"Normal speech"

'Normal thoughts'

"Demon/Summon speech"

'Demon/Inner Sakura/Summon thoughts'

"Jutsu name"

(author comment)

flashback/memory

~locations and transitions~

Beta read by: not yet beta'd

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Reviews Corner

Before I get to the reviews, I want to clear something up that wasn't made clear in chapter 49. When Naruto came back to the group he wasn't in a henge he was shifted. That is why when he was hit, he didn't change back.

ArashiNokitsune: should be explained in this chapter

Otakumode: glad you liked the fight. Also about Naruto's heart, it's kind of one of those things that if not constantly brought up it's forgotten, but Naruto's heart was the very last thing of him that was organic. It's why he still felt some discomfort when he shifted. The bones were the second to last so now he is a COMPLETE bijuu

Shinigami Miroku: glad you found it satisfying. And actually I was referring to Kabuto still being alive since I had made it so anyone hit by Naruto's demonic chakra would suffer from it.

Autobot-Wolfsketch: here's the next chapter for ya

Dragon Man 180: this chapter might clear up some things with you

Bloody Rogue dragon deity king: it takes Naruto a few minutes now to shift into his fox form so and in the end, he doesn't have that kind of mastery over it…...yet

Robertroy1: well here is the next chapter for you

NeverEnderMan: welcome to my story and happy you are enjoying it. I felt like giving Sasuke a different reason for going to Orochimaru so I did this for him instead.

Thor94: the situation is similar to when Goku had Frieza on the ropes but was blindsided by a small ray gun. If you think about it, it makes sense. the shinobi use chakra to enhance their capabilities, including their endurance. The fight was over and Sasuke was beaten so NAruto essentially lowered his guard. In real life, we kind of have the same thing. If you tense up your muscles, you basically brace yourself for a hit, in doing so it hurts but not as much as it would if you didn't. Kind of the same principle

Kingkong101: I don't know what you are talking about since I'm pretty sure I made my Naruto stronger than in canon. Lets recap, Naruto was able to get the bells fro Kakashi by being clever and mastering a basic jutsu to the next level, Naruto is the reason they were able to beat Zabuza in their first encounter on the mission to wave, Naruto was able to cripple Orichimaru who is a damn SANNIN during the forest of death, it was thanks to Naruto informing Ibiki about Kabuto that they were able to stop the death of one of their own, Naruto had beaten Gaara in their match before Gaara unleashed his bijuu. Now for skills: Naruto has mastered the Kawarimi to a level beyond what it is normally used for, he can use the shadow clones without handsigns, he can do the Rasengan without the help of a clone, he knows his elemental chakra and is working on several skills on them, he made Chunin when he remained a genin in the entire show and even in Boruto and you call my version of naruto a pussy weakling who can't help anyone when he is the reason several people are alive. If you didn't like the fic why did you read all of it in the first place, unless you only read the first few chapters, hated it, went to the last chapter and left a review in which case you didn't read it at all and all you have done is waste both your and my time. So thanks for that.

Sorry readers for the rant on that last one but if all anyone is going to do is just say my fic is garbage, then they shouldn't even review or read it. Just find a story you actually like instead of just putting in hate.

Chapter 51: The real mission

Tsunade was rushing towards the hospital with Hana right behind her. She had received word that Naruto had received a fatal injury and was in a sealed-off room until she and Hana arrived.

"Do you think he is alright?"

Tsunade looked over her shoulder at Hana who had a worried look on her face "the gaki is too stubborn to die from an injury. Although I don't fully know what it is, he has been through a lot in his life so this should just be another thing to add to the list." she saw that Hana had relaxed a bit from her words but she herself was also worried. What she said was as much as for her as they were for Hana.

Arriving at the hospital, the two women made their way towards the room that they were told he was in. once they made it, they saw that the room was actually filled with everyone that was on this mission, officially and unofficially.

Everyone turned to them with most of them being slightly relieved that Tsunade had arrived

Kiba although, was confused "sis….what are you doing here?"

Hana looked to Tsunade as if asking "what should I say?" but Ino spoke up

"They know."

This caused the two women to look at her in shock before they looked at everyone

Everyone nodded as they understood what was said

Well everyone but two

Haku felt that there was something that he was missing as it seemed everyone was talking about something extremely important.

