way. Besides, you've done more than enough so far for us, we'll have your back up there against anything" promised Haku fiercely,

This time there was no hesitation as the entire squad nodded their consent and looked resolutely back at Naruto.

He looked at them for a moment before giving an affirmative nod as they then gathered all around him placing their hands over his backs.

"Ninja wire on your kunai. Be ready to hit the nearest trees or rocks to create an anchor and use it to establish your position on the top. You'll have 5 seconds to make it happen, don't miss" he warned them,

He could see everyone was a little nervous but they were committed to the mission and gave their firm nod of consent which was all he needed to see.

When they all looked ready, he expanded his sensory powers and located the highest tri-pronged kunai he had managed to establish across the mountain. Even from that point, it was another 500 feet to the top, one that he would have to cover in a few seconds. It was not going to be easy.

Mei only had a moment to blink when she saw Naruto giving a final nod before her entire world squeezed. Words couldn't describe the sensation as she felt her entire self being crushed to the size of a small rock before being pushed through a dark space she could barely see before her eyes widened in horror.

Around her, she saw their entire squad had appeared in the air amidst the clouds. She barely had time to admire the clouds before that nauseous feeling took over once again as she saw Naruto throw a sharp object up higher.

Again and again they were all violently crushed and pulled until Mei felt herself ready to puke her guts out. Her eyes widened when they suddenly flashed against the edge of the mountain top and she realized this was the moment they had all been waiting for.

Despite their claims of pulling their weight once they reached the top, the entire squad was extremely disoriented from the rapid travel. It was hard enough to breathe and even more harder not to just puke your guts out from that horrible nausea.

Naruto must have anticipated this event, as another clone of him appeared above them all and threw a single three pronged kunai that embedded itself into the nearest rock with a solid grip.

Mei again felt that nauseous sensation and before she knew it everyone of them was safely back on the ground with the faint puff of the clone disappearing echoing from behind them.

She looked up to see Naruto taking a few deep breaths as his Sage Mode power suddenly vanished and without a word, he collapsed unconscious to the ground.

"Commander!"


(Three Weeks Later: Kirigakure)

Ino silently stared at the short clip in her hand.

She had been looking at it for a good long five minutes now and even then her eyes were not willing to tear themselves away from the two positive signs displayed on the medical device.

It was not as if she had not imagined this event never happening in her life.

Every woman atleast thought about this once in her life.

Her feelings on this subject at the present were conflicted to say the least. She needed a second opinion, one that was more rational and could help her look at the bigger picture because even if she appeared calm on the outside, she was having a crisis in her heart.

One which she didn't want her Commander standing in front of her to notice.

"This is bad" whispered Sakumo, the acting leader of all Konoha agents in the Land of Water.

He flinched on his inappropriate choice of words when he received a scathing glare from one of his most prized operatives. The raw hatred that came in her eyes scared him to the point that he raised his hands in a placating manner.

"Any word from him yet?" asked Sakumo, trying to change the subject if only for his own safety.

"No" she whispered, her sadness and fears easy for him to see.

"He's the Father, isn't he?" asked Sakumo gently,

Any other woman would have been offended on hearing such an intimate question being asked but in their line of work, it was not unusual for operatives to use sex as a weapon against their targets to get the information they needed.

Naruto and Ino were no different to this rule.

Although Sakumo was pleased when she nodded her confirmation to his question of Naruto being the father.

Naruto was a good man and a good ninja, but he thought from the heart unlike Ino who had a better sense of understanding. He doubted the last Namikaze would be capable enough of raising a child considering his own dark past and the nature of their current assignment, much less the child of another man.

Even if they both denied it, Sakumo knew these two loved each other.

It was not a love born of pure passion or lust, although that might still exist. In reality, it was a love born from their shared pain, sense of duty and respect they had for each other.

"I'm scared, Sakumo" she whispered,

He stepped beside her and placed his hand over her shoulder in a comforting manner.

"Whatever your decision, I will make sure the Hokage and the higher ups accept it. I will not let them have their say in this!" he promised fiercely, and he meant it.

