Naruto and Sakura's five year mission

by Cmartin-Panda Productions

After several months of recovering from being taken hostage by the Borg, Starfleet want's Picard to have a pair of bodyguards on hand at all times. What he didn't expect, was getting those two bodyguards from a pre-warp planet full of Humans. The two 20 year old ANBU veterans, Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno, embark on a new adventure across the stars.

21. Chapter 21: Corneria

Chapter 21: Corneria

Author's Note from Panda: Hey guys, you all are gonna laugh when you hear this. We practically had this chapter ready to go almost two months ago, it was on the doc manager and everything. We just forgot about it until now. Tee hee, silly us.

Oh well, no use crying over spilled milk. On to this chapter, which serves more as a nice relaxing little chapter after the massive blowout that was chapter 20.

---

3 days later, after that major ordeal, the Uzumaki family were busy fussing over their new baby who they just couldn't stop smiling at as they watched her sleep on her mother's chest.

"I want to kill our baby. Now she finally lets us get some sleep?" Naruto said with a smile on his face.

"I do too. But these urges will pass once she starts sleeping through the night." Sakura smiled as she held her daughter with care.

"You know, I don't think Tsunade has seen her yet." Kurama pointed out.

"Goodie for her." Naruto said as he headed over to the replicator to get some coffee for him and Sakura.

"Naruto, he does have a point. We should call her." Sakura stated.

"We just got her to sleep. Can't this wait for when she wakes up again in twenty minutes?" Naruto whined.

"She was just born a few days ago, Naruto. This is a normal thing." Sakura scolded.

"I know. Which is why I want us to catch some Z's now. That's my hierarchy on my list of priorities anyway." Naruto said as he typed in his commands into the replicator control panel.

"Naruto, the replicator is voice command only." Sakura reminded him. Naruto turned towards the replicator to see that he was pushing his fingers against a blank wall.

"I really need some sleep." Naruto moaned.

"How about I take Little Kit for a bit and then introduce her to Granny Tsunade? And you two can get some sleep." Kurama suggested.

"Oh man, you're a life saver..." Naruto moaned as he shuffled his feet back into the bedroom.

Sakura just stared at Kurama, her hands protectively held around her pride and joy.

"I'm not handing her over to you if you're going to carry her with your tails." Sakura stated.

Kurama then exploded into a puff of smoke which blew away with the breeze to reveal him assuming the form of Naruto's mother. Complete with housewife apron, long flowing red hair, and the added feature of three whisker marks like Naruto and Chiyo had.

"This form work for you?"

Sakura smiled. "Yes, that works."

Carefully, ever so carefully, Sakura pulled Chiyo offer of her bosom and handed her to Kurama transformed into Kushina. Sakura had handled a thousand babies in her time spent working in the maternity ward back in the Leaf or in the Sickbay, but now she held her breath every time her precious little angel hung in the air supported by the hands of another. Kurama took Chiyo carefully into his own paws and placed the little kit against his chest. Chiyo squirmed, but soon settled into the familiar shapes.

"Thank you so much, Kurama...seriously." Sakura said gratefully.

"Don't worry about it. Just put up a silencing jutsu and I'll take care of everything while you two get some sleep."

"And you'll come get me if anything happens?" Sakura insisted. "If she starts coughing. Or if she gets hungry. Or if she develops a fever..."

"Sakura, relax. I've got it. Remember, I was in Kushina when she was born. I know how to take care of your Kit."

"I know...but she's just so precious. I finally understand why Naruto acted so protective." Sakura said as observed how Chiyo's back moved as she breathed in and out. The mundanity of the human body found new excitement for this doctor when it was her own daughter.

"Just go get some sleep. I'll call ya if I need ya."

"Okay..." Sakura said as he had to touch Chiyo's back one last time, just to feel her warmth. "I'll be in the next room if you need me."

Kurama just nodded before watching Sakura walk away and close the bedroom door behind her.

An entire four seconds after Sakura closed the door, Naruto came back out the door in a hurry.

"I know I said some things but I just need to check up on her for one quick second." Naruto stated as he zeroed in on Chiyo.

"Kit...she is just fine. Don't worry about it." Kurama sighed.

"I know...but maybe I don't really need to sleep. I'm not tired. Besides, what if something happens? And why are you transformed into my mother?"

"Your vixen's idea...anyway, nothing is gonna happen to her while I'm watching her. So just go to bed."

"Right, you're right. Sakura-chan is smart. She knows best." Naruto said, mostly to himself.

"Go to bed." Kurama repeated.

"Right, sorry." Naruto nodded before slipping back into the bedroom.

6 hours later, Sakura was the first to wake up, feeling rather hungry. She quietly got out of bed, put on her robe and walked out into the living room where she saw Kurama back in his original form, playing with Chiyo on the couch.

"How is our little bundle of joy doing?" Sakura asked as she did a visual check to see that Chiyo still had all of her limbs intact.

"She's been a little angel. She woke up about an hour ago. I fed her, burped her, changed her diaper and now I'm just keeping her entertained."

"Oh, that's nice...wait, feed her? She's three days old. You put her on formula?"

"No. I got breast milk from the replicator. Strange that they'd have that there."

"Yes..." Sakura replied. "Just call me next time she needs feeding."

"Yawn..." Naruto declared as he stepped outside of the bedroom. "Where is my little Chiyo-chan?"

"Right here." Kurama said as he tickled Chiyo with one of his tails, making her giggle.

"Awww...that's so adorable..." Sakura gushed.

"She really is." Naruto said as he had to stick his hand over Chiyo and make a silly face.

Just then, they heard a beeping sound coming from their PAD. Sakura tore herself away from watching Naruto and Kurama play with Chiyo long enough to answer the PAD.

"Lieutenant Sakura here." She answered before the video screen came up.

"Lieutenant Sakura, this is Hokage Tsunade Senju." Her master smirked.

Sakura smiled brightly. "Lady Tsunade! We were just about to call you."

"Oh really? Well I called to check in on your progress with your pregnancy. You should be due soon." Tsunade stated.

"Ha, you're about 3 days too late on that account." Sakura smiled as bright as Naruto.

"What? You gave birth already?! Show me! I wanna see her!" Tsunade demanded happily.

"You got it." Sakura smiled as she turned the PAD around. Tsunade could see through the front facing camera Naruto and Kurama hunched over some squirming little bundle on the couch. Tsunade felt her chest tighten as the camera came closer and closer to the little bundle until the PAD was held directly over the baby.

There she was. A full body camera of the product of Tsunade's two favorite young ninjas. She felt like crying. It was her granddaughter. Her hair as pink as Sakura's with Naruto's whisker marks on her two chubby cheeks.

"Chiyo Uzumaki. Meet Tsunade Senju, your grandmother." Sakura stated as Chiyo cooed at the brightly colored box hanging over her.

"Awwwww..." Tsunade gushed as she wiped tears from her eyes. "She's absolutely perfect..."

"Thanks, Granny." Naruto said from off screen. Tsunade could just look at little Chiyo all day long. Her tiny hands trying to grasp the world.

"Wait a minute. Chiyo? Did you name her after that old crone from the Sand?" Tsunade asked.

"I did. She had a huge hand in saving Gaara and giving me insight to many things." Sakura stated.

"So did I. You know what? It doesn't matter. I'm just annoyed that I can't hold my surrogate granddaughter right now." Tsunade said as Sakura brought the PAD back up to face both her and Naruto.

"I'm sorry, Lady Tsunade. I wish you could come see her." Sakura said.

"Don't worry about me. Just make sure to record everything. I'm sure your parents will want to see this even more than me." Tsunade said.

"Are they in the know about our mission?" Sakura asked.

"They are not. As far as anyone outside of this video conference knows, you two are on a long-term Triple S-ranked ANBU mission." Tsunade replied.

"Then we can't show them the video because they will ask questions." Naruto said.

"We can't, no. Even if you two sent a letter, it would raise too many questions. The Prime Directive is the final secret of the Hokage." Tsunade said sadly.

"Um...about that." Sakura started, making Tsunade raise an eyebrow. "Captain Picard said that Starfleet is looking over our findings I told you about and should be consulting with you and the other Kages on abolishing the Prime Directive on our planet."

"In that case, I will be sharing these videos with your parents on that day." Tsunade said.

"And our friends, especially Ino. She'll want to know the most."

"Of course, but you two should be here to give the news yourself. Videos and photos are a tiny thing compared to meeting little Chiyo for themselves."

"Well, we have another 4 years to go, so." Naruto stated

"Yes, but the fact that you proved that humans and Element and Earth are related means that the Prime Directive could be abolished sooner. At the very least, this means that when you return you can tell all of your friends about your adventures." Tsunade tried to consul.

"This is true and I can't wait for that time." Sakura said.

"Same here. You do not know what kind of torture it is to not run out of my office and grab Shizune to show her Chiyo." Tsunade said.

"I understand. We'd love for her to-"

"Attention Lieutenants Naruto and Sakura. Your presence is required in the meeting lounge." They heard Worf over the coms.

Chiyo cried out at the scary new noise and the two parents sighed.

"Never a dull moment." Naruto sighed.

"I'll take care of her. You two just go." Kurama said.

"Alright. You call us the second there is trouble. I'm serious." Naruto stated.

"Yes, I know."

"I'll let you two go. I'll speak to you later." Tsunade said before she closed the channel.

Five minutes later, Naruto and Sakura were cleaned, dressed, and walking right through the door to the meeting lounge. "Lieutenant Naruto and Sakura Uzumaki, reporting." Naruto spoke upon entering the room.

"Have a seat you two." Picard said as he stood by the view screen on the wall.

Naruto and Sakura nodded before taking a seat next to Riker and Troi.

"Starfleet just contacted me a short while ago. Once we finish with refit and repairs, we'll be plotting a course to the Lylat System." Picard announced, earning some confused looks.

"Lylat System? I've never heard of it." Riker said.

"It is a recently discovered system near the Badlands Sector. It has 3 M-Class Planets and several other planets surrounding a star similar to the Sol System. The system is populated with a humanoid culture that has space travel abilities and is widely used for trading and defense throughout the system. The capital world being the M-Class Planet of Corneria." Data explained.

"Badlands Sector. Why do I not like the sound of that?" Sakura asked.

"I am not certain. It is not a dangerous region of Federation Space." Data said.

"Except for the Maquis." Troi stated.

"Yes, the Maquis inhabit the region around the Badlands nebula. However, the Lylat system is well outside of that region so we shouldn't run into them." Picard assured. "Nevertheless, our mission is a diplomatic mission. We are to proceed to Lylat 4, or Corneria as Mr. Data pointed out, and meet with the planets military leader and political advisor; General Pepper."

