People talking. "How dare you!"

People thinking. "I will not forgive it!"

Nonhuman talking. "I didn't think you were so powerful."

Nonhuman thinking. "This battle has gone too long."

Techniques / unknown names "Suiton Suishōha!"

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does.

Chapter 28

The next day - Tower of the Forest of Death - 8:00 am

The big day had finally come; today were the Finals of the Chunin exams and the imminent invasion.

There were still a few hours until then, but Naruto wanted everyone ready for that event, the reason why he had called his girls to this place, except for Yugao because she was amongst the people who would repel the invasion.

They were in the room of the preliminaries; all the girls had a vague idea why he called them here.

Naruto appeared in front of them with a straight face as he looked at them one by one, without saying a word.

He shook his head and said as he turned around to look at the sculpture. "Girls, as you may know, or may not know; today an invasion will be here in Konoha," the Uzumaki started.

They nodded as they already knew it. Naruto continued. "There will be many casualties, most of them will be Shinobi, and maybe some civilians. But I only care about you; nothing else is important to me."

He paused as he slowly turned around to look at them. "Now I'm about to tell you something that maybe some of you don't know yet, and one thing that I'm sure that none knows yet. Both can be things that can make you hate me, but I decided to reveal these secrets."

"We'll never hate you, Naruto-kun," the Tsuchi replied, uneasy because of his words.

The girls nodded, and Naruto chuckled. "I'm glad to hear that, Kin-chan, but I don't know how you will react. I only say it as you may not like what I'm about to say. But I'll no longer beat around the bush," Naruto paused before continuing, "My goal is to destroy and kill the bastards who annihilated my family, the Uzumakis. Among the guilty are Sunagakure, Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Konohagakure. I must do it to restore my family and teach these villages the terrible mistake they made when attacking my family in such a cowardly way," Naruto spoke with a severe expression.

Some of the girls didn't mind his statement, but those who never expected to hear that were Tenten, Kurotsuchi, and Karui.

The last one had already taken a few involuntarily steps back, and Naruto looked at her and continued, "Wait, Karui-chan. I know you didn't like this; however, you are also an Uzumaki, as Karin-chan and I," Naruto stated with a straight face while looking at Karui's surprised expression.

When she heard that, she couldn't help asking, "How do you know it?"

"Did you not feel it, Karui-chan? That feeling that tells you that your home isn't in Kumogakure but another place, an unknown place. Did you ever feel it?" Naruto asked.

Karui weakly nodded, and Naruto continued, "How long ago did you start feeling this, Karui-chan?"

Karui looked at him as she nervously touched her hands. "A-About five months ago," she answered, wanting to know the answer for that strange feeling.

The Jinchūriki nodded; that was when he reactivated the Apple; it was probably calling the few Uzumaki in existence.

Therefore, he made the Apple appear in his right hand, which now glowed much more than before. The girls looked with surprise at the golden sphere.

Karin and Karui couldn't help coming closer, making its glow increase by every step they took.

The Uzumaki man saw its reaction as something strange, but he concluded that it was because the sphere was close to other Uzumakis.

The Jinchuriki looked at both of them and continued, "I can see that the Apple recognized you. I didn't know that this would happen, but well. I want you to touch it so that you can understand my reasons."

Karin and Karui looked at Naruto and nodded before touching it with their right hands. All the girls then saw that they both led their heads back, and Naruto could see that their eyes turned completely white.

Everyone looked in silence, and after a minute, both redheaded girls released the Apple, and before they could fall; Naruto caught them before giving them both a strong hug since he felt that both began to shake and sob.

That caught the girls' attention, and Tenten decided to ask, "What did they see, Naruto-kun?" She came closer after seeing their curious reaction.

Naruto looked at her and replied, "I showed them the destruction of Uzushiogakure. They're Uzumakis, and they can feel the pain that our family felt back then."

Tenten nodded, and Naruto spoke again. "Tenten-chan, I could feel that you were surprised by my statement. Did it bother you to know what I'm planning?"

Tenten smiled slightly and replied, "Not really. I lived most of my life in Konoha since I was four years old, but I don't feel much attachment to the village. Besides, my parents are traders. My father always said that they wouldn't stay in the village forever, so I'm not worried about them. Okay, I'm concerned about Gai-sensei and the other guys, but I'm sure that you won't kill everyone. After all, you said that you only wanted to show your point."

Naruto smiled back and finally nodded before looking at Kurotsuchi. "You don't have to worry, Kurotsuchi-chan. I told you that I would help you to overthrow your grandfather, so I don't plan to destroy your village. After all, I have many allies in that place, and if I do it, then I'll lose territory, and I hate losing what's mine. "

"N-No, Kyo... Naruto-kun, I wasn't worried about that. S-Sorry for worrying you about unnecessary things," Kurotsuchi replied a little nervous and with respect.

