Tip Of The Spear
Chapter 30
As Naruto slowly opened his eyes he became aware of a few things, the first was that it was hotter and dryer than he was used to, in the back of his head the thought that he was back in the Middle East and that somehow he's been injured. Looking up to the ceiling he sighed in relief that it wasn't the typical white or pale green that was the customary colors of such places.
The next was that he felt exhausted, as if he'd just done Hell Week all over again without the water and ice cold nights. If anything he could smell the sand outside the open windows of the room he was in. Third was the heavy weight on his chest. Looking down towards his feet he saw the pink hair of his wife and love of his life. She was in her normal sleeping position, that is, using his chest for her pillow, her arms wrapped around his right arm and her leg thrown over his groin with her nether regions pressed onto his upper thigh. He once asked her how she could sleep like that and she answered with a large smile that, when they were in their home she was in position to take advantage of his nightly arousal cycles.
When he heard that Naruto had a severe body blush and he had always thought that their midnight coupling were just very realistic dreams. When he asked Sakura if she ever did it in their old world all she did was get up from there bed, smile and walk out of the room with an extra wiggle in her steps. At that point all he could do was look for something to stop the blood loss from his nose.
That was then however, his mind at the moment was working on his last worry, somehow he and Sakura had channeled Kurama's chakra without them knowing it while the fox had taken over his body. Normally Kurama would warn him or ask permission before that happened, but this time it was nearly instantaneous. That worried the teen, if Kurama had lied about his intentions and was using the weakened seal to escape...
Sighing he made his earliest trademark seal and two Kage bunshin appeared. The first appeared to be a man with messy blond hair and piercing blue eyes, the second a man with red eyes and red hair. Looking at his father and uncle he uttered one word, "Explain."
The two men looked at each other before Kurama began to speak, "Kit, it was not intentional, there was simply no time. I had to react before my sister's host killed Sakura-chan."
"And the possession of my body without my consent?"
"For the same reason, I needed to get control of Shukaku, to talk her down, as you like to say. There's something wrong with her seal, she's not like that normally. In fact she's the most gentle of the nine of us, even years of mistreatment like you were subjected to would not have broken her. We need to look at that seal."
"I agree but how did Sakura-chan managed to manifest a one tailed cloak of your chakra? Hell, how did I manage a cloak as well?"
"Simple, it was a self defense mechanism that I and your mother put into you seal," answered the clone of Minato Namikaze, "While we hoped that the village would see you as a hero for containing Kurama we also knew what a Jinchuriki would be seen as the thing they imprisoned and would be ignored at the best, mistreated and abused at the worst. I'm sorry that the villagers went against my wishes son."
"In the past father, in the past. So the seal has an emergency bypass huh?"
"Yes, of a sort, I doubt even Kurama knew what was going on at first."
"That's correct you hairless ape, you've had plenty of time to tell me these things since you came back, why didn't you?"
"Sorry, did you say something?"
In the distance all those in the room shivered as a voice floated in on the winds, "Damn you whoever you are and your hip, cool and youthful ways!"
By now Sakura had rolled over to look at her three favorite men, well two men and a fox but you get the picture, but had the rare modesty to pull the covers up, "That explains the chakra we wore but what was that purple chakra you hit Gaara with?"
"A mix of mine and the Kit's. You see, on it's own Naruto's would've had little to no effect and mine would've been so corrosive that the boy would've had his chakra system damaged on a lethal level or it would have burned his skin off to the bone and the reaction of mine and my sister's chakra would've canceled out each other leaving incurable, painful and terminal injuries. In short, my chakra alone would have killed the boy and as collateral damage my sister would've been released to rampage or dissipate for the next several hundred years."
"So a mix of ours was balanced enough to knock him out?"
"Not knocked out, but put into REM sleep. It's a way for us tailed beasts to control a panicking Jinchuriki. Remember, a fatal injury inflicted on you will also affect me as well. That goes for all of the others, some of the older Jinchuriki have worked out their differences with the Bijuu that they are carrying long ago, it's the younger ones like you and Gaara that have the most problems at first.
There's a lot of anger the both of them have to deal with and reconcile. Some, like you and I, should've been at each other's throats from the start but circumstances dictated the path we eventually took. We were able to reach a path of acceptance and as we grew together our respect was able to forge a strong bond. Other's, like this Gaara, should have had an easier time since my sister is usually much more docile and of a kinder nature. Right now however I have no idea of how severe her psychosis is and how long it will last."
Naruto had smiled at Kurama's words regarding their 'relationship', "Ahhh, you do care don't you? Kurama, the Almighty Kitsune No Kyubi is just a soft lovable furball deep down. Who knew?"
"Not in the mood Kit, now shut it."
"Sooo, have you ever done that to me?"
"What?"
"Used that purple chakra on me."
"No."
"I don't believe you, you did do that to me didn't you?"
Don't be silly, no, never."
As the two argued Sakura's mind went back to the first time Naruto met his grandparents. 'He was so angry', she thought to her self, 'He was so agitated and no matter what I did he was just getting worse. The scary part was that I could feel a build up of uncle's chakra, if he had lost control the village and it's people would've been wiped off the face of the planet. As he got worse I remember asking uncle to do something, he poked Naruto-kun's forehead and just said sleep. He was out long enough to calm down.'
'All that power, if he had released it, if he had just let go of his control, it was almost like...my God! Naruto and the rest, they're like thinking and walking nukes. The perfect smart weapon and Gaara is as crazy as a shit house rat!'
"Koi! We have to fix Gaara's seal and have Ino start to heal his mind, he's too dangerous to..."
"I know Sakura-chan, I could read your thoughts. You're right, Gaara is now classed as a Bent Spear. Pray he doesn't worsen into a Broken Arrow Sakura-chan, just pray that never happens."
Minato looked confused at what was being said between his son and daughter in law, "I don't understand, Bent Spear? Broken Arrow? What are they? If Gaara's condition puts his our our village in danger as a Hokage I need to know!"
"Dad, you've seen my memories of mine and Sakura-chan's time in the other world right?"
"Of course, but why do you ask?"
"Because, I'm sure that you saw all I learned about the weapons used in that world. I'm also sure that you've seen all I know about their most powerful right?"
"Yes, but what's that's got to do with Gaa...oh, fuck me running..."
"Yeah, when the first originally created the Jinchuriki they were intended as only a gift to the other villages, to seal political alliances and as a way to defend themselves. In the world we grew up in, those weapons though, were created in a time of desperation and war. They were an idea created with good intentions to counter a perceived threat. After the first two were used they were thought of weapons of last resort and with the intent of 'improving' them to make them more powerful and reliable they were made just that more dangerous.
Technology next made them 'smart', just enter a few numbers to tell them where to go and push a button. No danger to the ones launching it unless something, however unlikely, goes wrong. That said, should something go wrong the long term effects were just that, long term and lasting, as in years...thousands of years. Years that would see whole areas of land and sea poisoned and deadly to anyone and anything that once called those areas home.
"On this world, the First developed a smart weapon from the get go, the Jinchuriki. They were given out as gifts to seal alliances as everyone knows as well as a means of defense. Now, in our old world most incidents where a weapon was involved meant property damage and possibly loss of life, much loss of life but in a predictable and hopefully localized area. In this world an incident involving a Jinchuriki means that should the host dies and the seal is of the correct type the beast, no offense Uncle, dies as well. But, say it was forcibly removed from it's host, the chances of controlling it are very low, but it does increase with the use of the sharingan. However, loose control of the beast the area of probable damage not only becomes greater but unpredictable as the beast rampages just like Kurama did all those years ago. It also means that once a tailed beast finally settles into an area it likes it's not going to move on and deny access for hundreds, more like thousands of years as the doujutsu that is most commonly used had become threatened with extinction," Naruto explained before Sakura took over.