Naruto snorted. "Seriously?"

"Is there a problem, Mr. Uzumaki?" Picard asked, being completely serious.

"No...heh...it's just...General Pepper. I don't know why, it's just a funny name."

"So is your name, Mr. Fishcake Swirl." Riker joked.

"That's Lieutenant Fishcake Swirl to you, sir." Naruto joked back.

"And that would make you Cherry Blossom Swirl." Crusher joked at Sakura.

"That sounds like some kind of ice cream." Sakura shrugged.

"Maybe that's why you're so sweet." Naruto replied slyly.

"If we are all done joking around..." Picard mumbled. "Anyway, Mr. Data. You may proceed."

"Yes sir." Data said as he brought up some pictures of the indigenous people. "The habitants of this system are primarily Anthropomorphic species of Earth Animals, similar to the Catian Empire."

Naruto leaned over towards Sakura to have her explain it to him in simpler terms.

"Animal people, Naruto." Sakura whispered.

"Aah." Naruto whispered back.

"And this will be a genuine diplomatic mission? No fleet of ships will be waiting to try their luck with us?" Crusher asked.

"It is doubtful, Doctor. Their ships would not stand a chance against the Enterprise. Their weapons are laser based with plasma propulsion systems and plasma based shields. However, they do possess a type of faster than light travel, but it is not warp drive. I believe it is a form of transwarp called hyperspace." Data explained.

"But it is faster than light, correct?" Picard asked.

"Affirmative, sir." Data confirmed.

"Am I having a stroke, or does this sound like an actual bodyguarding mission for us?" Naruto asked Sakura.

"It's possible." Sakura replied.

"Hey Picard. Are we sure we aren't expecting any trouble?" Naruto asked.

"None, Lieutenant. You and your wife will be doing exactly what we originally brought you on board to do." Picard confirmed.

"Well that'll be a nice change of pace." Sakura smiled. Finally, a guard duty mission.

"It feels weird." Naruto admitted. "You sure you don't want me to have the ANBU set up a defensive perimeter around us when we visit with the leaders?"

"Positive. This is purely a diplomatic mission." Picard stated.

"I am also told that after the initial meetings, there will be a party thrown in our honor."

Sakura and Naruto looked at one another and smiled.

"Hell, I'm game." Sakura said.

"Same here. Oh, but we need to find a baby sitter for Chiyo." Naruto said.

"I'm sure Amanda Adams would be more than willing." Troi suggested.

"Sally would definitely love the chance to spend time with her baby sister." Naruto smirked as he and Sakura remembered how Sally was literally running up the walls in excitement once she got to meet Chiyo.

"True...alright, that can work." Sakura said.

"How is Chiyo doing anyway?" Crusher asked. The rest of the commanders all leaned forward to listen in.

"Happy and healthy." Sakura smiled.

"And crying all the time..." Naruto grumbled.

"Yea...there is that..." Sakura sighed.

Crusher chuckled. "My son was like that all the time when he was first born. You get used to it. Then they start crawling."

"God, I hope so..." Naruto and Sakura said at the same time.

"Chief Kurama to staff meeting. I need Sakura back here. Chiyo's hungry." Kurama said over the coms.

"No problem. I believe that is everything unless someone has anything else to report?" Picard asked.

"Just the refit and repairs report." Geordi said.

"You don't need to be here for that. Go on, Lieutenant." Picard said.

"Thank you." Sakura said before getting up and leaving the room.

"No wait, take me with you." Naruto hissed, dreading the no doubt boring refit report, but Sakura was already gone by the time he called for her.

'Darn it.' Naruto thought to himself as he sat back in his chair while Geordi began explained how all the little sectors in the Enterprise were coming along in terms of repairs.

---

A few days later, the Enterprise was seen leaving Starbase 24 and warping to the Lylat system in what they hoped would be just a diplomatic mission.

During their warp, the Uzumaki, the Adams, and all of the ANBU ninjas could be found on the holodeck getting Sakura ready for her first day back out on the field.

"OH, MY GOOOOD!" Manni shouted as Sakura grabbed him by the collar and threw him clear across the holodeck, right into Iceman who was standing by in the trees, waiting to attack.

April and Sol meanwhile landed in between Sakura and started double teaming her. When one threw a punch, the other aimed a low kick at Sakura's legs to try to throw her off balance. She blocked them both with ease.

"What?!" Sol exclaimed.

"How...?" April gasped.

Sakura just smirked. "I've been doing this a lot longer than you have." She said before blowing them both back.

Ellie then threw a hail of silent senbon needles at Sakura (their tips dulled to not pierce). The first one missed Sakura's ear, but the veteran ANBU picked up exactly where its brothers would be coming from after that. She twirled around the other senbon until she grabbed the last needle out of thin air.

"HOLY!" Ellie cried out before Sakura threw back the senbon and having it pierce the tree trunk right behind Ellie's cheek.

Ellie just quietly shrunk off to the penalty zone where Naruto, Kurama, and the Adams where watching over Chiyo and the match.

"Where is the baby?" Jack Adams said as he covered his face with his hands. "There she is!" He said as he opened his hands to reveal that his face hadn't disappeared, much to Chiyo's delight.

"Oh, she's an angel." Amanda Adams sighed as she served Naruto and Sally their picnic sandwiches while Kurama bathed in the artificial sun.

"Seriously, Naruto? Is this the best they have?" Sakura asked nonchalantly as she caught a kunai aimed for her head with just two fingers.

"Well cut them some slack. They've had less time to train than any ninja in history. I'd rate them all Chunin back at our village. It's not their fault that they are facing off against the second Slug Sannin." Naruto defended.

"Chunin? Ha! I'd rate them as Genin and 1st year at that." Sakura said before she side-stepped three fireballs that were spat at her.

"Genin this!" April shouted just before she launched a barrage of lightning chakra enhanced kunai.

Sakura countered with her own barrage of shuriken, which the lightning enhanced kunai merely shot through like hot knifes through butter. April may have had to dodge the shrapnel remains of the shuriken, but at least her kunai found their mark. Including right in the dead center of Sakura's forehead diamond seal.

"Oh crap!" April shouted before Sakura exploded into smoke and was replaced with a log.

"Not bad, April." Sakura said behind her.

"Huh?" April asked before she felt the cool metal of Sakura's kunai hanging underneath her throat.

"But a Chunin level move executed by a Genin, is still a Genin move." Sakura lectured.

April just smirked before Sakura felt the metal of a kunai under her throat.

"You think so, huh?" April said behind her before her clone blew up in a cloud of smoke.

"I do." Clone Sakura said before she burst into smoke. April immediately turned around, expecting an attack from behind, but Sakura was married to the master of Shadow Clones. She used the smoke as cover to run up and attack April from the front. Landing a chakra enhanced punch right in April's turned cheek.

April was sent flying dozens of yards before skidding to a halt.

"Good try, April!" Naruto called out in between bites of his roast beef sandwich.

Sakura looked around her to see only two of Naruto's ANBU still standing, albeit barely.

"Shameful. Had you all been in the Leaf, you wouldn't be ANBU." Sakura said in disgust. "A few of you have some decent skills, but not enough seasoning."

"Hey, they've lasted this long against a Sannin. True Genin would have been wiped out half an hour ago." Naruto pointed out.

"Maybe, but as a fellow member of the ANBU I can't let this be our standard of excellence. I'm going to have to take a more active role in helping you train them, Naruto." Sakura declared, making the ninjas present all groan.

"Don't fucking groan. If we didn't step in, you'd still be running around aimlessly with phaser rifles shooting at anything that moves. You wanna be the best of the best, don't you? Then you need to work harder. My training for this was 10 times harder than what you're going through." Sakura lectured.

"Hey, you're not our sensei. Naruto is. Lieutenant, say something!" Iceman shouted.

"Oh man, it's gonna suck to be you guys!" Naruto laughed with his mouth full of roast beef.

"Looks like I'm taking over." Sakura smirked.

"Well I'd say more of a partnership. But if she threatens to punch me than you guys are on your own." Naruto smiled, making the rest of the ninjas sweat drop.

"Bridge to holodeck 3." They heard Picard say over the coms.

"Go ahead." Sally answered.

"I need Naruto and Sakura on the bridge. We're getting ready to enter the Lylat system."

"We're busy with a picnic. Call back later." Sally replied.

"I beg your pardon? Who is this?" Picard demanded.

The adults all snickered to themselves at Sally's adorableness.

"Who are you? You called us." Sally replied. Making the officers on the bridge snicker as well.

"Sally, that's captain Picard." Naruto whispered to her.

"You don't know that. It could be an alien invader who stole our Captain's voice." Sally stated with conviction. She knew what she was talking about too. She saw a movie about it last night.

"I told you, you shouldn't have let her watch Invasion of the Body Snatchers." Amanda lectured her husband Jack.

"This is Captain Picard. I demand your name, rank, and serial number." Picard ordered, his voice fuming.

"Sorry, Captain. That was little Sally Adams. This is Naruto." Naruto said laughing.

"Of course, it is...I need you and Sakura on the bridge. We're about to drop out of warp." Picard said, clearly not amused.

"We will be there shortly. Naruto out." He said before cutting the communication.

"Mrs. Adams, I trust that looking after Chiyo won't be too much of a hassle?" Naruto asked.

"None at all, Naruto. Now go on." Amanda smiled.

"You guys are lifesavers. Don't even hesitate if you need a babysitter for Sally." Naruto said as he, Sakura, and Kurama all headed out the door.

Sometime later, the 3 of them arrived on the bridge, just as the ship dropped out of warp.

"We have entered the Lylat system. Approaching the planet Fortuna." Data announced.

"Fortuna? I thought we were going to Corneria." Sakura pointed out.

"We are, but it's on the other side of the system." Riker stated before the proximity sensor started beeping.

"Captain, sensors are picking up two large fleets currently engaged in combat." Data informed.

"Fucking typical." Naruto sighed as he hurriedly sat down on his seat.

"What do you make of them?" Picard asked.

"The attacking fleet seems to match that of the ships used by the Cornerian defense fleet, the defending fleet I am not sure of their origin...We are being hailed." Data reported.

"On screen."

The screen shifted from the planet to a grey rabbit man wearing some kind of uniform.

"This is Peppy Hare of the Star Fox team under jurisdiction to General Pepper. Identify yourself."

"This is Captain Picard of the Federation Starship USS Enterprise. Can we assist in any way?" Picard asked.

"Federation...What brings you folks out this way?" Peppy asked in awe.

"We are here on a diplomatic mission by request of General Pepper. What exactly is going on here?" Picard asked.

