Alright, this chapter is a bit later than usual but the good news is that I have 7k words written for the next one.

Thanks, of course, goes to ncpfan for all his help.

Let's begin, shall we?

"Clanhead Tsume, might I have a moment of your time?" She could have pretended to not have heard him had she not been an Inuzuka but even knowing that there was no way anyone would believe her if she claimed so she briefly considered trying anyway as her heart sped up slightly.

The look he had given her earlier- when speaking of the Wolves- had been easy enough to understand. She didn't know how he found out, what he was going to do with that information, or why he wanted to talk to her but she didn't like it. No one was supposed to know- no one! And yet he did.

If word got out about her relationship to the Wolves sin a month it would be nothing to worry about, an alliance with an up and coming group- despite it being rather out of character for the impolitically inclined Inuzuka Tsume- was something easy enough to accept. The same was true of it being revealed in two weeks. Hell, she could probably get away with it without arousing too much suspicion in as early as a week so long as people bought her explanation for the acceptance and familiarity of her pack as natural synergy.

It was a stretch, but it could be pulled off.

Less than that, however, would be impossible to explain. Well, not explain, the explanation was plain enough. No, it would be difficult to lie about, because that was what she was really doing in the end, wasn't it? Keeping her relationship with the Wolves cloaked in secrecy because it had been going on for over a month and her daughter was currently working in a rather high position as the Governor of Nami no Kuni.

Nami no Kuni- Wave- how had he learned about the takeover? Was that how he discovered her own clan's involvement? Did he see Hana or perhaps just some of her daughter's entourage? What, exactly, did he know?

She wouldn't be able to know, not for certain, the true extent of his knowledge and even a basic understanding would be limited almost exclusively to what he told her. She could usually detect lies and she could sometimes understand what emotion the clan head was feeling but dealing with a Yamanaka was never easy and you couldn't be sure what they were really thinking.

Much unlike herself, who was probably filled with minute tells for the Mindwalker to take advantage of.

Perhaps that's why he was interested in speaking to her now.

Turning away from the doorway- sweet freedom, escape just beyond her reach!- she met his eyes, knowing immediately that he had probably picked up on the nervousness in her own.

Sure, what she did wasn't technically illegal, but that didn't mean having her actions known wouldn't cause her trouble amongst the other clans and even Konohagakure no Sato itself. The fact that the Wolves were now a noble house- when was shew going to be informed?- wouldn't help much. Then again, every bit would help if it was known she had been consorting with a potential enemy all this time. The potential would keep her and her clan out of the fire, but they would still be in hot water.

Fortunately, she mused, if everything went to hell her clans would have the support it needed. They could flee to the capital as friends of the House of Wolves or seek asylum in Hi no Kuni's ally Nami no Kuni as partners of their Daimyo. Actually, neither of those sounded too bad, they would actually have more status and influence with those options than they did now as one of Konoha's greater clans.

It was kind of sad, now that she thought about it.

"I suppose I could spare a moment or two." She answered back as calmly as she could. Regrettably she had just spoken in a very Un-Tsume like manner and she recognized it just as quickly as Inoichi did. Those still around them had no doubt taken note of such as well.

It would seem some of her other relations were going to cause trouble too- she had been spending too much time with Mai as of late.

Sweat starting at the back of her neck, she tried to ignore her rising unease as Inoichi rose a single brow in question. She didn't dare look away to see what looks others were shooting her, doing so would have made her look as nervous as she was feeling.

"You have my gratitude in advance, I know you must be busy." Tsume flinched ever so slightly at what they both new was a blatant untruth. She didn't have a damn thing she needed to do and they both knew it. Hopefully only she knew it was because her daughter was currently working for the betterment of the clan leaving only the daily Konoha paperwork for her to take care of each morning.

"Have to see to the territory, you know. Can't be having newcomers thinking they can steal from my pack." Making up something and passing it off as a unique clan matter was the best she could come up with on such short notice, but it was also arguably the best considering her clan and her usual actions.