"Kurotsuchi-chan, don't feel nervous. We know each other since a month ago. You no longer have to see me as your boss; you can see me the way you want, but not necessarily like your boss," Naruto stated.

Kurotsuchi nodded and walked towards the Jinchūriki, who was still comforting the Uzumaki girls, who were sobbing slightly. "Sorry, Naruto-kun. But today is our last day together. After that, I won't be able to see you because I'll have to return to my village," Kurotsuchi sadly added while lowering her head.

Naruto sighed because Kurotsuchi was right, but he said nothing and continued caressing the backs of Karin and Karui, who stopped sobbing after five minutes; they slowly separated themselves from Naruto.

"Why did they do that? Does R-Raikage-sama k-know about this?" Karui asked.

"I'll tell you later, Karui-chan. Now, I want to pass to the last point. After that, we can talk, Karin-chan, you and I alone; I'll tell you everything before the finals," Naruto replied, kissing the cheeks of Karin and Karui.

After receiving their kisses, they went back along with the others, who placed their hands on their shoulders to give them strength, and both thanked them softly.

Naruto stood in front of them and continued, "Now, the last thing that I must tell you." He looked at Karin, Kin, and Haku before pointing at them, telling them to stand beside him.

Once they were at his side, Naruto continued. "Very well, I'll say this quickly. During the invasion, I'll send them to Nami no Kuni, and after some time, to Haru no Kuni. Once the invasion is over, I'll go with them. That means that I'll desert the village today," Naruto stated.

That didn't surprise them, but Anko could feel that something was wrong due to her mark. "But that isn't everything."

Naruto smiled slightly; he sighed and shook his head. "No, that isn't all. The main reason I called you here was to place a seal in all of you, without you realizing it," Naruto paused, increasing the suspense.

They all tensed up due to the bad feeling his words gave them. Before anyone could ask, Naruto continued, "The seal will block any pleasant memories that you have about me, and it'll replace them with unpleasant ones, making you forget everything I could ever tell you. Sorry, but I had to do it."

"W-What?" This time, Ino asked quite worried, and not just her, everyone began to ask him what the hell he meant.

Anko was angrier among the girls, and for that reason, she approached Naruto and grabbed him by his jacket. "Naruto-kun! You better explain yourself quickly, or you'll suffer the wrath of eight angry women," she stated while shaking Naruto, who nervously smiled.

Therefore, he explained himself before something bad could happen to his manhood. "W-Wa-wait, Anko-chan. I-It is n-not what you're thinking," Naruto nervously replied.

The Mitarashi nodded pleased and released Naruto, who let out a sigh of relief. After that, he shook his jacket to put it well and finally turned his head to look at the girls next to him.

"Haku-chan, Kin-chan, and Karin-chan. You don't have the seal since you'll leave the village," he paused to look back to the front. "But the case is different with you. You girls will stay in here, and some of you will return to your villages. So, it's likely that your villages will interrogate you to extract information about me, maybe to get my whereabouts or other things. Anyhow, I'll activate the seal a few hours after I leave the village, and after that, your memories will be replaced... temporarily. So, you have nothing to worry about; your real memories will be safe; the false ones will be there for a certain time limit. "

They sighed in relief, and Kurotsuchi spoke, "How long, Naruto-kun?"

"Between two to four months, which would last an average interrogation process. After that, the seal will fade away, and your memories will return to normal," Naruto replied.

The Mitarashi approached again with a large vein marked on her forehead. "Was it really that hard to say that from the beginning? Stop creating so much suspense when you speak! You always do the same," the Mitarashi scolded, and Naruto felt tiny under her intense gaze.

"I-I'm sorry, Anko-chan. I-I thought it would be funny," Naruto replied with a nervous smile.

Anko gave him a hot kiss on the lips, which Naruto instantly replied. Though he eventually screamed in pain because Anko squeezed his balls quite strongly.

"It wouldn't have been funny if I ripped your balls off, right?" the Jounin asked with a sadistic smile.

The others chuckled, mainly because Naruto frantically shook his head.

"I-I swear it, Anko-chan! I'll stop doing that. I swear it by my name, Uzumaki Naruto! But please, stop squeezing my balls!" Naruto exclaimed, wincing.

Anko instantly stopped before give him a soft kiss, and Naruto sighed in relief between the kiss while carrying his right hand on his balls to rub them and reduce the pain

The Mitarashi separated and looked into his eyes. "I will miss you, Naruto-kun," she whispered close to Naruto.