"Oh we're just getting rid of remnants of a terrorist cell that has plagued our system for years, but we should be able to handle it." Peppy stated.

"Are you certain? It seems that your fleet is taking quite a beating." Picard said.

"I'm sure. We don't want to drag you into our problems. You just continue on to Corneria while we clean up this mess." Peppy assured.

Picard and the rest of the bridge crew looked at one another before Picard shrugged. "If that is your wish, we'll respect it."

"Captain, one ship from the defending group has broken away and is on an intercept course for us." Worf reported.

"Tactical analysis." Picard ordered.

"22 fusion generated pulse lasers and 4 neutron propelled missile launchers as well as titanium carbide Hull and plasma based shields...They are no match for the Enterprise." Worf reported.

"They'd amount to nothing more than cannon fodder." Riker commented.

"Their weapons wouldn't even make it past the nav shields." Sakura added.

"They have locked weapons and are firing." Worf announced before the ship vibrated slightly. "They hit is with 60 megawatt lasers, no damage."

"Hail them." Picard ordered.

"Save your breath, Captain." Peppy said. "They have no interest in negotiating with anyone."

"I will be the judge of that, if it is all the same to you." Picard said. "Hail them."

"No response. They are firing again." Worf responded.

"Then fire back, Mr. Worf."

"Aye, sir." Worf said before he launched one photon torpedo at the attacking ship, destroying it instantly. "Ship destroyed."

"That was one of their battleships and you took it out so quickly..." Peppy said in awe.

"Our weapons are far superior to your own, I'm afraid. Are you...certain you do not want our help?" Picard asked.

Peppy thought about it for a minute and nodded. "If you can clear a path to the planet, we can focus on their ground forces and their base. And after thinking about it, aiding us would certainly gain you favors with General Pepper."

"Acknowledged. Send us your telemetry on the enemy ships and we'll do what we can." Picard said.

"Sending data now." Peppy said as he transferred over his computer data to the Enterprise. "Data transmitted. You should have it."

Picard looked to Worf who was reading his screen before looking up and nodding. "Data received. Standby to make your run."

"Understood, Enterprise. Great Fox out." Peppy said before closing the channel.

"Alright...lets help them out. Helm, take us straight into the enemy fleet. Mr. Worf, fire at will once we are in range." Picard ordered.

"Aye sir." Worf and Ro responded. Ro maneuvered the Enterprise in position, easily dwarfing most of the other ships as it flew in between the enemy ships and the Corneria defense fleet.

"Target the nearest ship and fire at will." Picard ordered.

"Aye, sir." Worf stated.

One by one, the terrorist ships were systematically destroyed, carving a patch for the Cornerian ships to assault the base.

"Well, this is boring." Sakura sighed.

"Seriously." Naruto added.

"Well considering the beating we took I think it's kinda amusing." Riker stated.

"Hmmm..." Naruto muttered, he didn't find this amusing.

"Quite...Mr. Worf, how close are we to the planet?" Picard asked.

"Nearly there...Wait. we're being hailed...By the lead terrorist ship." Worf reported.

"Cease firing and put them on screen." Picard ordered.

The screen view changed to a well-dressed ape looking man who looked absolutely furious.

"This is Captain Picard from the USS Enterprise-E, diplomatic vessel of Star Fleet and the United Federation of Planets. To whom am I speaking?" Picard spoke dutifully.

"I am the great Andrew Oikiny. How dare you attack my troops?!"

"Forgive me, but I am under the impression that one of your ships attacked mine first. We tried to hail you before opening fire, but you did not respond. Not to mention the fleet you are currently engaging with has recently made efforts to join the Federation. Making them our allies." Picard explained.

"I don't care WHO you are! You will bow down to the rightful Emperor and heir to the great Andross or die!"

'Is he serious? His pea shooters didn't make a dent in us while we have been picking off his battleships like flies?' Kurama thought to Naruto.

'He's serious...he's hiding something.' Naruto thought back.

"I will give you one last chance. Surrender peacefully to the Cornerians or we will destroy the remainder of your fleet." Picard ordered.

"Never! Fire the assault cannons!" Andrew barked before closing the channel.

"Sir, we are detecting a massive power surge from their lead ship." Data reported.

Picard was skeptical. "How much?"

"Power is at 800 gigawatts and rising." Worf reported.

"That would have destroyed the Enterprise D without much effort." Riker commented.

"And what about the Enterprise E?" Naruto asked.

"We can take a 2 Terrawatt burst before the shields collapse." Data said.

"Power build up at 1.3 Terrawatts." Worf reported.

"Shields up." Picard ordered.

The crew all braced themselves as the enemy ship's power reached its peak and they unleashed their cannon.

4 bright read beams shot out from Oikiny's ship and impacted against the Enterprise shields, causing the ship to shake violently and the red alert alarms to blare.

"Shields at 50% and dropping!" Worf reported.

"Forward hull plating bulking! Hull breach imminent!" Riker announced.

"Long range sensors offline! Auxiliary power down to 10%!" Sakura announced.

"Dorsal phasers offline!" Naruto reported before the beams ceased.

"Status report!" Picard called out.

"Shields are at 43%. We cannot take another hit like that." Worf reported.

"Injuries reported on all decks." Sakura reported.

"Hull integrity is down to 94%, but holding. No hull breaches reported." Data said.

"Dorsal phasers are offline. Torpedo tubes still functional." Naruto reported.

"Arm Quantum torpedoes and fire." Picard growled.

Naruto worked on arming the torpedoes when Andrew hailed them again.

"This is an outrage! Your ship should be obliterated by that attack!" Andrew bellowed.

"You have committed an act of aggression against the United Federation of Planets! If you and your forces do not withdraw immediately you will be destroyed!" Picard shouted in anger.

"NEVER!" Andrew bellowed.

"Lieutenant... Fire torpedoes." Picard ordered.

"Aye, Captain." Naruto said before he typed the command into his console.

As soon as he did, 4 balls of blue light fired from underneath the ship and hit their target.

"UNCLE ANDROOOOSS!" Oikiny cried out as his ship exploded into a fireball of shattered metal.

There was a silence on the bridge as the flash of light from the exploding ships was snuffed out by the vacuum of space. It all seemed so anti-climactic.

"Um...yay, we won?" Naruto said, summarizing everyone's feelings.

"The other ships are retreating to the surface. The Great Fox is hailing us." Worf announced.

"On screen." Picard ordered. The screen immediately switched to Peppy.

"Good work, Captain. There for a minute, I thought Oikini's assault cannons were going to roast you." Peppy praised.

"We had our doubts as well. Thankfully our ship's upgrades have proven effective. What was this battle all about? This is hardly the welcome we were expecting." Picard said.

"As I have said, we were weeding out the remainder of the forces belonging to a man named Andross. He was a tyrant who nearly conquered the entire system, but thanks to my team and I, we took him down once and for all. What we weren't expecting was for Oikini to show up and rally the remainder of his forces to finish Andross's work."

"I see...well, if we're no longer needed here, we need to go see General Pepper." Picard said.

"Yes, of course. I'll be sure to send word that you have arrived in the system and put in a good word for you fine folks as well. You take care, now." Peppy said.

As soon as the screen turned off, Sakura turned on her combadge to make a personal call. "Sakura to Amanda, is Chiyo alright? Are you guys alright?"

"Yeah, we're fine. No worries." Amanda reported.

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. Everything should be fine now. We'll come see Chiyo as soon as we are able."

"Understood. Adams out."

"Well then..." Picard sighed as he straightened his top. "Helm, resume course to Corneria, warp 2."

"Aye, sir." Ro said as she issued the commands.

Right before all of the other ships, they watched the massive Federation ship turn and jump to warp.

"On course to Corneria. ETA, 10 minutes." Ro reported.

"Right then. Uzumaki's, you're dismissed for now." Picard said.

"Thank you, sir." Naruto said as he and Sakura bowed their heads before sitting up and heading out the door.

"Well that was a scare I didn't need." Sakura sighed.

"Tell me about it. I thought I would have to assemble my ANBU for another sabotage mission." Naruto said. It was an unspoken agreement between veteran ninjas such as the two of them that you never wanted to send men out into the field after they had just exhausted themselves with training. Never mind trying to hold their own with a Sannin.

"No kidding. Deck 5." Sakura ordered the computer. "Well...two things we can do. We can go see our daughter, or we can fool around a bit."

Naruto froze up for a bit before realizing that his wife was serious. Then his dumb expressionless face turned into his beloved smirk. "You are such a vixen, you know that?"

"I know...And I'm not sorry..." Sakura smirked as she squirmed around a little.

"You know what's weird? A week ago, I wouldn't hesitate to jump you after you wiggled around like that." Naruto said as he kept his eyes glued to her hips swaying back and forth. "Now I want to do that, but I also want to see our baby girl. I am genuinely torn."

"Think you can do a five-minute quickie?"

"I don't think I'll last that long if you keep moving like that." Naruto said as he grabbed Sakura's waist and yanked her in close. She gave a playful shriek as their lower halves melded together, separated by a few pesky layers of clothing. Their lips smashed together and Naruto teleported them both to their bedroom. Naruto slipped his tongue into Sakura's mouth as he dipped her down. Sakura's arms snaked around his head and pulled his face closer to hers. Naruto then scooped her up, twirled her around and tossed her onto the bed. Sakura giggled like a school girl as she bounced on the bed and settled onto her butt with her elbows propping her up for a show. Naruto waiting for their eyes to meet before he zipped off his Star Fleet uniform to reveal his bare chest to his wife. His muscles were taught and slightly glistening from sweat. Around his naval, Sakura could see his modified Four Point Seal appearing on his skin like a tattoo. That told Sakura that Naruto's chakra was flowing through his system, which was a telling trait of a ninja being aroused.

"Like what you see?" Naruto inquired as his hands linger down to the fly of his pants to tease Sakura with what remain hidden from her view.

Sakura licked her rosy pink lips. "I don't know..." Sakura ran her zipper down her torso, letting her C-cup breasts contained in her tight black sports bra peek out. "Do you?" She asked as she spread her knees apart.

"God yes." Naruto breathed before he attacked Sakura.

Sakura moaned loudly as Naruto attacked her breast like a hungry animal. "Ugh...s-skip the foreplay..."

"Anything for you, my vixen." Naruto breathed into Sakura's neck.

---

Nearly 10 minutes on the dot, the ship dropped out of warp and started orbiting what they think is Corneria. The sheer size of the planet was breath taking to say the least. It was nearly twice the size of Earth and over 3 times the size of Element. It was insane on how big it was.

