Summary: As Naruto, Kakashi, and Jiraiya settle into their new lives back home. Each of them take on new roles, as their time away, life has brought many changes into their lives. One new change is their impending marriages to the women they love. As well as Naruto discovering the truth of his true heritage to the infamous Sannin Tsunade and Jiraiya. How will he react to this knowledge and what will it mean to the people closest to Naruto?
Naruto vs. Sasuke: The Aftermath
Chapter 73: "The Dinner Party"
As Sasuke strode through the morose and dimly torch lit hallway of one of Orochimaru's hidden bases, you could easily see in the Uchiha's tense body language that he was disturbed about something. Angrily kicking open the wooden doors that led into the Snake Sannin's throne room. Sasuke stomped into the room, with a fierce scowl etched upon his face conveying to everyone his displeasure. Both Orochimaru and Kabuto paused the discussion they were having as the Uchiha approached them. And Kabuto could only silently groan in his mind and wonder what had set off the spoiled brat Uchiha this time.
"What ssssssseems to be troubling you Ssssssssasuke-kun?" Orochimaru hissed out in a lisp.
"I'm upset about the wedding in Konoha next week Orochimaru-sama."
"Which one?" Kabuto openly asked.
"All of them!" Sasuke irately answered.
"Why do they vex you ssssssso?" The Snake Sannin questioned.
"Because the thought of the dobe marrying my Hyuga bitch and defiling her with his inferior seed is an abomination!"
"Still dreaming of making hybrid babies with Uchiha and Hyuga powers are we." Kabuto remarked with a chuckle, as Sasuke shot him a furious glare, before he then pointed out.
"Need I remind you that the woman you wish to enslave is also marrying my former sensei Kakashi."
Kabuto's grin quickly disappeared, but before he could respond Orochimaru spoke.
"Let us not forget that my two former Sssssssannin teammates are also to be wed."
"Exactly, we all have a personal stake in those weddings and it just doesn't seem right that we're allowing them to take place without a response from us!" Sasuke proclaimed in frustration.
"What would you have us do, attack the village the day of the weddings?"
"Why not Kabuto?"
"Are you insane? It would be suicide to do so! Need I remind you Sasuke, that the Kage's from the other Four Great Shinobi nations will be in attendance and all of them bringing a sizable force of their most powerful and skilled ninja as protection. Not to mention that several of the Kage's of the smaller nations will also be attending and have albeit smaller in numbers, some of their best ninja with them as well. We would be foolish to assault such a front with the army we had the last time we attacked Konoha, and we don't even have half that number right now at our disposal!" Kabuto shouted in utter disbelief of what Sasuke wanted to do.
"It just sounds like you're scared to me!" Sasuke accused with a sneer.
"You stupid, petulant spoiled little brat! I'll show you who is scared!" Kabuto fired back in fury, as he whipped out a kunai, while Sasuke drew his chokuto blade Kusanagi from its scabbard.
"SSSSSSSSSTAND DOWN BOTH OF YOU!" The Snake Sannin roared, as he released his killing intent towards them.
Both Sasuke and Kabuto quickly lowered their heads in submission, before Sasuke quickly spoke up and said.
"My apologies Orochimaru-sama."
"I apologize as well Lord Orochimaru." Kabuto contritely added.
The Snake Sannin took a moment to calm down, before he announced shocking both of protégés.
"You are both correct."
Both Sasuke and Kabuto turned to look at the other, both of them confused, before Orochimaru continued on.
"Kabuto you are indeed correct that an assault upon the Leaf village would gain us nothing other than a crushing defeat."
Kabuto smirked a bit, which did not go unnoticed by Sasuke, who inwardly seethed with anger.
"However, Sssssssasuke-kun is also correct that we should respond in some fashion to our former comrade's joyous occasion. And I believe I have the perfect wedding gift in mind to give them to celebrate their nuptials." Orochimaru declared with an evil grin.
The Snake Sannin then walked over to a map hanging on a wall, which showed all of the Elemental nations and the lands surrounding them and stared at it a moment, before he then pointed to a spot upon the map and announced.
"There is the gift we shall give them."
Both Kabuto and Sasuke walked over to the map to look at it, before Kabuto spoke up and said.
"The Village of Usuki."
"Yessssssssssss!" Orochimaru hissed in reply.
"I don't understand, the Village of Usuki is just a small farming and agricultural village 50 miles or so inside the border between the Rice and Fire countries. I mean we've been raiding caravans and villages along the border within the Fire country the past year to try and recoup some of the money you were forced to pay the Fire Daimyou in reparations from our attack on Konoha. But other than a supply depot manned by a few Konoha shinobi. the Village of Usuki has no real monetary value to it other than food."
"Sssssssssasuke, I'm disappointed in your short-sightedness of the village, it does indeed have value to it even if it is not monetary."
"What value do you speak of my lord?" Kabuto asked in curiosity.
"Why the villagers themselves of Usuki."
"The villagers, I still don't understand." Sasuke questioned in puzzlement.
"Kabuto, how many people would you esssssstimate live in the village of Usuki?"
"I would guess around 500 people or so my lord."
"500, yessssssss, that will do nicely for what I have planned." The Snake Sannin declared with an evil grin, before he began to explain just what he had in mind, as a wedding gift to give.
A knock on the front door roused the attention of Naruto, Hinata, Kakashi, Kurenai, and Minato, while they were having breakfast. Hinata rose to see who it was and came back a minute later with Hanshiro Sato following behind her who spoke up.
"My apologies to you all for interrupting your breakfast and bothering you, but I have an urgent matter to discuss with Naruto."
"It's no bother at all Hanshiro-san, would you like to join us for breakfast, before you and Naruto speak?" Kurenai graciously offered.
"Thank you kindly, but no. Tenten has already cooked up and served to myself and Neji a very hearty breakfast today."
"Well I'm finished eating, why don't we go into the library where we can talk Hanshiro-san." Naruto announced, before he and Konoha's most prestigious weapons maker left the dining room to talk in private.
After shutting the door to the library behind them, Naruto turned around and asked.
"So what did you want to talk to me about?"
"I just wanted to inform you that those items you requested me to make are just about finished. They just need the final...ingredient from you to complete."
"That's perfect, I can give them out to everyone at the dinner party at Ichiraku's tomorrow night. By the way, will you be attending? You are invited if you wish to come."
"I thank you for the invite, but no. I'll be baby-sitting my grandson Hizashi, while Tenten and Neji attend the party."
"Ok, I'll get with Shizune-san this morning and have the ingredient you need extracted and delivered to you later today. Speaking of Neji, has he questioned you about the items at all?"
"Well, my son-in-law is no fool and he did question me briefly about them at the start. However, when I told him it was for a special private client known only to me. He respected my wishes and hasn't asked anything about them since."
"I see, that's good. I thank you for making the items so quickly and I'll have your payment for crafting them to you by the end of the week."
"That will be fine. I'm still not sure of the purpose of the items I made, but I trust you as much as I did your father. So I'm sure they will be put to good use. I'll take my leave of you now."
"They will be Hanshiro-san, I promise you that. And I'm sure both Tenten and Neji will reveal their purpose to you after I give two of the items to them." Naruto assured, before he then asked.
"Are you sure you can't stay for a cup of coffee, before you go?"
"You know a cup of coffee does sound appealing."
"Well let's go get you one then." Naruto said with a smile, before he and the Konoha Councilman left the library to rejoin the others.
The next evening in a private room at Ichiraku Ramen, a pre-wedding celebration was taking place for the upcoming event for the betrothed couples. Most of the guests consisted of Naruto and Hinata's closest friends such as Shikamaru and his wife Temari. Neji and Tenten were also there along with their teammate Rock Lee and his girlfriend Sakura. Kiba and Ayame, were also in attendance along with his his teammate Shino, and rounding out the younger generation present was Ino. The older generation of shinobi present sitting at the other end of the long banquet table consisted of Kakashi and Kurenai, along with Jiraiya and Tsunade. Joining them were Iruka and Anko Umino, Inoichi and Keko Yamanaka, along with Shikaku Nara and his wife Yoshino. Tsunade's first apprentice Shizune was also attending the dinner party, as well as one of Kakashi's closest comrades and friends in Might Gai.
Everyone attending was having a marvelous time as the food Ichiraku served was scrumptious and the sake never seemed to run out. Most of the conversations of the evening revolved around the sweet and sometimes humorous romantic pasts of each of the three couples about to be wed in a few days. However the current topic of interest, which had been brought up by Temari revolved around the usefulness and value of lingerie to a relationship. The older generation of those present listened on in amusement to the spirited debate going with the younger generation about that subject.
"Don't get me wrong Temari, I have some nice lingerie that Neji-kun likes to see me in, but I don't think it's as important to our marriage as you seem to think it is." Tenten openly commented.