He seemed surprised at first, taking the bait, but then he seemed to realize something about her words and narrowed his eyes.

"Ah, yes, your pack. There must have been quite a few more births than normal these recent years," He commented almost offhandedly. "It seems to have increased rather drastically."

Damn him and his insight.

Still, she had to give him props for that- it was a good catch of words she hadn't realized slipped. And for him to think of her words from the perspective of the Inuzuka to come to a true conclusion with barely a moment's pause? There was a damn good reason the Yamanaka had always dominated the T&I department.

The only other person who should have made that connection would have been Nara Shikaku, simply because he would analyze everything he heard a hundred different ways and have a full conversation with you before he even replied. Thank the gods the Nara clan had never really had a political drive or any discussion with them would have been a nightmare of a political minefield.

It was a daunting enough thought that she was sure the Inuzuka wouldn't be the only clan deeming the political game too troublesome for them to even dare attempt.

"I suppose it has." She replied. "I hardly keep track of numbers, it's simply family." Not really, the Wolves weren't that close but they were all working together and that was enough to consider both the Wolves and the Inuzuka as one pack. Not a tightknit pack, but a pack nonetheless. Calling them was family was weird, but it was likely to happen in time. The chances of mating between the two was just far too high for her to think otherwise.

Maybe this was what getting to know your future in-laws was like. You didn't know them and weren't close but you knew that was soon to change, if only for the sake of your family.

Fortunately, she was rather fond of the Wolves and didn't mind the thought too much. She should probably consider herself lucky, gods knew whatever woman Kiba married would have the absolute weirdest family.

They'd have to if they were getting with her son, after all.

"Of course, of course." He nodded. "Your home is in the forests, but I have to ask- Have you ever considered the mountain range?"

The reference to his own clan was not lost on her, nor was what he was implying. He wanted to know of her thoughts of the Yamanaka and, more than that, how the entire pack- Wolves included- felt about them. There was only one reason for him to inquire of such, something supported by his clans misfortune when they had been against Naruto and by extension the Wolves she was now allied with.

He wanted to join them.

The nervousness almost completely left her but she was still cautious.

"I hadn't, but it certainly sounds like an excellent idea for a hunting trip. We'll have to try it out sometime. Would you care to continue this conversation elsewhere?" She was still well aware that they were standing within the council chambers, not the best place for a conversation of this nature.

"That sounds perfectly agreeable." He answered with a nod, moving to lead her out of the room.

As the two left to speak of Konoha's newest official occupants neither noticed the black pineapple sitting innocently on one of the tables- a pineapple that rose to show the face of one Nara Shikaku.

Her shoes practically flew off her feet before impacting the entryway wall with a solid thud but she hardly paid any notice to that.

She had known about them, Naruko and the Yamanaka had seen to hat, but still she ha held tightly to the hope that they were nothing but an urban legend, that they would be, at most, no more than a loose collection of souls that had fallen on hard times and unfortunately turned to petty crimes to support themselves.

That would have been okay, she could have accepted that her son was part of a close-knit group of survivors who looked out for each other and came to see themselves as a family.

But this? Not just an organization but an actual noble house?

If nothing else, the claims of family were certainly absolute, one could not deny a family that had managed to gain the favor of a greater Daimyo.

Even then, this was not a small group that had become a noble house of the Imperial Fire Court, this was an organization that had started small and grown in ways few would have imagined.

And her son, her baby boy, was part of it.

But in what capacity?

Was he a Wolf? An ally? Did he provide some sort of service providing information or infiltrating groups that would never trust them? Was he simply friends with some of them, their leader perhaps, or was he more deeply involved with this group?

Could he possibly be their leader, this Tsukiyomi, the one who had built them up from nothing?

She desperately wanted that to not be the case but were it to be true she would still be unable to keep herself from being proud of him and his accomplishments. It would explain a lot about his relationship with the Yamanaka too.