"Now, to answer your question regarding Gaara and why we called him what we did. A Bent Spear is an incident involving one of those powerful weapons, the most common one Naruto-kun and I trained for were in case the weapon was damaged and that damage made it unusable or unstable," at that Minato;s eyes widened in fear, "A Broken Arrow means that one of those weapons had had a catastrophic failure and was leaking it's explosive contents, of which is the danger to the surrounding area and any living thing in it increases exponentially."
"Father," Sakura continued, "in his present state Gaara is the same as a Bent Spear due to his psychosis. If he were to completely lose control of himself then he'll become our worst nightmare, the ultimate smart weapon lacking any form of safety measures. If push comes to shove, should he succumb to his mental problems then we'll have to treat him like any other Broken Arrow situation. Naruto, you and Kurama will have to dis..."
"No, Gaara is not a weapon Sakura, don't even think about it because I don't see him like that. Don't you understand? He's what I could've been had you not given me your love. As much as it pains me to say this but if you're going to consider Gaara as a weapon of mass destruction then the same applies to me. Is that what you think of me?"
Hearing those words shocked Sakura, it was rare for them to fight, counting their exile they'd fought only a few times, the last over Naruto's meltdown over Sasuke's mother's deception. Looking in his eyes she realized that her husband was right, because of Kurama's being sealed in him he was the most powerful weapon on the continent. Looking at the floor she sighed and hugged her lover,
"No, I don't see you like that, you're my hero, lover and future. I know you're hurting over Gaara and the way they broke him but I think that you, father Minato and Ero-grandfather can find a way to fix his seal. I'm sorry for making you think like that."
Hugging his wife tightly Naruto kissed her forehead and held on as she cried, "Shh, let's not fight okay? I know it's late in the afternoon but we need to talk to Rasa-dono and offer our help."
Opening the door to the outside hallway he spotted a pair of Suna chunin, "Excuse me, is there anyway I could get a message to the Kazekage and ask him to meet my wife and I in our room? After today's events it's still a little hard to get around."
"Of course Uzumaki-dono, he did ask that he be alerted when you woke up," with that they both bowed before one left for his leader's office.
Several minutes later Rasa walked into Naruto and Sakura's rooms with Jiraiya in tow, the older man looking very tired, "Naruto-san, I trust you're feeling well, how is your wife?"
"Much better Kazekage-dono, thank you," she answered now fully dressed and preparing a pot of tea.
Taking a cup Naruto sat down with a serious look on his face, "Rasa, please sit down, I have someone I would like you to meet," as the man sat Naruto nodded and out from the other room walked two figures. Looking at the tall blond Rasa gasped,
"Minato, they told me that you died. Is this really you? Where's Kushina-chan? Why were you hiding? Do you realize how much we've missed you?"
"Rasa...it's been a long time, yes it's really me...sort of. Kushina is dead for the moment and I've not been hiding but more like dormant."
"What do you mean by 'sort of'? Are you dead or not, shit, don't tell me your son used that vile jutsu the Sna..."
"No, he didn't. What I mean is that yes, the Minato you and Temari knew is dead. What I am now is a chakra construct that is powered by Kurama's chakra and able to inhabit a Kage Bunshin. As for Kushina, she's still dormant but, after today it's just a matter of time that her construct also activates."
"I see, so, who is this Kurama you mentioned?"
"That would be me," a man with an angular face, sharper than normal canines and reddish orange hair, "Kurama Hagaromo, better known as the Kyubi No Kitsune, at your service," Kurama finished with a flourish and slight bow, a foxy smile on his face.
Rasa's face paled, "You actually let your prisoner outside of the seal?" he asked in a slight panic.
"No, he's still sealed but he does have some degree of autonomy and he's not my prisoner, he's more like our trainer, adviser...umm, uncle."
"Uncle? How can a daemon like that be thought of as an uncle?"
"When we were little Sakura and I were attacked by the villagers. We got cornered in an alley, one of them stabbed me when I tried to rescue Sakura-chan. This time they got lucky and managed to give me a fatal wound but they also forgot about me being hard to kill."
"What do you mean hard to kill and that you were trying to rescue Sakura?"
"Just what I meant, I was going to die and some man was trying to rape a little girl, he was going to rape Sakura-chan and I couldn't do anything," Naruto explained before Kurama jumped in,
"It was then that I decided that enough was enough, that I remembered through my hatred for you humans what I was put in this world for. I rescued them and after a few choice words to the old man over there I took them up and left. Over the years I saw to their education and training so when they returned they would live up to his parents expectations and dreams," Kurama explained as he gave a pointed look at both Hiruzen and Minato before looking back at Rasa, "I did what you as a parent, father and leader should've done. Had I known about my sister's condition and it's effect on your son I would've taken him as well."
Rasa and the other adults were silent for a while as they listened to the fox's scathing words. Finally Naruto spoke up, "Ne, that was yesterday and this is now. We need to look at Gaara's seal and we need to know all you know about Suna's history with Shukaku. If that seal ever breaks then we'll have basically a very psychotic and insane smart bomb on the loose and when that happens I doubt that if I fight him things will end well. So tell us all you know."
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Kizashi woke up in a different room with a very painful chest ache as well as a sharp pain in his calf. Looking around he saw the face of Tsunade gently smiling at him, "Good morning, the surgery was a success but there were a few complications."
"Com...complications?" he wheezed.
"Yeah, complications, you see, when we began the repair to your heart as a matter of procedure we scanned your entire circulatory system and found that you if fact had two valves with damage as well as the majority of the vessels leading into and out of your heart were occluded by at least ninety percent."
"I don't understand Lady Senju, occluded? What does that mean and how does it effect me?"
"I'm sure in your job as a general merchant you've sold piping to tradesmen to replace pipe that's become clogged and useless am I correct?"
"Yes, but how does it relate to me? You didn't use plumbing supplies to fix me did you?"
Laughing at the man's response Tsunade just continued with her explanation, "No, we didn't do that per se, but, well first let me explain what occluded means. It just means that we found your veins and arteries supplying the blood to your heart were clogged by fat deposits leaving only a very small opening for blood to flow. It also raised your blood pressure as well as weakening your heart. Fortunately for you that heart attack you suffered actually saved your life. If it had happened before or after Sakura-chan had visited your shop you would've been dead by the end of the year."
Hearing that Kizashi shuddered, he was all that his wife and youngest daughter had and even had he died Mebuki would have never reached out to their clan or daughter for help. Her stubbornness would've doomed both her and Sakurai. Now he was even more grateful that his oldest and her husband insisted on sending him and his family back to Konoha. After pausing a moment to let her patient gather his thoughts Tsunade continued,
"Anyway, that's all water under the bridge. As to your surgery, we had to use veins from your lower legs to use as replacements for the vessels that we replaced. I'm sure you've noticed the pain and bandages there? Good, now, we had to do what is known as a quad bypass as we used the new vessels to shunt the blood around the damaged ones. Now, as to your actual heart valves. We used a procedure developed by your oldest daughter to grow genetically compatible organs for transplant."