"I'm not saying it's a foundation or anything like that to a good marriage. All I'm saying is that is has its value and uses for a marriage." Temari quickly replied.
"How so?"
"Well take Shika-kun here, I used have this sexy little yellow nightie I wore that he loved so much, that I never wore it very long." Temari answered with a blush?
"No, you just thought I loved it. Shikamaru lazily remarked in a drawl.
"You didn't love it?"
"It made you look like a big banana." Shikamaru answered, causing many of the guests to chuckle.
"I can't believe I paraded around in that damn nightgown thinking I was arousing you, and instead, I was amusing you."
"It wasn't amusing that long, I mean, after a while, it got kind of sad seeing this giant fruit parade back and forth. Why else do you think I got the damn thing stripped off of you so fast."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Well, because I knew we'd get in a fight, and you'd end up saying that you hate me."
"I think I hate you now."
"See!"
"Well my lazy teammate aside, I have to agree with Temari. I think lingerie does have value for a relationship. I mean look at Hinata and Naruto, from what I heard he nearly lost it when he first saw that little number I picked out for her, before he got back to the village. And remember when he saw her in it during their spar when he first got back, ha, ha, ha!" Ino boasted with pride and laughter.
"Ino!" Hinata cried out in embarrassment, before she heard Naruto scoff next to her.
The Hyuga turned her head to her fiancé and hesitantly asked in a stammer.
"You, you didn't like what I wore Naru-kun?"
"No, no, you look awesome in that Hina-hime, I wasn't scoffing at that. I was scoffing at how silly and unimportant lingerie is to a relationship."
"Why is it unimportant Naruto?" Temari questioned in curiosity.
"Yeah, explain yourself." Ino followed up.
"It's simple, lingerie is nice and all, but it's not what makes the person wearing it beautiful. The girl who wears it already has to be beautiful. I mean if you put some lingerie on a pig, it doesn't make that pig any more attractive now does it?"
"That's a little too simple. I mean I hear what you're saying and you are right about it. But lingerie is meant to enhance a girl's beauty." Ino replied.
"I don't know, maybe, I sort of look at lingerie like frosting on a cake. I mean the frosting is nice and all, but it's the cake underneath it that you really want and that will satisfy you."
"Well then let me ask you this Naruto. Would you rather Hinata came to bed wearing lingerie or some denim overalls?"
"The lingerie."
"Aha! So lingerie is important to you!" Ino shouted, while pointing an accusing finger at Naruto.
"Only in so much as it's easier to get my hime out of the lingerie than it would be the overalls." Naruto fired back in response, before turning towards his sensei and asking.
"Help me out here Kakashi-sensei. I mean it's got to be a pain in the ass and time consuming to get those wraps off of Kurenai-sensei."
"Oh I don't know Naruto; I've never really minded it. Whenever I do, it always feels like Christmas morning and that I'm unwrapping a present, and when I'm done it's always something that I want." The silver-haired Jounin stated as a matter of fact, causing Kurenai to blush, while everyone laughed at what Kakashi had just said.
Once the laughter had died down, it was Ino who spoke up once more and remarked to Naruto and Hinata.
"Well if lingerie is so unimportant, why don't the two of you just go to bed naked?"
"Most of the time we do." Naruto nonchalantly answered causing Hinata to now blush, before he then added.
"It certainly saves us the time of trying to get each other out of our clothes."
At the far end of the table, as the debate raged on with the younger generation of shinobi present. Jiraiya dabbed at the tears in his eyes with a napkin, his chest swelled with pride in his grandson upon hearing what he had just said.
"That's not a bad idea your grandson has." Inoichi casually remarked to the two Sannin.
"I know I'm so proud of him." Jiraiya replied, causing Tsunade to groan, before her face became ashen in color and her fiancé suddenly realized what the Yamanaka clan head had just said.
"You, you knew?" Jiraiya stammered in query.
"Yes, we of the Ino-Shika-Cho group have suspected for several years Naruto was the living legacy of Minato. It was Shikaku here who figured out Minato's true heritage."
"That's not exactly right, I just made a hypothetical guess on the information I had available, that's all." Shikaku lazily stated, before downing another cup of sake.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Keko said in a miffed tone of voice.
"Yeah!" Yoshino said in chafed agreement.
"I'm sorry dear, but it was just a suspicion on our part. So we felt it was best to just keep it to ourselves." Inoichi answered in a penitent tone, trying to sooth his wife's feelings.
"Well, we appreciate that you did, thank you." Tsunade softly commented in gratitude.
"There's no need to thank us Lady Tsunade, but I do have a question, does Naruto know?"
Tsunade heaved a heavy sigh, before she softly said.
"Yes he knows, we just recently told him."
"I take it by your demeanor that he didn't take the news very well."
"No, he didn't, but that's our fault, not his. We were the ones who kept the truth from him for so long and because of that among other things, he hates us now." Tsunade stated in saddened tone.
"That's not true Lady Tsunade, I'll tell you the same thing I told Master-Jiraiya. I don't believe Naruto hates you, but I can't say that he doesn't feel extremely hurt and betrayed by the two of you right now. However, one of Naruto's most endearing traits is his capacity to forgive. And I believe he will find it in his heart to forgive you both in time. You just have to be patient and not give up hope." Kakashi declared in a somber tone of voice.
Tsunade nodded her head in acceptance of what Kakashi had said and deep down she silently prayed that he was right. But there was still buried a lingering doubt within her that her grandson would ever forgive her.
As the debate about the importance of lingerie to a relationship was just getting started at the dinner party. Hanshiro finished wrapping the last gift and placed it on his workbench with the others, before he called out to one of the exiled Hyuga branch members that served Neji.
"Sulu, I need you."
A moment later, Sulu entered the work shop and bowing respectfully to Hanshiro said.
"How my I serve you Hanshiro-sama?"
"I need all of those gifts sitting on my workbench to be delivered at once to the dinner party Neji and Tenten are attending at Ichiraku's."
"I shall deliver these immediately to Neji-Senpai." Sulu declared in obedience.
"No, do not deliver them to your Senpai, but rather to his friend and Hinata's fiancé Naruto Namikaze."
"I shall deliver these to Lady Hinata's aibo (love) post haste." Sulu replied.
"Very good, I'm going to check on my grandson now. Let me know when you return." Hanshiro ordered, earning a nod of acceptance from Sulu, before he left the workshop.
Sulu walked over and grabbed an empty box sitting next to the workbench, but in doing so accidentally stumbled and bumped into the workbench knocking some of the gifts off if it. Cursing his clumsiness, he began picking those gifts up off the floor, but failed to notice that two of the gifts had fallen behind the workbench. After retrieving what he presumed to be all of the gifts, Sulu left the workshop to deliver them. Never knowing that the two gifts he had inadvertently left behind would have unforeseen consequences for Naruto at the party. As one gift was addressed to Tsunade and the other to Jiraiya.
Just as Kakashi was finishing trying to assuage Tsunade's fears, Sulu arrived with box in hand and approached Naruto and Hinata and addressed them.
"Namikaze-sama, Lady Hinata, I bring to you as ordered by Hanshiro-sama the gifts you requested."
"Oooooooooh, you guys got us gifts!" Ino squealed with delight.
"I, I guess we did." Hinata answered, although she had no prior knowledge about these gifts.
"Thanks Sulu, give them to me and I'll start passing them out." Naruto stated in gratitude.
"Stop Naruto, this celebration is for you and Lady Hinata as well as the other betrothed couples. Sit down and enjoy yourself so more. Sulu can handle passing out the gifts to everyone." Neji announced.
"As you command Neji-Sempai." Sulu said with a bow, before he started walking about the room and distributing each marked gift to its respective recipient.
"Do we have to wait to open them?" Ino asked.
"No, go right ahead everyone." Naruto proclaimed.
After a couple of minutes, Sulu had emptied the box of its contents and exited the room, as everyone present had received a gift from Naruto, save for two Sannin, which did not go unnoticed by the older shinobi sitting around them.
"I'm so sorry Lady Tsunade." Keko expressed with pity.
"It's alright Keko I'm not upset. Truthfully, I would have been more surprised to get a gift from Naruto then not getting one." The blonde Hokage replied with a brave face, but one could hear the pained tone etched in her voice.
Unbeknownst to Naruto that two of his intended gifts had not been given out, he watched intently as Ino and all of his other friends opened their presents they had received from him. Tsunade was watching the same scene with her own eyes and it became too much for her. She made up an excuse of not feeling well, before she and Jiraiya stealthily slipped away, unnoticed by all except the few older shinobi that had been sitting around them.
"I don't get it Naruto, what's this?" Ino openly asked, as she held a stainless steel bracelet in front of her and examined it.