If that young brat Hiruzen and his advisers didn't heed his advice, then they would know how bad it was in reality to piss of a group of Special ops ninjas. Granted, there were not that many of them in existence to stage any decent revolt but they were a small group that looked out for each other, even if it meant making those in leaderships get their heads in the right place.

His promise served to dismiss most of Ino's fears, the fact that she hugged him and sobbed in relief showed no matter their training, operatives could get compromised if feelings got involved which was the case with her and Naruto clearly.

"I take it this means you are not dropping the child?" he asked in a fatherly tone, adding as much warmth to ease her fears.

"Not my choice, but..." she whispered, and Sakumo knew exactly what terrified her the most.

She was scared of Naruto and what he would do with this change in their lives. In one way, it could bolster their cover and embed them deeper into Kirigakure's society. Many opportunistic clans had been trying to get their daughters married off to Naruto ever since they discovered him to be the last survivor of the Namikaze clan. They didn't even care that he was already married to Ino, citing Kirigakure's lax laws that allowed ninja clan heads to have multiple wives "for the sake of the clan". It was a hypocritical law, but one accepted by the government and upheld by the Water Daimyo who practiced it himself with his multiple consorts.

It was only Naruto's evasion of this entire matter that kept those clans at bay, especially the Kaguya. With this child, many of those people would be forced to take a step back. Many would still try, but Naruto could argue he had started doing his part by repopulating the Namikaze clan.

It also allowed Konoha more leverage over Naruto, maybe with this they could make him switch his loyalty to their village instead of Uzu. Their village needed a powerful ninja like Naruto and the prospect of the Namikaze clan being reborn in Konoha would add strength to their village's military.

Although that created a big problem in the present for Sakumo.

"What will you do now? I doubt his covert mission will get over anytime soon, and the more you wait" he warned her hesitantly,

"I will not make a decision without informing him" she objected fiercely,

She could not do that to him, not after everything he had lost. He trusted her with his life and more, the very least she could do was wait for him to return so they could both decide on what was the right course of action.

"Then you need to resign from the Anbu group weeding out the spies of various nations in Kiri's ranks" said Sakumo seriously,

"No"

"Ino-"

"Sakumo, they are not to be underestimated. Have you forgotten what they have done in the past three weeks alone?" asked Ino fiercely,

Sakumo flinched.

The Anbu Commander had formed a special team that was investigating every branch of Kiri's military for possible spies. Nobody was spared no matter what clan, rank or political connection they had.

The spies from Konoha had so far been kept well protected from the lens thanks to Ino being a part of that team and diverting their attention to other spies.

They had already found spies from Iwagakure and Sunagakure. The former had been working as a medic and the latter had been working as a secretary in the Mizukage's tower. Suffice to say, both of them were executed after brutal torture and interrogation at the hands of the Anbu unit supervised by their Commander.

It didn't stop there as the same unit then hunted down and executed entire families, friends, even few acquaintances associated with those two spies from Iwa and Suna. The fact that they even killed the Iwa kunoichi's four year old son in cold blood made their goals very clear.

It was an absolute purge and nobody was going to be spared.

As a person, Sakumo was worried for Ino and her safety. Even more now that he knew she was pregnant with a child, it was not safe for her to hang around those trigger happy monsters.

On the other hand, the Commander inside him knew how vital an asset she was. Without her misguiding the Anbu forces, their spies could be exposed.

And she knew that.

"No matter the situation, I am still Ino Yamanaka of the Leaf" she promised him, the loyalty and determination in her fierce blue eyes making him swell with pride.

"I cannot step aside and risk the lives of my comrades, not if I have the power to save them. I have to stay on that unit to keep you all safe" she pointed out, earning a tired sigh from him.

"They are dangerous men, Ino. Don't ever forget that! If something happens to you and this child-" warned Sakumo,

"They won't do anything to me for they know Naruto will burn them in the deepest fires of hell if they even tried to lay a finger on me. Considering the way the Mizukage favors Naruto, he would be the first one to protect me should my loyalty ever be questioned by the Anbu unit" explained Ino rationally,

Sakumo couldn't deny the merits in her argument. By now, Naruto had established a small cult like status for himself in Kirigakure. Most of the civilian population loved him and the shinobi respected him, the fact that the Mizukage considered him one of the candidates to succeed him in the future showed how well Uzu's spy had embedded himself into this society.