"My daughter came up with a new technique like that? But she's barely fifteen if she's a day!"
"Calm down Kizashi, calm down! Your daughter is one of the best and brightest Konoha has to offer. She learned more in exile than she could have learned here, IF she could have found someone to train her. As she was Naruto's only friend and companion for some reason the word was passed that she be treated just like 'that daemon brat'. Of course we have no idea who actually said such a thing, there were just so many choices you know."
"I know and I regret it to this day, I should have divorced my wife before things got out of hand but after she started with the mind control elixirs I suppose I'm just as guilty. I mean after all I was the one that cast her from the clan. Some father huh? Now I understand that she's the clan head and with the elders' approval the clan has been merged with the Uzumaki."
"Yes it has and she's ordered that your family stay in her house until you get healed up. Now, anyway we needed a compatible donor and found one in Sakura..."
"WHAT! My oldest girl? What did you do to her? If I find that she's been har..."
"Relax! Nothing was done to her except for drawing of some blood. We made a blood clone from her, it's a contingency plan for our ninja on missions. Should they receive life threatening injuries replacement organs, hair and skin grafts are taken from the donor. Upon creation we placed it in a stasis seal. Should Sakura be injured or killed we can use the clone to revive her or assume her originals position in the village."
"That's barbaric! How can a clone replace a normal human? And this harvesting of organs, disgusting and disturbing."
"And yet it's through these organ donations that you still live. According to your daughter, where she and Naruto spent their exile the harvesting of donor organs is commonplace. In fact according to her many people in those lands volunteer to be donors, Sakura and Naruto included. I've seen their old ID cards that were issued by the government they served, on the back was a signed statement indicating that upon their death their bodies may be harvested for organs to aid in another person continuing to live. Quite selfless for a daemon and his 'whore' as the villagers called them.
"Now, by using her clone under her orders, she's ensured your continued survival. Don't worry, she'll be home in a month or so. The treaty update with Suna is more important than her desire to be with you. It hurts her but I think in the end the wait will be worth it."
"I'm not worth this."
"Excuse me? What do you mean you're not worth this?"
"Just what I said, I'm not worth Sakura sacrificing her chance to recover from severe injuries by using her clone to keep me alive. Why would she do this for me? I was never a good father to her, I never acted like a father so why?"
Tsunade gave the upset man a hard look in the eyes, "You just answered your own question, because you're a father. She's been waiting her whole life to make some kind of life with you and her mother in it somehow. This is her chance, one she took so that when she comes back from Suna you'll be still among the living. Besides, her little sister would be devastated should something happen to you.
Now, before I leave I need to explain a couple of things to you. That pain you feel in your legs is the site where we harvested the blood vessels for the bypass. We wanted to use as much of your own genetic material as we could to minimize your body rejecting the replacements. That stuffed fox by your side is there for a reason. When you feel like coughing or sneezing I want you to hug that thing for dear life, hug it like you'd want to hug Sakura-chan. If you don't do that then when you cough or sneeze you'll risk ripping out your stitches and reopen your chest. So please, if you don't do anything else I tell you do this one thing and hug that damn fox."
"I will, so whose idea was it a fox anyway?"
"That would be any number of people but I'm guessing it's one of the exchange students from Wave, Naruto is a hero to those folks," seeing the look of surprise on the man's face Tsunade continued on, "In fact, not only is he a hero but we've found that he's the lost Diamiyo of Whirlpool. It seems that Kushina was the last of the royal family after the loss of that hidden village. I'll bring Inari by later on and introduce him, I'm sure your youngest could use a friend or two in the village."
Shock and understanding grew on Kizashi's face. It made sense now, why the Third went out of his way to protect and defend the boy from his detractors. The kid was royalty in more ways than one. The son of the Fourth Hokage and Princess of Uzu as well as the grandson of the two loyal Sanin. On top of all that the kid was the next Hokage and was also directly related to the First and Second Hokages. Hell, as much as the old council doted and praised Uchiha Sasuke, treating him as if he were the next Fire Lord, they had did all they could to drive out, hurt or kill the actual person of royal pedigree.
Kami, he and his wife had made a mess of things hadn't they? By the looks on his wife's face and the scowls Sakurai was giving the both of them it seems as if they too had found or figured it out. He and Mebuki had a lot to make up for. The one thing that frightened him was the fact that the heirs of every major clan were friends of his daughter and son in law. Mebuki had already ran into Inuzuka Tsume and while she was still breathing the reunion hadn't gone very well. As for himself, well he was dreading running into Hatake Kakashi. Evidently he's been recently permitted to adopt Naruto since he and his wife had spat on Kushina and Minato's wishes.
Sighing the man just lay in his bed as the medical staff checked him over before giving him a shot for pain and another to help him sleep. If he was to heal properly he'd need his rest.
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It had been almost two days since Gaara had been first subdued and then given a new seal that would allow him to at some point contact and learn to work with the entity he held in his body. The prosedure had taken a lot out of the young teen and he had slept the sleep of the just for nearly three days. Temari had sat by her brother's side for nearly the entire time and only left to eat and use the restroom just so that she would be the first person he would see when he woke up. It was a nerve wracking time for the girl as until a few days ago Gaara falling asleep was not a good thing. Now however, it seemed that his mind was working overtime as it processed nearly a decades worth of memories and experiences.
Temari has watched in fascination as her brother entered and reentered REM sleep in an endless cycle. Gaara's eye's twitched under the stretched skin covering them. Bask and forth they tracked invisible persons and objects. As that happened his body jumped and fidgeted in reaction to what ever he was interacting with in his mind. His hands flexed open and closed as if grasping things or making seals. At one point Temari watched as her brother mimed the actions for the Sand Burial technique all the while as tears streamed down his face.
As she watched Temari began to occasionally stroke Gaara's brow in an effort to comfort him. When she made contact she would also whisper that he was safe, accepted and most importantly, loved. She had done the last action on the recommendation of both Naruto and Sakura. They said that although she would never get an obvious response it was vital for Gaara to know that his existence no longer needed to be validated in the blood of others. Kankuro had also took his turn in comforting his little brother his deeper voice resonating a feeling of comfort through strength.
Now, after nearly three and a half days of chakra induced sleep Temari watched as her baby brother began to stir. As his eyes fluttered open Temari nearly gasped as she saw his eyes, they were a clear and passive teal. The redness that would usually accompany his rages was gone. Gaara looked into his sisters eyes for a couple of minutes before he spoke,
"Temari? What happened? Why am I..."
Before she answered the boy was being held tightly by his sister as tears of joy ran down her cheeks, "Gaara, thank goodness you're awake. How do you feel? Wait! Don't tell me, not yet, you need to hear this. You attacked the Godaime Hokage Uzumaki Naruto and his wife Sakura. Before you say anything you need to listen okay?"
At the the boy nodded his head in confusion and shock. Attacking a Kage is seen as two things, an act of war and an insult to the village said Kage represented, punishable by death. Even with his ultimate sand defense his father could effectively counter, neutralize and kill him with no trouble. So why was he still alive? His sister was still talking so he figured that she had his answers and so, he listened.
"Okay, first things first, Naruto isn't interested in seeing you punished or hurt in any way, shape or form, he understands that it was out of your control. Second, your rages and urges to kill were never, ever your fault and the 'mother' you were hearing was the one tailed beast that was sealed in you. Somehow it went crazy and began trying to control you and escape."
"So...how, how am I able to sleep and not hear her anymore?"