"Yeah what is this?" Kiba then questioned, as he held a Tungsten ring in his hand.
In fact all of Naruto's friends had received some form of jewelry from him. With the ladies receiving something made from Stainless Steel, while the men got something made out of Tungsten Carbide. All of Naruto's friends turned to stare at him, before he cleared his throat and announced.
"Ahem, what all of you have is a very valuable and special gift from me and I want you all to wear what you've gotten every single day, but especially when you go out on missions."
"I appreciate the gift and not for nothing Naruto, but this isn't a valuable bracelet. I mean it's not even made out of a precious metal like gold, silver, platinum or even titanium." Ino declared.
"I didn't get you a gift made out of one of those precious metals, because I didn't want some thief to try and steal them from you. Besides, what it's made out of is not what makes it valuable." Naruto answered in a stern voice.
"I don't understand." Tenten asked in confusion.
"It's not what it's made out of, but the Namikaze clan insignia engraved on it. Am I right Naruto?"
"I should have known you would have figured it out right away Shikamaru." Naruto replied with a chuckle.
"The insignia, what's that got to do with anything?" Temari questioned to her husband.
"Why don't we let Naruto explain?" The Nara heir answered, as everyone turned their attention back to their blonde friend.
"Well first let me start off by saying that all of you are very precious to not only me, but Hina-hime as well. And the thought of anything bad happening to any of you would cause us great distress and sadness. And with the lives we have chosen as shinobi and the dangerous times we are currently living in. I wanted to give all of you these gifts to protect you."
"How is a piece of jewelry supposed to protect us?" Ino inquired with curiosity.
"What all of you have is a piece of jewelry with my clans insignia engraved into it. If any of you find yourself in a dire life or death situation. All you have to do is channel some of your chakra into it and I will sense it. And using my family's Hiraishin no jutsu technique, and no matter the distance, I'll be able to teleport to your location and help you."
Everyone was silent as they contemplated and attempted to understand what Naruto had just told them. After a minute, it was Kiba who finally spoke up and said.
"So what you're saying is if we get into a jam, all we have to do is signal you and you'll come save us. Is that about the gist of it Naruto?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"Damn, that says a lot about the faith you have in all of us and our abilities! We may not be a super-ninja like you are, but were not weaklings who need saving either you know!" Kiba declared in a slightly hurt and angry tone of voice.
"No, no Kiba, you're misunderstanding me. I know you guys are all awesome shinobi, believe me I'm not doubting that. I, I just don't want anything to happen to any you like what happened with, with…Chouji." Naruto stammered in a choked voice.
"That's what this is about isn't it Naruto? It's about Sasuke." Shikamaru revealed to the room.
Naruto sat back into his chair and slumped a bit, before he hesitantly answered in a stoic voice.
"Yeah, it's about Sasuke. I just don't want any of you to go up against him. He's my responsibility, I'll deal with him. I'm the only one who can."
"I thought so."
"Please Shikamaru, all of you; I'm begging, if any of you run up against Sasuke, please promise that you'll summon me immediately to deal with him. I don't want to lose any of you like I,... like we lost Chouji."
A pall of silence enveloped the room like a shroud as memories of their fallen comrade and friend went through everyone's mind. After a few minutes, it was Shikamaru who spoke up once more and said.
"Well, I just have one thing to say to you about your gifts…thank you."
"Huh, what the hell are you talking about Shikamaru. I'm not going to run away or call Naruto in to save my ass if I run into that asshole Uchiha! I'm not a coward, I don't care how much stronger he's gotten since he was here. I've gotten stronger since then too!" Kiba shouted with defiance and confidence.
Shikamaru's eyes narrowed upon his friend and comrade sitting across from him and he stated in an icy and deadly tone of voice, belying the seriousness of what he was about to say.
"If you attempt to fight Sasuke on your own then you will die! And that is not a knock on your abilities as a shinobi, but just the simple truth of the matter. We all together had our shot at Sasuke during the invasion and we failed. And it damn near costs us more than just Chouji's life. The fact is Naruto's right; he is the only of us who can take on Sasuke and win. That's why I'm thanking Naruto for the gift, not so much for my sake, but for Mari-chan and our child. I don't want him or her to become an orphan just because we tried to take on Sasuke, when we already know none of us can beat him. Kiba, your pride is your greatness weakness, and if you let it, it's going to get you killed one day!"
Kiba glared at his friend and he racked his brain for some counter argument to what he had just heard. While Shikamaru to his credit didn't flinch or move under his friend's intense scowl, but merely cocked his eyebrow to the Inuzuka, as if silently saying, tell me I'm wrong. After a minute, Kiba begrudgingly realized that Shikamaru was indeed correct and in an apologetic tone replied.
"You're right; I was letting my pride get in the way of rational thought. You're also right that Naruto probably is the only one who can take that Uchiha bastard on and win."
"So does that mean you'll call me if you run into Sasuke?" Naruto asked his friend.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll call you, I promise."
"Thanks Kiba."
"Naruto, I understand why you gave these gifts to the others, but why give one to me? I'm not a shinobi, so I doubt Sasuke is going to target me."
"Don't be so sure about that Ayame. The only reason Sasuke didn't mention you to Sakura in his threat towards the other kunoichi's sitting here is because he didn't know about you and Kiba. I'm sure once he finds out you're with Kiba, he'll target you just as he has my wife and the others. If for no other reason than to hurt Kiba and I'm sure Naruto also realized this. So it was wise for him to give you one of those gifts as well." Shikamaru expressed to the young woman.
Ayame turned her head towards Naruto and asked.
"Is this true?"
Naruto nodded his head in affirmation, before he then stated.
"Even if you weren't with Kiba, you still would have received one of these gifts from me. You're still a potential target for Sasuke, because he knows how much I care about you and your father."
"Th-thank you, but I'm afraid it's a wasted gift upon me. I don't even know if I have chakra and even if I do, I don't know how to use it to call for you."
"Everyone has chakra Ayame, just some more than others. And with you being the daughter of a highly skilled shinobi you probably have more than most people do. Temari offered in honest explanation.
"Don't worry Ayame-chan, I'll teach you how to mold chakra, at least enough so you'll be able to signal Naruto, Kami forbid if you need to. Kiba assured his girlfriend, while wrapping his arm around her shoulders to comfort her.
Naruto smiled a bit. as he was satisfied that Kiba was on board with calling upon him for help, in case he ever ran into Sasuke, or was faced with any other dire situation in the future. Naruto looked around the room at all of his friends and comrades, before he asked in a commanding voice.
"So do all of you promise that if you're faced with a life and death position in the future, whether it be with Sasuke or anything else. That you won't hesitate to use the gift I've given to all of you to call for my help and save you?"
Naruto smiled even more as he received acknowledgments, acceptances, and thanks from all of his friends for caring about them so much as to offer these gifts to them. Hinata leaned over and placed a loving kiss on his cheek, before she whispered to him that he was a wonderful man for doing this for everyone. After a moment, Naruto then yelled down to the other end of the table.
"The same goes for the two of you pervy-sage and baa-chan! In case you ever run into that slithering bastard ex-teammate of yours!"
However, when Naruto looked down towards the far end of the table, he saw Jiraiya and Tsunade were no longer there. Puzzled by this, he got up and strode down to that end of the table followed by Hinata, before he asked in a confused tone towards the elder shinobi present.
"Where are pervy-sage and baa-chan?"
"Umm, uhh, well they said they weren't feeling well, so they left a little while ago." Kakashi hesitantly answered in a stammer.
"They seemed fine earlier; I wonder what made them sick?" Naruto openly wondered.
"Maybe it was the fact that they didn't receive one of your gifts like the rest of us did." A slightly inebriated Anko let slip from her mouth.
"ANKO!" Iruka and Kurenai shouted in unison with rebuke.
"Oh shit, I didn't mean to say that out loud!" Anko declared in mortification.
"What are you talking about that they didn't receive a gift? I got them both two very special gifts just for them and for the same purpose as all of your gifts."
"Well I don't know what happened, but when the gifts were passed out, there weren't any for the two of them." Kakashi stated in a subdued voice.
"Oh Naru-kun, they must have thought that you didn't get them anything on purpose. They must have been terribly hurt by that." Hinata exclaimed with sadness.
"But I did get them something Hina-chan, I swear I did." Naruto declared with a scowl, before he then announced.
"I need to find out what going on. Hina-chan, you and the others stay here and continue to celebrate. I'm going to find out what happened."
Hinata nodded her head, before Naruto disappeared in brilliant flash of golden light.
Hanshiro was surprised to see Naruto standing before him when he opened the front door. Even more surprising was the slightly irate tone Naruto addressed him with when he asked.