The Jinchūriki smiled while touching her cheek; he separated completely to add, "Me too... I will miss you all," Naruto stated aloud. "But don't worry. I'll return when the four months have passed. I won't stop visiting you. We'll be in touch when you recover your memories. Just let me know, Anko-chan. With your Cursed Mark, you'll be able to do it."

Anko nodded before seeing Naruto taking out two Kunai with his Hiraishin mark.

One he handed it over to Kurotsuchi, who grabbed it firmly before keeping it in her bag. The other one he handed it over to Karui, who also kept it in her ninja bag.

"Keep those Kunai; with them, I'll be able to visit you. Anyway, that was all I wanted to say. Now we must get ready for what is about to come. I'll see you at the stadium. Now I have to go and talk with Yugao-chan, I'll see you there. I would take you with my Hiraishin, but I have a limit of three people. Although I don't do it because I still don't know how to appear without crashing," he muttered the latter, and the girls just nodded

The Jinchūriki approached and gave a kiss to each of them before disappearing in a red flash toward Kohta's mansion to give him some quick instructions before going to talk to Yugao.

The girls didn't wait any longer and went to his apartment and those who didn't live there headed to their respective houses to prepare themselves for the finals.

At the Border of the Land of Fire - 3 Hours Later.

"How much longer until we arrive, Bonnie-san?" Tsunami asked.

She was dressed in an elegant blue kimono, patterned with white flowers. She also had her hair gathered and tied up, giving her a very charming look.

She was in a black Lassiter 75 vehicle, which was heading to Konoha for the final exams. She didn't tell Naruto about it because she wanted to give him a surprise.

She hadn't seen him since he left her home five months ago, not even when she found out that he fell into a coma because the people that protected her wouldn't allow her to go to Konoha. She never knew why, but after insisting several times, she had given up; especially because her son and her father had said that Naruto would get well and that there was nothing to worry about him.

However, when she heard that Naruto passed to the finals of the Chunin exam, she decided to visit him, and this time, no one stopped her.

For the sake of them since she was going to go and see Naruto no matter what.

Bonnie, who was in the seat before her, looked at her driver and asked as she hit the window that separated them. "Alfred, how much time until we arrive at Konoha'?" She asked with a bit of contempt in her words when pronouncing 'Konoha.'

Tsunami noticed it but didn't pay much attention.

Alfred chuckled as he continued driving. "At this speed, in about thirty minutes, my lady. But remember to control yourself when we arrive."

Bonnie sighed in annoyance and replied, "Sometimes I wonder how you manage to talk so quietly. Bear in mind that Konoha-"

Bonnie couldn't finish because Alfred interrupted her. "*Ahem* I know that very well, my lady, but remember, there are things that we cannot say lightly. You do not want to upset Kyōfu-sama, do you? After all, you-"

This time, Alfred couldn't finish because Bonnie interrupted him. "*Ahem* you don't need to say that," the blonde-haired woman spoke with a slight blush.

She shook her head and looked back at Tsunami. "You heard him, Tsunami-sama. You can rest; we'll arrive thirty minutes before the combats start. You'll have all the time you need."

Tsunami nodded while looking out the side window. "This is extraordinary. I never thought that something like this could exist. In a carriage, it would have taken me at least one day to get to Konoha. However, in this vehicle that you call 'car,' it has passed about three hours since we left Nami, and there are only thirty minutes until we arrive there. It's amazing," Tsunami stated.

Alfred replied, "And we are not even going at our maximum speed; we are going at moderate speed because the roads of this place are not made for cars. But Kyōfu-sama could change this in a few years. Though the other reason is that we cannot get too far away from the caravan."

Tsunami looked back and saw two trucks, and five smaller cars were at the front. "Why did they come?" Tsunami asked. She thought it was strange that so many people had come with them when they said that they were going to Konoha.

"For your safety, Tsunami-sama. Kyōfu-sama gave us explicit orders; we're only obeying them," Bonnie replied.

"I see, but you still didn't tell me why this man decided to protect my family so suddenly," Tsunami responded, looking out the car window.

This time, Alfred spoke. "We do not know. Those were his orders once he learned that Nami no Kuni had a new feudal lord. I believe that this is because of the ports in Nami no Kuni. They represent a large commercial advantage," Alfred replied.

Even though Bonnie and Alfred knew the real reason, the driver didn't say it because they weren't allowed to talk about Kyōfu's identity.

"I see. I'm grateful for it since Nami no Kuni is now recovering rapidly; the villagers are very grateful, and it's all thanks to Naruto-kun," Tsunami pronounced with a happy smile.