"Beautiful." Picard said to himself. Even after so many years serving Star Fleet, he could still find wonder in the many new worlds he got to see.

"Scanning the planet...astounding..." Data said in simulated awe.

"What've you got, Mr. Data?" Riker asked.

"The planet is inhabited by over a trillion humanoid life signs."

"A trillion?" Riker repeated.

"Yes Commander. That is more than Earth an Element put together."

"My God. Isn't that something?" Riker said.

"Indeed...an impressive planet. One I would very much enjoy getting to see closer." Picard agreed.

"Captain, we are being hailed by the planet." Worf announced.

"On screen." Picard requested.

The next thing they saw was the face of what looked to be an old bloodhound.

"Ahh...you must be Captain Picard...I am General Pepper." The old dog introduced.

"Greetings. It is good to finally make your acquaintance. We had a bit of a rough welcome upon arriving in your system."

"I've heard and I thank you for aiding our fleet...however, I do wish you stayed there a little longer." Pepper said.

"How so?" Picard inquired.

"I will explain once you come down...a tractor barge will guide your ship to the surface."

"Uh...I'm afraid our ship isn't designed to land or enter the gravity well of a planet." Picard said.

Pepper chuckled. "Worry not. I'm aware of Star Fleet's design of ships and we have areas to compensate for the gravitational pull of our planet. Follow the barge and it will guide you to the appropriate area."

"Thank you, Picard out." Picard stated.

"Sir, starship approaching from the surface...the captain requests we power down all non-essential systems." Worf stated.

"Make it so, Mister Worf."

Worf and Data worked on powering down all non-essential systems. Warp drive, running lights, navigational deflector, anything that wasn't life support, thrusters and impulse engines.

Then they felt the ship jolt a little. "Sir, they have locked a tractor beam on us and is gently guiding us to the surface." Worf reported.

"Very good. Be sure to keep our sensor relay scanning the surrounding ships. If this happens to be a trap then I want to know about it beforehand." Picard said.

"Aye sir." Worf said as he stood by at his console.

"We are now entering the stratosphere of the planet." Data reported.

"Let's hope their docking bays are more advanced than their laser beams. Otherwise we may start crashing rather than landing." Riker said.

"Agreed. All hands, Blue Alert." Picard announced over the coms, causing a certain type of alarm to sound with blue flashing lights throughout the ship.

Back in the Adams's living quarters, Naruto looked up in surprise at the blue flashing lights while Sakura cradled their infant daughter in her arms.

"What's that?" Naruto asked. In all his time aboard the Enterprise, he had never seen the lights flash blue.

"I...don't really know. Computer, what is our alert status?" Sakura asked.

"BLUE ALERT HAS BEEN ACTIVATED. LANDING PROCEDURES IN PROGRESS." The computer responded.

"You two don't know about the Blue Alert?" Sally asked as she lay on the floor, kicking her legs out as she watch Sakura hold Chiyo.

"Can't say that we do. Is this a normal thing?" Naruto asked.

"Not really." Jack said. "Blue Alert is used only when the ship is about to land."

"Wait a minute, I thought this ship couldn't land on a planet." Sakura pointed out. She held Chiyo tighter to her chest.

"Normally it can't. The planet we are visiting must have extremely low gravity. Or maybe they have some kind of anti-gravity technology that the United Federation doesn't." Jack suggested.

"Hmm...that would make sense." Naruto nodded.

Sakura relaxed her hold on Chiyo who continued to sleep peacefully in her arms. Just the sight of her breathing was enough to calm Sakura down. Or when she felt her daughter's heart beat against her skin. Just like whenever she felt Naruto's heartbeat.

A few minutes passed and the blue alarm ceased flashing. There was a low rumble along the ship and then silence.

"All hands, this is the captain. We have landed on the planet Corneria and are welcomed to enjoy everything they have. All nonessential personnel may disembark at their leisure."

"That sounds like us." Naruto said before his thoughts inevitably turned back to his daughter. "Do you think they'll let us take Chiyo with us while we stand by Picard when he meets with General Pepper." Then a terrifying thought occurred to Naruto. "Should we even take Chiyo-chan outside of the ship? What about alien germs?"

"I think you're overreacting a bit." Amanda said.

"You don't know." Naruto replied.

Jack just chuckled. "Ah, the joys of being a first-time parent."

"If the Captain is letting everyone disembark, then the atmosphere is safe to breathe." Sakura said, the higher part of her brain knowing that it would be perfectly safe for Chiyo as well. But the worrying parent in her completely agreed with Naruto's point as well.

"Picard to Lieutenant Naruto and Sakura Uzumaki, report to the docking bay at once." Picard spoke over the coms.

"Understood. Um, are we allowed to bring Chiyo? Is it safe?" Naruto asked.

"The environment is safe for her if you wish to bring her. But please keep her quiet." Picard answered.

"Keep a week-old baby quiet?" Amanda blew air out of her nose. "Yeah, good luck with that."

"I don't know. Kurama does a good job with it." Sakura stated.

"Well I do remember her calming down once she was pressed against my chest when I was in Golden Kyuubi Mode. Maybe Kurama's chakra has a calming effect on her." Naruto suggested.

"Well, there ya go." Sakura shrugged as she carefully stood up.

"Alright, then its settled." Naruto said. "I'll grab the diaper bag and meet you by the elevator?"

"Yup. I'll be waiting." Sakura smiled before heading out the door.

"Come on, Sally. Go get ready." Amanda said.

"Alright, mommy." Sally said before she ran back into her room.

A short while later, the Uzumaki's, the Adams and the Haruno's met in the fore docking bay, there they saw out of the windows a long tube attached to the side of the ship.

They also saw outside of the window a very advanced looking civilization with a ton of people walking around.

"Damn...this place is cool..." Naruto said in awe.

"Language..." Sakura and Amanda hissed.

"Oh come on, she can't understand me yet." Naruto said.

"I wouldn't bet on that. Besides, there is one here who does." Sakura pointed out that Sally was within ear shot.

"I've just gotten used to it." Sally admitted.

"Well it doesn't mean you should hear it." Amanda stated.

"Whatever mom, I do what the Hell I want." Sally exclaimed.

Naruto and Jack burst out laughing at the young girls shocking comment.

"Sally! You are one more word away from being grounded young lady!" Amanda scolded.

The adults all chuckled while Sally apologized profusely to her mother.

"Uzumaki! Over here!" Picard shouted at them.

Naruto and Sakura looked around until they say Picard waving for them.

"There is our Captain." Naruto said as he made a beeline for Picard, followed closely behind by Sakura and Chiyo.

"Lieutenants." Picard greeted them.

"Hi, Captain." Sakura smiled

"Hello yourself. You seem to be rather chipper right now." Picard said.

"Well Chiyo here let us sleep for a full 4 hours last night and I finally got a half decent workout when I sparred with Naruto's students. So, I am finally not feeling sluggish." The New Slug Sannin chirped as she bounced her baby.

"All sounds good to me." Picard smiled before he tickled Chiyo's chin gently. Chiyo giggled at her godfather's touch.

"So, what are we doing right now? Meeting with General Pepper or are we just escorting you through a site seeing tour?" Naruto asked.

"I am supposed to be notified when he is ready for our meeting." Picard stated.

"Well then let's see what kind of cute baby clothes they have on this planet." Sakura decided. "My little angel has to look her best if she is going to meet the leader of an entire planet."

"Agreed. I'm eager to see what they have as well." Picard nodded.

"That sounds so cute." April squealed.

"Yay." Naruto, Jack, and Hajime said.

"Well don't you lot just sound full of joy." Sakura pointed out sarcastically.

"So long as we admit I won't find it exciting I will go along with it." Naruto raised his hands up.

"You might, you never know." Sakura shrugged as their group was allowed to proceed through the docking tube.

The group made their way through the tube where they were able to instantly see how the Enterprise was docked. It was suspended in the air by several tractor beams above the water surrounding the city, just high enough for boats to get underneath it to conduct what repairs they could manage.

"It's so weird seeing this ship from the outside." Sakura said in awe.

"Now you know the view I got when I was in the Aceton field." Naruto stated.

"Well I also saw it when we took the shuttle to the Enterprise-E on our wedding day." Sakura reminded him.

"Oh right. Point taken."

"But little Chiyo hasn't." Sakura said as she bounced their baby some more.

"I think the city is a lot more interesting." Hajime said as he pointed to the city skyline.

"Woooah!" Sally exclaimed.

"Holy sh-uh, smokes..." Naruto breathed out in awe.

"Better." Sakura said as she too beheld the city in awe. It was beautiful with massive structures of simple architecture and glass walls.

"Remarkable..." Picard said in awe. The group just took in the view. Months on end spent inside a glorified tin can could make anyone appreciate the view of wide open spaces. They could see the locals ogling their ship in awe, almost like they had never seen a ship like the Enterprise before. Which was true. They could also see flying cars traveling around the city as well as people walking everywhere. But there was one thing that started flying in that they didn't expect to see. Another large ship with 4 wings flying into a docking area near the Enterprise. What they were able to see of it, was a banner painted on it that said Star Fox.

"That must be the Great Fox." Picard mused.

"Incredible that a ship that size can land on the surface of a planet without assistance." Jack said.

"It must have been designed to." Sakura guessed.

"Wow, of only we could design the Enterprise like that." The engineer in Jack said.

"Well, the new Intrepid class and the Defiant class ships are designed to land on surfaces. I'm surprised that they were able to land the Enterprise the way they did." Picard said.

"One of the benefits of cooperation." Hajime said. "They can teach us as much as we can teach them."

"An update to their weapons and shields would definitely be in order." Sakura mused.

"That's for more specialized minds than ours to decide." Naruto said. Knowing from his political training in preparation for becoming Hokage that one nation increasing the strength of new ally rarely went off without a hitch.

"He's right, Sakura." Picard said. "One thing that it states in the Prime Directive is that we cannot share technology in defense and offense."

"Yet I taught Security Officers the ways of the ninja." Naruto pointed out.

"That's different. That's not handing a bunch of cavemen rifles to hunt when they can turn around and use them to take land that's not theirs." Jack said logically.

"Exactly. If we gave them our technology for weapons and shields, they could use that technology against factions or races who do not possess the same technology." Picard stated.

"So, it's a safety thing." Sakura mused.

"More or less. That went into effect during the Federations founding when captain Archer was in command of the first Starship Enterprise." Jack confirmed.

"I would argue that the training Naruto has given April and the others could be used to give Star Fleet a leg up on their enemies as well." Hajime stated. "Think about it. Thanks to them, one ship was able to hold its own against ten Warbirds."