"Hanshiro-san, I thought you told me you had finished all of the gifts I requested?"
"I don't understand Naruto, I did finish all of them and sent Sulu to deliver them to the dinner party, as per our arrangement. Did he not deliver them?"
"No, he delivered them, all of them except the special ones I had you make for pervy-sage and baa-chan!"
"That's not possible; I took great care to finish those two gifts in particular, because I knew how important they were to you." Hanshiro declared in perplexity, before he then shouted out.
"Sulu, I need you here at once!"
A moment later, Sulu arrived and Hanshiro asked in a stern voice.
"Sulu, did you not deliver all the gifts, as I ordered?"
"Yes Hanshiro-sama, I delivered them."
"Then why is Naruto here saying that two of the people at the dinner party did not receive their gifts?"
"I, I do not know?" Sulu stammered in response.
"Come on, let's all go to the workshop, that's where the gifts were before they were delivered." Hanshiro declared, before he, Naruto and Sulu made their way towards it.
A couple of minutes, all three men entered the Sato workshop and quickly discovered the two gifts that had fallen behind the workbench. Sulu was aghast and deeply remorseful, as he stuttered out an apology.
"I'm, I'm deeply sorry and I apologize to both you Hanshiro-sama and to you Namikaze-sama. When gathering all of the gifts to deliver, I accidentally bumped into the workbench and knocked some of the gifts off of it. I, I thought I had retrieved them all, but obviously I missed those two. I am deeply ashamed for my error and humbly ask for your forgiveness."
Both Hanshiro and Naruto could hear the repentant and apologetic tone in Sulu's words and both men realized this was just a simple accident. It was Naruto who spoke up first and replied.
"There's nothing to forgive Sulu, it was just an accident. It could have happened to anyone."
"Th-thank you for your kindness and understanding Namikaze-sama."
"Naruto is correct, there is nothing to forgive. You may leave us and resume your duties." Hanshiro calmly ordered."
"Hai, Hanshiro-sama." Sulu answered, as he bowed to both men in respect, before he exited the workshop.
"I hope these gifts not being delivered with the others didn't cause too much trouble for you?"
"No, it just caused a misunderstanding, but a misunderstanding I intend to fix. Actually, maybe it's fate as your son-in-law might say that this happened. I've been needing to talk to those two about a great many things for some time now, but I've been putting it off. What happened merely provides to me the opportunity tonight to finally sit down with them and do just that. Thank you Hanshiro-sama once more for the beautiful gifts you crafted. I'll be on my way now." Naruto respectfully answered.
"I'm glad you're pleased with my work and I wish you the best of luck with Jiraiya-sama and Lady Tsunade."
Naruto bowed his head in respect, before he once again disappeared in a flash of golden light.
Neither Jiraiya nor Tsunade had uttered a word since their return to Hokage Tower after leaving the dinner party. Both of them sat silently together on the couch in front of the fireplace, watching the flames dance around and cast flickering light all around them. A knock on the door punctuated the silence of the moment, before Tsunade rose from the couch with a groan to answer the door. The Hokage gasped, when she saw Naruto standing in the doorway, as he was the last person she would have expected to see. So stunned by his arrival, it took her a few seconds to register that Naruto was asking to come in. Stepping aside and to allow him to enter, Tsunade was dumbfounded as to what could have brought Naruto here, when he should still be celebrating at Ichiraku's. Only Jiraiya's voice broke the blonde Sannin out of her musings.
"Naruto what are you doing here?"
"Well, I got concerned when I saw that you and baa-chan were no longer at the party and wanted to make sure you guys were alright."
"Uhh, y-yes, were fine. I wasn't feeling well, so Jiraiya-kun brought me home." Tsunade stammered in reply.
"That's too bad, I hope it wasn't anything that old man Ichiraku fed us that made you feel bad." Naruto commented casually.
"Oh no, I'm sure it wasn't." Tsunade quickly answered.
"Well if it wasn't the food, then I can only think what made the two of you feel bad enough to leave the party early was the belief that I hadn't got any gifts for the two of you, like I had everyone else." Naruto declared, before pulling Jiraiya and Tsunade's gifts out from his jacket pocket.
Both Sannin's eyes widened in surprise upon seeing this, before Tsunade asked quiviering voice.
"You, you mean you did get us something?"
"Of course I did, I got all of my precious people gifts."
"I don't understand, why would you get us gifts?"
"I just told you pervy-sage, I got all of the people I consider precious to me and Hina-chan gifts."
"You, you still consider Jiraiya-kun and I precious to you?"
"Of course I do baa-chan, I may be mad at the two of you right now, but that doesn't change the fact that both of you are still imporntant to me."
"Th-thank you for that Naruto, we know you're angry at us and have every right to be. The fact that you still consider us important in your life. Well, you have no idea how much that means the world to the both of us." Jiraiya offered up in sincere gratitued.
"Well don't just stand there gawking at the presents, open them up."
Both Tsunade and Jiraiya tore open the gifts and were stunned at what they had received. For her part, Tsunade lifted out of jewelers box a beautiful necklace with a diamond inlayed crest of the Namikaze insignia at the center. While Jiraiya pulled out a solid sterling silver belt buckle bearing the shape of Namikaze insignia. Both Sannin gazed at the two pieces of expensive jewelry, before they both turned to Naruto and stared at their grandson with confusion.
Naruto saw the befuddled looks on his grandparent's faces and said.
"Since you guys left before I explained to everyone why I gave them some type of jewelry, let me tell you now. I had Hanshiro-san create the jewelry that I gave to everybody for one simple reason...to protect them."
"I don't understand, how can this necklace protect me?" Tsunade asked in puzzlement.
"As you can see, both pieces bear the shape of our families crest upon them. What you don't know is that I've infused a genetic marker within each piece of jewelry I gave as gifts tonight. So, if you or pervy-sage ever find yourself in a dire life or death situation. All you have to do is channel some of your chakra into it and I will sense it. And using our family's Hiraishin no jutsu technique, and no matter the distance, I'll be able to teleport to your location and help you."
Jiraiya and Tsunade were shocked by the magnitude of the thought and reason behind Naruto's gifts and were at a loss of words. However, after a couple of minutes, Jiraiya finally spoke up and said.
"I do appreciate the gift, I really do. And I fully understand why you did this for your friends with the threat Sasuke has made towards them. But you forget we both are Sannin, so there's very little that I or Tsunade-hime might run into in the future that either one of us couldn't handle. Besides, how would it look to others if we had to call upon our grandson to save our asses? I mean we do have the reputation of being Sannin to uphold."
"Jiraiya-kun is right, I'm the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf village and one of the dentetsu Sannin. How would it look to the people, not to mention the other Kages of the Elemental nations if I needed you to come save me?" Tsunade announced in agreement
"I don't give a damn about your reputations as Sannin or as Hokage! That's nothing more than stupid pride you're talking about there and if you let that rule your thoughts, it will get you killed. And that will piss me off even more than I'm pissed at the two of you right now!" Naruto angrily declared to his grandparents, before he then added.
"And you're right, I am worried about the threat Sasuke-teme poses towards my friends. But I'm also worried about the threat your snake-bastard of a Sannin teammate poses towards the two of you!"
The mention of their ex-teammate Orochimaru was like a slap to the face to both Sannin, as Jiraiya looked over and gazed at Tsunade's face. Remembering how close he came to losing her when his fellow Sannin attacked the village and her while he was away. Jiraiya had vowed he would never let that happen again to Tsunade, not while he drew a breath. Orochimaru was his and his alone responsibility to deal with. Raising his head to look at Naruto, he said in a somber tone.
"You're right, that is our pride talking right now. And upon reflection, I am indeed very grateful for these gifts you've given us. It comforts me to know if Kami forbid Tsunade-hime ever has to face Orochi-teme again and I'm not around to protect her, that she will still be protected. So I promise if that ever happens again, she will call upon you to help her."
"Excuse me you two, but I am not some damsel in distress who needs to be protected and or saved. As I said before, I'm the Hokage and a Sannin, I can take care of myself!" Tsunade exclaimed in an aggravated tone of voice.
Jiraiya turned his head to gaze into Tsunade's caramel brown eyes and said in a stern and unwavering tone of voice.
"Like you did during the invasion."
Tsunade bristled at Jiraiya's remark and scowled, as she attempted to think of a suitable reply, before she then heard him say.
"I know this is hard for you to hear, but you had your chance at Orochimaru during the invasion and you lost. And I'm not going to let your infamous temper and pride get the better of you if you're ever faced with that situation again. If I'm not around, then you will call upon Naruto to come aid you and that's the end of it. Promise that you will do this my hime, you're too important and cared for by so many to needlessly throw your life away because of pride. And on a personal front, it would destroy me if anything ever happened to you. So please, promise us you will do this, if the time comes."