"The seal that imprisoned Shukaku, it was of poor design and so Master Jiraiya and Naruto-kun redid it with the help of Kurama-san. They made it so you can talk to Shukaku after she's calmed down, Naruto-kun will help you with that later. I...I'm so happy Gaara, I'm so very happy."
The quiet boy looked at his sister for a minute in surprise, "Happy? Why are you happy?"
"Because, I have my baby brother back," with that she closed the distance between the two and took him into a hug before kissing his forehead.
Still smiling she stood up, "I'll be back soon, Kankuro is getting you some food and I need to inform Naruto-kun that you're awake and then I need to find father and tell..."
"You're not going to tell father first? Why?"
"Ahh, he's still in talks with the other Konoha delegates regarding the new treaty. He asked us to inform Naruto-kun about you first as he's the one that helped you, I have to go now. Eat all your dinner and please don't threaten Kankuro, he worries and loves you but he's still a bit afraid of you," Temari explained to her brother and left.
As she did Gaara noticed the slight blush on her face as she mentioned this Naruto-kun. Before he could ponder it more his door slid open and Kankuro stepped in with a tray of Gaara's favorite foods. The younger boy noticed that his elder brother stepped inside with slow and slightly timid motions. Turning to face the teen on the bed Kankuro allowed a small smile,
"Gaara," he said softly as he knew his little brother hated loud noises, "I've bought you some food, well, a lot of food. Temari said that you'd be hungry when you woke up so..."
"Kankuro..."
"Yes Gaara?"
"Thank you."
"N...no worries Gaara," the older teen replied as he began to set the tray across in brother who was still in his bed.
"Kankuro?"
"Yes Gaara?"
Gaara paused as the memories of his dreams flooded back to him, the ones where he had threatened and terrified his siblings. All the times he had told his brother and sister that he would kill them reared their ugly heads and the echoes of his words sickened him. Turning to his brother Gaara opened his mouth,
"Kankuro, I...I'm sorry for how I've treated you. Can you forgive me elder brother?"
Kankuro looked at the younger boy and smiled, "Of course I can, you're my little brother Gaara, of course I can."
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Temari ran across her family compound towards the guest houses as her mind raced. Her brother was awake and he was sane, finally after many years of prayer the one thing that she had desired had happened. When she had first heard Naruto state that he and his grandfather could fix the seal and free her brother of his mental torment she nearly laughed until she saw the determination on the blond teens face. He wasn't saying that he thought he could fix the seal, he told her that he knew he could fix the seal.
As she neared the suite of rooms assigned to the Uzumaki couple she began to hear the sounds of a fight including assorted thumps, thuds and the occasional yelp and scream. As she neared the door her eyes caught sight of a pink hair ribbon tied around the door knob. The sounds grew louder as she neared and words began to be heard,
THUD, THUD, THUD, "...ohhhhh!" SLAP! "More...right...right..." SLAP! "Aieeeeeee! Yesssssss!"
THUMP THUMP THUMP, "You like that bitch?" SMACK,
"Narutooooo, ohhhhhh! Yeah baby...Yeah...right there baby right there!"
As Temari stood there turning redder and redder as the meaning of what she was hearing sunk in. She heard a door open and close nearby. Walking towards her was was the lazy Nara heir and the Yamanaka girl, obviously they were also a couple from the way they held hands. Shikamaru sighed as he looked at the pink ribbon and lit a cigarette,
"Troublesome oversexed blond, this is the fifth time this trip they forgot to put up that damn seal. How long have you been here?"
"A...about a min...minute or so. Are they really..." Temari asked trying to understand what the Nara had said about the fifth time during the trip. If they forgot about putting up a silencing jutsu at least five times then how many times...Temari shivered before she could complete that thought.
Ino smirked at the Suna girl and gave a knowing wink, "Well one thing about Sakura, she loves..."
CRASH! "SHRIEK"
"...her Naruto time. They get to the f..."
"Fuck me Naruto-kun, Fuck me! That's it baby, fuck my little pussy, ohhhh baby!"
"...part yet?"
Temari's jaw dropped, seriously? She never in her wildest dreams could imagine Sakura talking like that let alone yelling at the top of her lungs, "Soooo, this is like an everyday..."
"Yeah, like I said troublesome. They give certain people ideas that other's are too tired to attempt," Shikamaru replied giving Ino an apathetic look.
Ino for her part just flipped her boyfriend the bird, "You can complain all you want Shika, your body is telling me something different. It shows, now, do we wait till they're finished or do we..."
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Sakura-chan! I can't hold it any longer! I need to pu..."
"NO! In me, cum in me baby please, fill me up!"
"But..."
Dammit Naruto! I said I... want... you... inside of mmmmeeeeee! That's...that's ahhhhhhhhhh!"
"SAKURAAAAAAA!"
As the sounds of the lovers died off Ino and Shikamaru shared a look before Ino walked up to the door,
BAM BAM BAM! "Hey forehead! Nice performance, I don't think Iwa and Kumo heard you though. Open up, Temari has been out here waiting for you two to get done."
Temari began blushing harder as she now heard the sounds of people rushing around getting dressed as furniture was straightened up as muffled voices drifted out of the room,
"...mit Naruto, I thought you put that seal up."
"Me? I thought you did, I can't help it if you turn me on that..."
"Touch me there and die! Temari is out there waiting on us and you are not going to fuck me again while she's outside waiting."
"Oh my god," Temari sighed, "Ino, tell me this isn't a regular thing. I mean, from what Sakura has told me..."
"Yeah...they go at it like rabbits whenever and wherever they happen to be and well...You know that the Uchiha heir woke up his sharingan on that mission that liberated Wave right?"
Temari nodded wondering where this was going and how it related to the Uzumakis, "Well," Ino continued, "as you know it usually takes a severe mental trauma to awaken it. Sasuke tells everyone it was while he was in combat that he woke his eyes..." at that Ino began to giggle to the point that Shikamaru had to take over.
"Troublesome woman, Sasuke tells everyone that he activated his bloodline in combat but what really happened was that he and his wife, well fiance, walked up to something just like this only they were there for almost the whole performance. Speaking of which,"
BAM BAM BAM!
"Hurry up and you two are slipping, I'm giving you a seven out of ten and Ino...Ino gives you a six. She says Naruto was too quick this time around!"
Just then the door opened with a very flushed and sweaty Naruto glaring at his friend and adviser, "It was a ten and you know it you lazy bastard and what the hell do you know about making love to a woman anyway? Ino told Sakur..."
"Finish that sentence and I'll make you think you're a little girl that's not potty trained," Ino shouted.
Just as Temari thought it couldn't get any stranger she jumped as a hand rested on her shoulder. Looking behind her she saw a pair of very satisfied jade green eyes looking at her, "Ignore them Temari-chan, I'm sure you're not here for the show so what can we do to..umm, for you?"
"My brother is awake, I thought you'd like to know after all Naruto-kun is the one that insisted he and Master Jiraiya help him."
Hearing the news Naruto began to smile wide as his own personal mission was almost complete. Taking his wife's hand he turned to Temari and motioned for her to follow them. The small group first stopped at wing of the compound across from the small garden. Taking a key from his pocket Naruto turned the lock and entered the darkened room with Sakura and Temari in tow, Shikamaru and Ino had decided to wait outside.