Sakura raised her hand and asked "um what exactly is everyone talking about?"

It took everyone from the mission to realize that although they themselves had seen Naruto as a large Fox, Sakura and Haku arrived after Naruto had left and they never got the chance to see him.

Kakashi looked to the two and said "it's something that the rest of the team discovered about NAruto during the mission. it is something that he alone has the authority to tell so until he deems you trustworthy enough, leave it be."

Sakura hated the fact that she was being left out of this but before she could say anything, she felt a hand on her shoulder. she looked to see it was Haku.

"Sakura-chan, Naruto-san will tell us when he is ready. please be patient."

She didn't like it but she chose to just nod. it was also apparent that at the moment, Naruto needed medical treatment. she would get answers from him when he was back on his feet.

Hana felt some trepidation but sighed as she answered her brother in words that kept the secret but portrayed the message "due to his... condition. I am here to make sure he is alright since Tsunade might miss some things that go beyond her expertise."

Tsunade made her way to the unconscious blonde as she asked Kakashi what the injury was

"Stab wound through the heart. The rain made it hard to tell how much blood he lost but based on the injury itself and the length of time it took to get back, I would say he lost a lot…. "

Tsunade looked the male blonde over and saw the hole. This made her grimace, seeing him in such a state but she shook off the feeling and get into a professional attitude. "Hana, I need you to evaluate him in case there is anything wrong."

Hana nodded her head as she moved to the other side of the bed and began to use her medical jutsu to scan Naruto's body.

Tsunade did the same on her side as she began to seal up the hole. As she was doing this, she noticed something that should be cause for concern. 'His circulatory system is disappearing!...but it's not causing anything to stop working….?' She had no clue what was going on inside Naruto's body but due to the fact that she was dealing with a human turned Bijuu, she knew she would be dealing with some things that are beyond her understanding since no one had ever really gotten to know how the tailed beasts work.

Everyone in the room watched as Tsunade and Hana worked on healing their friend. As the minutes passed, they all grew anxious as some of them began thinking that Tsunada or Hana would spontaneously say something was wrong

After fifteen minutes, both women pulled their hands away, which caused the rookies to shift anxiously at what she might say. What they didn't expect was what Tsunade did next

At the behest of her Hokage, Hana moved to the side and waited

Tsunade brought her foot up and kicked the blonde off the bed

"Tsunade!"

"Lady Hokage!"

Everyone panicked at how she had just kicked the injured blonde off the bed but the new voice caused them all to pause

"OW! What the hell was that for Baa-chan!"

Everyone saw Naruto getting up from the floor holding his head as he had hit it when he fell to the floor.

Tsunade loomed over Naruto who now looked like he was afraid for his life "do you have any idea WHAT YOU DID!"

Naruto thought about the question and answered honestly "uh came home, was told about the retrieval mission, went out to help my friends, beat Sasuke into the ground, got blindsided by a melting Kabuto and now I'm here getting kicked by you…?"

If Naruto had a shirt or jacket, Tsunade would have grabbed them and shake the ever-living daylights out of the smaller blonde. Tsunade was breathing heavily, wanting to strangle him till he was a blue fox instead of an orange one. "Everyone, MY OFFICE NOW!"

~Tsunade's office~

Everyone was standing in the Hokage office with the retrieval team and Suna nin standing in the back, while Ino, Hinata, Karin, Lee, and Naruto were in front of her desk. Kakashi was leaning against the wall waiting for the whole thing to start. Shizune was standing to the left of Tsunade and readying herself in case she needed to stop Tsunade from harming the ones in front of her.

Hiruzen was summoned to this meeting and was standing by Tusnade's right side.

Tsunade had already had a team of Anbu, escort the still unconscious Tayuya to the T&I department, where she would be restrained, have her chakra sealed, and curse mark blocked.

Tsunade looked over the five in front of her. She waved her hand, dismissing the Anbu, and did some hand signs to activate a privacy seal. "Do you have any idea how close you five were to ruining the mission?"

This caught the five off guard as they were unaware of what they could have done in order to ruin the mission. They figured that their presence would have aided the team.

Hinata nervously asked, "what do you mean Hokage-sama?"

"I meant exactly what I said. Your interference could have caused the mission to go straight to hell!"