Everyone had seen a glimpse of Naruto's power, even the Anbu Commander would think a thousand times before accusing Naruto's own wife to be a spy much less take any action against her.

But there were still a lot of dangers and he didn't like it.

In the end, he chose what was best for their group and hoped he didn't come to regret it later.

''Fine, I'll leave what to do with this child to you and Naruto. You can continue to be part of the Anbu team investigating the spies, but also continue reporting everything to me. Even if you feel paranoid about something, I want to know everything" instructed Sakumo seriously,

"I understand. Thank you" said Ino with a relieved smile, but frowned when she saw Sakumo massaged his forehead with a tired sigh.

"I don't think you do, not all of it. It's true you are relatively safe and Kiri won't question your loyalty without sufficient proof, but if anything did happen to you...then Naruto knows about most of our spies, including me" he left it at that, hoping she would understand what he was hinting at and she did instantly.

"He would never betray his village or Konoha. We are allies!" objected Ino, taking personal offence that her superior would even suggest such a thing, not after all Naruto had done for them his entire life.

Sakumo just stared at her calmly.

It would seem she didn't know Naruto's full history, it was why she could not see what Sakumo and the other higher ups could. It gave them great nightmares every once in a while just thinking about it.

Sakumo respected Naruto or he should say Minato which was the young man's true birth name.

He hadn't come across any ninja in his life that had sacrificed so much for their village and still keep fighting for it. There was no question about his courage, skill or loyalty.

But the man had seen too much, lost everything until Ino came into his life.

Naruto had walked the path of darkness for a very long time and no matter how strong an operative, there always came a breaking point.

Sakumo prayed he would never have to see such a day as that would be his worst nightmare.

Operatives like Naruto were the shadows that kept the peace in this world but could also very well become the ghosts that started another war.

He did not reveal his feelings or information about the man to Ino though, as she would not understand. Instead, he warned her to be careful and left her house already deciding on assigning an extra pair of eyes to watch over her and do what was needed if she was ever exposed. Tobirama had been very clear on that.

Sakumo looked at the dark sky and couldn't help but wonder how difficult a life in the shadows always was.


(Land of Lightning)

Naruto sat atop his tree branch in the thick forest atop the mountain. Heavy rains continued to fall down from the skies as he looked at his other squadmate hiding in an adjacent tree in a similar position. Both of them were neatly camouflaged and not visible to the naked eye. They had also suppressed their chakra signatures to a minimum so as not to get detected by the enemy.

Zabuza did not like what he was witnessing, almost every member of their squad sans Mangetsu who was recovering had joined Naruto in their daily recon missions in order to estimate the enemy strength as well as the exact location of their target.

"Let's reconcile our findings" suggested Naruto in a whisper, earning a nod from his partner.

"There are around 4 castles in the immediate vicinity guarded by nearly 2000-3000 enemy forces. They are spread out equally and there is a large no man's land between each of the castles and their approaching roads. It's almost impossible to sneak inside undetected considering the detection barriers, regular patrols. Even if we somehow get past all of that, we still don't know the exact location of our target. Our interrogation of few patrol officers didn't reveal any fruitful insight on the same" recited Zabuza meticulously with a heavy frown,

They had been careful to alter the memories of those they had interrogated in order to keep their cover and had just sent them back to their duties to prevent any further suspicion. The enemy was already on high alert since they had discovered the silence from their border patrols beneath the mountain and had tightened their security.

"We could go for an aerial insertion but we'll get detected right away. And if we land in the wrong castle where the target is absent, we lose our only chance of doing our job. You were not kidding when you meant this was a suicide mission" muttered Zabuza with a scoff,

"The mission still stands" pointed Naruto, earning a low growl of frustration from his partner.

"I know that! I just don't see how we can get past them all to reach our target without raising any alarm" argued Zabuza with a tired sigh,

Naruto accepted his partner's analysis even as he took out a lone cigarette from his pouch and ignited it with ease. As he took in the first puff of smoke that relaxed him greatly, he saw Zabuza staring at him petulantly. With a faint grin, he produced another one of his reserve cigarettes and tossed it to Zabuza who gave him a shark like grin in return.