"But the thing is, Starfleet knows that they wouldn't use our skills to wipe out an entire empire. If they were going to do that, they would have enslaved our planet. Kind of what the Romulans... would... do... oh God..." Sakura said before she realized a terrifying thought. "Element is near the Romulan border...what if they trace our powers to Element?"

"I wouldn't worry about that too much." Picard said.

"Why wouldn't I?" Sakura demanded.

"Because the Romulan Commander that wanted to take Naruto hostage in order to experiment on him and learn the secrets of his powers didn't even know that he was an Elementian. They thought he was just another Earthling." Picard said.

"And you don't think their passing ships can detect our planet and its life forms?" Sakura countered.

"If they do, we'll know about it." Picard stated, earning a look from Sakura wanting him to elaborate. "That system is littered with sensor and communication buoy's. If they so much as get within a lightyear to your planet, we'll know about it."

"Nice to know that Starfleet protects its own." Naruto said.

"Indeed, we do." Picard said as they arrived at the security checkpoint at the end of the tube.

"Greetings, and welcome to Corneria. If you have any weapons, please leave them here. They will be processed and categorized and held until your departure." The guard said, who looked like a Husky in a soldier's uniform.

Naruto and Sakura then unstrapped their kunai pouches from around their thighs and handed them over to the Husky. April then followed suit and Picard placed his side arm on the tray. Jack also relinquished his pocket phaser.

"What about those?" The guard asked, pointing to the tricorders that Sakura and Hajime had.

"These are tricorders. Scanners." Hajime said.

"And what are they for?" The guard asked.

"Medical. I'm a doctor and Hajime is my assistant." Sakura informed.

"Very well, proceed." The guard said, letting them pass.

"They are rather trusting." Naruto said as they made their way down the hall.

"Naturally. They want an alliance with us." Jack said.

"That's no reason to not assume the tricorder is a weapon just because we say it isn't." Naruto said.

"They are aware of what some of our technology can and cannot do." Picard said vaguely.

"Alright." Naruto shrugged.

Once they were far enough from the gate, that's when Sakura turned around and saw the Enterprise in all of her glory, still letting off heavy amounts of steam from being in the cold darkness that is space.

"Come on, Sakura-chan. We've already seen the ship." Naruto urged.

"So what? It's still fascinating." Sakura replied.

"Indeed, but we really must be going." Picard said.

"Fine." Sakura said. That's when Chiyo started crying.

Sakura sweat dropped before she started rocking Chiyo. "Shhhh...It's okay Chiyo..." She soothed.

"What's wrong, little angel?" Naruto asked as he stood over the both of them.

"I don't know. I fed her an hour ago. She shouldn't need a nap for a while. What could it be?" Sakura listed off.

"Diaper change, from the sounds of it." Amanda said.

"And the smell..." Sally grimaced.

Sakura lifted Chiyo up to diaper inspecting level and took a great big sniff.

Sakura immediately turned green from the stench. "Ugh...oh yea...definite need of a change..."

"I'll grab the diaper bag." Naruto said before he Thunder God-ed back to their living quarters and returned in 20 seconds with said diaper bag.

"I can't just change her out in the open, you know." Sakura stated.

"Alright." Naruto said as he created a platoon of Shadow Clones to stand shoulder to shoulder to form a barrier around Sakura and Chiyo.

As Sakura started changing Chiyo, Hajime and April were looking out over the city skyline, taking in the view.

"It really is nice here..." April said as she laid her head on her husband's shoulder.

"It really is..." Hajime agreed as he relished the feeling of being so close to his wife. His regrow shoulder muscles still felt stiff, but thanks to Sakura and her amazing medical ninjutsu, he would be back to 100% in a few more days.

"Did you...ever want to have one as well?" April asked.

"A city?" Hajime asked.

"No...a baby." April blushed.

Hajime turned to look at April with surprise on his face. It wasn't that he had never considered having a family with April. He just hadn't been expecting the question as of late.

April looked up at Hajime and saw a smile in his face. "Only if that baby had your red hair."

She smiled brightly. "Really...?"

"Of course. Having a daughter with your long hair would be the cutest thing ever. And a son with your straight red hair would be pretty handsome too I imagine."

"What's wrong with yours?" April asked.

"Nothing. I just really love your hair." Hajime said as he buried his nose atop April's crown.

"Then why don't we have one?" April suggested.

"You don't think it's too early?" Hajime asked.

"No... why would it be? It's not like we're working for money."

"True...I don't know, I guess I just assumed we would both be farther along in our careers before we truly settled down."

"As long as I make Lieutenant, I'm happy. And that can happen anytime now. Plus, you're Sakura's second since you've been learning medical ninjutsu from her. You could hit Commander in a year."

"I... honestly didn't think of that..." Hajime mused as he thought about what the future would bring them. Him...as commander and assistant chief medical officer. A beautiful wife with 2 or 3 beautiful children. It all sounded amazing

"And you would make an awesome father." April smiled.

"You really think so?" Hajime asked.

"I do. I've seen you with Chiyo, you're a natural." April beamed.

"You're no slouch either. You'd make a terrific mother." Hajime smiled.

"You exaggerating. I was always yelling at my younger cousins when they wouldn't behave." April said.

"And that's what a parent should do. I do the same to my cousins and siblings." Hajime said.

"But you're so calm and understanding. I'm so brutish." April said.

"Well, so what? Children need discipline. Without it, they would just be spoiled brats." Hajime said logically.

"I guess. I just really want my own little baby to hold like Sakura and Naruto." April admitted.

"And you'll have it..." Hajime assured with a bright smile.

"Gang way!" A Naruto clone shouted as he ran past the both of them with a nuclear dirty diaper.

"And... we'll get to deal with that." Hajime chuckled.

"Thankfully we will have their powers too."

"True..."

"So... when will I expect to be getting baby clothes?" April giggled.

"Whenever you want..." Hajime said happily.

"R-really...? You mean it...?" April said, misty eyed.

"I do...my little tomato..." Hajime smiled.

"Shuddup, you know I hate when you call me that." April pouted.

'In public.' Hajime finished in his head.

"Hey you two. What's up? Sakura asked as she came up behind them.

"We're gonna start a family." April beamed.

"Oh...oh boy..." Sakura sighed.

"Well we just finished talking about it." Hajime said.

"Well, at least you're talking about it." Sakura said.

Hajime and April looked at Sakura in confusion.

"What? Something wrong?" Hajime asked.

"No, no. Not at all. Having a child is great if you plan ahead. We made that mistake and we're completely lost most of the time. Amanda is helping us a lot with Taking care of our bundle of joy." Sakura informed as she held onto Chiyo.

"You don't wish you could have planned for Chiyo?" April asked.

"Oh we do. We wished we took our time to get our lives situated first. Hell, we would've waited until we got home before we even got married, never mind a child. but...fate had other planes I guess. Not that we're complaining." Sakura said as she rubbed her nose against Chiyo's playfully.

"Do you think we should wait?" April asked.

"That's for you two to decide. If you feel like you're ready now, then go for it. Just make sure you have all your ducks in a row first." Sakura advised as Chiyo giggled.

"I second that." Jack spoke up while Amanda took Sally to a public restroom.

April turned and looked at Hajime with a look that said "What do you think?".

Hajime thought it over hard for a moment before deciding. "April...I know you want a child...but we're not even 20 yet and we have probably another 100 years left to live. We should just focus on what's in front of us for right now."

April sighed. "Yeah, you're right. We'll talk about it later. For now, let's enjoy our shore leave."

"Lets." Hajime smiled before the two of them walked hand in hand to see more of the city.

Two hours later, after everyone had explored most of the city and Sakura scoring a nice infant set that she just couldn't resist getting, Naruto, Sakura, Riker, Picard, Troi and Worf just entered the meeting chambers where General Pepper himself was sitting at a very long table, looking over paperwork.

"And that should be it..." Pepper said before he looked up at the Starfleet officers. "Ah...Captain Picard and company...please, have a seat. We have much to discuss..."

"Of course. That you for having us, General Pepper." Picard greeted as Sakura and Naruto bowed with Chiyo in Naruto's hands for a change.

"Oh my...IS that, you're pup? She's a cute little thing." General Pepper said with what they assumed was a smile.

"She is, sir. Just a week old." Naruto smiled.

"My my...how adorable..."

"Thank you." Sakura smiled as Chiyo suckled at Naruto's chest to try to get the milk that wasn't there.

"I think she's hungry..." Pepper chuckled.

"Yes, I'm so sorry, is there a private room or a restroom I could use?" Sakura asked, not wanting to take her breast out in front of the leader of the planet.

"Yes..." Pepper said before he summoned one of his aides. "Pricilla, can you show this young lady to the ladies' room?"

"Yes sir." The female golden retriever known as Pricilla said before approaching Sakura. "Please come with me, miss."

"Thank you." Sakura said as she took Chiyo from Naruto's arms. Her heart melted when she saw Chiyo trying to hold on to Naruto's arm before she finally relented.

Pricilla then escorted Sakura and Chiyo out of the room while everyone else sat down.

"Before we begin...I must introduce you to my most trusted team..." Pepper said before the doors behind him opened up to reveal 5 newcomers, one of which Picard recognized. "Allow me to introduce you to the Star Fox team."

They all nodded at the arrival of an orange fox, a green frog, a grey rabbit, a blue falcon and...

'Woah...she's beautiful...' Kurama thought in awe as he looked through Naruto's eyes at the blue fox woman.

'You think so?' Naruto thought. He honestly wasn't certain. The fox woman certainly had the curves of a woman, but that face...it was off-putting to the ninja.

'Kit, you have to summon me. I'm begging you.'

'We're in the middle of a meeting with General Pepper. I can't just summon you out of nowhere. How will that look?' Naruto thought.

'Do you think I care?'

'I think you have to suck it up for now. I'll summon you after the meeting, but we cannot screw it up now.' Naruto offered.

"Allow me to introduce you... Peppy Hare whom you've already met, Falco Lambardi, Slippy Toad, Krystal is the newest member, and the leader, Fox McCloud." Pepper introduced.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Picard nodded.

"Likewise. We greatly appreciate your help. That's a fine ship you have." Fox said.

"Seriously. We could really use that kind of firepower." Falco commented.

"Especially now with the Aparoids." Slippy said.

"I'm sorry, Aparoids?" Picard asked.

"Yes..." Pepper sighed just as Sakura came back with Chiyo. "They are a race of machines who assimilate other machines and people to do their bidding...we encountered them 17 years ago. One Aparoid destroyed an entire fleet of Cornerian ships. We were nearly wiped out from that, but somehow, we survived. But what came after this Aparoid today has us really worried..."