"He's right baa-chan, promise us."
Tsunade looked back and forth between Jiraiya and Naruto, before she slumped back onto the couch and heaved a weary sigh. As much as she hated to admit it, they were right. She did have her shot at her former teammate and he damn near killed her. If she were to ever cross paths with him again without Jiraiya or Naruto around, more than likely she would die by his hand. Looking back at both her fiance and grandson, she could see the serious, yet also loving and caring visage's upon their faces. Slumping once more, the blonde Hokage exhaled a defeated sigh and said in a begrudging tone of voice.
"Oh alright, I promise if I ever run into that slithering bastard again and you're not around Jiraiya-kun, then I will call Naruto for help."
"Thank you my hime."
"Yeah, thanks baa-chan." Naruto stated with sincerity, before he then added.
"The same thing goes for you to pervy-sage, promise me."
"I'm afraid I can't make that promise to you Naruto." Jiraiya stoically replied.
"Oh, so you can sit there and force me to make that promise, but you won't do it yourself!" Tsunade heatedly exclaimed.
"That's your pride talking." Naruto openly commented with disappointment.
"Perhaps, but the fact is Orochimaru is my responsibility and mine alone."
"He's not your responsibility." Tsunade declared in frustration.
"Oh, but he is my hime. For when it comes to him, I was cursed with the same affliction as Sarutobi-sensei,...misguided and undeserved mercy."
"I don't understand pervy-sage?"
Jiraiya heaved a mournful sigh before he continued on.
"A long time ago, before you were even born. Sarutobi-sensei had a chance to stop Orochimaru, but in an act of misguided and undeserved mercy, he let him go. And to his dying day, sensei felt nothing but remorse and guilt in doing do so. As he blamed himself for all the pain, misery, and deaths Orochimaru caused by him showing mercy to that psychotic murdering bastard that day."
"I never knew that about gigi, but he shouldn't have felt that way." Naruto commented sadly.
"You're right, he shouldn't have felt that way. There's only one person to blame for all of the blood on Orochimaru's hands since the day sensei let him go...me!"
"How can you say that Jiraiya-kun? You're not to blame for what that bastard has done!" Tsunade pleaded to her fiance.
"I beg to differ, for you see I crossed paths on more than one occasion with our former teammate since the day sensei allowed him to escape, but I was never able to stop him."
"You can't blame yourself for that."
"But I can my hime. Because when we fought, I always held back against him, thinking that he was still someone I called a comrade and a friend. Foolishly believing that perhaps he could still be saved from the dark path he had chosen. And because I held back and never stopped him, countless lives were lost and ruined because of that erroneous and stupid belief I held. It took Sarutobi-sensei's final lesson to me before I finally saw the truth."
"What final lesson?"
"His death at the hands of Orochi-teme."
"His, his death!"
"Yes, his death, though he didn't know it, it was the final lesson he could pass onto me. As you know, I didn't arrive in time during the Oto/Sound invasion to save sensei." Jiraiya stated in a voice laced with guilt and regret, before exhaling a heavy sigh and contiuing on.
"But upon learning that sensei had willingly chosen to forfeit his life in his attempt to stop Orochimaru, showed me that he had finally given up any hopes or beliefs that he once held that his former student could be saved. So upon that day, I swore not only to myself, but to Sarutobi-sensei that I would be the one stop Orochi-teme. That the next time we met, I would not hold back out of some misguided notion of compassion, thinking my former friend could still be saved. No, that weakness in me died the same day sensei did and I will no longer make the mistake of allowing Orochimaru to live. And if I have to, I will make the same sacrifice Sarutobi-sensei did to try and stop him!" Jiraiya declared with conviction.
"I hear what you're saying perv...Master Jiraiya, but I still think you're wrong." Naruto openly remarked.
"Oh I think you more than hear what I'm saying, I think you also understand it as well. And I know this because is what I'm saying any different from your position with regards to Sasuke? Are you going to allow anyone else to help you take him down?"
Naruto grimmaced a bit upon hearing Jiraiya's question, as he realized the Toad-Sage was correct. After a minute he to exhaled a sigh and replied.
"Yeah, my position with regards to Sasuke-teme is no different than yours with Orochi-teme. Alright, I'll give you your shot at your ex-teammate...alone. But if I'm around, I can't promise you I won't interfere if I think that slithering, lisping bastard has the upper hand and is about to kill you."
"You're damn right you will interfere! In fact as your Hokage, I'm giving you the order right now Naruto, that if Jiraiya-kun is about to be killed by Orochimaru. You will interject yourself into that fight and prevent it from happening!" Tsunade shouted at both Naruto and Jiraiya, before angrily adding.
"One doesn't need a damn blood test to see that the two of you are obviously related, because you both have the same damn guilt and martyr complex about your former teammates. And if the two of you aren't careful, it's liable to get you both killed by them!"
"Unfortunately for Tsunade, her emotion-filled barb had the unforseen consequence of allowing Naruto to move their conversation into another subject when she heard him say.
"Speaking of being related, I think it's about time the three of us had our little talk about that."
Both Tsuande and Jiraiya gulped nervously, before Tsunade managed to stammer out in query.
"What, what do you mean?"
"I mean since you let the truth slip out that the two of you are my actual grandparents. You've been begging me to give you both a chance to explain why you kept it hidden from me. And up until right now, I've been too hurt and angry at the two of you to give you that chance. But now I think I'm ready to hear what the both of you have to say. So explain, explain why the two of you abandoned me growing up and then when you finally chose to insert yourselves into my life. Explain why you still kept the truth about my heritage to you both a secret?"
Both Jiraiya and Tsunade were blindsided by Naruto's sudden willingness now to hear them out. It was almost comical to the two Sannin, as indeed Naruto was correct. They had practically begged their grandson for a chance to explain their actions over the years towards him, since he learned the truth about them. However, now that the opportunity was finally here, they both suddenly realized they didn't know how to even begin that conversation. This was all but confirmed by Tsunade who openly remarked in a morose tone of voice.
"Kami, I don't even know where to begin to explain ourselves to you Naruto."
"I do." Jiraiya grimly replied, before he exhaled a sigh and then said.
"To explain what you want to know Naruto. I need to start at the day I first met Tsunade-hime and fell in love with her and our...complicated relationship since then."
"Wait a minute, what does your relationship with baa-chan have anything to do with what happened with me? Naruto questioned in puzzlement.
Both Jiraiya and Tsunade turned to look pensively at one another, before they both turned back to gaze directly at Naruto, as they answered in unison.
"Everything."
Meanwhile, back at Ichiraku's, at the same time the two Sannin were about to have the most important conversation of their lives with their grandson. Everyone at the dinner party were blissfully unaware that it was taking place. All of them were still enjoying the festivities, except for Shikamaru who seemed to be in deep thought while he played by his standards a very flawed game of Shougi against Neji. This did not go unnoticed by several people who were observing the game. Finally after the latest inaccurate move, which allowed Neji to gain a significant advantage in the game. The Hyuga prodigy spoke and stated in dissatisfaction.
"Shikamaru, do you wish to continue this game? Because something is obviously amiss for you to make so many uncharacteristic erroneous moves. And I only want to test my skills against you when you are on top of your game, not the way you've been playing tonight."
Neji's declaration seemed to snap the Nara heir out of his musings and he took a quick look at the board and studied it for a few seconds, before announcing in disgust.
"Kami what a drag, you're right I have been playing like crap against you. We can continue to play if you want, but after seeing the board, I've calculated that I will win in 33 moves."
Neji looked over to Temari who was still in deep concentration as she had been studying the board since the last move a couple of minutes earlier. Finally, she looked up and caught sight of Neji's unspoken query to her, before she nodded her head to confirm what her husband had just declared.
"Well, then it seems pointless to continue on, which is a shame, as I wanted to play you at your very best." Neji stated with disappointment.
"I apologize, I've just had a problem that's been weighing upon my mind recently."
"What problem Shika-kun?" Temari asked in curiosity.
"It's troublesome, but the Hokage has tasked me with a problem that even my Dad couldn't solve and I was beginning to wonder if even I could. However, Naruto's gifts to us tonight and then seeing him Hiraishin out of here, I think I may have finally gleaned upon a solution, but I'm not 100% sure...yet."
"What is the problem?"
"I can't say Mari-chan, it's classified." Shikamaru stated, before he then turned to Kakashi who had also been watching the game and questioned.
"Kakashi-sensei, I know Naruto can transport at least one person with him using the Hiraishin no Jutsu, but can he transport more people and if so is there a limit?"