Naruto stepped forward at this "now hold one! We went to help out the retrieval team in this mission. We were able to help them all and I was close to stopping Sasuke from getting away but in the end, he still got to Orochimaru…...although his reason is now different."

Tsunade sighed as she rubbed her forehead "the mission was a success."

This caught the five by surprise as Karin began "but Sasuke got away!"

"That was the point!"

now they were confused even more

Hiruzen continued from here "The mission was never to bring Sasuke back. That was a ruse we used to cover up the actual mission."

Ino tilted her head in confusion "than what was the mission?"

Tsunade leaned back in her chair as she spoke "we needed to make it look like we wanted to get Sasuke back or else it would be suspicious if we just let our last Uchiha go off to Orochimaru. Sasuke had come to me and the old man one day during the week….."

~flashback~

Sasuke stood in front of Tsunade and Hiruzen telling them what had happened to him "...they had given me a week till they expect me to meet with them."

Tsunade and Hiruzen were thinking about what they were just told.

Tsunade looked to Hiruzen "what do you suppose we should do?"

Before Hiruzen could say anything, Sasuke spoke up

"Let me go with them."

Both adults turned to look at the Uchiha in shock. Before either could say anything, Sasuke continued

"My brother killed…...my entire clan in order to stop them from doing something that would have caused even more death to not only my clan but to the villagers as well. He made himself into a criminal for the village that he loved so much. He sacrificed everything in order to join an organization that poses a threat to Konoha so he could spy on them and send intel to you so you can keep this village safe. This could be used in the same manner." he sighed as he kept going "I join Orochimaru, in order to spy on him and send information to you on where he is or what he is planning. While I do this, I can get training from him in order to get strong enough."

Hiruzen had to ask "strong enough for what?"

Sasuke pulled off his hitai-ate and brushed his hand over the leaf symbol "...to bring my brother home."

Tsunade steepled her fingers "and why can't you get the strength here in Konoha?"

Sasuke looked her in the eye "I could potentially get it here but the most appropriate people that could get me the strength I need at a fast pace are you, Jiraiya and Hiruzen. The problem is that you Hokage-sama, are far too busy to spend all your time training me and your style just doest seem to suit me. Jiraiya would probably be the best choice but I rarely ever see him around and when I do he is either training Naruto or peeping on the hotsprings."

Tsunade felt her eye twitch at that last part 'I'm going to kill the pervert next time I see him.'

"The last would be the sandaime but he has only recently gotten into retirement. He has spent a lot of his time handling the village and all the problems they have. He should enjoy his retirement, relaxing rather than helping out someone like me. Orochimaru will spend most of his time trying to get me strong enough for him."

Tsunade quirked an eyebrow at the boy "you know what he intends to do so why would you go to him? For all you know, he might just take over your body the second you arrive."

"The way the four made the request seemed like they were giving me time to think about it but they also seemed to be desperate for me to come. I don't exactly know why but if I said I would go with them right then and there they would have just taken me as fast as possible."

Hiruzen rubbed his beard in thought "hmm from what I remember, Orochimaru was hit by Naruto-Kun's flames. He had told me once that his fire had corrosive attributes to them so anyone hit even a tiny bit could potentially burn away."

Tsunade remembered her encounter with the snake "that would explain why he came to me to see if I could heal him. He must be running out of options if he came to me instead of taking over someone else."

They both knew why Naruto's flames were corrosive but the boy in front of them did not need to know this.

Tsunade continued "so if we wait the whole week before you are to meet them, they would be pressed for time. We could do something to stall them as much as possible."

Hiruzen nodded "yes. If we send a team after them, in the guise of bringing Sasuke back, we could slow them down long enough for Orochimaru to take on another vessel."

The blonde nodded "right. So here is what we do. I will send a team, sometime after you have left with the four. They will pursue them and if possible take them down…."

~end of flashback~

"...and that was what the whole mission was. It was never to bring Sasuke back. It was to slow them down and if possible take them out. I would have sent some jonin or Chunin instead, but most of our forces are with their own missions so I had no choice but to send them The fact that we were actually able to capture one was a bonus for us."

Naruto, Karin, Ino, Hinata, and Lee were dumbfounded at what they had just heard. It made more sense of Sasuke ran off to get more power from Orochimaru but here they heard that he was doing this to spy on the snake for the village.