That didn't worry them since Tsunami had repeatedly said that all the good things that were happening in Nami no Kuni were because of Naruto; they were sure that Tsunami didn't know who Naruto really was.

Tsunami continued, "Although it's strange that your sister isn't with you, Bonnie-san. You and Sophie are inseparable. I always saw you both together in Nami no Kuni. Did something bad happen to her?"

Bonnie smiled and replied, "Sophie had to go elsewhere, but don't worry. Perhaps you'll see her today again. Besides, I'm her older sister, so I won't allow anything bad to happen to her."

Tsunami nodded and remained silent for the rest of the trip that lasted fifteen minutes; the other fifteen minutes passed while they were talking.

At Konoha's main gate, Izumo and Kotetsu were, both with their typical expressions, but they were more attentive than usual because many people were arriving for the finals. Therefore, they were registering the entrance of these people.

They suddenly heard a similar noise from days ago, calling their attention and of the people who were coming to the village to see the finals.

They rose from their posts, ignoring the people who had come before, and when they did it, they saw five cars passing by; the sixth one stopped at their post, and those ahead also stopped.

Kotetsu was the one who approached the window of that car as it had rolled down, showing a white glove with a note in hand. Izumo continued recording the others, who were looking interestedly at the newcomers.

Kotetsu grabbed the letter and read it, feeling surprised when seeing the Fire Daimyo's stamp on it. He instantly knew it was something serious, the reason why he read it with extreme care.

But it hadn't been anything serious. It just said that the Daimyō had invited them to see the finals so that the Yakuza could see the potential of the village, to form a military alliance someday.

Kotetsu nodded. "Alright, you can pass. We hope you enjoy the battles that Konoha has to offer. I assure you that you won't be disappointed." He handed the letter over to Alfred, who rolled up the window before turning on the car engine.

The rest of the cars did the same before marching towards Konoha's Stadium, attracting the attention of the curious people, who wanted to look at the 'strange carriages.'

Once the cars were away, Izumo continued, "I wonder if that guy came with them. Anyway, we'll close the doors in ten minutes, and then we'll go to see the fights. Aaah, they'll be great. People say that Hokage-sama was personally training his sons. So it wouldn't be strange if these two reach the final. It will be an exciting fight for sure, hehe. "

Kotetsu nodded and added as he returned to his post. "You're right. I heard that Itachi and Kakashi were training the Uchiha, the combats will be incredible."

After that, he sat down to register the rest of the people who were arriving in droves to see the finals.

While the caravan was heading to the Stadium, Naruto was talking to Kotha one last time before the invasion.

"And let him know that a clone of mine will join him before entering Konoha. Send him a homing pigeon, and after that you-" Naruto was talking about his general, but he suddenly stopped since he could feel the seal on his wrist activating.

"Hmm, why are so many of my men coming to Konoha? I didn't order them to enter before the invasion. Did you disobey me, Kohta? That could be dangerous for both of us," Naruto asked in a threatening tone.

The Uzumaki didn't know why his troops had come to Konoha. They were at least sixty in number, and that amount of people would undoubtedly attract much attention. That could jeopardize his plans; it could alert the invaders that they would provide support to Konoha.

Kohta couldn't help feeling nervous as he began to sweat heavily because of fear. "N-No! It i-is n-not that, Kyōfu-sama! It is n-not what you a-are thinking. T-They a-are, they a-are-"

"Calm down and explain to me what you mean. Hurry up because the finals start in a few minutes," Naruto interrupted.

Kohta breathed slowly and continued quieter. "They are part of the battalion that is protecting Tsunami-sama, Kyōfu-sama. You left explicit orders to that battalion: protect Tsunami-sama no matter what. And it turns out that she has decided to come to see you fighting. I didn't tell you because I thought it would be a good surprise for you. Sorry, Kyōfu-sama. "

Naruto growled as his eyes changed involuntarily to red; he placed both hands on Kohta's shoulders, who was feeling his killing intent. "Damn fools. How could they allow this? Today is the fucking invasion, and Tsunami-chan isn't a Kunoichi, she's a civilian. Listen to me, if something bad happens to her, you and your whole family will be responsible for it, and you know what that means. Did you hear me, Kohta?" Naruto asked while releasing his killing intent.

He was outraged and worried at the same time. Angry at the incompetence of his men and concerned about Tsunami. Even though many people were there to protect her, anything could happen in a war, and he couldn't help that the feeling of concern arose in him.

It would have been different if Tsunami was a Kunoichi, then he would have trusted in her skills. However, she was a civilian, and she didn't have the means to defend herself even from a simple Genjutsu.