"Well, I know Naruto can transport at least two people with him using the Flying Thunder God technique, as he transported myself and Master-Jiraiya on more then one occasion during our training mission. But I have no idea if he can transport more than two people or if he can what his limit might be."
"Troublesome, well I'll just have to wait until I can talk to Naruto, but if he can transport more than two people, then I might have the answer to the Hokage's problem." Shikamaru openly commented, leaving those around curious about what this problem might be."
It was just after dawn when Naruto arrived home and carefully crawled into bed trying not to disturb Hinata's sleep. He was tired, bone tired, as it had been a very long and emotion-filled angst of a night he had spent with his grandparents. A lot of tears had been shed by everyone as Jiraiya and Tsunade had essentially laid bare the last 40 years of their lives and all of their sins, remorse, regrets, and mistakes they had made, especially with him during that time.
In a way hearing about their lives and the mistakes they had made had inadvertently shattered the peerless image Naruto hadn't even realized he had built up about his two grandparents over the years. So after hearing about everything Tsunade and Jiraiya had gone through in their lives, they now seemed more...human in Naruto's eyes. Granted much of the pain and sadness they had endured had been self-inflicted, but Naruto felt he had made the right decision when at the end they had asked if he could forgive them for what they had done.
(Flashback 45 Minutes)
"Can you forgive us Naruto-kun?" Tsunade asked in a trembling voice.
Naruto's brow furrowed at his grandmothers question and he thought long and hard about how to answer, before he finally said.
"No."
Both Tsunade and Jiraiya became crestfallen upon hearing that, before Naruto spoke up again and stated.
"I guess I mean no, I can't forgive you...not yet."
Both Sannin looked up to gaze at Naruto in confusion, as he continued on.
"I've heard what you both have said and it does change my perceptions about how you handled things with me, but it doesn't absolve what you did. However, it does give me a better understanding of the decisions you made regarding me, even though they were flawed and just wrong. So one night of finally learning the truth about...everything isn't going to suddenly make me grant forgiveness. It's going to take some time, a lot of time before that happens."
"So you mean there is a chance that one day you could forgive us?" Jiraiya hesitantly asked, in a hopeful tone.
"Maybe." Naruto somberly replied.
"We'll do anything we can to earn your forgiveness Naruto-kun, you have to believe that." Tsunade pleadingly declared.
"I believe you baa-chan, but I can think of only one thing you both can do, that will one day earn my forgiveness towards the two of you."
"What is it? I swear we will do it!" Tsunade frantically proclaimed in desperation.
Naruto exhaled a sigh, before he then answered.
"As the two of you know, Hina-chan and I will soon be having our first child. Which means the both of you will become great-grandparents. And when that day happens, I expect the both of you to be the most loving, caring, and nurturing great-grandparents you can be for the rest of that child's life. I don't want my son or daughter to be denied of having a loving family to grow up with...like I was denied. So, if the two of you can do that for my child, then that will go a long way in earning my forgiveness. Can the two of do this for me?"
A tear rolled Tsunade's cheek, before she answered.
"We can do this Naruto-kun, and just so you know, we would have done this anyway, whether you choose to ever forgive us or not. Your child will know the love both Jiraiya-kun and I have and we will show it. It's the same love we both feel towards you, but because of the mistakes we've made we never shared with you until now. And I will say this one last time, I'm truly sorry we did that to you, and I just hope and pray to Kami that one day you can find it in your heart to forgive us."
"I hope so to baa-chan." Naruto replied, before giving his grandmother an unexpected hug, which caused the blonde Sannin to tear up even more, before Naruto left Hokage Tower to make his way home.
(End of Flashback)
As Naruto snuggled up to Hinata, before he drifted off to sleep, he realized she had been right all along. Staying angry at his grandparents and never giving them a chance to explain served no purpose for himself or them. To put it bluntly, Naruto was tired of being angry with them and though he couldn't bring himself to forgive them just yet. He did truly hope that one day he could.
It was the day of the weddings and Masayoshi, the Lead Wedding Director and Bridal Consultant, who had been commissioned by the Fire-Daimyou himself to plan Tsunade's wedding had spared no expense in providing the most lavish and splendid wedding ceremony for the Hokage, as well as Hinata and Kurenai. From the finest silk wedding kimono's the brides would wear to chartering three separate Japanese palanquin or Norimono to show off the betrothed couples throughout the Leaf village, before ending at the Grand Shinto shrine they were to be married in. As each of the three couples sat in their own separate and opulently decorated carriage, each shared a similar thought about how Masayoshi had gone over the top by doing this. It had taken over two hours to complete the trek through the village and all three couples had begun to grow restless. However, they couldn't deny the warmth and love they felt from the villagers, as their carriages passed by and throngs of villagers cheered with jubilation for them. Especially for Naruto and Hinata, as their beloved Yondaime's only son would carry on his legacy through his marriage.
The extravagant wedding ceremony had been planned to even the minutest detail by Masayoshi and his legion of wedding planners and had proceeded flawlessly. Upon the conclusion of the Shinto wedding ritual called san-san kudo, which consist of an exchange of three nuptial cups filled with sake that the bridegroom and bride or in this case brides must drink signifying their union through the wedding.
As the newly married women left the shrine to change into their traditional after wedding attire for the reception, all the guest were led into the expansive Konoha banquet hall and escorted to their designated seats. The most prominent table other than the newly married couples table at the front was undoubtedly the Kage table. The Daimyou's of the other Four Great Elemental nations had not bothered to attend the wedding ceremony themselves. Which one could hardly blame them, as even the Fire-Daimyou hadn't attended the weddings he had planned and paid for. But all the Daimyou's had sent their highest representatives other than themselves, by sending the Kage's of their nations.
So at the Kage table sat Gaara of Sunagakure, Mei Terumii of Kirigakure, Ei of Kumogakure, and Oonoki of Iwagakure. All of the Kage's bodyguards stood against the wall of the banquet hall behind each of their respective leaders. It was the fiery red-head Mei who broached an interesting subject to discuss out-loud when she commented.
"So that was the Yondaime's kid, I must say he's more handsome than the rumors I had heard he was. I wonder if Hokage-Tsunade might entertain a political marriage between Naruto Namikaze and a woman from Kirigakure."
"Just who did you have in mind for this woman from Kiri?" Gaara asked in a stern voice, concerned for his friend.
"Why me of course."
"I highly doubt it Kage-Terumii. As you know I'm honored to be able to call Naruto a friend and I can assure you he would decline such an offer out of the love and respect he holds for his new wife." Gaara replied with certainty.
"If the Mizukage is through trying to whore herself to Konoha's future Hokage, since we are all here, perhaps we should discuss the situation we all face with regards to the Akatsuki." Ei stated with annoyance.
"Watch your mouth you muscle-bound ape! You're just jealous that the most beautiful woman in this room didn't make you the same offer!"
"Most beautiful woman in the room…..Hah! I'd say those three women who just entered the room would give you serious competition for that title my dear Mizukage." Oonoki mockingly replied, as Masayoshi's voice announced to everyone in the room.
"Honored guests, ladies and gentlemen, I now present to you Lady Tsunade Senju, Lady Kurenai Yuuhi Hatake, and Lady Hinata Hyuga Namikaze!"
All eyes turned to see Tsunade, Kurenai and Hinata standing at the entrance to the great hall and practically all of the guests exhaled a soft gasp at how stunning they appeared. Even Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Naruto were taken aback at how gorgeous their new wives looked. Tsunade was wearing a beautiful silk kimono strikingly green, with gold, silver, and white colors interlaced within it. The kimono prominently featured a crane on the back, which symbolized a long life along with various flower motifs and patterns woven throughout the entire garment. The kimono fit Tsunade like a second skin showing off all of her voluptuous feminine curves that made many a man in the room weak in the knees, as they gazed upon her.
Kurenai's silk kimono was primarily red in color, but also contained gold, silver, and white colors within it and also featured a crane on the back. But instead of flower patterns and motifs, her dress consisted of tree blossoms of various colors. Kurenai's dress was also vented on both sides from the top of her thigh to the bottom of the kimono, which showed off her long, well-toned, and supple legs that any runway model would be proud to display.
Finally Hinata's silk kimono was lavender, with gold, silver, and white and also featured a crane on the back. However, the motif of her kimono consisted of pine, bamboo and plum, which known collectively as the Three Friends of Winter (shōchikubai), and are symbols of longevity, perseverance and renewal. Meanwhile the style of Hinata's kimono seemed to be a mix of her fellow brides dresses. Her kimono also fit her like a second skin showing off all of her voluptuous feminine curves that rivaled Tsunade's. As well as also being vented on both sides from the top of her thigh to the bottom of the kimono, which showed off her own long, well-toned, and supple legs just as they did for Kurenai. Everyone in the banquet hall gazed at the three women in awe, as they made there way to the head table elevated on a small stage in the room to be greeted lovingly by their new husbands.