"A cubical shaped ship arrived and identified themselves as-"

"The Borg..." Naruto growled, cutting Peppy off.

"I'm sorry, what are "the Borg?"" Pepper asked.

"Mr. Worf...contact Starfleet and tell them to send everything they have." Picard ordered.

"Yes sir." Worf said before getting up and leaving.

"General...the Borg are very similar to these Aparoids as you described them. They are extremely powerful and will assimilate every race they come across. They take life forms, twist them, and mold them into cyborgs known as drones to assist in assimilating other cultures...if the Borg are here, then not only is your system in grave danger, but the entire quadrant as well." Picard warned.

"Oh dear..." Peppy breathed out in horror.

"So, what's the big deal? We just blast them and the Aparoids and be done with it." Falco said like it was no big deal.

"It's not that simple. The Borg operate on a collective consciousness and have the technology to adapt to any kind of weapon we use against them. Once they adapt, our weapons are useless at that point." Troi informed.

"That explains why I couldn't sense any thought patterns..." Krystal spoke.

"Don't underestimate the Borg. One of their cubes destroyed our last ship, the Enterprise-D." Naruto said gravely.

"Indeed...while the Enterprise E is far more advanced, she still cannot withstand a Borg Cube by herself." Picard confirmed.

Looks of great concern were exchanged among the Cornerians. If the Federations most powerful ship couldn't withstand just one Cube when it could wipe out almost the entirety of Oikini's fleet, they had no chance by themselves.

"Fear not. The United Federation of Planets takes care of its own. We'll stop them before they can assimilate any of your people." Naruto stated.

"Too late, I'm afraid..." Peppy sighed sadly. "They assimilated several Cornerian ships before we could retreat. But as we were doing so, a swarm of Aparoids appeared and started aiding the Borg."

"Captain...I need to know...is there anything we can do to stop these threats?" Pepper asked.

Picard sighed heavily. "As you are now, no."

Then Picard leaned back in his chair. "However, my chief of security has left to contact Starfleet. Once they receive this information, they will send every available ship to this sector. They may even contact some of our allies to aid us to drive them back."

"That's great and all, but what about us? We should be able to do something to help. This is our home and we won't let it go without a fight." Fox said.

Picard sighed again. "The Prime Directive forbids me from giving you any of our offensive and defensive technology."

"What?! Then how are we supposed to defend ourselves?! Are we just supposed to-"

"Be silent, Falco." Pepper ordered, making the latter shrink back into his chair.

"We ask that you trust in us, your allies." Naruto stated with conviction. "No victims of the Borg shall go unanswered."

"There...is a way we may be able to help." Pepper said before he picked up a file in regards to the recent appearance of the Aparoids. "According to Peppy's report, we have received a memory core from a destroyed Aparoid. Its information is limited, but if we can find a complete core, we can find the location of the Aparoid Homeworld and possibly the location of where the Borg may be staging."

"That would be a tremendous help if you can gather that information. My science officers are at your disposal." Picard said, making Sakura look up after hearing that.

"Sorry, what?" Sakura asked.

"Starting now, you and any other science officer I can spare are going to aid the General's science division in locating the Aparoids and the Borg. The survival of all life is counting on you." Picard stated.

"The...survival of all..." Sakura sputtered before she felt her head spinning.

Sensing what was about to happen, Naruto quickly took Chiyo from Sakura's arms before his wife nearly fainted.

"You okay, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

"Yea...just...overwhelmed is all..." Sakura said, a little dizzy.

"That's good. For a second there I thought I was dating Hinata again." Naruto joked.

"No... I'm good." Sakura said before she flicked him on the nose. "Don't ever compare me to Hinata again."

"What if I said you were more beautiful than her?" Naruto asked.

"Well...I can't tell you..." She said before leaning to whisper into his ear. "In public..."

"I greatly appreciate the help, Captain...our research facility is in orbit above Corneria." Pepper said before he grabbed what looked like a PAD. He used a stylus to scribble down something on the PAD before handing it off to his aid to give to Picard. "From this moment on...Corneria and its surrounding populated planets...are now in full cooperation with the United Federation of Planets and her allies."

Picard looked at the document on the PAD and smiled. "Welcome to the United Federation of Planets, General."

Everyone in the room began clapping, including Sakura and Naruto as best as he could. For the first time, the two veteran ANBU finally got to see a successful alliance treaty signed. Even though the fate of the galaxy was at stake.

---

Sometime later, a large reception was waiting in the forward lounge of the Enterprise where General Pepper, his aids, the Star Fox Team and many other welcomed guests were in attendance. They were allowed to roam the ship freely into certain areas, getting a good look at technology that was either similar to theirs, or better.

The Star Fox Team split up and went their own ways to view the ship. Slippy was getting a wonderful tour of main engineering.

"This is amazing! I've never seen such a propulsion system before." Slippy beamed.

"Well, that's over 200 years of development and improvement for you." Geordi said proudly. "Our Mk. 10 Antimatter Intermix Chamber or warp core, can take old and warn out dilithium crystals and regenerate them for continued use for up to 20 years if we need them to."

"This ship uses antimatter?" Slippy stammered in shock. "But that stuff is really unstable!"

"We take every safety precaution needed to make sure we don't have it blowing up in our faces. And in the event of a core breach, we have an ejection system that will dump the core out into space and keeping the ship from blowing up." Geordi said.

"But then what do you use for propulsion afterwards?"

"We have sublight impulse engines that run off a much more refined method of cold fusion. The hull of the ship acts like a huge solar panel, collecting even the most minute amount of solar radiation and converts that to reserve energy that gets stored into several battery cells. That energy gets used to power the impulse engines when the core is either offline or ejected."

"Awesome..." Slippy said in awe.

Meanwhile, Sakura and Crusher were showing Krystal the medical bay and how their medical technology had improved over the centuries.

"And using this tricorder for its most basic functions, we can get an immediate reading on a patient's vital life stats including heartrate, blood pressure, body temperature, and even their rate of breathing." Sakura explained.

"Amazing. This is a lot different than what we use." Krystal said in awe.

"Yes. Everything we have aboard the Enterprise is state of the art. Best of the best." Sakura declared.

"I see...I hope we have medical technology like this someday."

"Well, that is something that Starfleet can share." Crusher stated.

"Wonderful! The medical corps will be very pleased." Krystal smiled.

"Yes, this is usually the most welcome gift that the Federation bestows upon those planets that join their ranks." Crusher smiled.

"And I'm sure I speak for everyone how pleased we will be with this gift. Thank you so much."

They heard the doors open just then. They turned to see Naruto coming in with a rather upset Chiyo.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Sakura-chan, but I think Chiyo needs to be fed. I've tried everything else." Naruto said automatically.

"No, it's not that." Krystal said.

"Huh?" Naruto asked.

"She's not hungry. She wants something else."

"How do you know?" Sakura asked.

"I'm telepathic. I can read her mind. She wants...Kurama. Who's that?" Krystal asked.

"Oh that." Naruto said before he burst into golden flames. Krystal nearly screamed when the alien spontaneously combusted in front of her, but her fears were quickly alleviated when the man reappeared before her dressed in a shining golden jacket and holding his unharmed daughter.

Chiyo instantly calmed down once she felt the familiar warm chakra lulling her to sleep.

"What...What is that...? I sense so much energy and... two consciousnesses?" Krystal asked in astonishment.

"Long story. Promise you won't freak out?" Naruto asked. Knowing that if the fox woman called him a monster of any kind than Sakura would bean her over the head and cause a galactic incident.

"I-I'm okay...It feels...Warm and comforting. Can all humans do this?"

"No. Not exactly. I'd say I am one of two humans left who can do this. And no one else does it like I do it." Naruto said.

"What do you mean?" Krystal asked.

"I'm sorry I have no idea how to explain this simply. Can you imagine a sentient being of pure energy?" Naruto inquired.

"You mean like a spirit? If so, yes. I was in tune with spirits before." Krystal said, now seemingly more understanding. But in reality, she had read Naruto's mind and learned what this really was.

"Well yeah. I had one of these spirits sealed inside me and through training and mutual understanding I can call upon his power whenever I need it."

"I see. That doesn't sound all that different from Krazoa Spirits."

"And what are those?"

"What kind of spirits?" Sakura asked.

"Krazoa Spirits. They are said to be the life essences of the Krazoa God who created this system. His shrines are everywhere on Sauria." Krystal stated.

"So... like ghosts?" Naruto said nervously.

"Not exactly. Krazoa Spirits are wisps of pure energy. But the spirits around you and your family are another story." Krystal pointed out.

"Yeah, we know about...wait, you can sense them?" Naruto asked.

"I can commune with them." Krystal smiled.

"Commune? Um..."

"It means she can talk to them." Sakura clarified.

"Yes. I can talk to them." Krystal confirmed.

"Y-you mean...you can..." Naruto sputtered in awe. The last time he talked to any of them was before and during the 4th war.

"What do they have to say?" Sakura asked.

"Let's see...two of them say they are his parents and the other has...oh my..." Krystal blushed. "T-the third is...rather perverse..."

"Yeah...that's Jiraiya alright..." Sakura sighed.

"I... take it he's normally like that. Okay..." Krystal closed her eyes in concentration. "The blond man...Minato...he says he's very proud of the man you've become. He says the two of you have made the most beautiful granddaughter he could ever imagine."

Now both Sakura and Naruto were completely stunned. Naruto had expected as much, but Sakura. That was extremely high praise.

"My dad...really said that...?" Naruto asked.

"He did. Your mother... Kushina...oh dear... She's um...a little miffed that you got a woman pregnant before marriage." Krystal informed.

"Um...that was...kinda my fault." Sakura said sheepishly.

"Even still, it was his fault for being so reckless and for not dumping that weird girl and pursuing you sooner. She says." Krystal said.

"Okay, we don't need to go into that." Naruto said, annoyed that his mother would have to bring that up.

"No, we don't." Sakura agreed.

"Oh...And you should've known better than to even give that brat of an Uchiha a chance. Kushina says." Krystal relayed.

"Well you tell her I wouldn't have done it if I wasn't certain that Naruto would be taken care of by Hinata." Sakura said annoyed. "Plus, Naruto vouched for him.

"And? That's no excuse. I'm personally upset with the way you've treated my son in the past." Krystal relayed, making Sakura look down at her feet in guilt. "And... Now she and Minato are arguing."

"This is not how I ever expected meeting my in-laws." Sakura sighed.

"How did you expect to meet them? By visiting their graves?" Naruto asked. "Wow that came out wrong."

"Knowing you... I expected us to meet them through time travel or someone using the resurrection jutsu." Sakura said.

"Yeah, I can see that." Naruto shrugged.