Naruto turned to the group behind him and asked "why didn't any of you tell me that was your mission?"

Shikamaru looked to his group and shrugged "probably because you surprised us so much that we forgot to tell you. I mean none of us ever expected you to show up, or even show up….like that."

Tsunade than had a question pop up in her head "how did you five find out about the mission anyway?"

Naruto and Hinata turned their heads towards Ino who began to look anywhere but at them.

Karin turned to glare at Lee who began to shuffle ever so slightly away from the redhead

Ino could feel the back of her head heat up from the glare she no doubt knew Naruto was giving her

"Ino…."

Ino slowly turned to him and sheepishly smile "yeah?"

Hinata asked "where did you hear about this?"

"um…..I heard it from some of the villagers as I was making some deliveries…."

Naruto's eye twitched at this. "Ino…...punishment number 9"

Ino began to panic at hearing this "wait! That's a new one!" she got in front of him and began to beg "please Naruto, number 8 was hell! What's 9?!"

"You'll find out when it happens."

Ino fell to her knees and cried anime tears

Karin was glaring at Lee who was a second away from running for his life….which he did

Lee was running towards the door, hoping to just jump over everyone but it was all in vain when a chain wrapped around his waist and pulled him back. He soon found his eyes locking on to the fires of anger that were in Karin's eyes

"Lee! I wouldn't be in this mess if you had just stayed in the hospital bed, where you should have been."

"Well, my friends needed my help so….."

Karin began to shake Lee with her chain "didn't you hear what she said! It was a ruse. They were meant to stall and if possible take them out. If things got too much they would have just left the fight and the mission would still have been completed!"

Naruto watched Karin shake Lee till the boy was dizzy but his eyes were on the chain coming out of Karins back 'hmmm…..'

Tsunade sighed at all the noise they were all making so she chose to end this. "ENOUGH!" seeing that she now had their attention she finished "now Naruto! I should take away your position as a Chunin for this…."

Naruto felt a bit of panic in him after hearing this

"However! Due to you stalling Sasuke-san, I will let this slide since because of your actions, not only did the team take out all of the enemy nin, we were able to capture one of them for interrogation."

Naruto sighed in relief at this

Tsunade turned to the other four "Karin, Hinata you two are also exempt from punishment since Karin had healed the rest of the team and Hinata was unaware of the real happenings."

Both girls smiled at this before bowing to her

"Ino and Lee, however! You both will be stuck at D-rank missions for a month with cut pay. With you two being called for every time Tora needs to be captured again! This will not happen again! AM! I! CLEAR!"

Everyone nodded as they winced in sympathy for Ino and Lee.

"Good now GET OUT!"

Everyone began to leave the office with NAruto be ing the last one out

Tsunade called for him before he left the room "Naruto one moment."

Naruto stopped at the door and moved back to stand in front of Tsunade "yeah?"

Kakashi was the one to speak "are you going to tell them?"

Naruto grew nervous at this as he knew what his sensei meant "I don't really have a choice. They saw me."

Hiruzen walked up to the boy and placed a hand on his shoulder "would you like some help on this?"

Naruto thought about it before he shook his head "no thanks. I'm going to have Ino and Hinata with me so I should be ok."

The three adults nodded at this with Tsunade adding one last thing

"oh by the way gaki. It's all ready for you." Tsunade handed him a small stack of papers that he took

He looked at them before smiling "perfect."

Kakashi was confused about what Nauto was given and asked "what are those for?"

Naruto gave a cheeky grin "you'll find out soon!" Naruto than ran out of the office, excited about starting

Tsunade sighed "why can't things ever being easy with that brat."

Hiruzen laughed at this "if it were easy, I wouldn't have as many grey hairs."

Tsunade chuckled before getting up "I need a drink."

Shizune glared at Tsunade "Lady Tsunade, you still have work to do!"

Tsunade's response was to make a familiar hand sign and make three clones of herself moved to get the work done.

Hiruzen glared at the clones before grumbling to himself "damn you Naruto."

End of chapter

Well, now you know. It was all a setup. Hope you guys weren't disappointed in this since there isn't much happening in it.

Next chapter will show what Naruto got from Tsunade and the return of a smaller character. Also, the talk between the rookies and Naruto might happen next chapter or the one after that s look forward to it

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