After a few seconds, he calmed down. He would trust his men. It's been a long time since he had seen his troops in action, so it was likely that they had been trained and equipped in a splendid way.

He didn't doubt about that because they had been superb the last time he had seen them in action. Also, Naruto had invested heavily in research for the scientists in the Land of Snows, so it was likely they had invented other things besides the Chakra armors.

Naruto stopped releasing his killing intent; he softened the expressions on his face, hitting his forehead slightly. "Sorry, Kohta. I got carried away by my emotions once again. I trust that nothing bad will happen to Tsunami-chan and that my men will protect her with their lives; I will do it too. So don't worry about your family, nothing bad will happen to them," Naruto stated calmer.

"Kyōfu-sama ..." Kohta whispered with so much respect that his eyes got teary. To hide that, he quickly bowed, touching the floor with his forehead. "Thank you for this opportunity, Kyōfu-sama! I assure you that I won't fail you. My family and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts!" Kohta exclaimed in a voice that said he wanted to cry, in happiness, of course. The fact that 'Kyōfu-sama' had forgiven him made him feel like that.

Naruto chuckled and added, "Okay, but I'm leaving. I'll see you at the stadium. I want to see Tsunami-chan before the battles start."

Naruto looked at his watch on his right wrist and exclaimed when seeing the time. "11:45? Shit! The battles will commence in fifteen minutes. I'm leaving, goodbye."

After that, Naruto disappeared in a Shunshin of leaves, and Kohta then stood up and left his mansion to go to the stadium.

At the Stadium - A Few Minutes Before

The stadium was almost filled; people were still arriving since there were still a few minutes left for the tournament's inauguration.

Many people had come to see this year's edition of the Chunin exams.

The stars of the event were, Menma, 'the son of the Hokage'; Naruto, 'the lost son of the Hokage'; and Sasuke, 'one of the last Uchiha'. These three were the attraction of the event, and everyone was eager to see their battles.

Menma wore his typical white and blue battle Kimono, with a white ribbon tied around his waist and a Ninjato on his back. He didn't know to use it properly yet, but he was learning how to do it.

Menma was staring at Neji, who was standing with closed eyes and crossed arms. Menma didn't notice his brother's absence yet because he wanted to settle accounts with Neji; the Namikaze didn't want to do anything more than that.

Shikamaru had a bored look on his face, waiting for his 'imminent defeat' at the hands of the 'maniac's' girlfriend

Samui was looking forward with an emotionless expression, although she occasionally glanced at Ino.

The Yamanaka lacked the bandages that were consistent with her usual clothes. That certainly caused several complaints from her father, and Inoichi could only curse the person responsible for this. But he couldn't do anything to convince Ino to wear her bandages again.

Tenten, aside from her usual attire, had a large green scroll tied behind her waist. She was smiling since she could hear the shouts of her Sensei, saying that 'his beloved students would show their power of youth to the world.'

Sasuke wore a black set with bandages on his arms and legs and the Uchiha clan symbol on the back of his shirt. He was looking in all directions, waiting for Naruto's arrival since the Uchiha was sure that he would have to fight the Uzumaki when Naruto defeated Menma, and he beat his opponents.

Karui was wearing a black colored mini short with a white belt; a black Kumo's flak jacket with a white sleeveless shirt under it; standard Shinobi sandals of black color; the Kumo headband around her forehead, and her Katana tied behind her back.

The Uzumaki girl felt a little embarrassed due to her mini short, but she did it because she wanted to start getting used to her new look. She could hear the rhymes of her sensei from somewhere in the stands, and the rhymes had to do with her new look since she was using them for the first time.

Lee wore his white ANBU jacket and black ANBU pants; black bandages on his arms; his hair had lost the bowl style he had before. His hair wasn't very long, but it was tied in a braid. Besides, his body had grown physically; he was the one who had the biggest body among those present in the arena. He also had a calm expression, but if someone carefully looked at him, then they would see that he had a lot of determination in his eyes; he was also looking everywhere for Naruto.

Haku wore her battle Kimono that she had when she met Naruto. She was smiling at anyone in particular; she simply had a smile on her face, a smile that was stealing hearts of many men in the stands.

Gaara and Naruto were the only ones who didn't arrive yet, and this caused concern in the Shinobis of Suna. They didn't want to believe that these two were fighting again. If that were the case, then the invasion would fail.

In front of them was Genma, who had a toothpick in his mouth as he looked at the participants, who were impatient for the start of the fights.

Sakura was in the stands; the Haruno had a look of concern since she didn't see Naruto anywhere. Sakura also underwent changes during the time she had been training with Anko.