'She did meet your father during the war.' Kurama pointed out.

'Well she's never met my mom.' Naruto pointed out.

'True. She can be intense as you found out.'

'Well it's not like she can hit me as a ghost. I get enough of that through my wife.'

'Personally, I don't think you get enough.' Kurama smirked.

'Shut up.'

"I'm sorry, what was that about a resurrection jutsu?" Crusher asked.

"You don't want to know." Sakura said firmly. "And no, you can't use it to bring back your husband. It's not worth it."

"I think I'd like to be the judge of that myself." Crusher replied.

"No. We don't know it and you have to sacrifice other lives for it to work and even then, the dead are just in husks of their former selves." Naruto stated seriously.

"Immortal puppets made of ash, good for little more than weapons."

"Minato said that only happened because the jutsu wasn't complete." Krystal said. "If done properly, they can come back as actual living people."

"Even still, we aren't trading one life for another." Naruto said firmly.

"And what about me? What about my son?" Crusher demanded.

"I'm afraid you both will have to accept your husband's passing and move on. Just like every other family that grieves." Naruto stated with absolute authority.

"I agree." Krystal said. "I lost my entire planet...my family...my people...but I know and accept the fact that they are gone for good. It's not worth trading lives to get back what you've lost."

'She...did...?' Kurama asked, feeling sad for Krystal.

'You like her, don't you?' Naruto smirked.

"I see..." Crusher said bitterly. "Excuse me." She said before she headed out the door.

Kurama blushed. 'S-shut up! No, I don't!'

'Oh my god, you totally do! Now it makes sense why you wanted me to summon you.'

'Hey! Everyone else gets to hook up. Why can't I?' Kurama argued.

"I'm going to take my leave. The reception should be starting soon." Krystal said before turning to walk out of the door.

"Oh wait." Kystal said before she reached the door. "The one called Jiraiya is proud of you both for taking the step he and Tsunade never could in life. He is also proud that you managed to complete Tsunade's work of linking the two planets of humans."

"He...really said that?" Sakura said in awe.

"He did. He is proud of the both of you. Naruto for being his godson and you for being his goddaughter-in-law." Krystal nodded.

Sakura was completely speechless. That was the last thing she expected to hear from a well-known pervert.

Krystal took that as her que to leave them and proceeded out of the door.

Chiyo then tried to squirm out of Naruto's arms like she was trying to reach for another person neither parent could see.

"What is she doing?" Sakura asked.

"If I had to guess. She's trying to get into either my mom or my dad's arms." Naruto replied.

Sakura felt like crying as she saw Chiyo desperately trying to grab at whatever she was seeing and was getting fussy when she couldn't. "I'm sorry honey...But they can't hold you..."

Chiyo started crying when she couldn't get her way. Naruto turned up his emission of Kurama's chakra just to calm her down.

"Oh honey...I'm sorry..." Sakura whimpered as she hugged both her daughter and Naruto.

Chiyo didn't seem to calm down in the slightest. Naruto and Sakura did all they could before she instantly stopped crying.

"She...stopped?" Sakura asked in mild surprise.

"You think mom and dad are hugging her?" Naruto asked.

'They are. I can sense it.' Kurama said.

"They are." Naruto said, making Sakura relax into the hug even more.

The three generations of Uzumaki family all stood silent enjoying their moment for a few minutes while a few feet away, Jiraiya had taken out his pen and was writing down this beautifully clique ending that he wanted to use for one of his own stories.

---

Meanwhile, back in Crusher's living quarters, the medical officer was pouring herself a glass of Sythenol while a framed picture of her husband looked at her from the night stand.

"Jack..." Beverly said softly.

"I want to bring you back...If I could I would...For both me and Wesley..." She spoke as she downed her imitation whiskey.

"Picard to Dr. Crusher." She heard the coms come to life.

"...Go ahead..." Crusher sighed.

"We're about to start the reception. Would you care to join me?" Picard asked.

Crusher cleared her throat. "Yes, I'm on my way. Crusher out."

---

Meanwhile, in the new and improved crew lounge, meals unlike anything the Cornerians have seen were being placed out on the tables around them. Food from all corners of Federation space.

"Quite the intricate spread you have, Captain." Pepper praised.

"Thank you, General. It's all thanks to our replicators that can produce an enormous imagination of food. Almost instantly. One of the many gifts that Starfleet will be gifting to your people should you wish it."

"Thank you, but we already have food dispensaries." Pepper said.

"Well then our replicator specialists can offer you the recipes for our dishes. We will of course be adding your recipes to our database."

"By all means." Pepper said as he dished himself some kind of wrap. "What is this?"

"Oh, I would be careful with that dish. It is very spicy." Picard warned.

"I love spicy." Pepper said as he took two Hasaprat wraps.

"I hope so." Picard said just as Pepper took a bite of one and started to sweat.

"Sweet marmalade! You weren't kidding..." Pepper wheezed.

"Yes. Kind of a running joke on this ship. As my Head of the Medical Division's second can attest to." Picard chuckled.

"Hoo...What is this dish called? It has surely perked up this old dog." Pepper inquired.

"Hasaprat. A Bajoran dish." Picard explained.

"A wonderful dish." Pepper said before he took another bite.

"What's this here?" Falco asked as he went to take a slice of dark colored pie.

"Ro'Kegh blood pie. A warrior's dish." Worf said proudly.

"I... think I'll pass on that." Falco sweat dropped before he put the pie server down.

"Wise and understandable. Only true warriors who crave the thrill of the hunt can truly appreciate it." Worf stated.

"What was that?" Naruto asked as he looked up with his cheeks full of blood pie.

"You like that?" Falco asked in astonishment.

"Yeah, it's good. Try it." Naruto said as Sakura looked at him in disgust.

"You know that's the Klingon blood pie, right?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't taste any worse than that deer we both ate on that ANBU stake-out." Naruto shrugged.

"Yeah, I'll take your word for it..." Sakura said.

"Oh, come on, one bite." Naruto smirked as he held up a fork full right up to Sakura's lips.

"No way." Sakura rejected.

"I promise you'll like it."

Sakura groaned, rolling her eyes. "If it'll get you to shut up. It better not be like Gahkt." She said before she took a bite. Sakura instantly recalled herself and Naruto being hunted by an evil lord and his minions out in the forest. The two of them had to scavenge like wild animals for three days before their target finally gave up. During that time, Naruto had brought back a whole deer and killed it like a wolf would in order to not raise suspicion. They picked apart the raw meat and ate it together. During that whole time, Sakura couldn't shake the comparison to a male wolf bringing back dinner for his mate. Something she felt especially guilty about at the time, but now she would have loved nothing more than to experience some alone time like that. Plus, the commission paid handsomely. All in all, it was a good mission.

"I take back what I said. This is good." Sakura admitted.

"See? I told you." Naruto grinned.

"It's salty, but it's not bad."

"As if I would ever steer you wrong."

"Oh? What about the bear liver?" Sakura pointed out. "The one that made me sick for a week straight?"

"That was a fluke."

"It was green and you made me eat it." Sakura deadpanned.

"Are you two...Always like this?" Falco asked.

"Not always...but often." Sakura responded.

'Kit...You gonna let me join the party or what?' Kurama pressed.

'Alright sure, you've been patient enough.' Naruto thought.

'Then get with it, Kit.'

"Attention, animal people!" Naruto called out.

Sakura smacked him upside the head. "Cornerians!" She hissed, not wanting to offend their new allies.

"Cornerians! My apologies. We have one more crew member for you to meet!" Naruto declared before he lifted up his uniform to reveal his six pack to everyone in the room. Troi, Crusher, and Krystal blushed before they noticed the seal tattooed around Naruto's naval, which he then cupped with his right hand and gave a twist like he was turning a key. He then slammed his palm down upon the floor, making smoke explode outward.

The smoke cleared and revealed a fox with blood orange fur, front paws like the hands of a human, rabbit ears, and nine beautiful swishing tails.

"It can't be..." Pepper breathed on in shock.

'Oh...this can't be good.' Kurama thought before the Cornerians started bowing one by one.

"The great Nine Tails...welcome back, my lord." Pepper greeted.

"Wait...what?" Kurama said in bewilderment.

"Our Lord and savior. Thank you for returning to us." Peppy said sincerely.

"Wait, what?" Riker asked as the rest of the Enterprise crew looked on in astonishment.

"Um...you're welcome?" Kurama asked, not used to people bowing towards him.

"Sakura-chan. What are they doing?" Naruto whispered.

"If I had to make a guess...they think he is their god." Sakura whispered back.

"For reals? That's crazy."

'Their god? Oh I don't think so.' Kurama thought to Naruto, having heard their conversation.

'Look...just try not to start a crusade for now.' Naruto thought before he jogged over to Picard. "What the Hell do we do now?"

"I'm not sure...this was really unprecedented." Picard answered.

"What is the protocol for this?" Naruto asked, thinking that with all the worlds that Star Fleet visits, there might be some procedure to being mistaken for a God.

"I'll handle it." Picard said before walking over to Pepper.

"Captain...I really must thank you for bringing back our savior." Pepper said.

"General...I'm afraid you are mistaken." Picard sighed.

"What do you mean?"

"Kurama isn't who you think he is. He is not a god of this system. He is by all accounts and purposes, a demon that was sealed inside Naruto on his home planet. I'm not sure what your god looks like and Kurama may look similar, but he's actually native to the planet Element." Picard explained.

"Impossible. He looks exactly as our holy texts describe him." General Pepper exclaimed.

"I can assure you, he is not who you think he is. Him, along with 8 other tiled beasts as they are called are native to Element."

"Are you saying that he isn't the healer and the destroyer? Whose tails could cause earthquakes and gale storms with a single flick? Who mouth could spew forth divine flames that would destroy the unrighteous? That he cannot grow to be as tall as the sky or shrink down to the size of a grain of rice?" Krystal asked.

"Well...he can, but..."

"So, then he is our God. Immortal and undying." Krystal said in awe.

"I am a manifestation of Chakra created long ago by the sages of Element. I've never even been to this system." Kurama informed.

"Impossible. This cannot be a coincidence." McCloud said.

"I assure you it is. I have never even left Element until about a year ago." Kurama insisted.

"Is there no one else like you?" Pepper asked.

"If by that you mean my brothers and sister, then yes. However, their origins are the same as mine."

"There are more like you? More gods on another planet?" Slippy asked.

"First off, we're not gods. We're manifestations of Chakra or energy. Secondly, yes. There is my brother Shukaku the one tailed Sand Racoon, my sister Matatabi the Two Tailed cat of fire, Isobu the Three Tailed Turtle, Son Goku the Four Tailed Monkey, Kokuo the Five Tailed Horse, Saiken the Six Tailed Slug, Chomei the Seven Tailed Beetle and Gyuki the Eight Tailed Octopus."