The wedding reception planned and prepared by Masayoshi was no less spectacular than the wedding itself. As many of the family, friends, and colleagues of the married trio began making speeches honoring the bride and groom. Many of the speeches from the foreign and older guests that the Fire Daimyou had invited to the wedding that were given towards the newlyweds consisted of a moralistic tale or singing the praises of the significance of marriage. While those people who truly had a personal relationship with one or all of them gave more heartfelt blessings, funny, or slightly embarrassing stories about the trio.
After the speeches had finished, the banquet began and once again Masayoshi had spared no expense of the Fire Daimyou's money, as waiters brought out from the kitchen some of the most sumptuous and expensive Japanese and Chinese cuisine to be served to everyone. During the banquet some of the guests sang congratulatory songs or played a stringed instrument called Samisen for the newlyweds. Upon completion of the meal, the three wedded couples rose to make the symbolic first-cut of the wedding cake. Once again Masayoshi had out done himself as the eight-tiered wedding cake stood nearly as tall as Naruto with a 32 inch base at the bottom. After the cut was made by all three of them, the waiters began cutting up and serving the cake to all in attendance, but making sure to leave the top tier for the wedded trio to save.
Once people had finished with their desert, a lull went through the room, as everyone happily digested the scrumptious banquet they had been served, while Tsunade, Kurenai, and Hinata went to change into their furisode's. This traditional kimono with wide sleeves worn by an unmarried woman is to symbolize the last time the three women will wear the furisode. Upon their return, the married couples began the ritual of walking around the room and lighting a candle at every guests table to symbolically share their warmth and light. When they finally circled the room, they returned to their own table and lit the Memorial Candle, which was made up of a bunch of candles arranged in a heart shape. As applause erupted upon completion of this ritual finally died down. Masayoshi's voice announced once more to everyone in the room.
"Honored guests, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you once more Lady Tsunade Senju, Lady Kurenai Yuuhi Hatake, and Lady Hinata Hyuga Namikaze!"
The applause rang out again, before Tsunade stood up and held her hand up to silence the the crowd. Once this was accomplished, she cleared her throat before announcing to everyone present.
"I'm afraid, through no fault of his own that Masayoshi-san has incorrectly announced the given name of my marital title. My married name shall not be known as Lady Tsunade Senju, as I shall be taking my husbands name."
This brought a murmur from many of the crowd, as Jiraiya's last name had been a closely guarded secret throughout his life to prevent any of his enemies from committing reprisals against his family. So the fact that it was finally going to be revealed shocked many of the Konoha citizens, both shinobi and civilian alike. It was Tsunade's voice who interrupted their thoughts when she then announced.
"And I feel it's fitting that Konoha's two oldest and prominent dignitaries who have kept this secret the longest be the one's to reveal Jiraiya-kun's true identity."
The blonde Hokage then turned her gaze towards Koharu and Homura, the long standing Hokage advisors to not only her, but also the Third and Fourth Hokage's. As all of the guests, looked towards the two elders, they both stood and cleared their throats. Truth be told, they had no desire to do this, but they were still under Tsunade's control, by the antidote she provided to them on a monthly basis. So when she had approached them about doing this the day before, they had no choice but to comply. In as strong a voice as they could muster, they both said in unison.
"The proper married title for which our esteemed Hokage should be addressed now and in the future is... Lady Tsunade Senju Namikaze!"
The silence in the banquet hall was almost deafening, as it took many people time to process and then understand the ramifications of what they had just learned. After a minute of unnerving silence, Tsunade decided spell it out so to speak in no uncertain terms for those still trying to grasp the truth.
"It's true, I am the mother of Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya-kun was his father. And as you know, I have already named my successor-in-waiting to become the next Hokage. And I'm sure all of you will agree that there cannot be a finer choice to become the Rokudaime than someone who has bloodline of not only the Senju clan, but also the noble bloodline of the Namikaze clan running through his veins than my grandson...Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze."
Once again an eerie silence gripped the room, as many people were in shock, before Shikaku Nara, along with his fellow clan heads Inoichi Yamanaka and Chouza Akimichi stood up and began clapping. Soon the applause in the room grew louder, as more people joined in with the clan leaders. Soon everyone was standing and cheering about the news that had just been revealed. As this was going on, Naruto stood up and walked over to Tsunade, before enveloping her in a hug and whispered in her ear.
"You didn't have to do that baa-chan."
"I know I didn't, but I wanted to. There's no reason to keep your true heritage a secret from anyone anymore. I love you Naruto-kun and I'm proud to call you my grandson and I want the entire world to know it." Tsunade whispered back, before kissing his cheek.
"Thanks baa-chan, I love you too."
Just then the doors of the banquet hall flew open and someone shouted for the Hokage followed by a name, which made virtually everyone present blood run cold in fear.
In the Village of Usuki several hours before the weddings, sat five Konoha shinobi playing poker within a small supply depot. The commanding officer was an old veteran by the name of Mamoru, and three of the men he commanded were his longtime friends and comrades Ryo, Naoki, and Toru. The final shinobi under his command was a greenhorn rookie he'd been saddled with by the name of Kenji. Who was currently being taken financially to the cleaners by Mamoru and the others.
"Rook, I've seen some bad poker players in my life, but you might be the worst." Toru said with a chuckle, as he raked in the pot.
"Bah, I can't concentrate!" Kenji spat in frustration, as he threw his cards down in disgust and got up from the table and began pacing around the room grumbling under his breath.
"Kid, what's bothering you? You're more worked up than a chicken with a fox in the coop."
"I'm sorry Commander Mamoru, I'm just so, so,..."
"So what?" Ryo asked.
"Bored, I'm completely bored, aren't you guys?" Kenji answered dejectedly.
Mamoru, Ryo, Naoki, and Toru all looked at one another and smirked, before they all looked back to Kenji and said in unison.
"No!"
"Arrgh, how can you guys not be bored? All we do is sit around all day and play cards, while occasionally filling supply orders for the guys on the front lines." Kenji complained, before he then proclaimed in excitement..
"On the border, that's where I want to be, where the action is! Helping to protect our country from those Oto bastards who keep raiding it!"
Once again, the four veteran Konoha shinobi just looked at one another, before Naoki shook his head and sadly said.
"Young and dumb."
"Full of piss and vinegar." Ryo followed.
"Ready to take on the world, but doesn't have a clue what's out there." Toru stated, echoing the sentiments of his comrades.
"Fine, you old farts might be content to sit around on your asses and do nothing, but I want to do more than be just a damn store clerk for the guys who are stationed where the real action is!" Kenji angrily declared after hearing their comments.
Mamoru threw his cards down, as he had heard enough, before he leveled a hard gaze at Kenji and said.
"Kid, you might think this is a do nothing assignment you've been given, but you're wrong. First off, all of us including you play a vital role in helping our comrades on the front lines with the Sound nation. We are the main supply depot for all the units patrolling and protecting our nation from them and without us our guys don't get the food, weapons, and provisions they need to do just that."
Mamoru exhaled a sigh, before he then continued on.
"And more importantly, you might think it's nothing but glory to be stationed where the action is as you call it, but take some advice from four shinobi who have seen more than their fair share of battles in their life. There is no glory in fighting a war, just sadness and death."
"The Commander is right, there is no glory in war. There's only one glory after the war...if you're lucky." Ryo added somberly.
"What do you mean if you're lucky?" Kenji asked in confusion.
"What he means rook is that surviving is the only glory in war one can hope for." Toru answered in a grim tone, before then stating.
"There's nothing glorious about war! War is a horrible, thing, when terrible things - beyond your ability to imagine - happen to your friends. And then you yourself have to do those same terrible things to others."
"But I want to be a hero like the Yondaime!"
"Boy, being a hero is not full of glory, it's desperation to save those you love from a situation that - while it never should have existed - is most likely going to kill you all. I guarantee the night the Yondaime sacrificed his life during the Kyuubi attack, he wasn't thinking about being a hero. All he was thinking about was what could he do to stop the Kyuubi, because if he didn't, his family and everyone else would be dead. He just did what he had to do to save us all. Yes, he was a hero, but don't you for one second think he was trying to be one and if you do, then you're a damn fool!" Naoki snapped furiously at Kenji.
Mamoru put his hand on Naoki's shoulder to calm his longtime friend down, before he looked over to Kenji who was looking to the ground and in a sympathetic voice said.
"Kid, I know how you feel, we all do. We felt the same way as you do at your age, but we learned quickly that what our Commander told us before we went into battle the first time during the Second Great Shinobi war was absolutely correct.
"What, what did he say?" Kenji stammered in query.