Walking to one inner door he softly knocked and after a short wait a girl that was maybe a year younger answered looking like she had just woke up. He and Sakura spent a few minutes of quiet conversation before a younger boy walked to the door and listened in. As the older teens finished talking Naruto ruffled the boy's hair as Sakura kissed his forehead and gave him a slip of paper. Glancing at it made the boy smile wide as he ran back to his bed.
Naruto then walked to another door before just strolling in. Temari followed and as her eyes adjusted to the low light levels she saw the couple sit on the sides of the single bed. Naruto on the girl's side while Sakura sat next to the boy who had just put on his glasses. Kissing the girl on the brow Temari watched the scene unfold, "Morning Moegi-chan, sleep well?"
The girl just nodded into the teens chest as she woke up, "Uhuh, we all just crashed after dinner father, last night's training took a lot out of us."
"I know, but, by the time we return home think of how much stronger you'll be. I'm sure that what you and the boys learn here will help us make Konoha a very strong village. Now, Umeko is going to take all of you guys to the market place and get you some local clothes so..."
"But I don't like those clothes, they hide my figure," Moegi began to whine. She and Hanabi had reached the age where they were beginning to pay attention to their appearance, especially since they both had boyfriends.
Hearing her words Temari frowned thinking that the guy she was beginning to like was raising a fangirl. That changed when Sakura spoke up, "Moegi, what have I told you about paying too much attention to fashions and not enough to learning your job?"
"A lot mother but..."
"No buts, what you and Hanabi wear at home isn't appropriate for Suna. The sun here is way stronger than at home and if you get sunburned too badly you'll fail your mission because you'll be too sore to pay attention. Is that what you want? You know that as the eldest daughter of the Hokage you need to set the example, now tell me and your father, are you willing to fail your mission because you would rather look good?"
"No ma'am, but it's not fair, I don't see you buying the local clothing and..."
"Dear, I don't need to buy any clothing since I already have what I need already," Sakura informed the girl as Temari blinked in surprise.
By now the boy, Udon, had woke up and looked at the girl next to him, "Moegi, you don't have to wear things like the others wear to get my attention, you look good no matter what you wear. Besides, I don't like it when other guys look at you they way they do. If it makes you feel better I'll go into the shops to help you pick something out."
Sakura smiled at her adopted son, he, Moegi and Konohamaru had been in her and Naruto's care for almost two and a half years and in that time the children had grown more than anyone had expected. It was no secret in Konoha's government that Naruto had a plan for these three and it wasn't what anyone expected. These three were to be made into a command team once they graduated and would be the ones that would lead their classmates once they all entered the field. Because of that Naruto and Sakura insisted that the three as well as Eiji and Hanabi were given intensive training in all fields of warfare. The latter two were included for various reasons, in Eiji's case it was his closeness to his sister Umeko as she was the Uzumaki's main assistant.
Eiji was seen as a security measure and was given the same training as the Uzumaki kids. Even his sister was unaware of what his job was and how intensive his training was. Hanabi was included as she was engaged to Konohamaru and she demanded that when teams were chosen she was to be put in the same one as her fiance. Naruto argued against it as did Sakura but in the end the girl won out. In the near future these five would be the shot callers for the Third Konoha Special Forces platoon.
Temari was watching it's roots in this small darkened room. She watched and listened as the family that she may marry into shared their most personal moments and wondered if she could ever be as good a mother as Sakura was. Moving to the next room the scene was repeated but without the protests as the young parents spoke in soft and loving tones to children that were only a few years younger than they were. Simply put Temari was amazed at how mature these two were.
Soon the Uzumaki couple were done with their business regarding their family Naruto walked out of the suite and began heading to see Gaara after breakfast. Temari walked by his side as Sakura walked next to Ino trading barbs about this mornings activities. Shikamaru just sighed and trailed behind. The group passed Choji who was on his way to escort Umeko and the kids on their shopping trip already anticipating what new foods he'll have for his morning meal.
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Morning in Konohagakure came early to two young red haired girls as they waited in the underground apartment they had shared for the last few months. Since their liberation from Orochimaru's clutches they had endured not only hospitalization but interrogation and isolation and a whole mess of other words ending in 'tion'. Today however the word was repatriation. Both girls had been segregated from the rest of the village for the last few months only seeing Tsunade, Anko and Ibiki along with others in the T&I division.
Karin, however had another visitor to pass the time with, Sai, the young intelligence officer that had interrogated her as she recuperated after her surgery following her capture. While at first maintaining a professional distance the boy began spending more and more time with the glasses wearing redhead. It soon became clear that Karin wasn't a threat so the teen continued his visits, extending them to walking her around the decks of the ship they were on and later around the hallways of T&I. Karin always looked forward to these visits as they broke the monotony of their detainment.
Today however, today was the day that she and her sister Tayuya were to be set free. At one minute past nine in the morning there came a knock on the door to their apartment. As her sister opened the door Karin's heart stopped as there on the other side stood a man that invoked fear at a glance. Momochi Zabuza stood there in all his glory accompanied by a slight but gracefully built young lady who bowed in greeting shoving an elbow into the intimidating man's ribs,
"Good morning cousins, I'm Momochi Haku and this is my father Momochi Zabuza. We are here to escort you to the Uzumaki compound and ensure your welcome and return to the clan. You ladies are especially important to the clan as you have been confirmed to have a blood connection to our clan head Uzumaki Naruto."
"Wait," Tayuya called out, "What do you mean we have a blood connection to the clan head? How do you know that?"
"There is a seal array in the Uzumaki royal compound in the Land of Waves. It updates constantly and keeps track of all Uzumaki. It was confirmed that your mother was the younger daughter of the last Uzukage. Her older sister, Kushina, gave birth to the current clan head Naruto-san. As the acting clan head I will be in charge of teaching you all your duties as part of the clan court and council."
Nodding as she picked up the scrolls holding their belongings Karin spoke up, "Okay, so we're now part of the clan council is that all we have to do now that we're in Konoha?"
"No, the option to become kunoichi is open, you'll be evaluated and then sent to the training program best suited for your skill set. The way it is right now you'll be most likely placed in the remedial program to bring you up to speed in the way Konoha does things but that will be left to the Genin Commander to decide," Zabuza explained.
Both girls seemed satisfied with that explanation and followed their escorts out of the building and into the morning light. The walk was quiet and uneventful as the group walked through the busy streets. Both girls were aware of the ANBU shadowing them from the rooftops. They made one detour to the Hokage tower where they were taken to get their final processing done. This consisted of registering their clan affiliation and receiving their ID papers. Afterward they were taken to Naruto and Sakura's office to meet with the acting Genin Commander.
While Naruto had determined that in the future Shikamaru would be his main adviser his choice of second in command was Sasuke. Although he at first hated to admit it Naruto realized after the liberation of Wave and the first deployment of Konoha's Special Forces, the Uchiha had a very good grasp of a battle. His tactical sense and maturity in the field had caught the attention of both Uzumaki's. Therefore he was the one that would take over operations and planning for both those waiting on missions and those in the post grad classes. It was also something for him to do while Ami stayed at home with their daughter.
Speaking of which the two women in his life were visiting him as Zabuza and Haku entered with Karin and her sister in tow, "Hmmm, you look good behind that desk, I'm sure I can convince my cousin to let you keep it if you like," joked the swordsman and Uzumaki clan head.
"You wish, no, I'm better suited for the field like him," Sasuke shot back ignoring the look Ami had given him, "So, what can the acting Commander help you with?"
"These two," Zabuza replied pointing to his cousins, "They've been released and Lady Tsunade wishes them to be placed in the pool as genin until they can be properly evaluated.