Leader or not, however, there was something far more important on her mind at the moment. The Wolves couldn't be that bad if the Daimyo was showing them so much favor as to instantly grant them a house on his court, and that same status as a noble house would ensure her son, regardless of the exact manner in which he was involved, would be well taken care of.

No, what she had to focus on was the trouble here in Konoha. He was gone now, off having himself a little vacation that reminded her painfully of how she and Naruko had left Konoha to return four years later. He was only going to be gone for a little over a month but even with him not being close to her anymore his absence still fell heavy on her heart and made her wonder how he could have possibly gone through four years of feeling anything close to what she felt right now.

He was going to come back, she knew he was, but the thought that he might decide not to, the small chance that he never would, filled her with dread. Had he shared her fears when she left or had he, never receiving her note or being taken in by Tsunade when she learned he had been locked out of the compound, immediately assume she would never be back?

She shook the thought from her head. Now was not the time to contemplate that. She was back, she had returned to him. For Him.

She wouldn't have left in the first place if she didn't need to separate herself from him for his well-being but even if the three of them had left together she had to wonder igf they would have bothered returning.

There really wasn't anything but her children that kept her in Konoha and both of them would have been more than willing to leave with her back then. Considering how wrong they had been about how the Kyuubi's chakra was affecting Naruto, it would have been better to simply take him with her then and avoid all of the problems they were having in Konoha.

Problems, admittedly, that wouldn't have existed if she stayed, either.

But as she said, it wasn't time for those particular thoughts to haunt her, Naruto was out of the village and that meant, hopefully, that he'd return with a fresh perspective and be more open to her efforts to restore the family to what it was before she destroyed it in her haste to protect him.

And when he did return the last thing she needed was for his attention to be caught by other things spinning out of her control.

Things like the Yamanaka clan.

"Inoichi." She practically growled the name as she thought of the head of the Yamanaka clan. He was up to something, she knew it, but she just couldn't figure out what.

He was approaching Tsume, for fucks sake, unless he was trying to court her- tying the clans together and perhaps using the increased weight to wrest the Yamanaka from her grasp? Maybe, and that could be done with their heirs, too.- she couldn't imagine why he had wanted to speak with her after the meeting- a meeting about the Wolves and their recent movements.

Something was up there, she just didn't know what. It wasn't a surprise that he knew about the Wolves being in Wave, her daughter's friendship with Ino was likely to thank for that, but his confirmation that they had completely taken over. One could have gathered such from simply knowing the Wolves as he seemed to and making the logical conclusion, but that didn't feel quite right.

She knew she was missing something, maybe even a lot, she just didn't know what it applied to. Was she missing something with the way Inoichi had known about the Wolves? He had seemed just as surprised as the rest by the fact that they had become a noble house, that couldn't have been it, not fully.

Was it his actions with Tsume? What could he actually do that might affect her or, rather, what might he be trying to hide from her? A frown crossed her lips.

He was definitely trying to hide something, but what was it?

And, more importantly, how would it affect her son?

Slowly the carriage rolled to a halt just off the main roadway. It was always odd how little use it seemed to receive considering it connected Konohagakure no Sato with the capital of Hi no Kuni. Then again, not many traveled between the two regularly and those that did were usually messengers that moved by foot. Carriages and horses simply weren't readily available for the average traveler.

It also helped that the trade routes, for some strange reason, were not the same as the main roads. Why they didn't just make one larger road he'd never understand.

A warm body pressed itself deeper into his side as the Wolves began setting up a perimeter around what was to be their temporary camp but other than that made no signs of waking.

That, however, could be attributed to the fact that the person curled into his side wasn't asleep and hadn't been for several hours. With his journey nearing its end and their inevitable separation approaching it had been harder and harder for her to drift off to sleep.

Of course, while sleep was nice when you had almost nothing else to do, he doubted she wanted to spend her limited time with him sleeping. She much preferred, he had found, spending her time cuddling with her last precious person.

And there was simply no way he could not indulge her.