Now she had her hair tied in a ponytail and wore a tight red outfit that left her stomach bare. The change was due to Anko's orders, and she had accepted them without complaint. At first, she was embarrassed to wear it, but after a while, she got used to it. She had also gained a little bit of weight, but she still didn't have the weight that Anko wanted, but the Haruno was progressing.

Her expression had changed a bit; the insecurity had almost faded away, now she had much more confidence than before.

Next to her were Kin, Karin, Anko, and Kurotsuchi, all of them were looking at the arena. They weren't worried because Naruto didn't arrive yet. They knew that he would be doing something important and that he would come for his combat.

To their right were the Jounin Senseis; Kakashi, Gai, Asuma, and Kurenai. The last one didn't look as if Naruto had destroyed her mind with pheromones; she had a calm expression on her face. But deep down, Kurenai was doing her best not to go looking for Naruto, although the Yūhi had in mind what to do once the invasion started.

Asuma noticed that Kurenai had ignored him this month, but he thought that it was just a phase. Therefore, he didn't ask her what was wrong. The Sarutobi thought that the Yūhi behaved like that because she still felt guilty about what had happened to her students; he decided to give her some space to talk with confidence later.

Itachi wore his full ANBU uniform since he was in service. Even though some people found strange to see several ANBU, it didn't attract much attention since people thought it was the protocol due to the presence of the Kages.

Bee was at the end of the stands, doing some rhymes and Omoi was listening attentively.

The Genin who failed in the preliminaries were here too.

Hinata looked recovered from her match and was carefully looking at Menma and Neji, hoping that nothing bad happened in their battle. She felt no resentment towards Neji, and she hoped that they didn't cross the line in their fight.

Kiba had come because Hinata had asked him. Hinata was very concerned about the Inuzuka. He had been released from the hospital a few days ago, and they couldn't save his arm. Naruto's attack had destroyed the nerves of that arm, the reason why they couldn't put it back.

But he wasn't depressed because of that; it was because of the death of his best friend. There was no moment in which he stopped thinking about Akamaru, and remembering him always made the Inuzuka feel sad, discouraged, helpless, and above all, furious, but also, terrified.

Kiba hated Naruto; he despised him, but at the same time, he dreaded him. Kiba would never forget those eyes of joy when he killed Akamaru, eyes that proved that he had no problem in killing people.

The thought of Naruto killing him was something that made him feel terrified. Kiba hated himself because he became a coward, and for not being able to do something to avenge the death of his best friend.

He couldn't do anything; his life as a Shinobi was over, so fighting Naruto would be suicide. So he hoped that Lee killed Naruto; he realized that Lee wanted to do that in the preliminaries.

So he placed his confidence in Lee so that he could avenge Akamaru for him.

Shino had a calm look but was also worried about Kiba. Shino believed that Kiba wanted to end his life, so he had kept a constant eye on him to prevent that. The Aburame had learned the details of that battle, but he couldn't blame Naruto. That kind of things happened in the ninja world, but that didn't mean he wasn't worried about Kiba.

Chouji was eating sweets without stopping, looking towards the arena.

Hiruzen was where the people wealthy people were, due to protocol.

Hanabi and the others Hyūgas of the main family were there too, waiting for the fights of the people that would be the 'future' of their clan.

Hanabi had noticed the absence of Naruto, but she wasn't worried. She assumed he was walking towards the stadium without haste because he didn't want to hear the words of his father.

Speaking of Minato, he was at the highest area of the stadium, sitting in a chair with Raidō standing beside him, whispering some words. He wore the Hokage official robes. Well, only the hat, which he didn't like to use; he wore his always-faithful coat with red flames.

The Yondaime nodded at the words of Raidō as he saw some people approaching.

"Oh, Kazekage-dono. It's a good thing that you've come. We were expecting you," Minato said with a smile, a fake one since he knew what this man wanted to do.

The Kazekage stared at him before approaching the seat beside him. The Kazekage also had his official robes.

"You must be tired from the long journey," Minato added, looking at him and his bodyguards.

The Kazekage shook his head and replied as he sat down. "Not at all, it's been a delightful trip. The weather of the Fire Country is refreshing; the Wind Country is quite the opposite."

Minato chuckled, and when he was about to add something else, he saw that around fifty men dressed in black suits were going to an area where several empty seats were, catching the attention of many at the stadium.

Minato instantly recognized them. They were the same people who had come a few weeks ago, the Yakuza.

He closely looked at them; some of them sat down while others stood close to the wall, staring around and occasionally carrying their fingers to their ears.

Minato concluded that they were speaking through communicators. There was another thing that called the Yondaime's attention, and that was the seat they left empty between them.

The Kazekage asked, "Hmmm, do you know who these men are, Hokage-dono?"