"I see, well, I'm Uchiha Sasuke in case you forgot, this is my wife Ami and our our daughter Hatsuko. Ami, this is Uzumaki Karin and Uzumaki Tayuya, the idiot's lost cousins."
"Excuse me, but who the hell is this 'idiot' you tree huggers keep talking about?" Tayuya asked while her sister tried to keep her mouth under control. The last thing they needed was to be seen as a threat after they'd been cleared to leave confinement.
Sasuke didn't even blink was he replied, "Your cousin, our Godaime Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto."
"Wait, you're serious? He's an idiot? If that's the case then why is he in power?" Karin asked, surprised that the village even tolerated such talk about it's leader.
"He's not, he just has his...moments. My husband is just expressing himself. Actually Naruto-kun is very well respected, isn't he Sasuke-kun?" Ami explained to the girls is a very sweet voice.
"Ah, yeah, very respected. There's going to be an two week long exercise starting in the morning. You two will shadow the Jonin-senseis for the duration so you'll have an idea of what's expected of you. They've been given the security briefs and blood oaths?"
"Before they were released Uchiha-san," Zabuza answered.
"Good, make sure they're properly outfitted. Until Naruto and Sakura comes home they'll only carry standard ninja tools and weapons. Zabuza, Haku? No special weapons until we're sure."
"Understood Commander, anything else?"
"No, that's all. Ladies, welcome to Konoha and welcome to the Leaf's Special Forces. One last thing, if you try to betray the village or your cousin I'll carry out his orders personally."
Tayuya shivered at the tome of his voice and noticed the all too sweet smiles of Ami and Haku, "Wh...what orders are those Uchiha-san?"
"Should anyone prove to be traitors beyond a reasonable doubt they're to be executed. We've been harmed by those close to us too many times in the past so Naruto decided to stop taking chances. Traitors, when they are found out are to be killed on the spot."
"I see, and you already suspect us?"
"As head of the Police Force I suspect everyone, it's my job. Now, if there's nothing else good day."
As the Uzumaki party left the offcie Ami turned to look at her lover, "Aren't you a little harsh with them Sasuke-kun? They are Naruto's cousins..."
"Who just so happened to be working for Danzo and Orochimaru. Did you not forget that there is a leak in this village that even Kabuto didn't know about?"
"They passed the screening and..."
"Ami, Itachi passed his screenings and debriefings and he was still able to kill most of the clan. We know that idiot is going to open his home to them and let his guard down. If I had my say they'd be wearing the caged bird seal to ensure their loyalty."
"And Naruto would have a fit, he see's it as a form of slavery and I can't really disagree but we can't live in fear until Hatsuko can take care of her self. We have our jobs to do and lives to live."
"I know, but after what my brother did to the family I don't like taking chances."
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The foursome exited the Hokage Tower and found themselves walking towards one of the merchant districts. As they went on they began to notice more and more people with pink hair. There weren't many but there were enough to be noticed. Seeing the looks on the newcomer's faces Haku decided to speak up,
"We're near the Haruno clan district, the clan your cousin married into a couple of years ago. He lives near the center with his wife and children."
"Children?" Karin asked, "How old is Naruto-san anyway?"
"He turned fifteen not to long ago, Sakura-chan will be fifteen next month. If things go right on this trip she'll be expecting the Uzumaki heir and returning with the Namikaze Matriarch."
"Wait, what? You mind explaining that for us? I mean I thought you said they already had kids and you're saying that she should be carrying his heir?"
Haku and Zabuza both laughed before the girl continued, "It's...complicated. The children I mentioned are adopted, I believe they took them in a few months after their return. Naruto-kun promised Sakura that as soon as she was able to safely bear children that he'd giver her what she desired, a child of her own."
"I see, but what about a 'Namikaze matriarch?"
"Suna sent the daughter or their Kazekage as a bride in a political marriage. Naruto is under the Clan Restoration Act and needs at least one more wife, two actually but I doubt he'll find another that would love him for him. Anyway, this girl and Sakura hit it off and seeing how Naruto showed some interest Sakura-chan gave her blessing to her husband to get to know this Suna girl a little better. The kunoichi have a bet going to see if Naruto brings home a Suna bride."
"I see. So where are we going to now?"
"Well actually we're here, this is where you'll get your uniform issue and then we'll see about your boots."
"Uniforms? Boots? Listen sister I don't know if you noticed but Karin and I aren't exactly rolling in cash. I mean we just got out of a glorified jail. We refuse to be put in debt for no good reason."
Hearing the rant Zabuza just sighed and crossed his arms. If he had learned nothing from living with Haku he learned this, never argue with a moody teen girl, it wasn't worth the grief. However he knew he had to speak up,
"Look, two things about your clothes and footwear. The first is that the first issue is free, the village pays for it. Second, part of the things you'll get today are the official clan dress. You'll be expected to wear those during clan functions and when performing clan duties. The rest will be explained later on today, now let's get this over with."
The girls were surprised with how well the clothes fit, true, they had been measured while in isolation but the quality of the workmanship was amazing. As Kensuke was helping the sisters go over every item in the large canvas bag Haku was talking to the man's wife. Actually the teen girl was playing with the older girl's son and the girl she was babysitting. A little over a year ago she and her best friend had become pregnant and gave birth, Rei, a boy named Shinji after her half brother and husband's best friend. The little girl was named Asuka after her mother's closest friend.
After the sisters were finished with their clothes they were surprised as a runner from the boot maker around the corner arrived with a pair of black leather combat boots, tan suede desert boots and two pair of dress shoes. Hikari, Asuka's mother, soon showed up and checked the fit of all footwear the girls were issued. Once all was tried on and checked and everyone was happy Zabuza lead the girls back out on the street.
They had slogged almost halfway across the village before they were led to the gates of a high walled compound. Although the walls looked foreboding the sounds of laughter and training could be heard. As they entered through the gates a cheer could be heard as people came from all directions. Karin jumped as an old lady stepped up and grabbed her wrist. Looking into the girls eyes the old woman smiled,
"You look just like your mother Kana. She was one of my favorite students."
"You taught our mother?" Karin asked in shock but before she had her answer Tayuya was taken into the arms of a massive red haired man.
He twirled her around before laughing in joy, "Welcome Hime, welcome home the both of you!"
"What's going on!?" Tayuya yelled out trying to keep a civil tongue in her mouth.
The man just laughed louder before replying as he set her down, "It's always a celebration when a clansman returns to the fold. The Uzumaki clan has been scattered far too long so it's natural for us to be happy when we grow that much more."
Zabuza looked on with a soft smile, "The clan is everything to us Uzumaki Tayuya, we're family before all else. That's something Naruto has told everyone of us when we came home. Even though we're split between Konoha and Wave you should know that our cousins in Wave will enjoy a feast in honor of your homecoming just as we will tonight."
Seeing the crowds of happy faces began to overwhelm the girls as Tayuya began to break down a sob. As her sister comforted her the teen girl was able to get her words out,
"Why?" sob "Why? You all treat us like lost heroes and we're nothing but reformed criminals. We worked for a pair of traitors, one of which caused the downfall of our people. I've done horrible things in their name so why?"
For her answer the old lady that greeted Karin took her hands and looked into her eyes, "Why you ask? Because you're clan, family. In fact you're both like our leader, our lost princesses to our lost prince. No one cares what you did before you came her, no one will judge you. You're our family, our blood and our future. To turn you away would go against everything Naruto-dono stands for."