She mumbled something into his side but whatever words left her lips were drowned in his shirt.

"What was that, Mikoto Kaa-chan?" He could feel her smile even before she turned to show it to him, her black eyes almost shining with happiness. Well, they were shining with unspent tears, but tears of happiness, so he supposed that was close enough.

"I love it when you call me that, Naruto-Kun." Giving a chuckle he ran his fingers through her hair.

"I know, Kaa-chan, I know. What was it you were trying to say?" Her smile turned into a frown though even then it was more of a pout in his eyes.

"I don't want to go." Almost as if she believed they were to be separated at that very moment her arms wrapped around his torso and pulled her body closer to his. If he minded at all, he didn't show it.

"You know that's not a choice, you're not a wanted criminal-" She was considered dead, after all. "But they'll do whatever they can to eliminate you."

Her pout deepened.

"Are you sure? I could be used to restart the clan, they wouldn't want to pass up on that." At her words a growl left the back of his throat. He would be the first to admit he was rather possessive of what he had and right now she was his.

Of course, that caused some problems. It was hard for her to stay away from him and when they were together- like now- it was hard for her to leave. As her last precious person she had a tendency to be nearly as possessive of him as he was her and her desire to protect him often lead to her trying to convince him to leave the Wolves and stop being a Shinobi for Konoha.

It felt nice, he supposed, but it could become a bit irritating. He wasn't about to let all his work go to waste and while she knew this it didn't stop her from trying.

Her having someone else in her life would have her toning it all down but he couldn't accept the idea of someone else having her.

"No." His hand left her hair as his arm wrapped tightly around her. "You're mine."

Art this she giggled softly. "Don't worry, Kaa-chan's not going to leave you."

Her head turned away from him to rest back on his torso. "Still," her voice had lowered until it was just a breath above a soft whisper. "I could be in Konoha, I could take care of you. Wouldn't you want that?"

"You escaped them, the High Council's going to want control of you. It wouldn't surprise me if they turned your escape into you going rouge. Even if they let you live, they would take you from me."

She gave a disappointed sigh but didn't argue his point. She knew of the massacre, after all, even if they were to restore her clan she'd be kept under constant guard and it was likely after the first few kids she would be eliminated so they could control the birth of the new clan.

"But if I could return, you'd want that, right?"

Leaning down, he kissed the top of her head. "Of course, Kaa-chan. I'll see about getting you a Wolf mask so we can smuggle you in every so often."

That caught her attention and her eyes turned back up to meet his.

"Really?" The sheer innocent hope made her seem almost child-like.

"Really." At his confirmation she tightened her already iron grip on his body, nearly to the point he couldn't breathe.

A few moments later her voice was almost timid but none of the hoe had left it.

"C-can you get me in today?" It was obvious she didn't want to leave him and if he were honest he really didn't want her to either. Frowning, he mulled it over, aware that her eyes were still glued to his face as she eagerly hoped he would let her.

While it was because he held the key to getting her in, the thought that she was deferring to him for permission reminded him of his pet lamb and only further endeared her to him.

It also made this harder, because he really didn't want to see the disappointment on her face were he to deny her.

That alone wasn't easy, how could anyone deny her anything?

But he couldn't ignore facts just to make her happy, as much as he'd like to. The House of Wolves had just came into being and they were about to become an official part of Konoha. Actually, if the runner he had sent to Konoha managed to arrive- which he was certain of- they were already an official part of Konoha. Now, however, they were going to be seen regularly.

At the moment, there was only a small force in Konoha, mostly left to protect Mai and Hinata, but with Naruto's return there was bound to be an increase even if he didn't order it.

Sai, the bastard, would no doubt send a full guard behind his back, and that was if he was lucky.

Naruto was half expecting two full guards and supplementary forces to the base in Konoha.

Considering a full guard ranged between ten or twelve – even thirteen occasionally, often jokingly called the baker's guard – there was going to be a dramatic increase in the presence of the Wolves.