"But our religious texts tell us that you were born of energy." Pepper said.

"Believe me...I'm far from the God you think I am." Kurama insisted.

"Please, allow us to take you with us to our temple. Our head priest will determine if you truly are our savior." Krystal insisted.

Kurama looked at all of the Cornerians and could tell they were serious. But the one thing that got him was the pleading look in Krystal's eyes. For some reason, he just couldn't resist them.

"I mean...I suppose it couldn't hurt..."

"Perfect. Krystal, would you be so kind as to take him to the temple?" Pepper asked.

"Yes, General." She said before offering her hand to Kurama.

Kurama blushed underneath his fur and took Krystal's hand with one of his tails.

"Well...this just got weird." Sakura said as she watched Kurama and Krystal leave the reception.

"Definitely a change of pace." Naruto said as he took another bite of blood pie.

"Kinda reminds me of when people found out that you're the reincarnation of Asura." Sakura smirked.

"Oh, don't remind me." Naruto groaned. All those mornings he woke up to find followers and priests of the Sage of Six Paths lining up outside his apartment to hear from him the good word. Woman twice his age wanted to have his baby and he even got formal letters from Shion, that one woman from the all kunoichi village, and a few others.

"Yeah, really...can't tell you how many times I had people knocking my door down looking for Sasuke." Sakura groaned when she remembered that part.

"Trust me. Hinata has stories of her own." Naruto chuckled.

"I can imagine."

"Well...now let's finish getting this underway." Picard said as everyone took their seats.

"I thank you all for coming." Picard opened. "This day...marks a new day in our calendars. The Federation and the majority of the Lylat system are now allies and mutual friends. friends that we hope will be with us for generations to come. I will now have General Pepper come up and say a few words."

While that was taking place, Kurama and Krystal were walking around the ship towards the docking tube.

Kurama lingered behind Krystal, if only so that he could check her out. "So... ah...you doing anything later?"

"As far as I know, just returning to the reception. Unless of course you need me for something." Krystal said.

"Well I don't need you, but I would like to see you again. Maybe over dinner?" Kurama asked.

Krystal paused, hearing what she clearly thought was an offer for a date. Searching his mind, she confirmed that. "You mean...a date?"

Kurama gulped, never thinking he would ever be in this position. "I do."

"Well...I am seeing Fox at the moment." Krystal responded.

Kurama felt his heart breaking. "Oh..."

"Not to mention...you'll live a lot longer than I will. You're immortal, to a point."

"Yes, but... I don't know. I've lived for a thousand years. Much of it was spent doing the same things century after century. And in all that time, I've only ever been really happy in the last five years or so. With Kit." Kurama admitted.

"I know. I read your mind and Naruto's." Krystal said softly.

"Yeah...and seeing Kit and his Vixen with Little Kit...It made me wonder what it would be like to have a Vixen of my own." Kurama continued on.

"I understand..." Krystal said before thinking about it. "Well...Fox and I are not really seeing each other. I know how he feels about me, but he hasn't made a move yet. And honestly, I don't know if he will."

"Well then maybe you should make the first move instead." Kurama suggested.

"It doesn't work like that in our culture. The male is supposed to make the first move."

"Well then your culture is stupid. Back on my planet, males and females are equal. Kind of. Equal enough that the girl can be upfront about her feelings."

"Sometimes...I can agree with you." Krystal sighed.

"Look, if you've got a thing for him, then I don't want to step into the middle of it. Not until you've got your feelings sorted out. But from where I'm standing, he'd be a damn fool not to want to date you. Hell, he's probably intimidated by your beauty and screwing up his friendship with you." Kurama smiled.

"He saved my life a year ago. So, I owe him a great deal." Krystal said. "But you're right. He is quite shy, but I wouldn't say our friendship is in jeopardy." She smiled.

"He might see it that way. I know Kit did, not long ago." Kurama said.

"You mean, they weren't always together?"

"You read Kit's mind, didn't you?"

"Only a certain part of it."

"Well it's more complicated than I'm willing to get into. I don't think I understand it myself. But if you ask me he chose right in the end. At the very least he chose the more interesting vixen."

"She seems...kinda brutish to me." Krystal admitted.

"Yeah, but she has her sweet side. Which actually makes it more special when you don't see it all the time." Kurama smiled.

"I see. I take it you're quite attached to her as well."

"One side effect of being sealed inside Kit for his entire life is that I can feel all his emotions. So yeah, I'd say I've become attached to her just as he has." Kurama mused.

"I see. Well that's nice." Krystal smiled.

"You don't think it's weird, do you?"

"Well, giving the circumstances, I think it's perfectly fine. So how long have they been together?"

"That's where things may seem weird. They've been together for less than a year."

Krystal blinked. "And they have a child already?"

"Yeah...they've been friends since they were twelve years old though. Plus, they've been through so much that it's not too shocking that they got serious so quickly." Kurama mused as they reached the city streets.

"Oh...okay, that's less weird."

"Yes, and even if they hadn't, something about them just works. His goofiness counters her seriousness. He benefits from her and she benefits from him."

Krystal smiled. "Sounds like a match made in heaven."

"That's exactly it." Kurama said as the Cornerian citizens began to notice the large nine tailed fox walking their streets.

"It's him..."

"The savior has returned!"

"The Great Nine Tails! He has come to bring peace!"

Everyone who he walked passed was saying that and other things in praise. Kurama just groaned.

"You know, I'd imagine that most people might enjoy being treated like a god." Krystal whispered to him.

"I'll admit...it's a far cry from being ostracized or used as a weapon." Kurama admitted.

"Of Great Nine Tails, please, bestow upon us mortals your wisdom!" One rabbit man begged.

"Keep your kids in school and don't do drugs." Kurama said.

"So we should reject medicine from our doctors?!" A dog lady spoke up, grateful to be proven right over all her pro-vaccination friends.

"No, drugs given to you by doctors are okay!" Kurama clarified.

"What about my son?" A parrot man spoke up. "Can't he continued to be homeschooled?"

"Um, so long as he gets a good education, I guess." Kurama decreed.

"My daddy is sick...can you help him?" A little cat girl asked, nearly on the verge of tears.

"Um...what's wrong with your daddy?" Kurama asked nervously, thinking he was getting in too deep.

"He has cancer...mommy says he's gonna go away soon...I don't want him to go..."

"Oooo..." Kurama hissed. He thought about using his chakra, but that was used mostly to speed up cell growth, which would actually make the cancer worse. "You know what you should do? You should take him to the Star Fleet ship the Enterprise. I brought them with me along with their advanced medical technology. If they can't cure your father than no one can."

The cat girl quickly perked up. "You really think so?"

Kurama saw her cute little pink furry face light up with genuine hope. In a lot of ways, this girl reminded him of Chiyo and Sally.

"I know so. Now run along and tell your mother to bring your father to the Enterprise. Tell the Security Officers that Chief Kurama authorized it." Kurama said before he rubbed the top of the little girl's head with one of his tails.

"Thank you!" She cheered before hugging Kurama.

The crowd cheered at their messiah saving a father's life.

'I heard that. I'll send word to Sakura-chan and Dr. Crusher.' Naruto thought to him.

'And security?'

'Well I am security so.'

'Right.' Kurama said before the little girl scurried off.

"Let's keep moving." Krystal smiled.

A short while later on the Enterprise, Naruto was escorting a cat woman pushing a cat man in a wheelchair through the hallways of the ship while the same little cat girl followed closely behind.

"So, you must be the brave little girl that Kurama talked about." Naruto said as they made their way past a group of engineers doing a routine inspection on the hallways.

"Yes, mister. Can you really help my daddy?" She asked.

"I can't. But my wife and her boss sure can. Believe it." Naruto smiled as they entered the turbolift.

"Okay."

"Thank you all for doing this. I really hope your medical staff can help. We've tried everything and doctors can't operate on him." The mother said.

"Well I wouldn't expect a miracle, but if anyone can cure your husband, it's the medical staff aboard the Enterprise." Naruto stated as the doors opened to the sickbay, which had cleaned up nicely since the attack a week ago.

"Welcome. Can you stand on your own?" Sakura asked as Dr. Crusher and several nurses were prepping an examination table.

"Yes, I think so..." The cat man said as he forced himself out of his chair and sat down on the examination table with the help of Naruto and his wife.

"What kind of cancer do you have?" Sakura asked.

"Um...Liver and pancreatic..." He said weakly.

"He's got two types of cancer?" Naruto asked.

"Yes..." The wife choked out.

"Hmm...Difficult, but not impossible." Sakura mused before turning to Crusher. "What do you think?"

"How far along?" Crusher asked.

"Advanced stages...Doctors say he's terminal..." The wife said, her voice threatening to break.

"Hmm...Well we'll run some tests first. But rest assured. In the Federation, disease and illness doesn't exist." Crusher assured.

Sakura took out her trusty tricord and began scanning the cat man's upper abdomen.

"Yup. Advanced stages of pancreatic cancer and a large malignant tumor on the second section of the liver." Sakura confirmed.

"I see. So, then it should take us one hour to completely heal the liver and two hours to replace the pancreas." Crusher listed off casually.

"Wait, that's it?" The man asked in astonishment.

"That's it. We should have you walking out the door on your own two feet an hour after that. So, four hours." Sakura said as she typed some commands into her computer, an obvious smile on her face as she could feel the little girl's smile radiating off her face.

Crusher meanwhile took out a cotton swab. "I'm going to need a sample of your DNA to recreate your organ. Open your mouth, please."

"Wait...Recreate my...You can do that? The medical corps only just started researching that..." The man said in awe.

"Well we are more advanced in medical technology. This knowledge will be passed on to your species in the coming days once the rest of Star Fleet arrives." Crusher said.

"Astounding...Very well. Proceed Doctor." The man smiled as he relaxed on the bench. Finally, results.

"Does this mean that my daddy doesn't have to go away?" The little cat girl asked excitedly.

"Yes, it does. Your daddy will be as healthy as a horse." Sakura smiled.

"Thank you!" The girl cried as she ran up to hug Sakura's legs.

"Oh, thank the Nine Tails..." The wife said in much needed relief.

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Author's Note from Panda: Special thanks to bradw316 for beta reading this chapter. For once you've sat on something for so long and done so many critiques, you can't help but only see the flaws. So thanks to Brad who helped us get this darn chapter out already. Please leave a review if you know how we can improve this chapter and perhaps inspire us on chapters to write in the future.