"You want an answer as to why," the large man continued, "It's because your mother was our hope when Kushina died. We despaired when she passed and you vanished without a trace. The clan vowed to remain hidden until our rumored prince or princesses appeared and so we waited in the shadows. During that time the royal line has gotten stronger and because of Naruto's deeds in liberating the last of our homelands the clan came together."
"But we were still not whole," a new voice rang out, a girl of about ten, "We still despaired until Naruto-kun told us the news, that the missing princesses had been found alive and were returning to the fold. What you've done in the past is in the past. You've spent the time required by clan law for purification and atonement. To us you both are new spirits without transgressions, that is why you are welcome and why we accept you back into the clan."
Hearing that the two girls just stood and cried. Ever since their mother had died they had been told that they had no place to call home other than Sound. That because of the crimes they committed no village would take them in. It had been by chance that Karin had been found by Sasuke's raiding party all those months ago and was spared on a whim. It was Sai that informed her of Naruto's existence and his standing order to repatriate any and all Uzumaki or Uzumaki branch members to either Konoha or Wave.
The genin intelligence officer was the one to help work a plan to recover her sister from the Southern Base. All that planning had paid off and while the cost in life was high they were together as sisters again. Now however they were more than that. They were part of a family and were seen as part of the clan leadership, if not now then in the future. If just the normal members of the clan were this exuberant Karin couldn't wait to meet this Naruto.
By this point in time the Zabuza left the girls in Haku's care and they followed her to their new home. They had noticed that a paved road led from the gate into the compound ending in a round about with a swirling pool of water in it's center. From this circle a number of streets and paths radiated out to housing tracts and training grounds. There were also small stores and shops scattered about as well as places to eat and relax.
At the top of the main road stood a low building that took the place of the residence of the clan head. The girls were taken inside and were shown to the housing office. There they were met by another red head, this time a girl a few years older wearing a black skirt and tan blouse. Karin noticed that it was the same as what was given to her and her sister, this was obviously the clothing required for clan duties and functions. The girl smiled and asked them to have a seat.
"I'm Taiko, welcome home," she said introducing herself, "I'm the clan ombudsman, you'll come to me if you have any problems, concerns or needs. I have your papers right here so...let's see. Naruto-kun has ranked you temporarily as genin and placed in the pool, that's good. So, you're pay will start as of today with a lump sum payment of half wages for the time you were in isolation..."
"Excuse me," Karin interrupted as she and her sister decided that she would be the one to speak as Tayuya could be a little rough even when talking to friends or family, "We're a little confused here, what do you mean our pay? I thought that we needed to be on missions to be paid. And what's this pool we keep hearing about?"
"Well, the ninja pay system has been revamped by Naruto-kun and his wife. It's taken a while to get things running smoothly but it works like this, all citizens of the village now pay a flat tax of 3% on their income that's taken out of each paycheck and those funds go to the village. Shinobi pay 5% on each mission ranked C and above as missions are still the main revenue source of Konoha. This money is used to fund the new shinobi pay system.
You'll get a weekly stipend the equivalent to ten D rank missions per week paid twice a month, on the first and fifteenth. The Godaime Koho saw that shinobi that were injured, on post mission downtime or mandatory training sessions either had to live off their savings or take loans out to have funds to pay bills and buy food, clothes and equipment. This system was set up to address these problems and to reduce burnout of our ninja as most would take multiple back to back missions."
"I see, that makes sense and I suppose the loss rate of genin and chunin because of stress and related issues have dropped?"
"Markedly, now on to your second question, the pool. It started out first by placing the genin from Naruto and Sakura's academy class into a manpower pool that teams could be custom picked to suit that mission while at the same time going through advanced training. Every genin now are trained to the same standard with the Jonin-senseis training along side and taking missions based on the needs of the village. As I said, each team is custom made for each situation and the Jonin-senseis are assigned the missions, they no longer have the luxury of picking what they want as they now have a quota to maintain. When they get a mission they go to the pool and look over the available genin and from those assemble the best team for the job. This way everyone has a chance to work with the others many times until they reach chunin rank. Even Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan are assigned to the pool and have to take missions."
"So, even if you have on Jonin that's lazy and one that's an overachiever they both have the same amount of missions to complete every month?" Karin asked.
Before Taiko could answer two men climbing the Hokage mountain with their fingers and toes with boulders stopped to their backs sneezed before both falling to the bottom of the cliff.
"Yes, it also gives the Genin a chance to recover between missions. Now, for your housing. Normally you'd be given an apartment but since you two are part of the royal line you'll be given a small house near the clan heads residence."
"And how much will this cost us? We ain't got the money to fucking waste right now," Tayuya asked as al she could see was their small nest egg getting sucked into house payments.
"Nothing, as long as you live in the clan compound housing and meal are free, more or less."
"More or less?" Karin asked after elbowing her sister into silence.
"The housing is free, however, you'll pay monthly dues to the clan to cover utilities as well as food. Before you get mad everyone pays even the head and his wife. The dues are five hundred ryo per month. I know that sounds like a lot but you'll be pulling in nearly five thousand per month before mission pay."
"I see, if the dues are this low that must mean the clan has to be one of the largest in the village. Just how many of us is there?"
"In Konoha we number nearly eight hundred, the largest community is in Wave, there's almost two thousand of us there. Now, back to meals, the clan dining hall is in this building and is open from five in the morning to midnight. The menu changes daily but ramen is served fresh at all times. It's not as good as Ichiraku's but it's better than what's served in other places in the nation, any more questions I can answer?"
"You said that as long as we live in the clan compound housing if provided, what if we want to live some other place in the village?"
"Well, in that case you'll be paying for your own place as well as utilities and food. Speaking of which you'll still be able to eat in the hall but you'll be paying for each meal since you won't be paying dues. It's not cost effective to live outside the compound, the only ones who do is the clan head but that's because he was living in his wife's clan district and it's closer to the Hokage tower and the academy. He keeps long hours so Naruto-kun is the exception. He does spend Friday to Monday here with his family and the clan so you will see him around after they get back."
Karin nodded and looked to her sister before turning back to Taiko, "Thank you for everything and it was nice meeting you Taiko-san. I suppose that Haku will be taking us to our new home?"
"Yes, oh dear. I almost forgot, you'll both need to return here in two days. You need to be assigned your clan duties. The elders will take care of that but you'll get the assignment from this office. Ladies it was a pleasure to meet you both, welcome to the clan."
With that the girls left with Haku to settle into their new home, but first, lunch and all the ramen they could eat.
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At the same time the girls were getting settled into the village and clan Naruto was enjoying the post breakfast walk with two beautiful girls at his side, Sakura on his left, closest to his heart and Temari on his left. They had met with their party during the morning meal and gave them their assignments, Umeko would take the younger members of the team sightseeing the village of Suna. A Suna genin team would escort them and act as tour guides, it would be this team that they would train with later on in the trip.
Shikamaru, Ino and Choji would accompany Jiraiya, Hiruzen and his wife Chiyo to the treaty talks. They were to involve themselves to a degree but the main thrust of their assignment was to get a grasp of the diplomatic skills they would need to expand upon and develop as time went on. They were also expected to teach what they learned to the other clan heirs and other genin that showed promise as diplomats. Part of a shinobi's skill set was to be a mediator at times to avoid unnecessary conflict that would be seen as bad for business.