And while it might slightly alleviate suspicion- Having a group no one saw was guaranteed to put the Shinobi village on edge- it would also focus their attention.

As much as he'd like to take her into Konoha, now just wasn't the time.

"I'm sorry, Kaa-chan, we're going to be watched too carefully."

"Oh, okay." The crestfallen look her face adopted had him nearly smuggling her in anyway and damning the consequences but he had to think about more than himself in this situation. Despite wanting her with him and not wanting her to be disappointed, bringing her right now would be bad for both her and the Wolves and he couldn't do that to either.

No, it was better this way.

She had looked away from him, trying to hide her disappointment at being denied both the chance to spend more time with him and see her home again for the first time in years, and he corrected that using his free right hand.

"I'll bring you to Konoha with me when everything calms down, Kaa-chan." He assured her. "I promise."

She didn't bother asking if he really meant it, that would be pointless. Naruto never- NEVER- promised anything. He was a man of his word and because of it he never gave it. For him to promise meant he'd do everything he could to make it happen and that was enough for her.

"Alright." There was silence for a few minutes, both enjoying the company but knowing it was soon coming to an end. Eventually Mikoto's voice rose again, tinged with resignation.

"I guess I should probably get going, we're pretty close to Konoha already." Both knew it had been a risk coming his far but it had been worth it in the end.

"We are." He acknowledged. "It was good to see you again, Kaa-chan."

She gave him another smile, slightly subdued by their coming parting. Grabbing her cloak from the other side of the stopped carriage she easily shrugged it on. The mask, on the other hand, she frowned down at irritably. She hated the damn thing and she hated more the thought of hiding her face from Naruto. It made her feel untrustworthy- funny, considering she was his spy- like she was hiding something from him.

She wasn't of course, but that couldn't rid her of the feeling.

"You'll keep sending me letters, won't you?" She asked, turning away from the hated mask to meet his gaze. Spending time with him had comforted her, but it was still one of her fears that she'd be left with nothing once again. She couldn't stand the thought of losing him after everything else that had been taken from her by her traitorous s- Itachi, taken from her by Itachi.

He was no son of hers.

No, her only son was before her, grinning gently in a way that warmed her heart and convinced her everything was going to be okay.

"Of course, and if a raven is unavailable I'll beg a favor from one of Aū's children." She shot him a puzzled look, having no idea what he was talking about, and he made no effort to explain. He'd leave that as a little surprise then.

"Speaking of children," he continued, catching her completely off-guard. "I'd like to ask you to deliver this to the Wolves for me, if it isn't too much trouble."

He pulled a letter from beside him and made to hand it to her as she stared at him blankly, desperately trying to figure out how the Wolves were related to any children the twelve year old Daimyo might have. He didn't really have any pups running around, did he?

And pups? She sounded like Tsume!

His voice pulled her from her musings. "I figured you might like to meet the rest of the family."

Rest of the family? Did she have a daughter in law, then? Grandchildren? The thought wasn't unpleasant by itself, but the related idea that Naruto might be married with kids certainly was.

"Er, family?"

He gave her a strange look.

"Of course." He said, slightly confused. "What else would my pack be?"

She could not begin to describe how relieved that made her. Of course he would consider the Wolves his family, but how did that relate to children?

"You mentioned something about children?"

"The Wolves, naturally." He explained, wondering why she had difficulty understanding this. "I'm the father of the Wolves and that makes them my children."

"Ah, yes." Now she felt kind of stupid, she should have been more than capable of making that connection on her own. And then he remembered he had asked her to do something for him. "Oh, of course, I'd love to meet your family. I guess that kind of makes them like my grandkids, right?"

He raised a brow. "I suppose it does."

Well, it did if she were his mother, but despite his words he really didn't see her as such. An aunt, maybe, a very close aunt at that, or perhaps even a sister. Hell, there were some times she felt more like a daughter, but she was looking to fill the void of her missing family and that left only two positions for him to fill in her mind.