"He said, there is many a boy here today who looks on war as all glory, but boys, it is all hell."
A pall of silence fell over the depot, as no one spoke, until...
"Besides rook, if I were you, I wouldn't be in all fire a hurry to go get killed. Because if you did you wouldn't get to enjoy your girls homemade cookies anymore." Ryo declared in an attempt to lighten the mood, as he reached into a box sitting on the table and pulled out another cookie before announcing.
"I swear these are the best damn cookies I've ever had in my life."
Kenji cracked a smile watching his comrade bite into another cookie that his girl back in Konoha had baked and sent to him. In fact, for a moment he drifted off as an image of Mariko's face filled his mind, before Toru asked him a question interrupting his thought.
"So when are you going to marry this girl?"
"I, ummm, I, I don't know?"
"What do you mean you don't know, you love her don't you?"
"Well, I mean I think I love Mariko, but how do I know that she's the one?"
Mamoru, Ryo, Naoki, and Toru all seemed to roll their eyes at the same time to Kenji's question, before Toru stated.
"I can think of a reason why you should marry this girl. I'm guessing she's probably quite beautiful and could have chosen any guy to have, yet for some reason she chose your ugly ass to be with."
"Not to mention the fact that since we've been stationed here you've received a letter from her everyday, showing how much she cares about you." Naoki added as another reason.
"And any girl that can make cookies as good as these and goes out of her way to make them for you is probably a pretty damn good cook." Ryo proclaimed giving a third reason, as he bit into another cookie with delight.
Mamoru chuckled at his comrades declarations, before he finally stated.
"Kid, I can't tell you for sure if Mariko is the one for you or not. All I can tell you is follow your heart and it will tell you if she is or not."
How will it tell me Commander?"
"You'll be able to tell once you see her again. I remember the first time I came back from a mission and saw that my beautiful Ayaka was waiting at the gate for me. The moment I saw her, my heart seemed to skip a beat and you couldn't knock the smile that appeared on my face off with a hammer and chisel. And when I saw her smile just as brightly to seeing me and then run to my arms to hold her. I knew right then and there that she was the one for me. If you feel that way the next time you see Mariko and also get that same type of reaction from her seeing you upon your return. I'd say chances are pretty good, that you were lucky enough to find the right girl for you to happily spend the rest of your life with."
Kenji nodded his head to Mamoru and began to ponder deeply what his Commander had just said. It wasn't until a minute later that Kenji was broken out of his musings when he heard Toru declare with a laugh.
"Quit daydreaming rook, and get back in the game. You've still got some money left and I aim to take it before the day is through ha, ha, ha..."
Toru's laughter was cut short when what sounded like an explosion came from outside and the entire supply depot shook. It was then that the five Konoha shinobi could now hear screaming coming from outside, as they raced out of the building. What they saw down the street brought them to a screeching halt, for a giant serpent had smashed through the main gate and several Otogakure shinobi were swarming into the village and randomly killing the villagers.
However, even worst than what was happening was when Mamoru and the others saw who the three individuals riding atop the serpents head were, which sent a shiver down their spines.
"Commander that's..."
"Orochimaru, Kabuto, and Sasuke Uchiha! The three greatest and most dangerous traitors in the history of the Leaf village." Mamoru answered in a slightly quivering voice, before he turned to Kenji and ordered.
"Kid, I want to gather up as many villagers as you can and evacuate them out the south gate to the nearest village, and then get a message back to Konoha anyway you can. But don't take too long, you're not going to be able to save everyone, so just grab the ones you can find the fastest. We'll buy you as much time as we can, but get them out of here!"
"The next village, but that's nearly 10 miles away. I want to stay and help you fight Commander Mamoru!" Kenji openly complained.
"Kami damn it, I gave you an order now follow it!" Mamoru fiercely shouted at the young shinobi.
Kenji hesitated a moment, before he nodded his head in acceptance and turned to leave, before Mamoru grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him forward until they were face to face and loudly said.
"And one more thing, marry that girl!"
Commander Mamoru then let go and watched as Kenji sprinted down the street gathering up people as he went. Turning back to his longtime comrades and friends, it was Naoki who voiced out loud the ugly truth of their situation.
"We're not going to make it out of this one boys."
"No, we're not, but let's take as many of the bastards out as we can and buy the kid as much time as we can for him to get away. Naoki, you and Toru flank to the left and engage Oto shinobi there. Ryo and I will flank to the right and do the same." Mamoru ordered.
"What about the traitors Commander?"
"It doesn't appear that Orochimaru, Kabuto and the Uchiha are taking part in the killing and are just watching, so ignore them. I just hope that they will continue to just watch once we engage, because honestly we don't have the power or the skills to take them on anyway."
Ryo, Naoki, and Toru nodded their heads solemnly in agreement, before Mamoru declared with sincerity and gratitude to all three of them.
"It's been an honor and a privilege to call you not only my comrades, but more importantly my friends. A man couldn't ask for any better than you."
"The honor and privilege is ours Mamoru and we feel the same." Toru proclaimed, as all four shinobi turned to gaze once more at the carnage they were about to throw themselves into. The four men each exhaled a deep breath, before Mamoru shouted in a battle cry.
"For Konoha!"
"For Konoha!" Ryo, Naoki, and Toru cried out in response, before they all charged forward to meet their inevitable end.
It was all Kenji could do to remain conscious, as he stumbled down the hallway dripping blood as he went towards the great doors of the banquet hall. He knew he had probably ripped open the sutures in his chest in getting there. However, Kenji knew he had to inform the Hokage about what had happened, but the young shinobi could already feel his world starting to grow dark around him. Using what remaining strength he had, Kenji crashed through the doors and shouted out, before falling to the floor in a heap unconscious.
"Hokage-Sama...OROCHIMARU!"
Author Note: Yes, I'm still alive,...sort of, lol. I have had some health issues to deal with this year, but they haven't done me in just yet. Unfortunately, that combined with some other unforeseen circumstances that have cropped in my life this year has left me precious little time to work on this story. It also doesn't help that money I've had to spend on other things has left me still unable to replace my computer. So I'm still having to find computer time with any of my family or friends computers I could use. I've spent much of my day and night finishing this chapter to post for all of you, and I am tired. I did this because I don't want to delay it's release any longer, as all of you have waited patiently long enough for a new chapter, which I appreciate greatly. So please don't burn me if I've got some stupid grammar and spelling errors, as I didn't get a chance to proof the chapter as much as I would have liked to because of time.
I do wish to thank everyone both old and new readers who took the time to review my last chapter. For those of you who did review, you all had a lot to say about it and I'm pleased that this story has such a strong fan base with readers who actually write out well thought-out reviews. I am a bit disappointed that some of you feel the last few chapters fall under the category of "filler chapters" which I don't quite understand. For those of you veteran stalwart readers of my story. You knew that the last chapter for example tied into the opening scene of chapter 50, just like this chapter ties into some past scenes I have already written in the story. So I want to make something perfectly clear, I do not write filler chapters, or at least I try my very best not to do so. It sometimes may not be easily recognized, but my chapters and the majority of the scenes I write in them are always connected to the overall story in some way.
Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and I look forward to hearing what all of you have to say about it. I enjoy reading many of your reviews, so please leave lots of them, as they do help a writer get a sense of the thoughts and opinions of the fans of a story. They also can help lift the spirits of an author as well. Also, to any readers who are staff members to any C2 communities, please feel free to add my story to your community if you feel it is worthy of it. I won't mind, I swear. I'll even pinkie swear if I need to?
Shout-out:
I'd like to give a birthday shout-out to my reader SlytherinQueen020. I'm sorry I couldn't grant you your wish of a new chapter posted in time for your birthday. But if it's any consolation, I had hoped to post this chapter by my birthday which was August 2nd. As you can see that didn't work out for me either, lol. So happy birthday, belated as it is, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter as a gift.
Homage time:
I've inserted into this chapter a famous quote from a Civil War General. It's what the shinobi Commander told Mamoru and the others the first time they went into battle. Name the famous or infamous as some people believe, General who said it and win a cyber-gold star. Once again, all I ask is please don't leave a review with just your answer, but also say something about the chapter or the overall story itself.
My most sincere apologies, as due to the lack of time, and computer, I've still not been able to checkout the Naruto Gaiden and give my thoughts/rants on it yet. Also, in an effort to get this chapter posted asap for you all, which I'm sure you appreciate. I've also skipped my usual story recommendations in this chapter. However, I will sincerely try to bring them back in my next chapter.
Kingkakashi
School Time:
Hybrid
Definition: An offspring of two animals or plants of different races, breeds, varieties, species, or genera, especially as produced through human manipulation for specific genetic characteristics.
Etymology: Latin 1595-1605a.d.
Part of Speech: Noun