Minato nodded as he returned to his seat. "They are the men of someone called 'Kyōfu.' I don't know if you've heard of him, but I've been told that they've come on his behalf to see the combats. It seems that he wants to hire the services of the village that have the best results."

"Oh, that's interesting. Yes, I've heard about that person, his businesses in Suna has helped us greatly not to fall into a crisis. It's a shame that only one of my children could reach finals, but I'm sure that they won't be disappointed with what my son will do. He's the strongest one among my kids," the Kazekage stated, smiling behind his white facemask.

"Although he isn't here yet, I'm sure that he'll arrive on time," the Kazekage continued, referring to the absence of Gaara; he'd better be on time.

Minato nodded; Naruto didn't arrive yet either, but the Hokage hoped that he would. He stood up and got closer to the rail to say a few words.

Elsewhere in the stadium, Tsunami was walking towards a room, followed closely by some Yakuza.

They told her that they had managed to contact Naruto and that he was waiting for her in one of the rooms of the stadium.

She agreed to follow them, more than pleased. Bonnie wasn't with her since she had left the village when they left her at the stadium, saying that she couldn't stay due to some issues and that they would pick her up when the combats finished.

After a few seconds, they came to a door. One of the men opened it as he stood aside.

She thanked him and entered; the man closed the door and stood in front of it on guard position while his companions did the same, standing alongside each other.

Tsunami could instantly see Naruto, who was giving her his back and looking through a window of the room.

Tsunami couldn't wait any longer and ran toward him, giving him a strong hug from behind. "Naruto-kun!" She exclaimed in happiness, increasing the hug's pressure.

"Tsunami-chan," Naruto whispered, caressing her soft hands.

After a few seconds, he separated from the hug and turned around. "T-Tsu-Tsunami-chan?" Naruto asked open-mouthed due to her new look.

"What is it, Naruto-kun?" She asked a little embarrassed.

"Is that you, Tsunami-chan? Damn! You look gorgeous. So much that you make me want to... Grraawh!" Naruto growled, unable to contain himself. He grabbed Tsunami by her hips and raised her up his height, kissing her fiercely.

Tsunami reciprocated, unable to contain the desire of feeling Naruto again. It had been months since the last time she saw him, and she wanted to do it. She didn't care where.

Tsunami wrapped her arms around his neck to deepen the kiss, and the Uzumaki approached the bed near the wall.

He laid down on the bed, putting Tsunami on top of him. Although the bed wasn't comfortable, they didn't care. He rose slightly to help her to remove her Kimono, but she spoke before. "Wait, Naruto-kun. What about your fight?" Tsunami asked, feeling like a complete idiot for saying it. What was she was thinking? How could she waste this great opportunity? She asked herself.

The next thing she heard made her smile. "Screw that! I don't want to miss this opportunity." He approached at Tsunami and slowly took her Kimono off.

She accepted the help and got off the bed to put her Kimono beside the bed.

She now wore a provocative lingerie set that hugged her curves quite nicely.

Naruto couldn't help saying with a smile. "You knew we would do this, huh, Tsunami-chan?"

Tsunami nodded as she began to take her bra off as she sat down on top of Naruto, who had already removed the rest of his clothes, staying with his underpants only.

"It's something that I intuited. I wanted to thank you for all you've done for my people. Since you left, things have improved significantly. Nami is much better than what it had been in the last few years. Thank you for everything, Naruto-kun. Thank you, for returning hope to my village," Tsunami responded, staring at him.

"It was nothing. I couldn't let your people remain in misery. I did what I could for them to have a better life," Naruto replied without realizing what his words meant.

Tsunami noticed it and added, "Yeah, thanks for everything... Kyōfu-sama," Tsunami added smiling, even more so because Naruto's eyes widened.

But he returned them to normal and sighed. "I thought I could hide it for more time. But whatever, you already know it. Are you angry?" he asked.

"Why should I be? It's not as if that's something wrong. Besides, thanks to you, Nami is changing for the better."

After that, Tsunami took her panties off before helping Naruto to remove his boxers.

"Uh yeah, you're right," Naruto spoke with some nervousness. Maybe what she said was true, but he didn't tell her yet that he didn't kill Gatō and that he was one of his men. She wouldn't like that, perhaps; it could even make her hate him.

However, Naruto didn't hide his secrets; he would eventually tell her, maybe once he returned to Nami no Kuni to reunite the islands that once were Uzushiogakure. But for now, he would keep that secret to himself.

He stopped thinking about that to concentrate on the beautiful woman in front of him.

While they were beginning to catch up, Minato was ending his long speech. He had done it like this to give Naruto more time, but there was still no sign of him.