They both smoked in silence for a few minutes as they pondered over their dilemma.

Even Naruto was at a loss for ideas, the harsh truth was that they would be detected if they tried to infiltrate through stealth. That would make them lose what little advantage they had and put his entire team on the risk of annihilation.

There was only one way left now.

"We split up into two teams. Team 1 made up of three members acting as diversion unit that will draw majority of the enemy's forces by getting into a deliberate fight with the border patrols. Team 2 made up of four members will use the chaos to sneak behind enemy lines, it would be easier to detect the target in this chaos as the security forces try to safeguards the VIP and his family into the most heavily fortified place" suggested Naruto,

"It's risky but I don't see any other choice. Team 1 should be made up of our strongest fighters as they will be under a lot of pressure, even risk getting eliminated first. Team 2 should be made up of those of us more adept at stealth and quickness to seek and destroy the target" pointed Zabuza,

He looked at his leader and saw in those intelligent eyes that the blonde man had already decided who would take part in which operation, but his silence was enough to show he wanted Zabuza to arrive at his own conclusion as well.

"I think Kisame, you and Mei should be Team 1. The three of you are the heavy hitters of our team, the rest of us can sneak in and destroy the target alongwith his family. But if we commit the entire team to this plan, there is no one left as backup to rescue us or send word of our capture in worst case. We would be dead or worse by the time our village sends reinforcements, if they ever do. It's already been more than stipulated time than what we planned" warned Zabuza seriously,

"That's a risk we will have to take. We have come too far just to turn back and go home now" decided Naruto, as he finished his smoke and it seemed Zabuza also had enough of the same as they both quickly destroyed their cigarettes to ash and let it get absorbed in the atmosphere.

"In that case, let's go and brief the others. They won't like it" suggested Zabuza, as he got up from his perch.

"You go ahead and finish briefing them on the plan. I'll erase any trace of our presence here" ordered Naruto strictly,

Zabuza nodded before he vanished into a puff of smoke which Naruto dispersed quickly before focusing on the enemy stronghold.

In truth, he was not sure of his plan but had limited options to complete the mission. He could not give up now when he was the one who pushed for this mission in the first place to the Mizukage.

What made him curious was the fact that he had received intel about this hideout area directly from Uzu's network. Of course, they had routed it through Kiri spies located in the Land of Lightning to dispose any suspicion but had informed Naruto of their development on this matter.

As far as he was aware, Uzu had very limited presence of their agents in the Land of Lightning and he doubted any of them were entrenched well enough to locate the secret hideout of the Daimyo during a time of war.

"It could only be possible if someone within the Daimyo's circle betrayed him. But who?" he whispered outloud,

He tensed and immediately unleashed the sword placed at his back turning around only to come face to face with a female kunoichi standing at a few tree tops away from him.

She was wearing a light grey colored full sleeve shirt covered by a similar colored flak jacket complimented by dark black pants and combat boots. There was a standard katana placed at her back and a small pouch for kunai and shuriken strapped at her thighs. Her face was covered behind a black mask similar to an Anbu, while the Kumo headband was wrapped around her left arm protectively. Her bright red hair were neatly tied in a bun atop her head and her calm violet eyes looked at him without any surprise or alarm.

He swiftly fired one of his three pronged kunai in her direction and in less than three seconds he flashed right above her with his sword ready to slice her head off only for her to be ready for such an attack as she had raised her katana in a defensive stance.

Their weapons clashed in a mighty blow as several sparks flew in the cold night.

He narrowed his eyes when he saw the playful mirth visible in her gaze before she disengaged from their duel and jumped away to another tree. He was about to follow through with his attack when he suddenly froze.

She had removed her pitch black facemask and was now looking at him with a mixture of joy and sadness.

If there was any doubt in his heart, it was removed when she clenched her fist and thumped it against her chest while standing at full attention.

Most people would not understand this gesture, but he did.

For he had been the one to create this salute.

A tradition he had passed on to only a select few people in this world and she had been one of them.

"It's been a while, Captain Minato"