He could be her husband or he could be her son.

Considering he was twelve, she made the only logical choice.

Still, it made her happy and took no real effort on his part so he indulged her. He did have to wonder, however, how long it would be until she no longer needed someone in that role. Would his filling of it even allow her to reach such a state or would she simply choose the other path and start looking to him in a romantic light?

Already her actions were far from what a mother's should be, so it wasn't too hard to imagine that she was just trying to be close to someone and with what had happened to her family that was the first relationship that came to mind. In that case, it was by name only that their relationship was that between a mother and son.

Eventually, he knew, she would have to realize that for herself but when? And more importantly, what would she do? Would she try to keep things the way they were? Would she act differently? Maybe she would just give their relationship a new name and leave it at that.

But true nature or not, she currently did her best to fill the role of mother in her life and looked to him as her son. Indulging her as he did, much like a father wrapped around his daughter's finger, he would play along until she grew tired of it.

"Though I don't think any of them would be able to see you as such."

"Why not?" She seemed slightly distressed, at not being able to take on the role of grandmother or the idea that his family wouldn't accept her he didn't know.

"You're too young," It was simple enough, but she was rather partial to his complements he had noticed during their journey. Knowing that he continued. "And far too beautiful for them to think of you as a grandmother."

A faint dusting of red painted her cheeks, as he had expected.

"Really?" She tried to act shy but it was obvious she was just after more compliments. Despite knowing this Naruto gave a grin and like with most things indulged her.

"Like a goddess." He thought that was pretty funny, personally, considering that Hinata had been named a goddess by her cult, he had been named after a god because of his status over her, and the woman he was complimenting had claimed the position of his mother. After all, what could the mother of a god be but a goddess?

A soft giggle left her lips before she leaned in for a quick hug, planting a small kiss on his cheek.

"You're so sweet, Naruto-Kun. Write me soon, okay?" He gave her a single nod and with a smile she left his carriage. He had no doubt that by the time he were to leave himself she'd be out of view.

Shaking his head, he made to leave anyway. After all, this was their first break in hours and the last one before they reached Konoha. He might as well make the most of it.

They had snuck him into Konoha easily enough, not wanting to give people any further reason to believe him to be Tsukiyomi. As it was, the less people that new the better.

His home, which he hadn't seen in over a month now, was welcoming. No doubt some of the Wolves he left for Mai had taken it upon themselves to take care of the apartment while he was away. Their effort was appreciated.

A quick shower- the luxury of bathing having been unavailable since his stay at the Daimyo's palace- left him more relaxed than he had been in weeks. The combination of being clean, warm, and in a place he was so familiar with led to him laying comfortably on his couch.

It came as no surprise that he soon fell asleep.

Later- perhaps minutes, maybe even hours- he felt hands gently cup his head and lift it into the air. He didn't bother so much as opening his eyes at the feeling. Not only would the Wolves have stopped anyone who could have meant him harm but the actions were far too familiar for him not to know exactly who was in his home with him.

True to his expectations a weight settled on the couch where his head had been and he was gently lowered to rest on the person's lap. Cracking a single eye open confirmed it as Mai who smiled softly down at her lord. Leaning down to kiss his forehead in a surprising display of affection her smile grew ever so slightly.

"Welcome home, Naruto-Sama."

Tired as he was, it didn't stop the smile that spread over his own lips.

It felt good to be back.

When nimble fingers began running through his crimson hair and a soft hum filled the air he relaxed even further, sinking again into sleep's comforting embrace.

Mai seemed pleased by this, her smile becoming serene as everything returned to how it should be. She was here for him again, by his side as she was always meant to be. With tender fondness she continued to gaze down at her lord.

If she had any say about it, this is where she'd always be.

But even if she wasn't, she'd always be waiting for his return.

"Welcome home, Master."

Because even if she wasn't always with him, she'd always be there for him.

And that should just about do it, I look forward to seeing you all again for the first showing of our XL chapter.