Therefore, he said to finish, "So please, enjoy the battles that these ten finalists have to offer." After that, the Yondaime returned to his seat while the people started cheering for the combatants.

"I can see that our children are the only ones who aren't here yet, Hokage-dono. I hope this doesn't affect the development of the fights. I wouldn't be happy if my child gets disqualified before he can show his skills," The Kazekage said looking towards the arena.

Minato didn't answer; he looked there too as he saw Genma giving some instructions to the combatants.

Meanwhile, in a secluded part of the stands, Baki looked with nervousness at the Sand Siblings. "Where did Gaara go?"

"W-we don't know. We haven't seen him in the last two days," Temari replied, fearing for her younger brother.

"Damn it! He surely went after the Namikaze again. That guy isn't someone ordinary; he must have killed Gaara in one of those two days. That will complicate things," Baki whispered, but Kankurō and Temari could clearly hear him; besides a certain 'ANBU' that was near them.

"So Naruto-kun killed the Jinchūriki of Suna. Orochimaru-sama will be happy to hear this. You will soon to come to us, Naruto-kun," Kabuto thought in his ANBU costume, looking towards Orochimaru, who was also in a costume, smiling and looking at the Sandaime, waiting for his chance to finish him off.

In the arena, Menma asked, "Hey, Genma-san."

"What?"

Menma scratched his head. "Well, my Nii-san hasn't come yet. What are we gonna do?"

Lee paid attention, and Genma replied. "If he doesn't come here by the time his match starts, he will lose by default," Genma stated.

Menma swallowed hard as he looked back and thought of the reason why his brother didn't come yet.

Lee couldn't help clenching his fists. "You better be on time."

Genma cleared his throat and continued, "Very well. The same rules apply as in the preliminaries: there are no rules. The match will only end when someone dies or gives up. But if I decide that the fight is over, I'll stop the fight. Do not argue with me over it. Got it?" Genma asked, seeing them nodding.

Then he looked at Menma and Neji. "The first match is... Menma Namikaze and Neji Hyūga. The rest of you need to go back to the waiting room over there." Genma pointed to an area of the stadium where they could see the battles.

The Genin left, leaving Neji, Menma, and Genma in the arena while the people in the stands started cheering up and throwing encouragements to the Hokage's son.

Genma stood between Neji and Menma, who were staring at each other.

The Hyūga couldn't help chuckling when seeing his expression. "You look like you want to say something."

The Namikaze clenched his right fist tightly as he raised it and pointed it at his opponent.

Hinata made a surprised expression but said nothing.

Menma gave a determined expression and answered, "I told you before." He paused and continued after a few seconds. "I will win!"

The people in the stands cheered him with more forces; Minato knew why his son was like that, but he didn't want that anything bad happened in their fight; the Kyūbi's Chakra inside him was still risky.

Neji activated his Byakugan as he got into Juuken stance. "Oh, really? Don't think that I'll have as much compassion for you as I had with Hinata-sama. I'll make sure that the expression in your eyes changes to one of despair. I don't care if you are the son of Hokage-sama, much less the brother of Naruto-san. I'll finish you off; your destiny is to lose against me."

Hiashi was curious at Neji's behavior, but he better didn't do anything that could harm Menma permanently, or he wouldn't forgive him.

Hiashi didn't doubt Neji's capabilities; he was a genius among the Hyūgas, and that was bad since Neji could kill Menma if he wanted to.

He forgave him for what he did to Hinata since he hadn't done as much damage as the Hyūga leader had thought. He had also forgiven him because Neji had a friendship with Naruto. But this time, Hiashi could see in his eyes that he wasn't playing and that it was likely that he would comply his threat.

Hinata also got worried by the words of her cousin. She didn't want that anything bad happened to any of them, and Hanabi was just smiling; this fight would certainly be interesting.

Menma growled. "Stop chattering..." A slight whirlwind formed around them, while the people in the stands squinted and covered their eyes due to the wind. "And let's begin!"

After that, the burst of natural wind stopped, and Neji got ready for the start order.

Genma spoke when both of them stopped talking. "Now, first match... Begin!"

Notes:

Finished.

Well, I've decided to let the fight between Neji and Menma for the next chapter.

I don't know if I should explain anything.

Oh yeah, maybe some of you have already realized it, and those who didn't, I'll tell you that the battle between Naruto and Lee will be postponed so that the others can fight. But they will fight without a doubt.

I planned to write the lemon with Tsunami, but at the end, I said no to myself. So, the Lemons marathon is officially over.

Just a little reminder, this is a translation.

Well, that would be all.

Until the next time.