When the tasks were all handed out Naruto then took the two girls on a little walk to get to know not only the village but the dusty blond next to him. While he loved Sakura deeply Naruto was smitten with the girl on his right. She was lively and had a sense of humor as she laughed at some of his remarks about passersby. It was a game that he loved to play with Sakura, spot a person they were near and make up a story about them. Naruto always made the funniest remarks and Sakura was at first scared that Temari would think he was insulting her people.
That wasn't the case as the girl jumped in and began telling her own stories about people. The fact that she knew some of them made the tales all the better. Sakura too was more interested in Temari, she had to be as she would be sharing Naruto with the Suna girl if things worked out right. Most that met Sakura had the impression that she was a very serious and straight laced woman. Not true, in he past life she had shared Naruto with her best friend and she and Maria would spend alone time with each other.
Some weekend sleep overs usually started with the girls in Sakura's room watching movies and binge eating their favorite foods. Eventually Naruto would walk in as they were making out and instead of getting upset he'd take both in his arms and join in the fun. Sakura was now looking at Temari in the same light, the girl was smart, pretty and fun. Turning to her husband she smiled and began speaking in Spanish,
"So, what do you think of her?"
"She's pretty and laughs at my jokes, she's got my attention."
"Idiot, is that all she has? Your attention? Personally I think she's a little like Maria don't you think?"
"Really? You think she can make tamales like her?"
"No dummy, I mean she's like how Maria was when we were all together."
"I know, but yeah, she does remind me of her. Sakura, am I a bad person to feel like I'm replacing Maria?"
"No, you're not a bad person because we'll never be able replace her or forget her. Now, remember what I told you, take her to dinner in a couple of days and make sure it's a nice place. I've got Umeko and Moegi looking for a few, got it?"
"Yeah, Sakura-chan? I love you."
"I know lover, I know."
With that Sakura leaned over and kissed Naruto on the cheek. Temari was just looking at them before speaking up, "So, what was that language? I've never heard it before."
"It's something we picked up when we were younger. We'll teach it to you if you join the family," Naruto explained, "In fact it's mandatory, we use it to pass information and plans during missions."
"I see, so I'd be expected to learn that should I decide to marry you?"
"That and the language the two of us learned in exile first, actually Sakura and I a fluent in four languages but only two of them are mandatory to learn. There's other things that you'll be taught as well as being told our whole story about our training and upbringing. Temari, I hope, I really hope that we are the right people for each other. In my life there have been only two girls I've ever loved. One, Sakura is and always be my first love as she's been by my side from almost the beginning. The second was a girl we both knew and one she approved of, her best friend. Had things been different we would've brought her to Konoha with us but that was only wishful thinking.
I need a woman that's strong and is willing to stand by my side from a position of strength. Sakura-chan believes you to be this woman and I've learned to trust her judgment. I want to get to know you better and I want to begin dating you in a couple of days. Saying that I need to get to know your brothers first as they'll always be the most important men in your life."
Temari looked at him in surprise at all he's said, "I understand my brothers but you're not interested in getting to know my father better?"
"Yes, I do but it's your brother's approval I'm looking for. I know Rasa's feelings on this matter as he's the one that offered you up in a marriage contract. No, I seek only the approval of Kankuro and Gaara."
The rest of the walk was in silence as Naruto and Sakura took in the sights and sounds of Suna and Temari thought on what the blond had said. She was startled to hear that Naruto was only seeking the approval of her brothers and not her father's. In a way that made sense, Kankuro has always been by her side and she remembered Gaara when he was still an innocent and trusting child and how close they had been. For a time she had been like a mother to him and that was another thing she realized she had in common with the couple at her side. They too were raising children that were more close in age to be siblings instead.
Like Naruto she hoped that they would be perfect for each other. The stakes were to high for them not to marry, personally there was the fact that she was attracted to her fellow blond and was accepted by Sakura. Acceptance was important to her, they and their friends saw her a Temari, a girl and kunoichi from Suna, not Temari the daughter and oldest child of the Kazekage.
Politically there was the marriage proposal to bring Suna and Konoha closer together. So much was riding on that one point. Suna was slowly being economically strangled by their own Daimiyo and their power as a village was suffering for it. Stronger ties with a village like Konoha would go along way and if her marriage was successful then perhaps others would follow. Two villages tied by blood would have an alliance as strong or stronger than the legendary Uzu-Konoha bloc of the past.
This time however there would be no back stab as there would not be a Danzo in a position of power in either village. Suna learned from it's ally at how quickly a council could be corrupted. Changes were made without the Daimiyo's knowledge or permission/ The first was the elimination of the civilian council, second, all members of the shinobi council, elders and clan heads were interviewed by a contingent of Yamanaka to be vetted into the new village governing body.
The mission had taken more time than originally thought and over time some of the members met and fell in love with partners in Suna. Enough to make up a small branch clan in the desert as permission to do so as well as marry into the other village. That was where the idea to strengthen ties with a political marriage came from. The hopes and dreams of Suna rode on Temari's shoulders but if it was with Naruto the girl thought it would work.
The walk in silence shortly came to a stop as the stood by a guarded door. With a nod from Temari the door was opened. She had readied herself for a multitude of things but not the sight in front of her. There, by the window sat her baby brother quietly reading a book, with a gentle smile on his face and the dark raccoon like rings around his eyes not as pronounced.
Closing the book the boy stood and walked to his sister. Taking her into a hug he spoke for the first time since the incident in their father's audience chamber, "Sister, did you bring the ones that helped me?"
"Yes little brother, I've brought one, Uzumaki Naruto and his wife Sakura."
"Uzumaki Naruto, I thank you for your help."
Naruto just grinned in return as he held his hand out, "A pleasure to meet you Gaara, I'm Uzumaki Naruto, how do you like me so far?"
TBC...
A/N:
Sorry for the long wait for the update but this was one block after another. I did start a new story but I may or may not take it down because if so many plot holes that were pointed out. I'm not going to make a long note this time around but I want to touch on a couple of points,
1, Karin and Tayuya are first cousins unlike Zabuza who may or may not be a blood relative nut was considered family by Kushina. I have a plan for them as the story goes but nothing is set in stone at this point. I want to pair Tayuya off with someone that's already established but I'm undecided on who at this point. As to why they're first cousins to Naruto is that I've read a few stories where that relationship was established so there is a precedent already established.
2, Sasuke's threat. I'm trying to keep away from the 'brooding emo' that everyone makes him out to be. He's not, at least not that over the top in the first anime and it's not until he got the curse mark that things went downhill. I'm not trying to justify his later actions and as I've said before I hate the guy for all he put his friends through and his crimes. My goal for him is to make him less of the caricature that is portrayed in fan fiction, face it, that gimmick is getting old and has been done too many times before. Yes, in a lot of stories it works but it also colors how we view and write him in our stories. The trick is to make a guy that is now a one dimensional joke into a character that comes across as more human. He still has his flaws but instead of shutting himself off to the world he has people in his life that are important to him.
3, Naruto's mission to Suna, okay, this is going to end in the next chapter or two. It depends on how much I focus on the other story lines I do. That said, there will be some jinchuriki bonding and Ino will be meeting some of her distant cousins and gets to do her family jutsu to help Gaara. As far as Gaara and Naruto go, their bonding will start slowly at first but they hit it off big. As for the others there, you'll have to wait and see. A special mention about Kushina, she will show up but not for another few chapters.
That's all from me for now, hopefully the wait won't be as long.